Karl Dane
Karl Dane was a Danish-American comedian and actor known for his work in American films, mainly of the silent film era. He became a star after portraying “Slim”, a supporting role in one of the most successful silent films of all time, The Big Parade, directed by King Vidor and starring John Gilbert.
After signing with MGM in 1926, he appeared in supporting roles in several popular silent films before teaming up with George K. Arthur to form the successful comedy duo Dane & Arthur. They appeared in a number of very successful silent comedy features. When sound films arrived, they made short-subject comedies and toured in vaudeville. At the peak of his career, Dane earned $1,500 a week. As the film industry transitioned from silent to sound films in the late 1920s, Dane's thick Danish accent became problematic. By 1930, Dane was relegated to less prominent roles, often with little to no dialogue. Later that year, MGM terminated his contract. Dane attempted to pursue work in other fields but found no success. Broke and despondent, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April 1934.
Karl Dane's rapid career decline, depression, and subsequent death have been cited as an extreme example of the fate that befell many silent film stars who were unable to make the transition from silent to sound films.
Early life
Dane was born Rasmus Karl Therkelsen Gottlieb in Turesensgade 23 in central Copenhagen, Denmark, to Rasmus Carl Marius Gottlieb and Anne Cathrine Gottlieb. He had two brothers: Reinald Marius and Viggo Eiler. His parents' marriage was apparently stormy, with his father having trouble with alcohol and money management. In 1903, Dane's parents divorced, leaving him in the custody of his mother. His father was a glove maker by trade but enjoyed the theatre. Around the start of the 20th century, he built a toy theatre which people began to pay to see; during this time, Dane and his brother Reinald would perform for the crowds. His father worked as a curtain puller at the local theatre, to which his two sons accompanied him. Dane later said this would inspire him to act. In 1900, Dane and his brother apprenticed as machinists, a job he would perform on and off throughout his life. In 1907, he began compulsory military service in the First Artillery Battalion. He was promoted to lance corporal in June 1908. After being discharged from the military, he married dressmaker Carla Dagmar Hagen on 10 September 1910. The marriage produced two children: Ejlert Carl and Ingeborg Helene. With the outbreak of World War I, Dane was recalled up to duty; he was stationed again at Trekroner Fort in August 1914. He was promoted to corporal in November 1915.On 25 January 1916, Dane headed for the United States alone. He intended to send for his family later. He boarded the SS Oscar II with $25 in his pocket and speaking no English. The ship arrived on 11 February 1916 at Ellis Island. Dane passed immigrant inspection and moved to 345 Court Street in Brooklyn with a friend named Charles Lindgren. The same day, he found work in a foundry. Sometime in 1916 he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he worked as an auto mechanic. By summer 1917, he returned to New York City where he again worked as a mechanic.
Career
Early years
In late 1917, Dane made his film début in a bit part in a Vitagraph Studios short filmed in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He made $3 a day for his part. However, his scenes were cut and the title of this film is not known. Any footage is presumed lost. Dane then appeared in Warner Bros. anti-German sentiment film My Four Years in Germany as Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg. This would be the first of many such roles for Dane in his early career. The film was released 29 April 1918 and was a success, earning an approximate $500,000 at the box office. His next film was Wolves of Kultur which contained 15 chapters. The film was released chapter by chapter between 1918 and 1919. He then followed with the June Mathis-penned film To Hell with the Kaiser!, reprising his role as Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg. Dane completed two more anti-German propaganda style films, The Great Victory, Wilson or the Kaiser? The Fall of the Hohenzollerns and Daring Hearts, both released in 1919. In 1920, Dane portrayed "The Wolf" in another 15-chapter serial The Whirlwind. That film is now presumed lost.In early 1921, Dane met a Swedish immigrant named Helen Benson. He then quit acting and moved with Benson to Van Nuys, California, where they opened a chicken farm. They married on 15 June 1921. On 9 August 1923, Benson died in childbirth as did the couple's daughter. In December 1923, Dane ran into his old friend Charles Hutchison who convinced him to appear in a serial he was then producing.
Stardom
In December 1924, MGM casting director Robert McIntyre — who had previously hired Dane back at Vitagraph — recommended the actor for a role in King Vidor's latest project, The Big Parade. Dane was selected to play the part of Slim, alongside John Gilbert and Renée Adorée. The movie was a major success, both critically and financially, becoming the second highest grossing silent film of all time, making almost $6.5 million. As a consequence, Dane's career blossomed.In 1926, he co-starred with Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Bánky in The Son of the Sheik. The film was released after Valentino's death in August 1926 and became a massive success. It was re-released several more times well into the late 1930s. After working on The Son of the Sheik, Dane signed a contract with MGM in June 1926. He began to appear in comic relief roles in several films including The Scarlet Letter, La Bohème, and Alias Jimmy Valentine with William Haines and Leila Hyams.
