Introducing...Karl Dane!

That photo literally made me laugh out loud. Karl Dane was a hell of a funny man. Even if he doesn't get the credit he deserves for it. In fact most people hear of Karl as 'a tragic example of failing to transition to talkies', while that wasn't really the full story. I have yet to hear his voice but it couldn't have been that bad. His story is a lot sadder and a lot more complicated then a simple line like that. And unfortunately that's all you usually see on any site about him.

When I first watched 'Son of the Sheik' I of course had my eye on Mr. Valentino. But that guy with the blue eyes was funny, and he looked just so damned lovable! The scene where Ahmed is sulking in his friend's palace and 'Ramadan' (Dane's character) accidentally makes him mad is just hysterical. He and Valentino worked well together, crying shame it didn't ever happen again what with Valentino's death and all.

Much like Miss Lottie information on Dane is slightly scarce beyond that sound byte. A lot of his films survive, and he was in a lot of major ones at that. Yet no one seemed to know or care who he was or why he fail. Except one woman. Laura Petersen Balogh made a site for him, wrote articles about him, is in the midst of writing a biography on him, and even had a film retrospective held for him in his native Denmark. Go girl go!

People don't realize how major Karl was. He was in 'The Big Parade' (the second highest grossing silent EVER) which featured John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, and King Vidor. He was in 'The Scarlet Letter' which starred Lillian Gish, 'La Boheme' which starred his 3 previous co-stars, and 'Bardleys the Magnificent' in which a young John Wayne appeared. He was part of a well known comedic duo 'Dane & Arthur' which did several films well into talkies. The act ended after a Vaudeville tour in 1930...but not because of his voice...but because of Dane's mental state at the time.

Dane was a lovable, kind guy who had a lot of bad times dealt his way. He lost his wife and daughter early on, he took part in several business ventures that he either got ripped off in or failed, and he just couldn't seem to catch a break. His failure with talkies was not so much with the accent, but because he had trouble communicating in English. He could speak and understand English very well, but he had trouble finding the words sometimes. This combined with his mental state in the early 30s is what set the stage for tragedy.

Interesting Facts about King Dane:

*He acted as a child, but didn't turn to acting until he was seeking work in New York

*Had a wife and a family when he left Denmark in search of work. He intended to send for them but by the time he could afford to he and his wife no longer agreed on what to do and they separated. It would be several years before his children heard from him again.

*Had a long and tragic love life. His second wife Helen Benson was supposedly the love of his life, he even quit acting for her. But she died in childbirth, as did the child (a daughter). This devastated Dane greatly. He quickly married another woman Emma Sawyer which was a disaster. They divorced and he dated a crazy Russian woman named Thais Valdemar. She liked him until the money was gone, then she left. Poor guy.

*Despite such marriage failures Dane was a MAJOR flirt. He would kiss women right on the mouth and give them a big hug as a greeting. He was so endearing and sweet most let him get away with it!

*After Helen's death Dane returned to films with a bang. He participated in several major films, including the second highest grossing silent ever: "The Big Parade"

*Was part of Dane & Arthur, a comedic duo that took part in films and vaudeville from 1927-1930. Their films were both silents and talkies which stayed decently successful. However Dane suffered a nervous breakdown and combined with his accent troubles this ended the films.

*After films Dane tried several business ventures but got ripped off left and right, robbing him of his fortune. After trying desperately to make it right he took several menial jobs from waiter (which he was unfairly fired from because his celebrity didn't draw in customers) to carpenter. The event that likely set him off to kill himself was when he was robbed of all he had, $18.

*Had no money for a funeral. Fellow actor Jean Hersholt insisted MGM pay for his funeral, which they did. It was a modest ceremony and was held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, ironically where Valentino, Mathis, Renée Adorée, people had had worked with, were all buried before him.

The truth about his death was this was a poor man at the end of his rope, who could not catch a break for the life of him. Quite sad when considering how prolific his silent career had been. His last film, "The Whispering Shadow" starred Bela Lugosi which did quite well. At least he went out with a small bang. Click here to listen to Karl speak.

So next time you pop in "Son of the Sheik" or "The Big Parade" make sure you keep your eye out for King Dane. And if you should happen to take one of those morbid cemetery tours, make sure you pay some respects his way. Poor Karl...he must be remembered, as he was madly talented.

When Laura's book is finished I will surely update. Meanwhile for all the latest Karl Dane news and releases please check out her site, http://www.karl-dane.com/