Anita Garvin

Birthday: 1906-02-11
Deathday: 1994-07-07
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anita Garvin (February 11, 1907 – July 7, 1994) was an American actress and comedian who appeared in both silent and sound films. She is best known for her work with comedians Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase.

Garvin was born in New York City.] Her two sisters who danced in vaudeville encouraged her talents. At age 12, she lied to an agent saying she was "almost sixteen" and got a job being a bathing beauty for one of Mack Sennett's stage shows. The following year she joined the Ziegfeld Follies. She took pride in being the only woman allowed to touch Will Rogers's ropes. She also appeared in Earl Carroll Vanities.

Garvin went on tour with the musical Sally staying with the show for two seasons, then decided to stay in California when the tour left that stop in 1924. In Hollywood, Garvin began working for Christie Film Company's comedies. She recalled her co-star Bobby Vernon dropping butter on the floor onto which she stepped and tumbled, cementing her career as a comedian. Charles Lamont brought her over to work for Educational Pictures. In 1926, Hal Roach took her under contract, where she appeared in many silent films with Charley Chase, James Finlayson, and Max Davidson as well as playing occasional supporting roles in feature films. Standing around 6 feet tall, "her regal countenance and deadpan expression" made her the perfect comic foil.

Roach later considered her "one of his finest actresses." Reflecting upon her frequent co-star Stan Laurel, Garvin observed: "One thing about Stan--with apologies to a lot of directors--they thought they were directing him. And they thought they were directing the picture. But Stan was the one...He was very clever about it. The director was never cognizant of the fact that he was not doing all the directing. Stan's mind was going all the time, always thinking of gags and things to do. The script didn't mean a thing." Garvin appeared in a total of eleven Laurel and Hardy films. In 1928, she was teamed with Marion Byron as a short-lived female version of Laurel and Hardy. Along with Edgar Kennedy, Byron and Garvin appeared in A Pair of Tights, an "acknowledged masterpiece."

Credits

Year Title Character
1940-08-06 Sunk by the Census
1940-07-16 Bested by a Beard Mrs. Vivian Errol
1940-01-25 A Chump at Oxford Mrs. Vandevere (uncredited)
1938-05-20 Swiss Miss Tradesman's wife
1937-07-16 Topper
1936-05-08 Sleepless Hollow Harry's Wife
1936-01-04 While the Cat's Away Emma
1934-04-18 Merry Wives of Reno Male-Seeking Woman in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
1933-04-29 His Silent Racket Mrs. Finlayson
1933-01-21 Asleep in the Feet Dance Hall Hostess
1932-10-04 Yoo-Hoo Anita
1932-08-20 Show Business Anita Garvin
1931-09-01 Murder at Midnight Party Guest (uncredited)
1931-04-18 The Skulls Señora Laurel
1931-02-07 Be Big! Mrs. Laurel
1931-02-07 The Chiselers Mme. Laurel
1930-03-08 Whispering Whoopee Miss Garvin
1930-02-08 Blotto Mrs. Laurel
1930-01-12 Sally Party Guest (uncredited)
1929-12-13 Dynamite Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1929-11-23 Red Hot Rhythm Mable
1929-11-02 Stepping Out The Date
1929-09-08 Our Modern Maidens Bridesmaid (uncredited)
1929-07-27 The Single Standard Packy's Jealous Girlfriend at Art Exhibition (uncredited)
1929-07-21 Modern Love Mrs. Weston - the Brunette
1929-07-13 On With the Show! Chorine (uncredited)
1929-05-11 Movie Night
1929-04-13 The Charlatan Mrs. Paynter
1929-03-31 Trent's Last Case Ottilie Dunois
1929-02-16 Off to Buffalo Mrs. Brown
1929-02-03 A Pair of Tights Anita
1929-01-05 Going Ga-Ga Anita
1928-12-08 Feed 'em and Weep
1928-09-01 Imagine My Embarrassment
1928-07-29 Roaming Romeo The Princess
1928-05-19 Their Purple Moment Oliver's Girlfriend
1928-05-05 Fandango
1928-04-22 The Play Girl Millie
1928-03-24 From Soup to Nuts Mrs. Culpepper
1927-12-31 The Battle of the Century Slips on pie (uncredited)
1927-12-24 Never the Dames Shall Meet Edna's Sister
1927-11-05 Hats Off Customer at top of stairs
1927-09-25 Sailors, Beware! Madame Ritz
1927-08-28 With Love and Hisses Captain Bustle's 1st girlfriend
1927-08-08 Assistant Wives Gwendolyn - the Flapjack Queen
1927-07-17 Why Girls Love Sailors Captain's Wife
1927-06-26 Baby Brother Amorous nursemaid
1927-04-10 Forgotten Sweeties
1927-01-30 Upstream Theatre Audience Admirer at Stage Door
1927-01-29 Two-Time Mama Mrs. Dazzle
1927-01-09 Many Scrappy Returns Wellington's Wife
1927-01-02 The Motor Boat Demon Colleen
1926-12-19 Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl Flo Mason
1926-11-06 Raggedy Rose Janice
1926-07-24 Move Along Rich girl with roses
1926-05-30 Creeps
1926-01-24 For Sadie's Sake
1925-11-29 Fair But Foolish
1925-08-15 Book Bozo
1925-06-30 The Sleuth The other woman
1925-06-20 In the Grease Physical Culture teacher
1925-02-18 A Dangerous Peach Mrs. Wilson
1924-11-02 The Last Man on Earth A Millionairess (uncredited)
1924-09-14 Bright Lights