'Snub' Pollard

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6415 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

Relegated now to atmospheric bits, it is noted that in the film Singin' in the Rain (1952), he is the rained-on passerby that Gene Kelly gives his umbrella to toward the end of the title song.

By the late 1930s, he was appearing in "poverty row" films. One last hurrah would be his playing of Pee Wee, the sidekick to cowboy Tex Ritter, in a series of minor westerns.

His production film company, created in 1926, was forced to fold and found himself relegated to supporting other top comedians again, notably Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and Andy Clyde. He was further financially strapped when the Depression hit.

In 1919, Snub took a chance and ventured on with his own solo one- and two-reeler's with zany slapstick, sights gags and gimmicks-a-plenty. He performed many of his own stunts and was often seriously injured as a result. Many of them were ably directed by Charley Chase and co-starred Marie Mosquini as his frequent leading lady. Snub's "second banana" status, however, was firmly entrenched, and his starring vehicles were met with only a modicum of interest. One of his most notable is the short comedy [link-tt0141405] in which he played an eccentric inventor pursued by oil magnates interested in his newest creation. In between Snub made personal appearances on the farcical stage.

Moving up into support roles, often with the Keystone Cops series, Hal Roach took an avid interest in him and, by 1915, had Snub co-starring with Harold Lloyd and Bebe Daniels in the highly successful Lonesome Luke series, which ran for years (86 films in all).

Nicknamed (and billed) "Snub," he started off in bit parts at the Essenay Film Studios in 1911 and briefly worked with the Keystone Kops.

When a vaudeville company he was touring with in 1910 made it to the United States, Harry decided to stay in the country.

Despite the similarity of their professional names, Daphne Pollard were not brother and sister; in fact, they were not related at all. 'Snub's family name was Fraser, Daphne's family name was Trott. They both adopted the Pollard name when they were members of the Pollard Lilliputian Opera Company, around 1898.

In recalling silent movie comedian Harry "Snub" Pollard, his slight frame (5' 6"), bullet-shaped head and dark, droopy mustache are definitive identification badges. Born in Melbourne, Australia as Harold Fraser on November 9, 1889, he started off performing with the Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company at an early age and was also a church choirboy. Adopting the last name of "Pollard" as his last name moniker in tribute to the company, he went on to perform with other Down Under children's troupes.