To quote from Jesse
"Now THIS is interesting...
John Frederick Weiss was born September 24, 1914 in Cook, IL (Leo would have been working for Essanay at the time, I believe)
Leo Weiss' age is 32 (birthdate: November 10, 1881), born in Berlin, Germany
Ethel Caroline McCann's age is 22 (birthdate: circa 1892), born in London, England"
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQ14-CHD
So Leo and John, later known as White, appear in the records as Weiss.
"WWI Draft Card (Sept. 12, 1918)
Leo Weiss (AKA Leo White) is age 36, born November 10, 1881
Lives at 6806 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
He was born in Germany
He is an actor at Universal Film Co.
His wife is listed as Ethel Veronica White (GAHHH!)"
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KZVN-KKP
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-26181-16483-54?cc=1968530
This must be the same as I have a postcard from Ethel - date uncertain - where she gives her address as 6806 Hollywood Blvd. So the listing of Ethel's middle name as Veronica must be an error. Leo's date of birth is given her as November 10, 1881 but other sources say 1882. Since he has his wife's middle name is wrong, the date of birth may be unreliable.
"1920 Census (Jan 7 1920)
Leo (38 - birth year 1881) and Ethel (37? - 1882; adding 10 years?) live with their sons in Los Angeles
Leo's parents were born E Prussia, Germany (Leo's birthplace simply says Germany)
Ethel's dad was born in Scotland, her mom in Ireland; Ethel was born in England
Both act in motion pictures"
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHQF-ZLF
https://archive.org/stream/14thcensusofpopu106unit#page/n605/mode/1up
So in the 1920 census, the family name is given a Weiss, not White. Dates of immigration for Leo and Ethel are given as 1903 and 1910 respectively. Ethel's age is given as 37 in the transcription, but the original actually shows 27. Ethel gives her father's birthplace as Scotland, although he was actually born in Mauritius. Both her father James and his father John were in the army and some of their children were born overseas. James's elder sister was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire. So it is quite likely that Ethel, after hearing family stories of relatives born abroad, got mixed up about who was born where.
"In the meantime, John (Fred) (25) and Leo (28) in the 1940 Census (Apr 8)
Interesting, John/Fred is an actor in motion pcitures as well!
Leo is a shop foreman (Venetian blinds)"
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K97C-1HS
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-27791-13474-97?cc=2000219
Brothers John and Leo at 202 North La Peer Drive. This is the address Leo's address at the time of his marriage in 1947. Possibly Leo's job as a shop foreman was a stopgap, as by 1947 his occupation was singer.
To be continued...
Showing posts with label Leo Herbert White. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leo Herbert White. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2016
More about Ethel
I haven't been active for a while, but recently a lot more information has come to light about my great aunt Ethel White nee McCann for which I am indebted to Margaret (granddaughter of Ethel's sister Elizabeth) and Alan Miles.
To recap, Ethel married actor Leo White and had a theatrical career under the stage name Blanche White. Her film output was relatively modest http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924527/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm. So far, I had not seen any movies that included Ethel. So I was particularly delighted to be directed to this 1917 short "The Chief Cook" where Blanche appears as Maggie the 'slavery maid'.
Here is a synopsis
http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_963_The-Chief-Cook
And here is the movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdaQry_z_34
Margaret and Alan also directed me to an online forum where some else had been researching Blanche/Ethel http://www.voy.com/225534/4/9313.html . "Jesse" had found my blog and compared it to his or her own researches. Working through Jesse's links:
Marriage of Leo and Ethel's elder son Leo Herbert James White to May Emanuella Oddo, 23 November 1947. (As mentioned in previous entries, young Leo is always referred to as Peter or a diminutive in correspondence from Ethel to her sister Ada.) I had not been aware of this marriage and it opens up new avenues for research:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8KK-8HD
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-29947-66158-80?cc=1804002
At the time, Leo was living at 202 North, La Peer Drive, Beverly Hills. Here it is on Google Streetview
202 No, La Peer Drive (although you do sometimes need to take with a pinch of salt just how accurate Google is at pinpointing individual houses.) But it gives an idea of the location. His occupation is shown as singer.
