I was digging around some of the photos that folks have sent in and ran across this one from a while ago. Any old movie buffs out there who can help her identify this movie star? Click on the image to enlarge it.
I enjoy the old photos in the newsletter, and thought I’d send one of mine.
This is my aunt, Edith Ellis, age 14, in 1929. The man is a famous movie star of the time, who was filming a movie in El Cajon, California, where she lived. I do not know who he is, and wonder if any of your readers may recognize him. I think the movie may have been called “Hell’s Angels” but I am not sure.Â
Edith had had polio as a child, and you can see in the photo that one leg is smaller than the other because of it.
Many thanks –
Debbie Chambers
IMDB cast listing for the 1930 film Hell’s Angels, if it helps anyone. It was a Howard Hughes production.
He kinda favors a young Wallace Beery (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000891/). Beery starred in Hell’s Island (1930?), but I don’t where it was filmed.
Oops! I don’t *know* where Hell’s Island was filmed.
I don’t know who is in the picture, but Hell’s Angels was in 1930 and the main male characters were Ben Lyon, James Hall, John Darrow and Lucien Prival.
Some of the flying scenes for the Howard Hughes film Hell’s Angels were filmed at Ryan Field in San Diego, so the story is plausible. I can’t say for sure, but judging from photographs I’ve found of the movie’s lead actors, I would guess that the man was either Ben Lyon or James Hall.
Looks like Robert Mitchum.
A famous star must mean it was Ben Lyon. And I did a google search clicking images and the cheek bones sure made me think it is him. I knew of Ben and Bebe and family from their lovely family comedy shows on BBC. Ben often made jokes about Hells Angels but he did the flying himself. It was a major film.
Hard to tell with the face shadowed but it kind of looks like David Bruce who was in Jungle Hell.
Are you sure this isn’t Howard Hughes himself? Barb
Hi, This is definitely not Ben Lyon, who is my first cousin twice removed. His father, Thomas Bethel Lyon, maried into our REID clan, in Pike Co Ga, and I have many photos of Ben, his parents & grand-parents, & his family.
This might be a stunt pilot or an extra, as I don’t recognize the man at all, and I’m an old coot in my mid seventy’s who was & is an avid film buff. Thanks, Kathleen
I have looked at several photos of Howard Hughes as a young man and I think this guy looks an awful lot like him.. especially the nose and eyebrows.
Oh for goodness sakes! That is not Howard Hughes…but from the links to the pics in #5 it might be James Hall. The picture is taken at an angle that makes it difficult to tell. Not to mention that helmet. Good luck figuring this one out.
There is a picture showing Howard Hughes wearing the same hat and a face shot about the same as the photo. Go to Yahoo Image search and put in Howard Huges and you can find it.
So I believe it is HH.
Looks like Dick Grace. Check out this website. His picture is middle ways. Looks just like him.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1381222/posts
I vote for him being the actor “James Hall”. He was in many films.
names mario used to work with cristian at chestnut’s elec. tell him my books out he will know what i mean tell him to e- mail me