Max Wagner (November 28, 1901 – November 16, 1975) was a Mexican-born American film actor who specialized in playing small parts such as thugs, gangsters, sailors, henchmen, bodyguards, cab drivers and moving men, appearing more than 400 films in his career, most without receiving screen credit.[1] Paul Kelly and actress/screenwriter Dorothy Mackaye.
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Max Wagner
Born (1901-11-28 ) November 28, 1901Died November 16, 1975(1975-11-16) (aged 73) Resting place Hollywood Forever Cemetery Occupation Actor Years active 1924– 1975
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Wagner was one of five children, all boys, of William Wallace Wagner, a railroad conductor, and Edith Wagner, a writer who provided dispatches for the Christian Science Monitor Mexican Revolution . When he was 10 years old, his father was killed by rebels and the family moved to Salinas, California , where he met John Steinbeck , who became a lifelong friend. Steinbeck based the character of the boy in his novel The Red Pony [2]
Three of Wagner's brothers were working in Hollywood – Jack Wagner and Blake Wagner as cameramen for D.W. Griffith , Hal Roach and Mack Sennett , and Bob as an assistant cameraman at First National – and Max Wagner moved there in 1924, where he got an acting job on the Harry Langdon film his brother Jack was working on, All Night Long [2]
Under the name "Max Baron", Wagner acted in many Spanish-language versions of English-language films, which studios made as a matter of course in the early days of sound films, He also served as a Spanish language coach for other actors, and appeared in many of the "Mexican Spitfire" films starring Lupe Vélez , where he also served to monitor Velez's Spanish ad-libs for profanity.[ citation needed ]
Other series that Wagner appeared in include the Charlie Chan films, and Tom Mix serials, as well as others made by Mascot Pictures Corporation . In the 1940s, Wagner was part of Preston Sturges ' unofficial "stock company" of character actors , appearing in six films written and directed by Sturges, beginning with The Palm Beach Story [3]
In 1940 during the filming of "The Mad Doctor", Wagner was credited for driving 50,000 miles as an on-screen taxi driver on the studio back lots of Hollywood. Since his appearance as a cab driver in Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935), producers often cast him as a wise-cracking or henchman taxi driver. "I was cast as a taxi driver about five years ago", Wagner told a reporter. "And I was typed."[4] [2]
Max Wagner in 1933. Wagner's career has several breaks in it. He served with the U.S. Army in the North African Campaign of World War II, and his struggle with alcoholism caused a short break in 1950.[ citation needed ]
Wagner was the star prosecution witness in the manslaughter trials of actor Paul Kelly and actress/screenwriter Dorothy Mackaye in 1927. Wagner was Kelly's roommate.[5]
During an alcohol-fueled party at Wagner and Kelly's apartment on April 16, 1927, Kelly beat to death Mackaye's husband, Ray Raymond, a Vaudeville entertainer. Kelly and Mackaye had been seeing each other for some time before the fight had occurred. Wagner was present when Kelly and Raymond were fighting.[6] [7] [8]
At her own trial several months later, Mackaye testified that Kelly and Raymond had agreed to the fight as a duel , and that Wagner was Kelly's second for the duel.[9] [10]
Kelly was convicted of manslaughter but served only two years in prison. Mackaye was sentenced to 10 months in prison on accessory and concealing evidence convictions. Kelly and Mackaye were married after Kelly's release from prison. Wagner and Kelly appeared together in two films after the incident: Death on the Diamond Frenchie [2]
In 1952 , Wagner began to appear on television, in episodes of such shows as The Cisco Kid Zane Grey Theater Perry Mason [ citation needed ]
He was a regular cast member on the western television series Gunsmoke The Rifleman Bonanza Cimarron Strip The Wild Wild West Maverick Rifleman episode "Blood Brother." He also had roles in the original Star Trek The Twilight Zone [ citation needed ]