May is shown as divorced and this is her second marriage, but her father's name is shown as Charles Joseph Oddo, so presumably she reverted to her maiden name after divorcing. Her address is given as North Curson Avenue, Loss Angeles; the house number is indistinct. Her birthplace is Connecticut. So far, no trace of her first marriage,
Ethel's birth
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2FMX-FPM
Woolwich 2Q 1892, matches what I already have.
Ethel in 1901 census
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X98P-1DF
This is Ethel, her parents, siblings and niece at 49 Marmadon Road, Plumstead (which is listed here as being in Middlesex). This property is still in existence. Search Google Maps and take a virtual tour with Street View. Postcode is SE18 1EA. It is the last house on the north side before Barth Mews and the wheelie bin outside is numbered 49. (In 1891, prior to Ethel's birth, the family was at 39 Marmadon Road, now demolished. You can see its position on this 1959 OS map)
Jesse thinks this could be Ethel arriving in America.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XP29-63L
Ethel McCann, age given as 21, arriving at Niagara Falls, New York in June 1910 via a border crossing from Canada. Birthplace London, England and "Race" Irish. I hadn't been having much luck finding when Ethel left the UK, not least because I didn't know where and when she married Leo, so not sure whether I should be looking for her as McCann or White. And if she travelled via Canada, that would further confound the issue. In June 1910 Ethel would actually have been 17. That does seem rather young to be making such an epic journey. Maybe she was adding a few years to her age to avoid awkward questions, but surely she would have needed a passport. All this does raise questions about how she came to leave her family and start a new life across the Atlantic while still in her teens. Possibly she went over with a travelling theatre company. And did she meet future husband Leo in the USA or England? According to IMDB "Leo White started in comedy on the boards of English music hall in the late 1890's. He accompanied theatrical producer Daniel Frohman (later a partner of Adolph Zukor in Famous Players Lasky) to Hollywood in 1910". Since Ethel and Leo arrived in the USA at about the same time, they may have already known each other and might even have travelled together.
As to the rather odd classification of her "race" (rather than nationality) as Irish, her mother Mary was born in Belfast. Father James was born in Mauritius while his parents were there on military service. James's father John was a gunner in the Royal Artillery, born in Seago, Lurgan, Co Armagh. So maybe by the logic of the time, that made Ethel Irish.
Ethel with sons Leo and John, 1930 census at Hedvig Apartments, 1819 North Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XCV9-5LK
https://archive.org/stream/californiacensus00reel134rs#page/n254/mode/1up
This matches what I was told previously by E.J. Fleming.
To be continued...
To recap, Ethel married actor Leo White and had a theatrical career under the stage name Blanche White. Her film output was relatively modest http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924527/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm. So far, I had not seen any movies that included Ethel. So I was particularly delighted to be directed to this 1917 short "The Chief Cook" where Blanche appears as Maggie the 'slavery maid'.
Here is a synopsis
http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_963_The-Chief-Cook
And here is the movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdaQry_z_34
Margaret and Alan also directed me to an online forum where some else had been researching Blanche/Ethel http://www.voy.com/225534/4/9313.html . "Jesse" had found my blog and compared it to his or her own researches. Working through Jesse's links:
Marriage of Leo and Ethel's elder son Leo Herbert James White to May Emanuella Oddo, 23 November 1947. (As mentioned in previous entries, young Leo is always referred to as Peter or a diminutive in correspondence from Ethel to her sister Ada.) I had not been aware of this marriage and it opens up new avenues for research:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8KK-8HD
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-29947-66158-80?cc=1804002
At the time, Leo was living at 202 North, La Peer Drive, Beverly Hills. Here it is on Google Streetview
202 No, La Peer Drive (although you do sometimes need to take with a pinch of salt just how accurate Google is at pinpointing individual houses.) But it gives an idea of the location. His occupation is shown as singer.
May is shown as divorced and this is her second marriage, but her father's name is shown as Charles Joseph Oddo, so presumably she reverted to her maiden name after divorcing. Her address is given as North Curson Avenue, Loss Angeles; the house number is indistinct. Her birthplace is Connecticut. So far, no trace of her first marriage,
Ethel's birth
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2FMX-FPM
Woolwich 2Q 1892, matches what I already have.
