Molly Thompson

born: 12 May 1878 Sedalia, Missouri, United States of America

died: 14 February 1928 Culver City, Los Angeles, California, United States of America (cerebral hemorrhage, age 49)

American actress and later casting director at Hal Roach. Before entering the moving picture business, "formerly a stage interpreter of classic and modern plays, appearing before a number of clubs as entertainer". According to Rich Correll, she performed in vaudeville as a burlesque opera singer whose act consisted of her being made fun of and having things thrown at her, an act which was witnessed by Roach himself circa 1912-13 in downtown Los Angeles. Roach then added her to the Rolin/Roach studio's stock company several years later. During the early-mid 1920s, she became the studio's casting director, and is even given a shout-out in a January 1929 Photoplay article on Janet Gaynor, who began her career as a Roach "Bathing Beauty." Molly would remain in her new position until her death, after which it was taken over by her assistant, future Roach special effects "wizard" Roy Seawright. Her husband was Peter L. Thompson (b. June 1856, Hungary), whom she married circa 1896. They had one daughter, Marguerite Eleanor (b. 3 June 1896, Portland, OR - d. 14 February 1968, Los Angeles, CA). Molly is listed in some filmographies by her "real" married name of Henrietta Thompson.

Real name: Henrietta L. Joplin

Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

54

1917 Over The Fence [unidentified character] 1918 The Big Idea Woman in chauffeured car 1918 The Lamb [unidentified character] 1918 Beat It [unidentified character] 1918 Look Pleasant, Please Photo customer 1918 Here Come The Girls [unidentified character] 1918 Let's Go Woman with feather in hat 1918 Fireman, Save My Child [unidentified character] 1919 Before Breakfast Harold's mother 1919 The Marathon Woman at picnic 1919 Bumping Into Broadway [unidentified character] 1920 An Eastern Westerner [?] 1920 Start The Show Beatrice's mother 1920 High And Dizzy Woman in corridor 1920 Get Out And Get Under [unidentified character] 1920 Doing Time [?] 1920 June Madness [unidentified character] 1920 Queens Up! [unidentified character] 1920 The Man Haters [unidentified character] 1920 Number, Please? [unidentified character] 1920 The Sleepyhead [unidentified character] 1921 Pinning It On [unidentified character] 1921 Oh, Promise Me [unidentified character] 1921 Prince Pistachio Gas leak customer 1921 Running Wild [unidentified character] 1921 The Love Lesson [unidentified character] 1921 Hurry West [unidentified character] 1921 Now Or Never [unidentified character] 1921 A Straight Crook Large woman in lounge 1921 Stop Kidding [unidentified character] 1921 The Chink [unidentified character] 1921 The Lucky Number Lady Throttlemush 1921 Sweet By And By [unidentified character] 1921 Never Weaken Woman washing window 1921 Late Hours [unidentified character] 1921 Hocus-Pocus [?] 1921 A Sailor-Made Man Girl's mother 1922 White Eagle (serial) [unidentified character] 1922 Stand Pat Shocked woman 1922 Good Morning Judge Plaintiff 1922 Many Happy Returns [unidentified character] 1922 Grandma's Boy Girl's mother 1922 One Terrible Day Mrs. Pennington Van Rensselaer 1922 365 Days Tough relative's wife 1922 Our Gang Rich boy's mother 1922 Saturday Morning Mickey's mother 1922 Newly Rich The bride's mother 1923 A Pleasant Journey Mother 1923 Safety Last! Woman with nerve tonic 1923 Where Am I? Bride's mother 1923 Giants vs. Yanks Mickey's mother 1923 Lodge Night Mickey's mother 1924 Going To Congress Sarah Doolittle 1932 Strictly Unreliable Audience member [stock footage] Acknowledgements: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6FS-3GJ (1880 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSDL-7VT (1900 Census Joplin family) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSDZ-6F2 (1900 Census Thompson family) [?] https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLYL-XHW (1910 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH7W-VBS (1920 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKSM-FHV3 (CA Death Index) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP7F-GLCJ (death certificate) https://archive.org/stream/variety90-1928-02#page/n248/mode/1up/search/thompson (Variety, 22 Feb 1928) https://archive.org/stream/motionnew37moti#page/n753/mode/1up/search/%22mollie+thompson%22 (Motion Picture News, 3 Mar 1928) https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew23moti_7#page/2954/mode/1up/search/%22molly+thompson%22 (Motion Picture News, 7 May 1921) https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew24moti_7#page/2576/mode/1up/search/%22molly+thompson%22 (Motion Picture News, 12 Nov 1921) https://archive.org/stream/camera04unse#page/n371/mode/1up/ search/%22molly+thompson%22 (Camera! 20 Aug 1921) https://archive.org/stream/camera04unse#page/n609/mode/1up/ search/%22molly+thompson%22 (Camera! 12 Nov 1921) https://archive.org/stream/photoplay3536movi#page/n54/mode/ 1up/search/%22molly+thompson%22 (Photoplay, Jan 1929) https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19210716.2.611 (Los Angeles Herald, 16 Jul 1921) https://www.newspapers.com/new spage/74278004/ (The Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct 1921) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8N4-WXH (daugher's marriage, 1924) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8JL-DCL (daughter's marriage, 1935) https://vimeo.com/groups/348579/videos/152343749 (Rich Correll narrates stills from Harold Lloyd's THE MARATHON, 1919) The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd Smile When the Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony and Andy Edmonds Jesse Brisson (research and suggestion; identification in Hocus-Pocus, A Straight Crook, High And Dizzy, Start The Show, 365 Days, Prince Pistachio, Safety Last!, Let's Go, Our Gang, Before Breakfast, Good Morning Judge, Never Weaken, Strictly Unreliable) This page was last updated on: 11 September 2023