'Larry Semon - How Many Times Did He Die?'

An investigation into the possibility of a faked death

Published in Steve Rydzewski's Slapstick! magazine #2, July 2000.

This article reports inconsistencies with the biography of silent film comedian Lawrence "Larry" Semon - the result of many years of research. Frequently, Larry has been subject of more or less credible stories such as his outright hostility towards Stan Laurel [37, 38] which was believed to emerge from Larry´s inability to share the screen with another talented artist [35]. Conjectures about Larry Semon´s death are of quite a different calibre. They have produced much gossip, enough to supply legions of script writers with new ideas.

Cover design: Steve Rydzewski, Philadelphia
Recently, it has been discussed whether Larry Semon did in fact prematurely die from tubercular pneumonia or whether his end had been what became one of the prevailing features of his films: fakery, or a neatly-planned construct. Both variants are backed by information from documents, interviews and newspaper clippings. It is clearly too late to reconstruct exactly what happened, but a critical commentary based on this information limits the possiblities. For Larry Semon, there would have been reason enough to disappear: In March 1928, he feels obliged to file bankruptcy. A high-flying life-style and financial flops have left him with debts amounting to 500, 000 dollars [5, 22]. Since his reserves are nil he agrees with his debtors that he undertake another vaudeville tour to pay them back [7]. The tour comes to an abrupt end when Semon suffers a nervous breakdown in early August 1928 [29].

In 1996, the talking starts: Larry Semon probably did not die on 8 October, 1928 but instead faked his death. Rumours lead back to American illustrator Steve Rydzewski, who conducts a search for Larry Semon´s death certificate via the Los Angeles Board of Vital Statistics. Despite refined search criteria including an extended search interval up to 1931 and accounting for various spellings of Larry´s names the situation does not improve It seems Larry Semon´s death certificate does not exist. In January 1999 the certificate unexpectedly turns up. Robert Dickson of Los Angeles starts a search in San Bernardino, the county where Larry died, and is immediately successful. Apparently, Steve picked the wrong office for his search. This is not to say that he based his hypothesis only on a death certificate he believed to be missing. Conclusions he draws from news reports on Larry´s funeral services and interment may maintain suspicions of a death that was perhaps not genuine [36]. Steve´s findings are discussed and extended by my own results of research. Remarks which seem improbable are as well brought forward in order to provide food for thought.