Ethel in 1901 census
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X98P-1DF
This is Ethel, her parents, siblings and niece at 49 Marmadon Road, Plumstead (which is listed here as being in Middlesex). This property is still in existence. Search Google Maps and take a virtual tour with Street View. Postcode is SE18 1EA. It is the last house on the north side before Barth Mews and the wheelie bin outside is numbered 49. (In 1891, prior to Ethel's birth, the family was at 39 Marmadon Road, now demolished. You can see its position on this 1959 OS map)
Jesse thinks this could be Ethel arriving in America.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XP29-63L
Ethel McCann, age given as 21, arriving at Niagara Falls, New York in June 1910 via a border crossing from Canada. Birthplace London, England and "Race" Irish. I hadn't been having much luck finding when Ethel left the UK, not least because I didn't know where and when she married Leo, so not sure whether I should be looking for her as McCann or White. And if she travelled via Canada, that would further confound the issue. In June 1910 Ethel would actually have been 17. That does seem rather young to be making such an epic journey. Maybe she was adding a few years to her age to avoid awkward questions, but surely she would have needed a passport. All this does raise questions about how she came to leave her family and start a new life across the Atlantic while still in her teens. Possibly she went over with a travelling theatre company. And did she meet future husband Leo in the USA or England? According to IMDB "Leo White started in comedy on the boards of English music hall in the late 1890's. He accompanied theatrical producer Daniel Frohman (later a partner of Adolph Zukor in Famous Players Lasky) to Hollywood in 1910". Since Ethel and Leo arrived in the USA at about the same time, they may have already known each other and might even have travelled together.
As to the rather odd classification of her "race" (rather than nationality) as Irish, her mother Mary was born in Belfast. Father James was born in Mauritius while his parents were there on military service. James's father John was a gunner in the Royal Artillery, born in Seago, Lurgan, Co Armagh. So maybe by the logic of the time, that made Ethel Irish.
Ethel with sons Leo and John, 1930 census at Hedvig Apartments, 1819 North Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XCV9-5LK
https://archive.org/stream/californiacensus00reel134rs#page/n254/mode/1up
This matches what I was told previously by E.J. Fleming.
To be continued...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
News from E.J. Fleming
On 21st March, I posted a card from Ethel where she gives her address as 6806 Hollywood Boulevard. I did a Google search on this address and it led me to The Movieland Directory site http://www.movielanddirectory.com/ - to quote "This site is based on E.J. Fleming's Movieland Directory, which contains the largest and best researched guide to Movieland locations on Earth. Our primary focus is on the people and places, including homes, film locations, and other points, associated with the entertainment business. " I contacted the website and gave them a link to this blog, and very soon received the following very detailed reply from E.J. himself.
"Thanks for your note to the site re; Blanche White. I love that kind of stuff and loved the pics and her notes. Judging from the cars in the photos, most of them seem to be early-mid 1940's. She also mentioned that Bobby Bolter died a few years earlier and he died in 1937.As to the address, coincidently I've been doing a TON of research during the past year and Tony (my brother and web king) is getting ready to upload an updated database. I’ve gathered another 27,000 or so addresses that will put it at about 57,000 (with no end in sight… it’s a sickness…) Coincidently I’ve spent a good bit of time during the past month reviewing old L.A. voter registration records from 1922 through 1940 and have a ton of addresses from Clark Drive. Nothing on Blanche/Ethel, sadly, but I had uncovered an address for her from 1930 to go with the one for Leo.
First of all, there is a Clark Drive and a Clark Street. They aren’t terribly far apart but are distinctly different and since she mentioned “Clark Drive” specifically it’s pretty strong to assume she would not have gotten it wrong. Clark Street is in West Hollywood near the border to Beverly Hills (just east of Doheny on a map) and runs north off of Sunset. It’s a pretty schmaltzy area actually. Big money and stars’ houses. The pictures are taken in the "flats" so I'm sure it's not Clark Street.
