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Book Review: Henry Brandon: King of the Bogeymen


The best biographies on film performers are benefited by the sort of deep research that unearths a variety of fascinating information that helps one better appreciate the actor. Such is the case with Bill Cassara and Richard S. Greene’s new book on actor Henry Brandon (Bear Manor Media).

Those of us most familiar with prolific character actor Henry Brandon were introduced to him via the 1934 Laurel and Hardy feature “Babes in Toyland” (aka “March of the Wooden Soldiers”). Brandon, only a young man at the time, chewed the scenery with gusto as the evil Mr. Barnaby who would cruelly throw the old woman who lived in a shoe out into the street unless he is given the hand of Bo Peep. Laurel and Hardy naturally come to the rescue, even after Barnaby unleashes a crowd of monsters known as The Bogeymen. It’s all a lot of exciting and hilarious fun, and Brandon spent the rest of his long life enjoying accolades for his wonderful performance.

The authors are careful to point out that this is not a conventional biography, nor is it a standard film-by-film study of his work. This is far more intimate in that it not only combines both elements into its narrative, it benefits from the fact that both authors were friends with the subject. The research draws from the usual hunt-and-peck methods we all endure, but goes several steps further by having recollections by Brandon’s friends and colleagues, videos of Brandon’s appearances at conventions, and other such materials that further flesh out our better understanding of the man and the actor.

Brandon was born Henry Kleinbach in Germany in 1912, but his family emigrated to America when he was an infant. He was on his way to becoming an actor when in 1931 a tragic car accident in which a friend was killed severely impacted his life. He eventually moved on with his acting career, enjoying success in the play “The Drunkard” in 1933. Production began on “Babes in Toyland” in January of 1934, but little did Brandon know that his first acting role on film would achieve iconic status within his lifetime.

Henry Brandon continued with his film career, always considering himself a hard-working actor who would accept the challenge of any role. Some of his noted films include “Black Legion” with Humphrey Bogart, “Spawn of the North” with Henry Fonda and George Raft, the Buck Rogers serial with Buster Crabbe, “Doomed to Die” with Boris Karloff, “Shepard of the Hills” with John Wayne, “The Paleface” with Bob Hope, “Scared Stiff” with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments,” John Ford’s “Two Rode Together,” and John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13.”

The book fills in all of the information about these events throughout Brandon’s career, including recollections from the actor himself. He fondly recalls Jerry Lewis’s hilarious ad-libbing in the two films he did with Martin and Lewis. We are told how he met Iron Eyes Cody on the set of “The Paleface” and the two became lifelong friends. Of course there is a lot of info about “Babes in Toyland.”

This book is over 500 pages long, so each of Henry’s film appearances are carefully examined, and there is abundant info about his stage and TV work. Henry Brandon lived until 1990, so his long life is examined not only with detail, but with an intimacy that is rarely found in books of this sort. A private man, Brandon said little about his failed marriage, his son, or his life partner, Mark Harron, who was once briefly married to Judy Garland. The intimacy found in this book comes from lengthy, fascinating recollections by the authors and several other of Henry’s friends and acquaintances, some of whom are film buffs who connected with his work as history.

Henry Brandon, a solid working character actor, enjoyed a long career that crossed over several media and allowed him to work with top stars and directors. He appeared in enduring classics, and beloved B movies. He was respected and well-liked by his peers.

And he is the subject of one of the most impressive film-related books this reviewer has ever read.

The book is available here.

James L. Neibaur
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