Roger Imhof

{{Infobox person | name = Roger Imhof | image = Roger Imhof in Red Lights Ahead.jpg | alt = | caption = Imhof in the film ''[[Red Lights Ahead]]'' (1936) | birth_name = Frederick Roger Imhoff | birth_date = {{Birth date|1875|4|15}} | birth_place = [[Rock Island, Illinois]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1958|4|15|1875|4|15}} | death_place = [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1890–1950 }}

'''Frederick Roger Imhof'''<ref name=Stanford/> (August 15, 1875 – April 15, 1958)<ref name=Stanford>{{cite web |url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/data/13030/fc/tf6w1005fc/files/tf6w1005fc.pdf |title=Guide to the Roger Imhof Vaudeville, variety, circus, and silent screen star scrapbooks, 1883-1952 |publisher=Department of Special Collections, Green Library, Stanford University; Online Archive of California |access-date=December 12, 2010}}</ref> was an American film actor, [[vaudeville]], [[burlesque]] and [[circus]] performer, sketch writer, and songwriter.<ref name=Laird>{{cite web |url=http://brookcenter.gc.cuny.edu/?page_id=614 |title=Roger Imhof (1875-1958): A Vaudeville and Burlesque "Rube" and Irish Comic on Tour (abstract for a conference on American Musical Theater) |author=Paul Laird |publisher=The Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation |access-date=December 20, 2010}}</ref>

==Early years== Imhof was born in [[Rock Island, Illinois]], on April 15, 1875,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=6482&h=698019&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=2556 |title=Roger Fred Imhof, World War I Draft Registration Card |publisher=Ancestry.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=5180&h=3560944&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6482 |title=California Death Index |publisher=Ancestry.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref> to Nicholas Imhoff, from Switzerland, and Susan McCluen Imhoff, from Ireland.<ref>"Hold Rites for Ex-Rock Island Actor," p. 14, ''Quad City Times'', April 18, 1958.</ref>

== Career == Imhof began his career as a clown with the Mills Orton Circus,<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite book |title=Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America, Volume 1 |last=Cullen |first=Frank |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-93853-8 |page=548 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFnfnKg6BcAC&q=Roger+Imhof+Will+Rogers&pg=PA548 |access-date=December 12, 2010}}</ref> and as an "Irish" comedian.<ref name="Laird" /><ref>"Roger Imhof, Veteran Irish Comedian, Dies," ''The Los Angeles Times'', p. 7, Part III, April 17, 1958.</ref> He "toured in vaudeville and burlesque between 1895 and 1930."<ref name="Laird" /> By 1897, he was "teamed with Charles Osborne in a comedy contortion and burlesque acrobatics act."<ref name="Stanford" /> Around this time, he dropped an "f" from his last name.

In the 1902–1903 season, he first worked with longtime vaudeville partner Hugh Conn, an association that lasted into the 1920s or possibly 1930s.<ref name=Stanford/> Marcel Corinne (1888{{dash}}1977), sometimes spelled Coreene, joined the act sometime in the 1910s. She and Imhof married in 1913.<ref name=Stanford/> The trio of Imhof, Conn and Corinne toured in two comic sketches, "The Pest House" and "Surgeon Louder, U.S.A.", the latter "a military comedy" Imhof had written.<ref>{{cite news |title=Palace Today |newspaper=[[The News-Sentinel|Fort Wayne News]] |date=November 17, 1915 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1208129/imhofcoreene_comedy_skit_ad/? |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Orpheum |newspaper=[[Winnipeg Tribune]] |date=December 20, 1916 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1208146/roger_imhof_skit_authorship/? |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> "The Pest House" was "the most popular and longest running of several sketches starring the portly pair Roger Imhof and Marcel Corinne".<ref name=Encyclopedia/><ref>{{cite news |title=At the Prospect |newspaper=[[Brooklyn Eagle|Brooklyn Daily Eagle]] |date=January 30, 1927 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1208054/roger_imhof_comedy_skit_info/? |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> According to an October 1920 edition of the ''Oregon Daily Journal'', the sketch involved Imhof playing an Irish peddler who spends a mishap-filled night at an inn.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vaudeville |newspaper=Oregon Daily Journal |date=October 17, 1920 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1208101/pest_house_comedy_skit_details/? |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> In 1923, he appeared in the Broadway play ''Jack and Jill''.<ref name=Encyclopedia/><ref>{{IBDB name|46184}}</ref>

He reportedly invested in Chicago and Los Angeles real estate, but lost most of his money in the stock market and during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name=Encyclopedia/>

He became involved early on in the nascent [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] film industry, apparently "as a presenter, promoter, or agent".<ref name=Stanford/> As an actor, he appeared in films from 1932 to 1944, including ''[[San Francisco (1936 film)|San Francisco]]'' (1936), ''[[Drums Along the Mohawk]]'' (1939), ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (film)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1940) and ''[[This Gun for Hire]]'' (1942).