Clark Drive on the other hand is south about a mile from Clark Street and runs north/south. It is a block west of Robertson Boulevard and runs from Beverly Boulevard on the north down past Wilshire Boulevard. It is technically in Beverly Hills but isn’t ritzy by any means. During the 1940’s the neighborhood – which was blocks of really nice stucco or California mission style bungalows – was a working neighborhood. Lots of movie people lived there but it’s not mansions or anything like that. Most bigger name stars lived and still live north of Santa Monica. Workers still live south. So I’m pretty sure that she lived on Clark Drive between Wilshire and Beverly. Many people like her and Bobby Bolder lived in that area.
Unfortunately I’ve not come across any listing for Ethel in the dozens of Clark Drive forms I’ve been through (but I’ll keep looking). I’ve got them all indexed so I know where blocks are and rechecked tonight but found only a few Ethels and none with occupations that matched.
Coincidently, I did dig up someone who I believe to be Ethel in the 1930 census when I searched for Ethel White. At the time of the 1930 census, there was an Ethel C. White living at 1819 North Kingsley (the Hedvig Apartments, a nice 8-10 unit apartment building over in the Los Feliz area at the eastern end of Hollywood. It’s between Franklin Avenue and Sunset Boulevard on a north-south street. In 1930 the area was very nice, very clean and full of movie people of all types. Beverly Hills was still the place to be for the super stars, as were the Hollywood Hills (streets north of Sunset in Hollywood). But the neighborhoods like Los Feliz were very popular because they weren’t crowded. Often the streets were only half full of buildings.
At the time of the April, 1930 census, there was a listing was for Ethel C. White, b. 1893 in England, immigrating to the U.S. in 1910, age (looks like) 37 but it was scratched out. She was 18 at the time of her first marriage, which puts it sometime during 1911-1912. Dates can be tricky because the census was in April so you can only confirm a 2-year range unless you know the specific date of an event as it applies to April. Ethel had two sons, Leo H. (age 18, b. 1912 in New York) and John F. (age 15, b. 1915 in Illinois).
There are several circumstantial things – aside from the obvious name matches – that tie in as well. In 1912, when Leo H., Jr. was born in New York, Leo, Sr. was making movies for [it looks like there is some text missing in E.J.'s original. Leo was working for Power Picture Plays in 1912, but I do not know where they were based - Phil] In 1914-1915 when John F. was born in Illinois, Leo, Sr. was making movies in Chicago, Illinois, for Essanay. Also his age at first marriage – 29 – mentioned on his census form (he was apparently already separated from her as early as April, 1930) and his age – 47- means he was in 1911-1912, matching that of Ethel.
Coincidently, director Claude Fleming lived at the Hedvig at the same time.
During the same census I found Leo H., Sr. (listing on the site already) at 5724 Sunset (a larger apartment building; don’t know the name). He gave his age as 47 (b. 1893) and birthplace as Germany, immigrated in 1899. He was still listed as married (as was Ethel) and “actor – stage” as occupation.
No idea who her “Bob” is, which must be terrible frustrating for you. If you can find out, let me know and I’ll do some research. In one of her postcards she mentioned “Bob” was working in a film so he was in the business. There was a Robert “Bobo” Cannon (b 1909, Ohio d 1964 in L.A.) who was a director and animation guy in the 1940’s-1950’s but that’s the only close thing I could find from the information she left.
Her 6806 Hollywood Blvd. address was the Bonnie Briar Hotel Apartments, a very large building at Hollywood and Highland in the heart of Hollywood. It is next to the new Academy Award complex and the Hollywood/Highland development. Very cool area. In the 1930’s-1940’s tons of interesting people lived there; here’s the list I have now:
[Sorry I have not been able to include the list of names. It was in a table and the formatting went haywire when I tried to copy and paste it here. If you would like to see the full list, please contact me (see my profile for e-mail address) and I'll forward the original message on to you.]
Not there any more I’m pretty sure…
Again if you come up with any additional information about Ethel or “Bobo” please let me know and I’ll see what I can find.
E.J. kindly provided me with copies of the 1930 census data for Ethel and Leo. They are in pdf format so I cannot post them here, but e-mail me if you would like copies.