Notable film roles for Wagner include a supporting role in the cult science fiction classic Invaders from Mars Bullets or Ballots Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bullfighters [1] [11]
Late in his career, he appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance The Virginian [ citation needed ]
He also occasionally composed music, such as the Mexican folk ballad "Pedro, Rudarte y Simon" in the Western film The Last Trail
Wagner died of a heart attack in Hollywood in 1975.[ citation needed ]
The First Auto The Thrill Seekers Numbered Men Shooting Straight El último de los Vargas (1930) - EstévezEl valiente (1930) - Sargento de policiaGoing Wild Entre platos y notas (1930)Cupido Chauffeur (1930)El código penal (1931) - (uncredited)The Hot Heiress The Good Bad Girl Cuerpo y alma (1931) - (uncredited)El pasado acusa (1931) - Minor Role (uncredited)Suicide Fleet Step Sisters Cock of the Air It's Tough to Be Famous The World and the Flesh The Last Mile Renegades of the West Rockabye Grand Slam Broadway Bad The Whispering Shadow Song of the Eagle Emergency Call Arizona to Broadway Before Dawn Morning Glory The Last Trail The Wolf Dog Goodbye Love Sons of the Desert Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen Wharf Angel The Lost Jungle I Like It That Way Hell Bent for Love The Personality Kid Blind Date Name the Woman Death on the Diamond She Had to Choose The Captain Hates the Sea Gridiron Flash The Oil Raider 365 Nights in Hollywood The Mighty Barnum Bachelor of Arts Romance in Manhattan A Notorious Gentleman Storm Over the Andes The Miracle Rider Under the Pampas Moon Ladies Crave Excitement The Daring Young Man Dante's Inferno The Adventures of Rex and Rinty The Farmer Takes a Wife Welcome Home Charlie Chan in Shanghai Dr. Socrates Case of the Missing Man Three Kids and a Queen Mary Burns, Fugitive The Fighting Marines The Adventures of Frank Merriwell Paddy O'Day Follow the Fleet Love on a Bet Two in Revolt The House of a Thousand Candles The Moon's Our Home The Girl from Mandalay The Case Against Mrs. Ames The Crime Patrol Sons O' Guns Dancing Pirate Bullets or Ballots Trapped by Television The Bride Walks Out Charlie Chan at the Race Track Two-Fisted Gentleman Love Begins at 20 Walking on Air The Girl on the Front Page The Big Game Come and Get It Love Letters of a Star Night Waitress Chatterbox Career Woman We Who Are About to Die Smart Blonde God's Country and the Woman Black Legion You Only Live Once The Great O'Malley When Love Is Young Step Lively, Jeeves! Wings Over Honolulu There Goes My Girl San Quentin Border Cafe Slim Alcatraz Island Some Blondes Are Dangerous Submarine D-1 Born to Be Wild Penrod and His Twin Brother Maid's Night Out Mr. Moto's Gamble Accidents Will Happen Cocoanut Grove Professor Beware Passport Husband Letter of Introduction Painted Desert Room Service Time Out for Murder The Arkansas Traveler Red Barry Tarnished Angel Little Tough Guys in Society Up the River Scouts to the Rescue Off the Record Wings of the Navy Fast and Loose Cafe Society Society Smugglers Winner Take All Mr. Moto in Danger Island The Return of the Cisco Kid The Girl from Mexico The Gracie Allen Murder Case Waterfront Our Leading Citizen The Star Maker 5th Ave Girl The Day the Bookies Wept The Roaring Twenties Reno Mexican Spitfire The Man Who Wouldn't Talk The Grapes of Wrath Charlie Chan in Panama The House Across the Bay Millionaire Playboy Buck Benny Rides Again You Can't Fool Your Wife The Ghost Breakers Pop Always Pays They Drive by Night Lucky Partners Pier 13 Wildcat Bus Rhythm on the River Men Against the Sky Hired Wife I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now Street of Memories The Bank Dick Trail of the Vigilantes The San Francisco Docks The Mad Doctor Nice Girl? Double Date Ride on Vaquero Cyclone on Horseback Parachute Battalion Unexpected Uncle Last of the Duanes Texas Great Guns The Mexican Spitfire's Baby The Bugle Sounds Obliging Young Lady Sing Your Worries Away True to the Army Two Yanks in Trinidad My Favorite Blonde The Wife Takes a Flyer Moontide The Spoilers Syncopation Come on