Len Powers
Camera
Biography
POWERS, LEN (Leonard Stephen Powers) Born December 12, 1892 (although he incorrectly gave 1894 on some documents), Rodney, Iowa. Len grew up in Grant, Iowa with his grocer father Charles, mother May, and siblings Charles, Hazel and Clara. He went to school in Portland, Oregon and for a time was a professional boxer. Powers began work as a cinematographer with Reliance in 1914. He shot Blue Blood and Red (1916) for Raoul Walsh at Fox, and Headin’ South (1918) for Douglas Fairbanks, directed by Allan Dwan; he also worked for Magnetic, Mack Sennett, and Hank Mann Comedies. His first film for Hal Roach was the Our Gang short Young Sherlocks (1922). He directed or co-directed 14 Dippy Doo-Dad shorts for Roach in 1923 and ’24, and because of his success with all-animal casts he was asked to film a rooster crowing for the official Pathé logo. After that, Powers was a cameraman exclusively for Roach through 1933, mostly working with Charley Chase. (He moonlighted as a gagman for Mack Sennett in 1927.) With Laurel and Hardy he worked on From Soup to Nuts, Habeas Corpus, Unaccustomed As We Are, Berth Marks, The Hoose-Gow, and The Music Box. He worked at Universal in the early ’40s and was camera operator on some Johnny Mack Brown Westerns toward the end of the decade. His last known credit was photographing stills for Around the World in Eighty Days (1956). Powers’ wife, the former Muriel Elizabeth Davey, died in November. 1945, but he was survived by their daughter Murlen. Died January25, 1965, Hollywood, California, age 72; of a heart attack.
Known For
Action-filled drama about a ship captain, ashamed of his background in the slave trade, forced against his will to again transport human cargo.
Slave Ship
A cook for bridge constructors is told to collect food for dinner-Ritz style trout, Palmer house rabbit and a 15cm frosted cake. He sets off into the wide open spaces to collect the food, coming into contact with a mad hermit, who hates anybody seeing his daughter, before returning to cook dinner.
Wandering Papas
A man starts working in a department store and has to deal with a female kleptomaniac.
Stolen Goods
The Laurel & Hardy Moving Co. have a challenging job on their hands (and backs): hauling a player piano up a monumental flight of stairs to Prof. von Schwarzenhoffen's house. Their task is complicated by a sassy nursemaid and, unbeknownst to them, the impatient Prof. von Schwarzenhoffen himself. But the biggest problem is the force of gravity, which repeatedly pulls the piano back down to the bottom of the stairs.
The Music Box
Kelly's daughter falls for a revenue agent, and his divorced wife is after alimony.
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble
Charley Chase plays the type of character he does best, which is a weak nerd who is constantly letting people push him around. This happens at his work when a co-worker sneaks off with the boss's daughter who just happens to be the crush for Charley. After accidentally getting loaded on bootleg whiskey, Charley gets some courage and goes out to get his woman.
Fighting Fluid
The gang decides to go camping with a little bear hunting on the side. A pair of poachers decides to try and scare them off with a gorilla suit but the gang decides to try and capture the gorilla instead.
Bear Shooters
A lost film. As described in a film magazine Exhibitors Herald on March 16, 1918: "a forest ranger known only as Headin' South (Fairbanks) goes forth in search of Spanish Joe (Campeau), a Mexican responsible for most of the treachery and outlawry along the U.S.-Mexican boarder. Headin' South gains quite a reputation as he goes along and finally believes himself worthy of joining Joe's band. in a whirlwind finish in which Joe is captured, Headin' South meets one of Joe's near victims (MacDonald) and falls in love with her."
Headin' South
The pretty daughter of a bank clerk meets a handsome college student who attempts to romance her. Due to the comical nature of the two kids meeting, the father suspects the student to be of ill repute and he and his wife conspire to scare him away by acting crazy.
The Boy Friend
Stan and Ollie are musicians attempting to travel by train to Pottsville.
Berth Marks
The head of a big movie studio is pulling his hair out because the company is bankrupt unless they can find a writer for a smash comedy. An aspiring writer is awaiting outside the office and the producer agrees to see him. He listens while the writer tells his story and acts the numerous parts. The story is rotten, but the producer lets him escape while vowing vengeance on any other author who would read his story aloud.
Don Key (Son of Burro)
Despite his faithfulness, Melvin is always under suspicion by wife Mame. Complications erupt when a woman from a party across the hall passes out in Melvin's bedroom just before Mame returns.
Innocent Husbands
Laurel and Hardy try to entertain a female neighbor, unbeknown to Hardy’s wife.
Unaccustomed as We Are
A female secret agent has gotten ahold of a new type of explosive gas. She has to avoid the efforts of two men who are trying to steal it. They succeed in doing so, but the gas turns out to be not quite what they expected.
Madame Mystery
A young man puts on the play "Romeo and Juliet" as a fundraiser, but has to keep a close eye on his dad, who's had several drinks too many, and a pesky cab driver who's determined to collect his fare.
Bromo and Juliet
Two rich capitalists want to marry their children, but they don't like the idea at all. She tries to run away, and meets him at the station. They fall in love, unbeknownst to their real identities, and decide each on their own that they have to wreck their parents plan. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
Crazy Like a Fox
A divorced couple try to pretend they are still happily married in order to get $100,000 from the woman's divorce-disapproving aunt.
Along Came Auntie
In this two-reeler, Jimmy Jump wants to please both of his parents, but they disagree about everything. His father wants him to act more manly, although Jimmy gets his sensitivity from his mother. He wants to wed his girlfriend, and so accepts a job at his father's iron foundry, but does not excel there. Next, Jimmy goes to a tough dance-hall to impress his girl. A highlight is his parody of an Isadora Duncan dance.
Bad Boy
Charlie hires three "party girls" to help him land a business deal.
Whispering Whoopee
In this The Boy Friends series short, college students Mickey and Alabam stay at a city friend's place for what they tell him will be one night - though it stretches into several months.