Reed Howes
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Reed Howes
Biography
One of several male models to achieve some success in action films of the '20s, Hermon Reed Howes was forever saddled with the tag "Arrow Collar Man," despite the fact that he had been only one of several future luminaries to have posed for famed artist J.C. Leyenecker's memorable Arrow ads. (Future screen actors Fredric March and Brian Donlevy also did yeoman duty for the company.)A graduate of the University of Utah and the Harvard Graduate School, Howes had served two and a half years in the navy prior to entering onto the stage. He became a leading man for the likes of Peggy Wood and Billie Burke, and entered films in 1923, courtesy of low-budget producer Ben Wilson, who cast the handsome newcomer as the lead in a series of breathless melodramas released by Rayart. Howes reached a silent screen pinnacle of sorts as Clara Bow's leading man in Rough House Rosie (1927), but his starring days were over with the advent of sound. There was nothing inherently wrong with Howes voice, but it didn't do anything for him either. His acting before the microphone seemed too stiff. He was still as handsome as ever, but his good looks were often hidden behind a scruffy beard or mustache. The veteran actor then drifted into supporting roles in B-Westerns and serials, his appearances sometimes devoid of dialogue, and more often than not, he was unbilled. Howes did his fair share of television in the '50s as well, but ill health forced him to retire after playing a police inspector in Edward D. Wood Jr.'s The Sinister Urge, filmed in July of 1960 and a guest spot on television's Mr. Ed. He died of cancer at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
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Reed Howes
| Reed Howes | |
|---|---|
 Howes and Clara Bow in the 1927 film Rough House Rosie |
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| Born | Hermon Reed Howes July 5, 1900 Washington D.C. |
| Died | August 6, 1964 (aged 64) |
| Resting place | Fort Rosencrans National Cemetery San Diego |
| Other names | Reed Howe |
| Occupation | model Actor |
| Years active | c.1923-1964 |
Reed Howes (July 5, 1900 – August 6, 1964) was an American model who later became an actor in silent and sound films.
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Early life
He was born as Hermon Reed Howes in Washington, D.C. in 1900. He served in the US Navy in the closing stages of World War I. After the war Howes attended the University of Utah where he graduated. He later went to Graduate School at Harvard University and then entered show business appearing in Vaudeville in stock roles.
Arrow Collar Man
In the early 1920s Howes began modeling shirts and detachable collars produced by Cluett Peabody & Company. Howes was one of several men known as Arrow Collar Men (others were Neil Hamilton, Fredric March, Brian Donlevy, Jack Mulhall and allegedly Ralph Forbes) who were the models seen in the Cluett Peabody company's advertisements for the apparel drawn by illustrator J. C. Leyendecker. A 1924 advertisement by film company FBO capitalizing on Howes Arrow Collar popularity has Howes: "Acknowledged and acclaimed America's handsomest man To be starred in a series of Eight Productions" .[1]
Hollywood Stardom
Howes began making silent pictures in Hollywood in 1923. At this stage of his career his youthful good looks led to him supporting or co-starring with many of filmdoms well-known and beautiful female stars of the time i.e. Marie Prevost, Clara Bow, Mildred Harris, Marjorie Daw, Viola Dana, Louise Fazenda and Virginia Brown Faire. He also appeared in low budget pictures with lesser known female stars i.e. Gladys Hulette, Ruth Dwyer, Carmelita Geraghty, Ethel Shannon and Alice Calhoun. Indeed many of Howes's silent pictures are 'racing car-romance' movies, the kind Wallace Reid made popular before his untimely death in 1923. Howes seems to have picked up where Wally Reid left off and in fact Howes resembles Wally in looks or more precisely a cross between Wallace Reid and Neil Hamilton. The majority of Howes silents were produced by Harry Joe Brown(who also directed) and released through the Rayart company. Al Rogell directed a lot of them.[2] The studios Howes worked for in the silent era were FBO, Warner Brothers, Fox , Paramount and Universal.
Sound
Howes made his sound film debut in Warner's The Singing Fool starring Al Jolson. He closed out the silent era in a programmer production of long time colleague Harry Joe Brown. In the talking era Howes shifted to playing heavies(villains), first in crime films and then in Westerns which he would be associated with for the remainder of his career.[3]
Selected Filmography
- The Cyclone Rider (1924)
- Geared to Go (1924) (*extant;Library of Congress)
- Cyclone Cavalier (1925)
- Bobbed Hair (1925)
- Rough House Rosie (1927)
- The Singing Fool (1928)
- Hell Divers (1931)
- Heroes of the Saddle (1940)
- Covered Wagon Days (1940)
- Red River Robin Hood (1942)
- Thundering Trails (1943)
- Brand of the Devil (1944)
References
- ^ PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE SILENT SCREEN c.1953 by Daniel Blum p.268
- ^ Reed Howes, IMDb.com Howes complete filmography
- ^ IMDb filmography
External links
- Reed Howes at IMDb.com
- Reed Howes at Findagrave.com
- Reed Howes: Villains and Supporting Players
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