If Ethel went to the USA in 1910, she would only have been 17 or 18 at the time. The census data also shows she first married at 18. So this still leaves a question mark over whether she met and married Leo before or after she emigrated.
Leo's age is consistent with the IMDb website database which says he was born in 1882. But if he immigrated to the US in 1899 he would only have been 16 or 17, which seems a little young, especially as some sources state he was already an established music hall performer in the UK before he went to the US. Possibly 1899 was the year he left Germany, not necessarily when he arrived in US. The census data also contradicts the birth year of 1873 shown on his gravestone.
"Thanks for your note to the site re; Blanche White. I love that kind of stuff and loved the pics and her notes. Judging from the cars in the photos, most of them seem to be early-mid 1940's. She also mentioned that Bobby Bolter died a few years earlier and he died in 1937.As to the address, coincidently I've been doing a TON of research during the past year and Tony (my brother and web king) is getting ready to upload an updated database. I’ve gathered another 27,000 or so addresses that will put it at about 57,000 (with no end in sight… it’s a sickness…) Coincidently I’ve spent a good bit of time during the past month reviewing old L.A. voter registration records from 1922 through 1940 and have a ton of addresses from Clark Drive. Nothing on Blanche/Ethel, sadly, but I had uncovered an address for her from 1930 to go with the one for Leo.
First of all, there is a Clark Drive and a Clark Street. They aren’t terribly far apart but are distinctly different and since she mentioned “Clark Drive” specifically it’s pretty strong to assume she would not have gotten it wrong. Clark Street is in West Hollywood near the border to Beverly Hills (just east of Doheny on a map) and runs north off of Sunset. It’s a pretty schmaltzy area actually. Big money and stars’ houses. The pictures are taken in the "flats" so I'm sure it's not Clark Street.
Clark Drive on the other hand is south about a mile from Clark Street and runs north/south. It is a block west of Robertson Boulevard and runs from Beverly Boulevard on the north down past Wilshire Boulevard. It is technically in Beverly Hills but isn’t ritzy by any means. During the 1940’s the neighborhood – which was blocks of really nice stucco or California mission style bungalows – was a working neighborhood. Lots of movie people lived there but it’s not mansions or anything like that. Most bigger name stars lived and still live north of Santa Monica. Workers still live south. So I’m pretty sure that she lived on Clark Drive between Wilshire and Beverly. Many people like her and Bobby Bolder lived in that area.
Unfortunately I’ve not come across any listing for Ethel in the dozens of Clark Drive forms I’ve been through (but I’ll keep looking). I’ve got them all indexed so I know where blocks are and rechecked tonight but found only a few Ethels and none with occupations that matched.
Coincidently, I did dig up someone who I believe to be Ethel in the 1930 census when I searched for Ethel White. At the time of the 1930 census, there was an Ethel C. White living at 1819 North Kingsley (the Hedvig Apartments, a nice 8-10 unit apartment building over in the Los Feliz area at the eastern end of Hollywood. It’s between Franklin Avenue and Sunset Boulevard on a north-south street. In 1930 the area was very nice, very clean and full of movie people of all types. Beverly Hills was still the place to be for the super stars, as were the Hollywood Hills (streets north of Sunset in Hollywood). But the neighborhoods like Los Feliz were very popular because they weren’t crowded. Often the streets were only half full of buildings.
At the time of the April, 1930 census, there was a listing was for Ethel C. White, b. 1893 in England, immigrating to the U.S. in 1910, age (looks like) 37 but it was scratched out. She was 18 at the time of her first marriage, which puts it sometime during 1911-1912. Dates can be tricky because the census was in April so you can only confirm a 2-year range unless you know the specific date of an event as it applies to April. Ethel had two sons, Leo H. (age 18, b. 1912 in New York) and John F. (age 15, b. 1915 in Illinois).
