Anita Garvin

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anita Garvin (February 11, 1907 – July 7, 1994) was an American actress and comedian who appeared in both silent and sound films. She is best known for her work with comedians Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase. Garvin was born in New York City.] Her two sisters who danced in vaudeville encouraged her talents. At age 12, she lied to an agent saying she was "almost sixteen" and got a job being a bathing beauty for one of Mack Sennett's stage shows. The following year she joined the Ziegfeld Follies. She took pride in being the only woman allowed to touch Will Rogers's ropes. She also appeared in Earl Carroll Vanities. Garvin went on tour with the musical Sally staying with the show for two seasons, then decided to stay in California when the tour left that stop in 1924. In Hollywood, Garvin began working for Christie Film Company's comedies. She recalled her co-star Bobby Vernon dropping butter on the floor onto which she stepped and tumbled, cementing her career as a comedian. Charles Lamont brought her over to work for Educational Pictures. In 1926, Hal Roach took her under contract, where she appeared in many silent films with Charley Chase, James Finlayson, and Max Davidson as well as playing occasional supporting roles in feature films. Standing around 6 feet tall, "her regal countenance and deadpan expression" made her the perfect comic foil. Roach later considered her "one of his finest actresses." Reflecting upon her frequent co-star Stan Laurel, Garvin observed: "One thing about Stan--with apologies to a lot of directors--they thought they were directing him. And they thought they were directing the picture. But Stan was the one...He was very clever about it. The director was never cognizant of the fact that he was not doing all the directing. Stan's mind was going all the time, always thinking of gags and things to do. The script didn't mean a thing." Garvin appeared in a total of eleven Laurel and Hardy films. In 1928, she was teamed with Marion Byron as a short-lived female version of Laurel and Hardy. Along with Edgar Kennedy, Byron and Garvin appeared in A Pair of Tights, an "acknowledged masterpiece."

Known For

Janice

Raggedy Rose

Rich girl with roses

Move Along

Wellington's Wife

Many Scrappy Returns

Forgotten Sweeties

Edna's Sister

Never the Dames Shall Meet

Imagine My Embarrassment

Mrs. Brown

Off to Buffalo

The Date

Stepping Out

Mrs. Laurel

Be Big!

Oliver's Girlfriend

Their Purple Moment

Mrs. Laurel

Blotto

Madame Ritz

Sailors, Beware!

Captain's Wife

Why Girls Love Sailors

Captain Bustle's 1st girlfriend

With Love and Hisses

Flo Mason

Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl

Miss Garvin

Whispering Whoopee

Amorous nursemaid

Baby Brother

The other woman

The Sleuth

Fandango

Harry's Wife

Sleepless Hollow

Anita Garvin

Show Business

Dance Hall Hostess

Asleep in the Feet

Anita

A Pair of Tights

Anita

Going Ga-Ga

Tradesman's wife

Swiss Miss

Party Guest (uncredited)

Murder at Midnight

Ottilie Dunois

Trent's Last Case

Physical Culture teacher

In the Grease

The Princess

Roaming Romeo

Packy's Jealous Girlfriend at Art Exhibition (uncredited)

The Single Standard

Bridesmaid (uncredited)

Our Modern Maidens

Movie Night

A Millionairess (uncredited)

The Last Man on Earth

Bright Lights

Book Bozo

Mrs. Wilson

A Dangerous Peach

Topper

Party Guest (uncredited)

Sally

Chorine (uncredited)

On With the Show!

Theatre Audience Admirer at Stage Door

Upstream

Mrs. Vandevere (uncredited)

A Chump at Oxford

Señora Laurel

Los calaveras

Mme. Laurel

Les Carottiers

Mrs. Dazzle

Two-Time Mama

Feed 'em and Weep

Male-Seeking Woman in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)

Merry Wives of Reno

Mrs. Culpepper

From Soup to Nuts

Slips on pie (uncredited)

The Battle of the Century

Emma

While the Cat's Away

Anita

Yoo-Hoo

Millie

The Play Girl

Colleen

The Motor Boat Demon

Creeps

Customer at top of stairs

Hats Off

Mrs. Paynter

The Charlatan

Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Dynamite

Sunk by the Census

Mable

Red Hot Rhythm

Mrs. Vivian Errol

Bested by a Beard

Gwendolyn - the Flapjack Queen

Assistant Wives

Fair But Foolish

For Sadie's Sake

Mrs. Finlayson

His Silent Racket

Mrs. Weston - the Brunette

Modern Love

Ethel Lorraine

My Swedie

Mrs. Sniffleblaster

Fighting Fathers

He Asked for It

Mrs. Errol

Truth Aches

Home Boner

Natalie

The Millionaire Cat

Hunting the Hunter

The Hollywood Handicap

A Taxi War

Laurel & Hardy: Year One

Laurel & Hardy: Year Two