The registrar R.T. Rich fills out the death certificate. Dorothy Dwan, who is with Larry during his final hours, is mentioned twice: as Larry´s widow and as informant, providing the personal data of her deceased spouse. She was born Dorothy Smith, Dwan being an artist´s name she assumed in the course of her career. However, Rich inserts the name Dawn. The letters a and w of the pseudonym are reversed. By contrast, press releases, newspaper ads and title-cards without exception display the name Dwan. Has the letter mix-up been intended by Dorothy in order to detach herself from the Dorothy mentioned in the certificate? Or was it created due to imperfect hearing or a writing mistake? Or is Dawn Dorothy´s second Christian name?
Private funeral rites are held for Larry. In order not to further burden Dorothy, who is close to collapsing, only six persons are allowed to participate in the ceremony at the mausoleum of the Mountain View Cemetery: Dorothy, her mother Nancy Smith, Charles Sollars, Nancy´s new husband, a Christian Science reader, her assistant, and R.T. Rich, this time as undertaker [4, 16, 24, 29]. More than a dozen friends, among them Snub Pollard and probably also Babe Hardy, convene outside the mausoleum. The contemporary press does not reveal whether they get permission to pay Larry their last respects [9]. According to the New York Times, access is denied [26]. The Los Angeles Times, however, states that the doors are opened after the ceremony [8]. Maybe the reporter for the New York Times left too early. It remains unclear whether Larry´s body is laid out. The place and time of the ceremony are kept secret [16]. Among the newspaper articles available, only the San Francisco Chronicle publishes the dates in advance [11].
Nationwide obituaries contradict each other with regard to the location of Larry´s grave: The Los Angeles Times reports that Larry´s body is transported to Philadelphia to be buried next to his parents [29]. Some newspapers even speak of a family plot [8, 28]. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Larry is cremated and afterwards sent to Philadelphia [11]. La Opinion believes Larry´s body to be in a mausoleum in Hollywood next to once famous people as Barbara La Marr and Rudolph Valentino [6]. Another source places Larry´s ashes in Arrowhead, California. According to majority opinion, Larry is buried in Philadelphia. A sister making Philadelphia her home would support this view as well [9, 24, 29]. The death certificate contains the note cremat. for cremation. Yet, there is no information given for the place of interment.
Rydzewski, who resides in Philadelphia, has been unable to find Larry´s grave or a Semon family plot. Consequently he now is looking for records of expired graves. It may be expected that most offices did not even consider keeping track of their cemeteries´ history. In California the search for Larry´s grave has also failed. Research is made difficult by the confusing information about Larry´s faith. If the film magazine Photoplay is right, Larry comes from an old family of New England Quakers [3]. However, a Christian Science reader was present at the ceremony. Provided, Larry was buried near his parents he would find himself in a Jewish cemetery in West Philadelphia. Another clue would be his immediate interment. Strange enough, though, Larry´s cremation. For Jewish people it is as unusual as a family plot. Solitary graves are normal. They are simple, the only accessory being a tomb stone.
Searching for members of Larry Semon´s family I meet American Judy Hall. From what she tells me about her family the question arises whether Larry had a readiness to act against the law. Until 1978 Judy is married to Jim Semon, a universal genius and expert in the art of living, who shares nose and ears with Larry Semon. The same can be stated for their son Damian as proved by photographs and video footage she puts at my disposal. Judy assumes that Larry Semon is Jim´s great uncle. She justifies her assumption by the Semon-gene as she and Jim´s mother call it. The Semon-gene kids push the proverbial envelope. They are highly talented, creative, but wanderers with a compulsive desire to live on the edge. Jim´s father regularly takes out bankruptcy. A court goes so far as to deem him incompetent to handle his own finances. Before meeting Judy, Jim makes a living as a criminal. A master forger he is never caught red-handed as he portrays different characters to pass stolen checks. He poses as a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer. He is also an excellent narrator and becomes an accomplished jazz musician who sits in with Dizzie Gillespie and plays congas. Damian Semon, eloquent and convincing, exhibits an enormous gift as a performer and gets an opportunity to study with the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. Jims´s grandfather, apparently the closest relative to Larry Semon, is shot in a bar fight in Texas, but survives. Jim Semon, however, is not meant to survive. Reinvolved in the drug scene, he is murdered in 1984.
It remains a mystery where Jim´s clan has to be placed in Larry Semon´s family-tree. Maybe the reader can help find the link. Apart from striking resemblances concerning the looks which go as far as the torso, there seems to be a kinship when it comes to financial mannerisms and artistic talents in particular: Not only is Larry a first-class actor he also reveals high musicality and shows great talent as author, acrobat, conjurer, cartoonist and sportsman: abilities which would help create a new identity. It is hard to judge how particular Semon was about the law. At least, he does not refrain from evading taxes of many thousand dollars [33, 40] and is not afraid of provoking Vitagraph to sue him for causing heavy damages [1, 2]. Institutions like the FBI do not hold records on Larry Semon.
It takes some people in order to fake a death. At least the persons present at the ceremony would have to be involved in the Semon-plot. One of them: Nancy Smith, who is a magazine writer by profession [9]. Perhaps it is she who controls the information about Larry´s stay at the sanatorium which is regularly released to the press. Does she formulate the development of an illness that does not take place? The description of Semon´s condition seems exaggerated. It ranges from a psycho-physical breakdown complicated by stomach trouble, to double-sided pneumonia, to tuberculosis [23]. In addition, the bulk of newspaper articles touches upon Dorothy´s acting career. Maybe a welcome publicity stunt, since a major breakthrough is miles away. Interpretations like these are neutralized by witnesses such as photographs and films. Deep nose-to-mouth-lines suggest Larry as a person with permanent stomach-trouble if not a constantly undermined health. Pressures executed by the film industry, nagging perfectionism and his frustration about the tremendous failures of his projects destroy him. His final movies feature a burnt-out Larry. Worries have left their mark. His eyes empty, his movements helpless, his antics worn-out. Irrevocably?

This is all I can state about what has to do with Larry Semon´s death. I am not in the position to take a clear decision whether Larry did die as early as 1928 or if there was indeed a plot and Larry lived on for many years. My research is far from being complete. Maybe as soon as tomorrow somebody will be able to prove or silence all suspicions.

Click here if you want to learn what Larry Semon and Elvis have in common.

Next: References

Claudia Sassen, Tue Dec 14 20:23:41 CET 1999

claudia.sassen@uni-dortmund.de

Back to home