There are several circumstantial things – aside from the obvious name matches – that tie in as well. In 1912, when Leo H., Jr. was born in New York, Leo, Sr. was making movies for [it looks like there is some text missing in E.J.'s original. Leo was working for Power Picture Plays in 1912, but I do not know where they were based - Phil] In 1914-1915 when John F. was born in Illinois, Leo, Sr. was making movies in Chicago, Illinois, for Essanay. Also his age at first marriage – 29 – mentioned on his census form (he was apparently already separated from her as early as April, 1930) and his age – 47- means he was in 1911-1912, matching that of Ethel.
Coincidently, director Claude Fleming lived at the Hedvig at the same time.
During the same census I found Leo H., Sr. (listing on the site already) at 5724 Sunset (a larger apartment building; don’t know the name). He gave his age as 47 (b. 1893) and birthplace as Germany, immigrated in 1899. He was still listed as married (as was Ethel) and “actor – stage” as occupation.
No idea who her “Bob” is, which must be terrible frustrating for you. If you can find out, let me know and I’ll do some research. In one of her postcards she mentioned “Bob” was working in a film so he was in the business. There was a Robert “Bobo” Cannon (b 1909, Ohio d 1964 in L.A.) who was a director and animation guy in the 1940’s-1950’s but that’s the only close thing I could find from the information she left.
Her 6806 Hollywood Blvd. address was the Bonnie Briar Hotel Apartments, a very large building at Hollywood and Highland in the heart of Hollywood. It is next to the new Academy Award complex and the Hollywood/Highland development. Very cool area. In the 1930’s-1940’s tons of interesting people lived there; here’s the list I have now:
[Sorry I have not been able to include the list of names. It was in a table and the formatting went haywire when I tried to copy and paste it here. If you would like to see the full list, please contact me (see my profile for e-mail address) and I'll forward the original message on to you.]
Not there any more I’m pretty sure…
Again if you come up with any additional information about Ethel or “Bobo” please let me know and I’ll see what I can find.
E.J. kindly provided me with copies of the 1930 census data for Ethel and Leo. They are in pdf format so I cannot post them here, but e-mail me if you would like copies.
If Ethel went to the USA in 1910, she would only have been 17 or 18 at the time. The census data also shows she first married at 18. So this still leaves a question mark over whether she met and married Leo before or after she emigrated.
Leo's age is consistent with the IMDb website database which says he was born in 1882. But if he immigrated to the US in 1899 he would only have been 16 or 17, which seems a little young, especially as some sources state he was already an established music hall performer in the UK before he went to the US. Possibly 1899 was the year he left Germany, not necessarily when he arrived in US. The census data also contradicts the birth year of 1873 shown on his gravestone.
Friday, March 21, 2008
A postcard of a church in Hollywood from Ethel
From Ethel to Ada. This card is a bit frustrating in some ways. The stamp has been removed, taking with it any postmark that might have helped to date it. And most of the address has been obliterated. Ethel does not actually tell us the name of the church; I have done a Google search for RC churches in Holywood, but cannot find one that looks like this. The text reads
"Dearest. This is our little church. Isn't it lovely. Other sides have orange, fig and palm trees. Bell marks historic spot where Padre Junipero Serra celebrated Mass of the Holy Wood of the Cross in old spanish days. Please write me 6806 Hollywood Blvd L.A. Calif. I haven't had a letter for ages. Love to all from Ethel"
I'll see what I can find about the address she mentions - see http://mackiegenealogy.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/news-from-ej-fleming.html for further details.
Update. Leo Weiss's United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, dated September 12th 1918 as far as I can make out, gives his spouses name as Ethel Veronica White and her address as 6806 Hollywood Blvd. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZVN-KKP He gives his occupations as 'actor' his employer as 'Universal Picture Co' and his place of employment as 'Universal City, Los Angeles, California'. His date of birth is given as November 10th 1881 (the commonly accepted DOB for him is November 10th 1882, but I don't think anyone has any primary source evidence for this.) and he has signed as 'Leo Weiss' with 'Leo White' in brackets underneath. Give or take a middle name, this is further good evidence that Ethel McCann from Plumstead was married to US actor Leo White and therefore she was the actress known as Blanche White.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Leo White - Further Internet References
Please check back on this section from time to time for updates
Here are some pictures of his grave. This also includes a picture of him without moustache.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8103797
The tombstone makes him older than other sources would have us believe, as it says he was born in 1873. [Update. I have seen his entry in the April 1930 census where his age is given as 47. This is consistent with the 1882 birth date quoted elsewhere.]
