Silent film star Karl Dane revealed in new book

By Thomas Gladysz
San Francisco Silent Film Examiner

Karl Dane (1886-1934) was a big lovable goofy-grinned oaf of an actor. He was also unforgettable on the screen.

Best remembered for his role as the tobacco-chewing Slim in the blockbuster silent film, The Big Parade (1925), Dane appeared in more than a handful of classic works including La Bohème, The Scarlet Letter, Bardelys the Magnificent, and The Son of the Shiek (all 1926). In those films and others, he appeared alongside the likes of Rudolph Valentino, John Gilbert, Lillian Gish, William Haines and even Bela Lugosi. For awhile, he was paired with George K. Arthur in a series of popular comedies which included Rookies, one of the successes of 1927.

However, in the early 1930s, Dane was forced to abandon his faltering film career because of what was thought to be a nervous breakdown along with studio displeasure over his heavy accent. Born Rasmus Karl Therkelsen Gottlieb in Copenhagen, the immigrant machinist turned actor gained his stage name after the country of his birth, Denmark. He arrived in the United States in February, 1916.

So broke was Dane in the 1930’s that it was reported the onetime world famous movie star had resorted to running a hot dog stand outside the gates of the MGM studio which had once profited by his talents. Could it be true? How could such a thing happen to such a gifted and much loved personality?

Dane’s decline was disastrous. Down on his luck, Dane ended his life with a gunshot to the head in April, 1934. On the table near his slumped over corpse in his shabby Los Angeles apartment was a large scrapbook documenting the actor’s many screen triumphs. To compound the sadness of his suicide, no one came forward to claim his body.

The actor’s remarkable life is told for the first time in an exceptional new work, Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography, by Laura Petersen Balogh. The book, published by McFarland, also includes a forward by film historian Kevin Brownlow.

Dane’s death has overshadowed his life and all that he accomplished in his 47 years. It was the author’s intention – and in this she succeeds – in rightly shifting the focus away from the sensational facts of Dane’s demise to instead ask how it all came to be. Here is where the author’s narrative lies. What circumstances, what dark forces, could drive a person to despair?

The book, representing nearly four years work on two continents, pulls few punches in telling Dane's tragic tale. Yes, as the author documents, the future actor abandoned his wife and family in Denmark, and yes, he remarried in the United States without revealing his past. Dane may or may not have been a drinker, though it’s likely he had a sexually communicable disease. Dane likely deserted the army in Denmark, and he did, during the Depression, engage in some shady business dealings. All of this is carefully documented in Balogh’s book. The author also pays ample attention to Dane's 40 films.

Dane was a complex personality with a somewhat solitary temperament. Though never a fugitive, he always seemed to be on the run from the past.

Dane’s public persona was largely at odds from the happy-go-lucky country bumpkin he so memorably portrayed in The Big Parade (for many years the second highest grossing film of all-time). Dane was, in fact, a man of many faults, some of which led to his eventual downfall. The author employs an evenhanded, compassionate approach in bringing these shortcomings to light.

Balogh’s research is thorough and impressive. For example, one remarkable find was the unpublished memoirs of Dane's longtime comedy partner, George K. Arthur. This document offers an intimate perspective on Dane and his career.

The author also uncovered interesting material surrounding Dane’s Depression-era attempts at mining and their connection to San Francisco and Northern California. After three months prospecting along the Coast, a deal turned up in Oregon. Dane and his business partners incorporated in San Francisco, and then went to Redding, where they planned on picking up some equipment – but there things turned sour. It was another unfortunate occurrence in a string of unsuccessful ventures.

Another San Francisco connection is found in The Trail of ’98 (1928), a film about the Gold Rush of 1898 in which Dane plays a farmer who escapes his shrewish wife in hopes of staking a claim. Clarence Brown directed this big-budget film, which starred Dolores del Rio, and based parts of it on the files of the old San Francisco Chronicle.

“Since most of the old files were destroyed in the infamous 1906 earthquake, he sought out the owner of the paper, who had a complete archive at his home. According to the March 1928 New York Times, photostatic copies of every page from the year 1898 were made and studied for vital historical detail.” Balogh also notes that several members of the cast and crew had been involved in the gold rush thirty years prior, including the San Francisco-born Russell Simpson, who played the “Old Swede” in the film.

Laura Petersen Balogh, a New Jersey writer and teacher, has done a fine thing in relating the life story of this troubled though unforgettable actor. She has also created an informative website at www.karl-dane.com which documents not only the actor’s life and career but the author’s several years of research. Along with her book, it is also well worth exploring.

For more info: Balogh’s English-language article “The Big Swede: The Tribulations of a Dane in 1920s Hollywood” appears in the April, 2008 issue of the online Danish magazine 16:9. Elsewhere, visit the publisher’s page to learn more about this new book. Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography is available on-line through amazon.com and at better independent bookstores.