H.M. Walker
Known For: Writing
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: June 27, 1878
Day of Death: June 23, 1937 (59 years old)
Place of Birth: West Middlebury, Ohio, USA
WALKER, H.M. (Harley Marquis Walker) started as a telegrapher, tapping out the descriptions of sportswriters at boxing matches and sending them to the offices of their newspapers. In 1903 he became a sportswriter himself and wrote a column, “The Wisdom of Blinkey Ben,” for the Los Angeles Examiner before joining Roach in 1917 as a part-time scenario and title writer for Harold Lloyd. In 1920, he left newspaper work and joined Roach full time as head of the editorial department. A brilliant title writer in the silent era, Walker was less skilled at dialogue; he was credited for providing these elements on more than 350 Roach comedies. He usually came up with the title for each film and also wrote fairly severe critiques after each preview. After leaving Roach in 1932 he wrote dialogue for some features, including Son of a Sailor (1933) with Joe E. Brown, W.C. Fields’ The Old Fashioned Way (1934), and the ZaSu Pitts picture Affair of Susan (1935). Walker died in the home of his good friend Leroy Shield, who had written scores at the Roach lot in 1930 and ’31. Died June 23, 1937, Chicago, Illinois, age 58; of a heart attack. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Harley M. "Beanie" Walker (June 27, 1878 – June 23, 1937) was a member of the Hal Roach movie production company from 1916 until his resignation in 1932. The title cards he wrote for Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy comedies "have entered legend, both for silent films, and as opening remarks for the earlier talkies." He was also an officer of the Roach Studio corporation. On Roach's "Lot of Fun", script development usually started with meetings among the gag men, who would develop what was known as an "action script": the outline of the story and a description of the scenes and some of the sight gags, which generally would run three to six legal-size pages. This document would then pass to Walker, the head of the editorial department, which oversaw not only script editing, but film editing as well. Walker usually came up with the title of each film, wrote "brilliantly witty" title cards which would be produced and inserted into the film, and wrote a critique before the picture went out to the distributors, Pathé Exchange, or later, M-G-M. Walker's writing did not transition well to talkies and by 1931 he had left Roach studio and wrote dialogue for comedies produced by ex-Roach general manager Warren Doane at Universal Pictures. Later, he worked at Paramount Pictures, where he contributed to the W. C. Fields picture The Old Fashioned Way (1934).
1935
1934
1933
1932
Writer
Pack Up Your Troubles
Writer
Any Old Port!
Writer
The Chimp
Dialogue
What Price Taxi
Writer
What Price Taxi
Writer
The Nickel Nurser
Dialogue
Red Noses
Writer
In Walked Charley
Dialogue
The Old Bull
Dialogue
Alum and Eve
Writer
The Music Box
Writer
County Hospital
Writer
Scram!
Dialogue
First in War
Dialogue
Young Ironsides
Dialogue
Girl Grief
Dialogue
The Music Box
Dialogue
Scram!
Dialogue
Helpmates
Writer
The Tabasco Kid
Writer
The Pooch
Writer
Choo-Choo!
Writer
Spanky
Writer
Strictly Unreliable
Dialogue
Show Business
Dialogue
County Hospital
Dialogue
You're Telling Me
Writer
Free Eats
1931
Writer
Be Big!
Writer
On the Loose
Writer
Beau Hunks
Dialogue
Our Wife
Writer
Playing at Politics
Dialogue
War Mamas
Dialogue
The Pajama Party
Dialogue
Let's Do Things
Writer
The Chiselers
Dialogue
Catch-As Catch-Can
Dialogue
Thundering Tenors
Dialogue
The soul of the party
Writer
Messing Around
Dialogue
Rough Seas
Dialogue
One of the Smiths
Dialogue
Skip the Maloo!
Dialogue
What a Bozo!
Dialogue
Hasty Marriage
Dialogue
Come Clean
Dialogue
One Good Turn
Dialogue
Chickens Come Home
Writer
Helping Grandma
Writer
Shiver My Timbers
Writer
Love Business
Writer
Little Daddy
Dialogue
Pardon Us
Writer
Haunted at Midnight
Dialogue
Call a Cop!
1930
Writer
The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
Writer
Night Owls
Dialogue
Dollar Dizzy
Writer
The Fighting Parson
Writer
The Shrimp
Writer
The King
Writer
The Head Guy
Writer
The Big Kick
Dialogue
Below Zero
Dialogue
Hog Wild
Writer
The Night Life
Story
Dollar Dizzy
Writer
Hog Wild
Dialogue
All Teed Up
Writer
The golf player
Writer
The golfer
Dialogue
Fast Work
Writer
Girl Shock
Writer
Follies of love
Story
The prince of the dollar
Story
Gold Diggers
Writer
A gray in the air
Dialogue
High C's
Dialogue
Blotto
Dialogue
Brats
Story Editor
Shivering Shakespeare
Story Editor
The First Seven Years
Story Editor
When the Wind Blows
Dialogue
Teacher's Pet
Dialogue
Whispering Whoopee
Dialogue
Night of Goblins
Story Editor
Bear Shooters
Dialogue
Another Fine Mess
Dialogue
School's Out
Writer
Doctor's Orders
1929
Writer
Big Business
Writer
Liberty
Writer
Double Whoopee
Writer
Men O'War
Dialogue
Boxing Gloves
Dialogue
Small Talk
Story
Skirt Shy
Dialogue
Unaccustomed as We Are
Title Designer
Berth Marks
Writer
Wrong Again
Other
Angora Love
Writer
Hotter Than Hot
Story Editor
Moan & Groan, Inc.
Story Editor
Bouncing Babies
Scenario Writer
Crazy Feet
Writer
Sky Boy