This website matches the dates given in imdb, but tells us he was born in Manchester
http://www.citwf.com/detailPerson.asp?personID=438091&sortOn=YEAR&sortBy=UP
http://www.screenrush.co.uk/personne/galerievignette_gen_cpersonne=184645&cmediafichier=18821062.html
Just three photos here and I have seen two of them before (in fact I have probably seen the other one, but it was not captioned with Leo's name).
http://www.historicphotoarchive.com/caps/00086.html
Leo White might be in this picture
http://www.lesgensducinema.com/entree.php
Enter Leo White in "Rechercher" box then click the icon next to the search result. Dates are same as for imdb but this source says he was born in Manchester.
Update 31 March 2008. A couple more pictures here
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/H/HisNewJob1915.html
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/N/NightOut1915.html
And possibly this one
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/D/DevilsPasskey1920.html
Clips of him surface from time to time on Youtube. I won't give specific URLs as it would be practically impossible to keep the references up to date, but if you search Youtube for "Charlie Chaplin" plus the title of one of his Essanay films (See the BFI website referenced in an earlier post) you may find something. Currently there are some clips from "Police" in which Leo plays three parts. He appears as a fruit seller and flop house proprietor - and kicks Chaplin's backside in both roles. He also appears as one of the policemen but it is difficult to be sure which as he frequently performed in false beards and moustaches.
Here are some pictures of his grave. This also includes a picture of him without moustache.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8103797
The tombstone makes him older than other sources would have us believe, as it says he was born in 1873. [Update. I have seen his entry in the April 1930 census where his age is given as 47. This is consistent with the 1882 birth date quoted elsewhere.]
This website matches the dates given in imdb, but tells us he was born in Manchester
http://www.citwf.com/detailPerson.asp?personID=438091&sortOn=YEAR&sortBy=UP
http://www.screenrush.co.uk/personne/galerievignette_gen_cpersonne=184645&cmediafichier=18821062.html
Just three photos here and I have seen two of them before (in fact I have probably seen the other one, but it was not captioned with Leo's name).
http://www.historicphotoarchive.com/caps/00086.html
Leo White might be in this picture
http://www.lesgensducinema.com/entree.php
Enter Leo White in "Rechercher" box then click the icon next to the search result. Dates are same as for imdb but this source says he was born in Manchester.
Update 31 March 2008. A couple more pictures here
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/H/HisNewJob1915.html
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/N/NightOut1915.html
And possibly this one
http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/D/DevilsPasskey1920.html
Clips of him surface from time to time on Youtube. I won't give specific URLs as it would be practically impossible to keep the references up to date, but if you search Youtube for "Charlie Chaplin" plus the title of one of his Essanay films (See the BFI website referenced in an earlier post) you may find something. Currently there are some clips from "Police" in which Leo plays three parts. He appears as a fruit seller and flop house proprietor - and kicks Chaplin's backside in both roles. He also appears as one of the policemen but it is difficult to be sure which as he frequently performed in false beards and moustaches.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Uncle Leo, Blanche and Ethel
While watching old films on television, my dad would occasionally point out some minor character and announce "That's my uncle Leo". I presumed Uncle Leo must be connected in some way to Ethel McCann. But nothing I have found in the archives so far relates to anyone called Leo.
In particular, dad identified one of the three bearded avaitors in the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera" as Leo. So I checked the internet movie database website and this identified Leo White as an aviator. I then followed the link to his imdb biography http://imdb.com/name/nm0925118/bio
This gives us the biographical details - born November 10, 1882 in Graudenz, West Prussia (now Germany), died September 20, 1948 in Glendale, California.
It also shows that his first wife was called Blanche White and they had two children. My sister remembers hearing that Ethel adopted the stage name Blanche White. So it now looks as if Peter and Jack were Leo's children and Bob/Bobo was Ethel's second husband/"significant other". Blanche's imdb entry is here http://imdb.com/name/nm0924527/ (Note. This blog was primarily set up for sharing genealogical information. "Ethel McCann" is generally used as an index label rather than "Blanche White".)
