H.M. Walker
Writing
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).
Known for
Writing170
movieThem Thar Hills
1934
Writer
movieHer First Mate
1933
Screenplay
movieThey Just Had to Get Married
1933
Screenplay
movieGirl Grief
1932
Dialogue
movieAlum and Eve
1932
Dialogue
movieScram!
1932
Writer, Dialogue
movieYoung Ironsides
1932
Dialogue
movieShow Business
1932
Dialogue
movieWhat Price Taxi
1932
Dialogue, Writer
movieCounty Hospital
1932
Writer, Dialogue
movieThe Pooch
1932
Writer
movieThe Old Bull
1932
Dialogue
movieFirst in War
1932
Dialogue
movieThe Chimp
1932
Writer
movieChoo-Choo!
1932
Writer
movieThe Music Box
1932
Writer, Dialogue
movieSpanky
1932
Writer
movieRed Noses
1932
Dialogue
movieAny Old Port!
1932
Writer
movieFree Eats
1932
Writer
movieThe Tabasco Kid
1932
Writer
movieHelpmates
1932
Dialogue
movieOn the Loose
1931
Writer
movieHasty Marriage
1931
Dialogue
movieBeau Hunks
1931
Writer
movieWar Mamas
1931
Dialogue
movieWhat a Bozo!
1931
Dialogue
movieOne Good Turn
1931
Dialogue
movieThe Pajama Party
1931
Dialogue
movieSkip the Maloo!
1931
Dialogue
movieCome Clean
1931
Dialogue
movieCall a Cop!
1931
Dialogue
movieCatch-As Catch-Can
1931
Dialogue
moviePardon Us
1931
Dialogue
movieLet's Do Things
1931
Dialogue
movieOne of the Smiths
1931
Dialogue
movieOur Wife
1931
Dialogue
movieRough Seas
1931
Dialogue
movieLittle Daddy
1931
Writer
movieChickens Come Home
1931
Dialogue
movieLove Business
1931
Writer
movieBe Big!
1931
Writer
movieThe Chiselers
1931
Writer
movieThundering Tenors
1931
Dialogue
movieHelping Grandma
1931
Writer
movieHigh C's
1930
Dialogue
movieAnother Fine Mess
1930
Dialogue
movieSchool's Out
1930
Dialogue
movieNight of Goblins
1930
Dialogue
movieTeacher's Pet
1930
Dialogue
movieDollar Dizzy
1930
Dialogue, Story
movieDoctor's Orders
1930
Writer
movieGirl Shock
1930
Writer
movieFast Work
1930
Dialogue
movieThe King
1930
Writer
movieHog Wild
1930
Dialogue, Writer
movieBear Shooters
1930
Story Editor
movieThe Shrimp
1930
Writer
movieBelow Zero
1930
Dialogue
movieThe Night Life
1930
Writer
movieAll Teed Up
1930
Dialogue
movieWhen the Wind Blows
1930
Story Editor
movieThe Big Kick
1930
Writer
movieBrats
1930
Dialogue
movieWhispering Whoopee
1930
Dialogue
movieThe First Seven Years
1930
Story Editor
movieBlotto
1930
Dialogue
movieThe Real McCoy
1930
Story Editor
movieShivering Shakespeare
1930
Story Editor
movieThe Head Guy
1930
Writer
movieNight Owls
1930
Writer
movieAngora Love
1929
Other
movieMoan & Groan, Inc.
1929
Story Editor
movieSkirt Shy
1929
Story
movieBouncing Babies
1929
Story Editor
movieSky Boy
1929
Writer
movieBoxing Gloves
1929
Dialogue
movieCrazy Feet
1929
Scenario Writer
movieHotter Than Hot
1929
Writer
movieMen O' War
1929
Writer
movieDouble Whoopee
1929
Writer
movieSmall Talk
1929
Dialogue
movieUnaccustomed as We Are
1929
Dialogue
movieBig Business
1929
Writer
movieWrong Again
1929
Writer
movieLiberty
1929
Writer
movieEarly to Bed
1928
Writer
movieCame the Dawn
1928
Writer
moviePlayin' Hookey
1928
Writer
movieSugar Daddies
1927
Writer
movieGet 'Em Young
1926
Writer
movieGood Cheer
1926
Writer
moviePapa Be Good!
1925
Writer
movieJust a Good Guy
1924
Writer
movieThe White Sheep
1924
Writer
movieMother's Joy
1923
Writer
movieThe Whole Truth
1923
Writer
movieHeavy Seas
1923
Writer
movieGrandma's Boy
1922
Writer
movieNever Weaken
1921
Writer
movieNow or Never
1921
Writer
movieNumber, Please?
1920
Writer
movieHigh and Dizzy
1920
Writer
movieHaunted Spooks
1920
Writer
movieHeap Big Chief
1919
Dialogue
movieChop Suey & Co.
1919
Writer
movieAsk Father
1919
Writer
movieHere Come the Girls
1918
Dialogue
movieBeat It
1918
Dialogue
The Tip
1918
Dialogue
movieStep Lively
1917
Writer
movieWe Never Sleep
1917
Writer
movieAll Aboard
1917
Writer
movieClubs Are Trump
1917
Writer
movieThe Flirt
1917
Writer
movieRainbow Island
1917
Writer
movieBliss
1917
Writer
Art13
movieBerth Marks
1929
Title Designer
movieFair and Muddy
1928
Title Designer
movieThe Battle of the Century
1927
Title Designer
movieHats Off
1927
Title Designer
movieNo Man's Law
1927
Title Designer
movieTen Years Old
1927
Title Designer
movieBromo and Juliet
1926
Title Designer
movieCrazy Like a Fox
1926
Title Designer
movieAlong Came Auntie
1926
Title Designer
movieThundering Fleas
1926
Title Designer
movieWandering Papas
1926
Title Designer
movieShould Sailors Marry?
1925
Title Designer
movieDr. Jack
1922
Title Designer
Crew11
movieLove Birds
1934
Additional Dialogue
movieShould Tall Men Marry?
1928
Title Graphics
movieThe Second 100 Years
1927
Title Graphics
movieWise Guys Prefer Brunettes
1926
Title Graphics
movieDog Days
1925
Title Graphics
movieThe Soilers
1923
Title Graphics
movieDogs of War!
1923
Title Graphics
movieFrom Hand to Mouth
1919
Title Graphics
movieCaptain Kidd's Kids
1919
Title Graphics
movieDon't Shove
1919
Title Graphics
movieCount Your Change
1919
Title Graphics