Danger Priorities on Parade Sabotage Squad The Talk of the Town The Palm Beach Story Mexican Spitfire's Elephant Overland to Deadwood Panama Hattie Highways by Night You Can't Escape Forever Seven Days' Leave A Night to Remember Secrets of the Underground That Nazty Nuisance The Miracle of Morgan's Creek How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines Boss of Boomtown The Great Moment Raiders of Ghost City The Singing Sheriff Girl Rush Hi, Beautiful Can't Help Singing She Gets Her Man A Medal for Benny Circumstantial Evidence It's in the Bag! Zombies on Broadway The Bullfighters Where Do We Go from Here? I'll Tell the World You Came Along Within These Walls Radio Stars on Parade Mama Loves Papa The Lost Weekend The Spanish Main Fallen Angel An Angel Comes to Brooklyn Because of Him Riverboat Rhythm To Each His Own Johnny Comes Flying Home The Truth About Murder The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Smoky Dick Tracy vs. Cueball Vacation in Reno It's a Wonderful Life That Brennan Girl Sinbad the Sailor The Sin of Harold Diddlebock The Long Night Possessed Second Chance Tycoon On Our Merry Way The Miracle of the Bells The Big Clock Half Past Midnight The Sainted Sisters Shed No Tears Unfaithfully Yours Force of Evil The Lucky Stiff Flaxy Martin Caught The Red Pony El Paso Adventure in Baltimore The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend It Happens Every Spring Reign of Terror Mighty Joe Young Bandits of El Dorado (1949) - Butler Paul (uncredited)A Kiss for Corliss The Eagle and the Hawk I'll Get By The Sun Sets at Dawn Frenchie Pier 23 The Secret of Convict Lake Meet Me After the Show Jim Thorpe – All-American The Racket Flaming Feather The Big Sky Les Misérables Park Row The Raiders Stars and Stripes Forever Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd The Blazing Forest Tropic Zone Meet Me at the Fair The Lady Wants Mink Invaders from Mars The President's Lady Powder River The Farmer Takes a Wife Fort Algiers Second Chance Donovan's Brain Those Redheads from Seattle The Great Diamond Robbery Casanova's Big Night Rails Into Laramie The Lone Gun Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl Gorilla at Large This Is My Love The Country Girl Timberjack Underwater! East of Eden Top of the World Son of Sinbad Tennessee's Partner The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing Illegal Lucy Gallant I Died a Thousand Times The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell The Conqueror Westward Ho the Wagons! Public Pigeon No. 1 The Spirit of St. Louis The Wayward Bus Robbery Under Arms A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed The Fiend Who Walked the West The Buccaneer Ice Palace One Foot in Hell Sunrise at Campobello A Fever in the Blood Ada The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance To Kill a Mockingbird It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 4 for Texas Law of the Lawless Invitation to a Gunfighter Shenandoah The Great Race Gunpoint A Big Hand for the Little Lady Waco Return of the Gunfighter The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin Hang 'Em High Rosemary's Baby Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? The Legend of Lylah Clare True Grit The Reivers The Cheyenne Social Club WUSA Support Your Local Gunfighter Get to Know Your Rabbit Young Frankenstein
Wagner, Rob Leicester (1 June 2016). Hollywood Bohemia: The Roots of Progressive Politics in Rob Wagner's Script . Janaway. p. 64. ISBN 978-1596413696 "Call Kelly's Roommate in Trial of Miss Mackaye", Wisconsin State Journal (June 19, 1927), p. 22.
Gene Coughlin, "Tragedies of the Stage", Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph (September 12, 1948), p. American Weekly , p. 7.
"Raymond Case Witness Gone", The Los Angeles Times (May 6, 1927), p. II-5.
"Dot Mackaye Tells of 'Duel'", The San Francisco Examiner (June 25, 1927), p. 5.
"Witness Flays Miss Mackaye", Detroit Free Press (Jun 21, 1927), p. 1.
Erskine Johnson, "Film Togetherness? Max Isn't So Lonely Today", Redlands Daily Facts (September 23, 1959), p. 12.
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