I have updated my tree in GenesReunited, but of course there is always the possibility that Leo White is a stage name.
I also made an image search for Leo White. These are links to stills from Charlie Chaplin movies on the BFI website.
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_thumb.php?fid=59446&resource=Stills
Stills from "A Night Out"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_thumb.php?fid=59403&resource=Stills
Still from "The Champion"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=59426&enlargement=bfi-00n-hqf.jpg
Still from "A Jitney Elopement"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=58582&enlargement=bfi-00m-z7y.jpg
Still from "Work"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=58393&enlargement=bfi-00n-j49.jpg
Still from "A Woman"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=59395&enlargement=essanay_section1.jpg
Cast of "The Bank"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=59401&enlargement=bfi-00n-jbv.jpg
Still from "Charlie Chaplin's Burlesque on Carmen"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_thumb.php?fid=59450&resource=Stills
Stills from "Police". Leo played one of the policemen
There are others if you look for them.
The false moustache gets in the way, but does anybody else think there is a family resemblance between Leo, Peter and Jack?
Here are some biographical links, but internet searches reveal often contradictory information. More is to follow.
Wikipedia has an entry for him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_White (dates match those given in IMDB)
Answers.com tells he was born in 1880, has him dying one day later than is stated in most other sorces and refers to "his native England" http://www.answers.com/topic/leo-white?cat=entertainment [Update. The answers.com link is a secondary source. Data is actually drawn from the All Movie Guide http://www.allmovie.com ]
Did Leo and Ethel meet and marry in the States, or did they know each other in England?
In particular, dad identified one of the three bearded avaitors in the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera" as Leo. So I checked the internet movie database website and this identified Leo White as an aviator. I then followed the link to his imdb biography http://imdb.com/name/nm0925118/bio
This gives us the biographical details - born November 10, 1882 in Graudenz, West Prussia (now Germany), died September 20, 1948 in Glendale, California.
It also shows that his first wife was called Blanche White and they had two children. My sister remembers hearing that Ethel adopted the stage name Blanche White. So it now looks as if Peter and Jack were Leo's children and Bob/Bobo was Ethel's second husband/"significant other". Blanche's imdb entry is here http://imdb.com/name/nm0924527/ (Note. This blog was primarily set up for sharing genealogical information. "Ethel McCann" is generally used as an index label rather than "Blanche White".)
I have updated my tree in GenesReunited, but of course there is always the possibility that Leo White is a stage name.
I also made an image search for Leo White. These are links to stills from Charlie Chaplin movies on the BFI website.
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_thumb.php?fid=59446&resource=Stills
Stills from "A Night Out"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_thumb.php?fid=59403&resource=Stills
Still from "The Champion"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=59426&enlargement=bfi-00n-hqf.jpg
Still from "A Jitney Elopement"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=58582&enlargement=bfi-00m-z7y.jpg
Still from "Work"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=58393&enlargement=bfi-00n-j49.jpg
Still from "A Woman"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=59395&enlargement=essanay_section1.jpg
Cast of "The Bank"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_large.php?fid=59401&enlargement=bfi-00n-jbv.jpg
Still from "Charlie Chaplin's Burlesque on Carmen"
http://chaplin.bfi.org.uk/resources/bfi/filmog/film_thumb.php?fid=59450&resource=Stills
Stills from "Police". Leo played one of the policemen
There are others if you look for them.
The false moustache gets in the way, but does anybody else think there is a family resemblance between Leo, Peter and Jack?
Here are some biographical links, but internet searches reveal often contradictory information. More is to follow.
Wikipedia has an entry for him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_White (dates match those given in IMDB)
Answers.com tells he was born in 1880, has him dying one day later than is stated in most other sorces and refers to "his native England" http://www.answers.com/topic/leo-white?cat=entertainment [Update. The answers.com link is a secondary source. Data is actually drawn from the All Movie Guide http://www.allmovie.com ]
Did Leo and Ethel meet and marry in the States, or did they know each other in England?
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