Of the songs he composed, eleven are extant, including the 1906 "Old Broadway".<ref name=Laird/>

Imhof died on April 15, 1958, and was buried in [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]].{{Citation needed |date=October 2020}}

==Papers== Collections of his papers and other material are held by the [[Green Library]] [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6w1005fc (Special Collections M0611)], Department of Special Collections, Stanford University,<ref name=Stanford/> and the Spencer Research Library [https://catalog.lib.ku.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?bbid=3008185 (MS 121)], University of Kansas.<ref name=Laird/>

==Partial filmography== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} *''[[Me and My Gal]]'' (1932) - Down and Outer (uncredited) *''[[Paddy the Next Best Thing (1933 film)|Paddy the Next Best Thing]]'' (1933) - Micky *''[[Charlie Chan's Greatest Case]]'' (1933) - The Beachcomber *''[[Hoop-La]]'' (1933) - Colonel Gowdy *''[[David Harum (1934 film)|David Harum]]'' (1934) - Edwards *''[[Ever Since Eve (1934 film)|Ever Since Eve]]'' (1934) - Dave Martin *''[[Sleepers East]]'' (1934) - MacGowan *''[[Wild Gold]]'' (1934) - James 'Pop' Benson *''[[Grand Canary (film)|Grand Canary]]'' (1934) - Jimmie Corcoran *''[[Handy Andy (1934 film)|Handy Andy]]'' (1934) - Doc Burmeister *''[[Judge Priest]]'' (1934) - Billy Gaynor *''[[Love Time (film)|Love Time]]'' (1934) - Innkeeper *''[[Music in the Air (film)|Music in the Air]]'' (1934) - Burgomaster *''[[Under Pressure (1935 film)|Under Pressure]]'' (1935) - George Breck *''[[One More Spring]]'' (1935) - Mr. Sweeney *''[[Life Begins at 40 (film)|Life Begins at 40]]'' (1935) - Pappy Smithers *''[[George White's 1935 Scandals]]'' (1935) - Officer Riley (uncredited) *''[[The Farmer Takes a Wife (film)|The Farmer Takes a Wife]]'' (1935) - Samson 'Sam' Weaver *''[[Steamboat Round the Bend]]'' (1935) - Pappy *''[[Riffraff (1936 film)|Riffraff]]'' (1936) - 'Pops' *''[[Three Godfathers (1936 film)|Three Godfathers]]'' (1936) - Sheriff *''[[Roaming Lady]]'' (1936) - Captain Murchison *''[[San Francisco (1936 film)|San Francisco]]'' (1936) - Alaska *''[[A Son Comes Home]]'' (1936) - Detective Kennedy * ''[[In His Steps (1936 film)|In His Steps]]'' (1936) - Adams *''[[North of Nome (1936 film)|North of Nome]]'' (1936) - Judge Bridle *''[[Red Lights Ahead]]'' (1936) - Pa Wallace *''[[Girl Loves Boy]]'' (1937) - Charles Conrad *''[[Sweetheart of the Navy]]'' (1937) - Commander Lodge *''[[High, Wide, and Handsome]]'' (1937) - Pop Bowers *''[[There Goes the Groom (film)|There Goes the Groom]]'' (1937) - Hank *''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1937 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]'' (1937) - Trigger Mike *''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' (1939) - Judge Logan at Jim's Trial (uncredited) *''[[Tell No Tales (film)|Tell No Tales]]'' (1939) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) *''[[Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter]]'' (1939) - Sheriff Barney Riggs *''[[They Shall Have Music]]'' (1939) - Michael - Deputy (uncredited) *''[[No Place to Go (1939 film)|No Place to Go]]'' (1939) - Old Soldier (uncredited) *''[[Drums Along the Mohawk]]'' (1939) - Gen. Nicholas Herkimer *''[[Abe Lincoln in Illinois (film)|Abe Lincoln in Illinois]]'' (1940) - Mr. Crimmin *''[[The Grapes of Wrath (film)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1940) - Mr. Thomas *''[[Little Old New York (1940 film)|Little Old New York]]'' (1940) - John Jacob Astor *''[[I Was an Adventuress]]'' (1940) - Henrich Von Korgen *''[[The Way of All Flesh (1940 film)|The Way of All Flesh]]'' (1940) - Franz Henzel *''[[Lady with Red Hair]]'' (1940) - Pat - the Lamplighter (uncredited) *''[[Victory (1940 film)|Victory]]'' (1940) - Captain Davidson (uncredited) *''[[The Lady from Cheyenne]]'' (1941) - Uncle Bill *''[[Man Hunt (1941 film)|Man Hunt]]'' (1941) - Captain Jensen *''[[Mystery Ship (film)|Mystery Ship]]'' (1941) - Capt. Randall *''[[This Woman Is Mine]]'' (1941) - John Jacob Astor (replaced by Sig Ruman) (uncredited) *''[[This Gun for Hire]]'' (1942) - Senator Burnett *''[[It Happened in Flatbush]]'' (1942) - Mr. Maguire *''[[Tennessee Johnson]]'' (1942) - Hannibal Hamlin (uncredited) *''[[Casanova in Burlesque]]'' (1944) - Joseph M. Kelly Sr. *''[[Home in Indiana]]'' (1944) - Roger - Old Timer (uncredited) *''[[Wilson (1944 film)|Wilson]]'' (1944) - minor role (uncredited) (final film role) {{div col end}}

==See also== *[[List of vaudeville performers: A–K]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0408184}} *{{Find a Grave|9604772}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imhof, Roger}} [[Category:1875 births]] [[Category:1958 deaths]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:American burlesque performers]] [[Category:American vaudeville performers]] [[Category:People from Rock Island, Illinois]] [[Category:Male actors from Illinois]] [[Category:Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]] [[Category:American circus performers]] [[Category:American clowns]] [[Category:Songwriters from Illinois]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]]