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| Sammy Brooks |
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born:
10 June 1891 Brooklyn, New York, United States of America |
died:
16 May 1951 Los Angeles, California, United States of America (paralytic ileus, age 59) |
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Diminutive, balding American comic actor who was a regular presence in the films of the Hal Roach Studios from 1916 onwards. Appearing in over 120 films with Harold Lloyd alone, he currently holds the record for the most appearances in films produced by Hal Roach. Simon Rottenberg/Rothenberg was the seventh of nine children born to Austrian-Hungarian immigrants Rose (née Weinberger or Weinberg, d. 1904) and Herman Rottenberg/Rothenberg (d. 1912), who married in 1876. Their children were born in the order of: Nathan (1877-1952), Jennie (1879-1901), Isadore (1880/1-1957), Fannie (m. Kreitzman, 1883-1952), Mollie (m. Passig, 1885-1963), Julius/Joseph (1888-1974), Simon/Samuel (1891-1951), Leo/Leon (1895-1975), and Ester/Ethel (m. Creash, 1897-1983). Although his birth record gives his first name as Simon, by the time of the 1892 New York State Census less than a year later, he was now being called Samuel. The family seemed to use the spelling of "Rottenberg" and "Rothenberg" somewhat interchangeably, largely settling for the latter. By the time Sammy filled out his World War I draft registration card (signed 5 Jun 1917), he was going by Samuel Rothenberg as his full name. Two errors on his death certificate have persisted in internet biographies, which as a result give an incorrect month of birth (July instead of June), and misspell his real last name as "Rockenberg." Sammy later resided in Plainfield, New Jersey sometime around the late 1900s and early-mid 1910s, doing clerical work in a store and being known around town as "Shorty." On stage and screen as early as 1910, Sammy partook in stage and vaudeville performances of Gus Edwards' act "The Country Kid" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," played one of the funny papers' "Katzenjammer Kids" in the skit "In Cartoon Land" with the "Whirl of Mirth" company, and played one of Lasky's "Hoboes" on the Orpheum and Pantages circuits. Sammy's early film roles included work with the short-lived Gnome Motion Picture Company, as well as Famous Players (in the 1914 film adaptation of "Cinderella" starring Mary Pickford; presumably, Sammy is playing one of the fortune teller's diminutive minions), Selig (in the "Hans & Fritz" series, continuing his portrayal of one of the "Katzenjammer Kids"), and Starlight (in the "Heinie & Louie" series co-starring Jimmy Aubrey). Sammy joined the Rolin (Roach) stock company in early 1916, having been discovered while playing with Lasky's "Hoboes," and he went on to appear in hundreds of films for the Hal Roach Studios over the next two decades. Due to his small size, Sammy was often cast in bits where he was pushed around and leapt over by others, although he didn't take it without showing some gumption, often gamely putting his dukes up whether his adversaries and tormentors took him seriously or not. Sammy was nicknamed "Super-Shorty" around the lot, and was known for being very tough for his size. Per his studio directory bios, Sammy's recreations included wire-walking, riding, and swimming. The Rolin stock company of the Lloyd/Pollard days were a very tight-knit group, and Sammy was no exception to this. One prank Sammy and Harold Lloyd played together involved the two getting into the same suit of clothes, then while Harold was conversing with another, Sammy would pop out of the jacket. Early studio giant Ben Corday used Sammy as a human barbell of sorts, exercising by lifting him with one hand. Perhaps the most oft-reported friendship within the stock company, no doubt due to their size difference, was that of little Sammy and big Noah Young. Far from being a novelty, the friendship between Sammy and Noah was genuine and long-lasting, with Noah providing assistance and care to Sammy in his later years. Though he primarily appeared in Roach films, Sammy did sporadically appear in films outside of the "Lot of Fun," usually those starring his old Roach colleagues. He appears in Harold Lloyd's first post-Roach feature "Girl Shy" (1924), and provides a visual punchline (and a happy ending) for the finale of Snub Pollard's post-Roach Weiss Brothers comedy short "The Yokel" (1926). Like many early Roach alumni, Sammy was a