Dane & Arthur
Soon after signing his MGM contract, Dane began work on the Vidor film, Bardelys the Magnificent. It was on this film that MGM executive Harry Rapf decided to pair the burly Dane with the slight English actor George K. Arthur. The new comedy team was dubbed Dane & Arthur. In May 1927, the duo's first film, Rookies, opened and was an instant success. In June 1927, MGM signed Dane to a long-term contract. He co-starred in the Dane & Arthur comedies and played character roles in dramatic films like The Trail of '98.In April 1928, Dane broke his shoulder on the set. He developed a serious case of bronchial pneumonia but eventually recovered and went back to work. At the peak of his success and popularity, Dane earned $1500 a week.
Talkies and decline
By 1929, sound films were rising in popularity and MGM was worried that actors with thick foreign accents would not be ideal for sound films. In his memoirs, George K. Arthur claimed that after MGM tested the duo for sound films, they felt his British accent was "more desirable" and thought Dane's thick Danish accent made his English difficult for audiences to understand. As a result, MGM discontinued the Dane & Arthur series after China Bound and began offering Dane fewer roles. Dane & Arthur's only talking MGM credit was a brief guest appearance in the all-star musical comedy The Hollywood Revue of 1929, and their skit was staged with very little dialogue.In 1930, Dane had a supporting role in Montana Moon, a musical Western starring Joan Crawford and Johnny Mack Brown. He followed with another supporting role in the prison drama The Big House, starring Robert Montgomery, Wallace Beery and Chester Morris. Later that year MGM terminated Dane's contract, citing his Danish accent. In his final interview in September 1933, Dane claimed that MGM wanted to renew his contract but he declined as he had suffered a nervous breakdown. Dane admitted that he had found it difficult to transition from silent to sound films due to his accent, but also said that he was exhausted from years of constant filming and was grieving the death of his father who died in September 1930.
Although the Dane & Arthur series had been terminated by MGM, they did star in 10 sound films, albeit less prestigious short subjects. In 1930, Dane & Arthur were signed by producer Larry Darmour for six short-subject comedies, released through RKO Radio Pictures. In December 1930 Paramount Pictures' theater chain offered Dane & Arthur a 23-week vaudeville tour. In July 1931, Dane & Arthur were signed for four more shorts to be produced at Paramount's New York studio, beginning with The Lease Breakers. The final film, Summer Daze, ended the series and the Dane-Arthur partnership.
In November 1931, Dane and some friends formed a mining corporation called Avelina Mines. The venture failed. By February 1932, Dane had returned to vaudeville, this time as a solo comedian. His act was panned by critics and apparently short-lived. Dane's final film appearance was a bit role as a dispatcher in the 1933 thriller The Whispering Shadow, starring Bela Lugosi.
Personal life
Dane became an American citizen on 13 July 1928 and legally changed his name to Karl Dane.Marriages and relationships
Dane's first marriage was to Carla Dagmar Hagen. The couple married 10 September 1910 at Saint Paul's Church in Copenhagen. Dane's only living children were born during this union; son Ejlert Carl, in 1911 and daughter Ingeborg Helene in 1912. When Dane immigrated to the US, in 1916, he intended to send for his family later. However, by the time his career became successful, Dane had begun to lose touch with his family. Carla no longer wanted to join him, as she was suffering from ill health. The pair separated in 1918 and divorced in 1919.In early 1921, Dane met Swedish immigrant Helen Benson. It was then he quit films and moved to Van Nuys. The couple married on 15 June 1921. Benson died in childbirth 9 August 1923, as did the couple's daughter. Unable to cope with the loss of his wife and daughter, Dane rushed into a marriage with telephone operator supervisor Emma Awilda Peabody Sawyer, seven years his senior. The couple married on 8 March 1924, and separated on 30 September 1924.
In June 1928, Dane reportedly fell in love with a Russian dancer, Thais Valdemar. The couple began dating and eventually claimed to be married though they indeed never were. The couple lived together at Dane's Beverly Hills home, until November 1928, when Valdemar moved out. By December, she filed a breach of promise suit against Dane for $75,000, but the case was ultimately dropped in 1929.