Dave Monahan

born: 03 March 1918
San Bernadino, California,
United States of America
died: 27 May 2003
Laguna Beach, California,
United States of America
(age 85)

American child actor from the 1920s, born to Helen Grosvenor (1879-1955) and Charles Monahan (1867-1927) and also used "L" for his middle initial. His 1940 WWII Draft Card gives his name as "David Lloyd George Monahan". The Dad was active in the community and ran a successful insurance agency. In June of 1927, the parents and a group of friends drove to Ontario, CA for a "theater party" to watch David in "Baby Brother". David was busy working on his 2nd movie and couldn't go. Six months later, the Dad was dead from a sudden heart attack. He had taken part in an Elk's Club "home coming" program and died shortly after the program.
About 1938 David went to work for Leon Schlesinger writing gags for animated cartoons. He worked in this field for most of his career and eventually worked as a TV director (obit). In 1941, he married Doris Campbell (1916-2005) in NJ and enlisted in the US Army writing cartoon stories for Warner Bros. credited as "Sgt. Dave Monahan".

The IMDb says he was a practical joker. "....this included once setting fire to the studio 'just for the hell of it, just to see if it would burn'. And it wouldn't burn. He announced his permanent exit from Warner Brothers with 'I'm going to the dentist', before driving halfway across the United States to secure a job elsewhere".
Of his 2 children, Sue Larkin became a film director and promoted movies made in Hawaii.

Height: 5'7"
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

2


1927
Baby Brother
Boy

1927
Chicken Feed
Audience member

Acknowledgements & sources:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VLBP-R8S (1918 CA Birth Index "David G.")
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHWH-B1F (1920 Census: San Bernadino)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/49221519/?terms=%22baby%2Bbrother%22 (1927 Jun 24 Parents see "Baby Brother")
https://www.newspapers.com/image/49228733/?terms=%22baby%2Bbrother%22 (1927 Jul 01: son of Charles W. Monahan)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/49356425/?terms=MONAHAN (1927 Nov 12: Dad dies)
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=60901&h=40487538&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1788 (1936 & 1938 Names LLOYD & GEORGE)
https://www.fold3.com/image/630842903 (1940 Draft: Ht. 5'8"; works at Schlesinger)
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=7773763&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=qbh18&_phstart=successSource (1941 enlists; 5'7")
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61253&h=991455244&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=2441 (1941 marries Doris; NJ)
https://newspaperarchive.com/obituary-clipping-jun-05-2003-1239129/ (2003 Obit: Laguna Beach, CA)
https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Cartoons_written_by_Dave_Monahan (2003 cartoon list)
https://wiki2.org/en/All_This_and_Rabbit_Stew 2003 (censored Bugs Bunny cartoon)
Jim Jarvis (height)

This page was last updated on: 06 July 2019