member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, serving as acting chairman at one point in 1922. Sammy was also a Freemason and a member of the Culver City Lodge No. 467; papers in 1924 reported that Sammy was the smallest Mason in the world, while fellow Roach actor John Aasen was the tallest. In 1924, Sammy also acted as second to boxer August Gotto in a July bout at the L.A.A.C. In 1927, Sammy celebrated his eleventh anniversary with the Roach company; later that same year, Sammy was accompanying Johnny Downs in the now-former Our Gangster's personal appearances, serving as his manager and appearing on stage alongside him. As the Roach style matured, Sammy's bits became less and less prominent, later often merely appearing as a face in the crowd or seated in the background. In the early 1930s, Sammy suffered an accident at the studio which would lead to him losing his sight. In a June 1934 article, Sammy recalled that in an accident nearly three years prior (so, circa mid-late 1931), they were filming a movie scene where Sammy was thrown down some stairs, and he was accidentally kicked in the face. He had an operation and went back to work, but could feel his eyesight slightly fading until one day when he woke up and everything was dark. Exhibiting the tight bonds of the early Rolin stock company, some benefit programs were held by old Roach colleagues to aid Sammy. In April 1933, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard, and Charley Chase held a benefit performance for Sammy at the Los Angeles Athletic Club Theater. A month later, Harold Lloyd held a handball and squash tournament at his Greenacres estate, featuring stars of those sports, again to support Sammy. On 13 June 1934, the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record ran an article on Sammy. It is mentioned that Roach studio photographer Stax Graves and his wife were taking care of Sammy, as was his big ol' pal Noah Young, and that Sammy was working as an extra and stand-in at Roach. The article is a very bittersweet read, as Sammy remains upbeat and unflappable despite his condition. (Chet Brandenburg, in assistant director mode, also makes a "cameo" at article's end, discussing the sale of a watch from Sammy to Chet.) Sammy's old Roach cohorts weren't the only ones to aid him: the papers in 1939 reported that, upon seeing him on the set of "Captain Fury" and learning of his situation, Victor McLaglen presented Sammy with a seeing-eye dog. In the 1940 Census (16 Apr), Sammy's occupation is given as "store owner" in the motion picture industry; Sammy's World War II draft registration card (signed 27 Apr 1942) further notes that he had his own business on the Roach lot (seem to remember reading somewhere it was a newsstand, but I can no longer remember where I read this); Noah Young is given as the person who will always know Sammy's address on the draft card. In his final years, Sammy lived at 9719 Regent St. in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Sammy passed away at 12:45am on 16 May 1951, at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. Cause of death was "Paralytic ileus - etiology undetermined (10 days)" with contributory causes: "Cerebral arteriosclerosis, blindness & duodenal ulcer." Friends to the end, Noah Young served as the informant on Sammy's death certificate. Sammy was survived by four brothers (Joseph, Leonard, Mathew [presumably Nathan], and Isadore) and three sisters (Mrs. Ethel Creash, Mrs. Fannie Kreitzman, and Mrs. Mollie Passig). Sammy was cremated through Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. A history of Sammy's physical statistics: — Motion Picture News, 11 Mar 1916: 4'2", 96 — Oct 1916 Motion Picture News Studio Directory: 3'10", 92, dark brown hair, blue eyes — 1917–1918 Motion Picture (News) Studio Directories: Dark brown hair, blue eyes — Sammy's World War I draft registration card, 1917: Short, slender, blue eyes, dark brown hair, "slightly" bald — 1920–1921 Motion Picture Studio Directories: 4', 100, fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes — 1924 articles on his Masonry: 3'11" — Los Angeles Evening Express, 12 Mar 1925: 4'2" — Sammy's World War II draft registration card, 1942: 4'5", 112, blue eyes, gray hair + bald, ruddy complexion, "blind" — The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia: 4'6", "under one hundred pounds". |
| Real name: Simon Rottenberg Height: 4'0" ***(see above) |
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography. |
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