Just for fun -- anybody famous in this photo?

The girl on the far right of the first row could be Ann Miller, who was in the movie. I don't think she was in the play, though.

 

And here's the cast of the Broadway theatrical version...

http://www.bluegobo.com/production/2882097

 

This photo is from the play. I think the actress looks a lot like the one in the bottom left of Fig's photo.

 

If it is Van Johnson in the photo, I discovered that he worked in a revue on Broadway, "New Faces of 1936," before his part in "Too Many Girls." He also did off-Broadway work that might fit the photo. Pages 29-30 in this biography highlight the early work he did...

http://books.google.com/books?id=RG...AEwBw#v=onepage&q="new faces of 1936"&f=false

 

Thank you, Pat --

I've seen lots of movies with Van Johnson in them, and to me the man in this photo does not look much like him. However, anybody can look "different' from their regular look in one isolated photo, and the man in the photo is making a strange face.

Van Johnson was in the chorus of the play, and his role is listed as "Student" -- Which does not suggest to me that he would ever be in a scene that looks like the one in my photo.

I do think in that last photo you posted, the actress does resemble the one in my photo.

I don't think I mentioned that my photo is a snapshot, approximately 4" x 6" -- printed on snapshot type paper, no studio mentioned. It used to be glued into an album and has black paper stuck to the back. I bought it with another photo, slightly larger, that was probably in the same album, on different paper stock, with a row of chorus girls in it... totally different type of photograph, though, so doesn't help with the clues.

Not to be a wet blanket on a thread I started for fun... but I truly don't recognize any of these people, and I have extensive experience watching old movies. Theories are fine and all... but I'm wondering whether I should have started this, since I'm also tiring a bit. If others are not, though... it's fine to keep talking!

 

OK, so maybe I was a wet blanket.

 

That was the one picture of VJ that got me wondering if it might be him at a much younger age. Others not so much.

 

Fig, I totally understand. Sometimes for me research is fun and sometimes it just doesn't feel worth it.

If it is Van Johnson, I think it's probably from his early days, either high school or shortly after when he worked in vaudeville. In which case, none of the women may have ended up a star or even "in the business." I tried finding photos of him from that earlier period, but none turned up.

 

Pat,

Thanks again! Thinking about identifying a play seems like a good way to go about analyzing this.

Fig

 

If it were from a Broadway play, I'd agree. But if it's from a vaudeville act, I'd think it would be pretty hard to come up with anything?

His biography said he worked for a while in the 30s at "The Roxy," which was a movie house in Manhattan. From what I read, they kept a full orchestra and crew of entertainers on staff for live productions. I forget exactly what was said, but apparently the live shows were presented before, between, and/or after movies.

Maybe your photo is from that type of production?

As an aside, my paternal grandfather worked in vaudeville in NYC at one point. I wish I knew what he did and had photos!

 

Pat,
Now that would be interesting! Given your interest in research, I suppose you have already tried to find information on your grandfather's vaudeville work?

Fig

 

Fig, I wish I could.

I'm afraid any family members who would have info or photos are either gone now or alienated. I've tried web searches, and found some census info, plus info concerning the work my grandfather did later on. But nothing about his vaudeville days.

 

My first thought was that he looked like a Nelson Eddy imitator. He has the hair for it.



But he also has an uncanny resemblance to the hoofer Donald O Conner.

This photo is taken in 1946, However, and the op photo looks to be mid to late 1930s.

I also agree that it could be
Van Johnson, but not from "Too Many Girls"..., he was a chorus boy in a football uniform. But he was also an understudy to the three male leads.

It could be him in "New Faces of 1936", which there are no photos of him in nor mention of what his part was in the production.

Does this photo presage his coming out?

If it was him in this production the photo would be a one off and valuable to the collector. I'd look for the Pres. of the Van Johnson fan club.

 

I think I agree with Wendy - Red Skelton
He was born in 1913, was working in vaudeville and on show boats by the age of 14, in burlesque by 15. By 17 he was an MC for dance marathons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Skelton

 

All of the above have some resemblance... but to me, not enough of one. I actually like the Donald O'Connor resemblance the most, but I didn't think that his hair was curly enough. I went to look at some other photos, and still don't think so.

Fig

 

#6 looks like she has Bette Davis eyes.

 

Oops. Just realized someone said that. But I like Angela Lansbury better. One thing you can do is look up where these actors had contracts. If they were all with different studios, they wouldn't be together.

 

Thanks, Bev! I'll get around to checking that -- um, maybe never.

 

I don't know who that man is, but he is not any of the men suggested. Length of neck, shape of eyebrows, type of forehead -- none add up to anyone recognizable so far.

 

Thanks, silverthwait. I tend to agree with you.