Jimmy Finlayson

James Finlayson
Actor Jimmy Finlayson
Born	August 27, 1887(1887-08-27) Larbert, Stirlingshire, United Kingdom
Died	October 9, 1953 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, United States

James Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson (August 27 1887 – October 9 1953) was a Scottish-American actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Bald, with a fake moustache, Finlayson had many trademark comic mannerisms and is famous for his squinting, outraged, "double take and fade away" head reaction, and characteristic expression "d'ooooooh", and as the most famous comic foil for Laurel and Hardy.

Career

Born in Larbert, Stirlingshire, Scotland to parents Alexander and Isabella (Henderson) Finlayson ^[1], he attended George Watson's College before dropping out of the University of Edinburgh to pursue an acting career. He won the main role in the West End production of Bunty Pulls the Strings. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1912 to reprise the role on Broadway, and dropped out of a country-wide theatrical tour in 1916 to pursue a career in Hollywood. He married Emily Gilbert in July 1919 (per IMDb)^{[citation needed]}. He starred in numerous Mack Sennett-produced comedies, most notably as one of the original Keystone Kops. As a freelance actor late in his career, he made some of his final films in the UK. He played bit parts in films like Foreign Correspondent, To Be or Not to Be and Royal Wedding. He retired owing to illness many years before his death in 1953.

However, he is most remembered for his work with Hal Roach Studios. He played roles in 33 Laurel and Hardy films, usually as a villain or a person intent on getting revenge on the pair for getting in his way, especially in the films Big Business, and Way Out West. He also starred alongside Stan Laurel in 19 films, and opposite Oliver Hardy in five films before Laurel and Hardy were teamed together. He also had a short cameo in the Our Gang short Mush and Milk, in which "Spanky" and he match wits in an comically adversarial phone conversation.

His trademark mustache was a prop used mainly in Roach movies. In many of his non-Roach movies it was absent.

Finlayson's nickname was Fin because he played a character called Fin in The Bohemian Girl and one named Mickey Finn in Way Out West. However it was more likely just a truncated version of his surname.

One of Finlayson's trademarks was a drawn out "dohhhhhhh!". Finlayson had used the term as a minced oath to stand in for the word "Damn!" This would later inspire Dan Castellaneta, the voice actor of Homer Simpson. During the voice recording session for a Tracey Ullman Show short, Castellaneta was required to utter what was written in the script as an "annoyed grunt". He rendered it as a drawn out "dohhhhhhh". This was inspired by Finlayson. Matt Groening felt that it would better suit the timing of animation if it were spoken faster. Castellaneta then shortened it to a quickly uttered "doh!"^[2]

Death

Finlayson died of a heart attack on October 9, 1953, aged 66, in Los Angeles, California.

Notes

• He once knocked himself out by putting too much effort into a double-take routine.
• In the book Our Gang by Leonard Maltin, about the Our Gang series, Maltin shows a picture with Roach staff member Robert McGowan and Jimmie Finlayson. Child actor Mary Kornman clings to McGowan; Jackie Condon, Joe Cobb, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, and Johnny Downs stand around Finlayson and fashion "Finsquints."

External links

• Jimmy Finlayson at the Internet Movie Database
• James Finlayson Biography
• Yes Yes Nanette Public Domain short comedy for free download

References