The Other Charles King

It amuses me especially to title this post “the OTHER Charles King” since it’s likely that precious few readers have ever heard of the first one we wrote about here. As it happens, today’s Charles King (1895-1957) is just as relevant to our usual obsessions, having spent several years in silent slapstick comedies.

Originally from Hillsboro, Texas King begins showing up in films immediately following World War One, in which he is believed to have served. He appeared in comedies for Hal Roach, Universal, and other studios, including I Do (1921) with Harold Lloyd, Their First Vacation (1922) with Carter de Haven, Julius Sees Her (1924) with Alberta Vaughn, Andy’s Stump Speech (1924) with Joe Murphy, So Long Bill (1925) with Billy West, Too Much Mother-in-Law (1925) with Blanche Payson, some Buster Brown comedies, The Speedy Marriage (1925) with Wanda Wiley, His Taking Ways (1926) with Al St. John and Barnum and Ringling, etc (1928) with Our Gang. By the end of the silent era he was even starring in his own films for the Stern Brothers.

King had also appeared in numerous westerns during the silent era, though there were fewer of these than the comedies. When sound came in, his Texas drawl and riding abilities apparently suited the western genre better, for that is where he worked almost exclusively going forward. Today he is better remembered for the latter films. He established a reputation for playing dour, mustachioed henchmen in scores of low-budget B movie westerns and serials starring Ken Maynard, Buck Jones, Bob Steele, Tim McCoy, Buster Crabbe, and young John Wayne. He was also in many films with his old comedy cohort Al “Fuzzy” St. John. King’s over 400 films included numerous appearances in such series as Billy the Kid, and The Lone Rider. Among aficionados of the genre he is nicknamed “Blackie” (frequently the name of his character) and famous for having been killed in nearly every one of his films. His last roles were on the TV series Gunsmoke in the mid 1950s.

Another of King’s signatures was his distinct paunch (see photo above) and floppy jowls. That’s the booze. King died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 62.

For more on silent and slapstick comedy please see Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube.