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Mystery Monday: Another Role for Buster Brodie/Max Broida?

"Crime on Their Hands," 1948 Columbia Pictures Corporation short with Moe, Larry, and Shemp of the "3 Stooges."
“Crime on Their Hands,” 1948 Columbia Pictures Corporation short with Moe, Larry, and Shemp of the “3 Stooges.” (Click to enlarge.)

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

Sometimes I get the strangest emails…

Tonight’s snippet in the email list was “What do you think about the passed out drunk…”

OK.

Thankfully I knew who the sender was, so clicked to read the rest.

There are some wonderful folks out there who love the Three Stooges and work to document all those who have appeared in films with them, either as the Stooges or when they worked separately. My original blog post on Max Broida/Buster Brodie and a photo I added of Max on his Find A Grave memorial helped two of these folks to contact me for more information, and they shared what they knew as well. That was helpful, as I had been researching Max obsessively for a number of months and had some posts almost done. (You can read all the previous Max/Buster posts just by putting his name in the search box above.)

Today we have a mystery from these wonderful Stooge-film-o-philes:

Is Buster Brodie the drunk lying down on the stairs or by the bar?

"Crime on Their Hands," 1948 Columbia Pictures Corporation short with Moe, Larry, and Shemp of the "3 Stooges." Bar scene.
“Crime on Their Hands,” 1948 Columbia Pictures Corporation short with Moe, Larry, and Shemp of the “3 Stooges.” Bar scene. (Click to enlarge.)

Bit players and extras were not always credited in films, and Max is not listed as part of the cast in this 1948 short from Columbia Pictures Corporation entitled, “Crime on Their Hands.” The character of the drunk does look somewhat like Max.

The film was made in September of 1947, and released in 1948. Max died of a heart attack on 9 April 1948, at the young age of 62. We have not found any images of him in his last years except the film images in our other posts. Strangely, we know of no family pictures of Max other than what we have shared- that seems odd to have no pictures when there was a family member “in pictures”!

Let us know what you think in the comments section. Could those be Buster’s ears sticking out under the hat in the stairway scene? Looks to be a match, but if the hat is pushed down, they could be just ‘normal’ ears. How about the chin? Looks similar to me. The man in black in the bar scene, however, looks a bit tall, I think- the bartender is 5’6″ per the notes from the Stooge group. (We have tried to find a WWI or II Draft Registration for Max to learn his actual height, but those are still elusive.) Family stories are that he was less than 5′ tall, and the image of Buster with the “Little People” shows that he could not have been much taller than that, especially since he played a ‘Flying Monkey’ in “The Wizard of Oz.” This actor looks slimmer than other images I have seen of Max, but since he was possibly having health problems at that point, he might have been losing weight. Buster had no eyebrows or eyelashes, so if we could enlarge the images enough yet retain clarity, we might be able to tell. (The makeup department could have altered that though.)

It would be interesting to learn if there were letters from Max written back to Pennsylvania, to his father and many brothers. Wonder who ended up with his personal effects after he passed away? He probably had very little, since he was working at a racetrack to try to make ends meet- always a struggling actor. But we might learn just a bit more about Max, if we could find some artifacts in the back of a closet to tell more of his story.

In the meantime, doubtless Max would be very pleased that Buster Brodie lives on to make people laugh, and is remembered. Thank you, family. Thank you, dear Stooge-film-o-philes, AKA the ThreeStooges Fan Club.

Here is a bit more information about the Three Stooges researchers who have helped us get to know Max Broida as Buster Brodie a bit better:

OUR MISSION

To collect, preserve and interpret historically or culturally significant pieces of Stoogeabilia in order to further the enjoyment and appreciation of the Three Stooges and to maintain the legacy of their comedy for future generations.

Containing close to 100,000 pieces of Stoogeabilia, the Stoogeum (rhymes with museum) offers fans a chance to view a vast array of artifacts which celebrate the legacy of this legendary comedy team. The 10,000 square-foot, 3-story building houses anything and everything Stooge. Artifacts from 1918 to the present are on exhibit, including several interactive displays. The Stoogeum also contains a research library, a 16MM film storage vault and an 85-seat theater used for film screenings, lectures, and special presentations. The Stoogeum is also the headquarters of the ThreeStooges Fan Club, one of the nation’s oldest and largest fan clubs with 2,000 members world-wide. An annual meeting of the fan club brings together Stooges relatives, supporting actors, impersonators and fans with the Stoogeum at the hub of the event. The Stoogeum is located at 904 Sheble Lane, Ambler, PA 19002

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Buster Brodie/Max Broida memorial on Find A Grave- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7472866
    Unfortunately his memorial is listed as one for a ‘famous’ person, so FAG administers it rather than family. I did send them edits which they made so that he could be properly linked to family.
  2. Buster Brodie page on “The Three Stooges Online Filmography”- http://threestooges.net/cast/actor/826/
  3. “The Three Stooges Journal”- http://threestooges.net/journal
    (
    As a science and history person, I never thought I would put those four words together. But I will admit, as a kid I did ROFL on Saturday mornings at their antics, though even back then, I hated the way they treated women.)
  4. “Three Stooges Lost Players” blog- http://stoogesplayers.blogspot.com
  5. The Stoogeum- ThreeStooges Fan Club or http://stoogeum.com. (They have a ‘Contact Us’ link if you are interested in joining the fan club or just nyuck nyucking around.)

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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Talented Tuesday: Encore for Buster Brodie, AKA Max Broida

Buster Brodie/Max Broida in Joe McDoakes short, "So You Want to Keep Your Hair," a 1946 Warner Brothers Production.
Buster Brodie/Max Broida in a Joe McDoakes short, “So You Want to Keep Your Hair,” a 1946 Warner Brothers Production.

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

Our ancestor Buster Brodie was somewhat typecast by his appearance- he was very short, and very bald. In fact, his niece stated that he had no hair, no eyebrows, nor lashes.

Previous posts have described Max Broida, the man, and the stage and screen actor Buster Brodie, who were one and the same. We have a few more images from films he was in, so let the show begin!

Closeup of Buster Brodie/Max Broida in a Joe McDoakes short, "So You Want to Keep Your Hair," a 1946 Warner Brothers Production.
Closeup of Buster Brodie/Max Broida in a Joe McDoakes short, “So You Want to Keep Your Hair,” a 1946 Warner Brothers Production.

“So You Want to Keep Your Hair” was a 1946 Richard L. Bare Productions film in which the American Everyman, named Joe McDoakes, realized he was going bald so he tried everything to stop his hair loss. There was a series of the Joe McDoakes shorts- this one was just 11 minutes long; the next was ” So You Want a Television Set,” released in 1953, but we don’t know that Buster Brodie was in any of the others. These films would be shown along with a ‘double bill’ (2 movies in a row). Buster did not play the title character, and we have been unable to find the film, so don’t know exactly how he fits into the plot.

Buster seemed to get patted on the head a lot. This was probably a function of his height, as well as that bald pate. Wonder which came first- the pats and they made him bald? Or did all those pats on the head just shine it up for him?

He is a series of images from a 1941 film called, “Miss Polly.”

Buster Brodie/ Max Broida in the 1941 film, "Miss Polly" by Hal Roach Studios.
Buster Brodie/ Max Broida in the 1941 film, “Miss Polly” by Hal Roach Studios.

Miss Polly walked down the aisle of the town meeting, and acknowledged Buster, who was playing one of the townspeople.

Buster Brodie/ Max Broida in the 1941 film, "Miss Polly" by Hal Roach Studios.
Buster Brodie/ Max Broida in the 1941 film, “Miss Polly” by Hal Roach Studios.

Miss Polly continued on, but then, it had to happen:

Buster Brodie/ Max Broida getting a pat on his bald head in the 1941 film, "Miss Polly" by Hal Roach Studios.
Buster Brodie/ Max Broida getting a pat on his bald head in the 1941 film, “Miss Polly” by Hal Roach Studios.

It’s that pat on the head again.

Wonder if the lighting crew went crazy with the reflections?

Buster Brodie/ Max Broida in "Crazy Knights" with Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. Buster played "Baldy" in the Banner Productions film.
Buster Brodie/ Max Broida in “Crazy Knights” with Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. Buster played “Baldy” in the 1944 Banner Productions film.

In 1944, the country was in the midst of war, and Banner Productions provided a romp through a haunted house with Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges and two other characters. Buster played, appropriately, “Baldy,” and was in a picture on the wall in the haunted mansion. Ghosts and Barney the Giant Gorilla kept the plot moving, with an advertising tagline of, “Three crack-brained clowns trapped in a haunted house with a runaway gorilla!” Sorry I missed it.

And then there is the 1935 sports-crime-comedy-drama film (really? that’s a movie genre??) called, “Kentucky Blue Streak” in which Buster had a small role. (OK, pun not intended originally but it fits.)

Buster Brodie/Max Broida as a jockey in the 1935 C. C. Burr Productions' sports-crime-drama, "Kentucky Blue Streak."
Buster Brodie/Max Broida as a jockey in the 1935 C. C. Burr Productions’ sports-crime-drama, “Kentucky Blue Streak.”

The scene is the race track at about 51 minutes into the movie, and a line of jockeys are walking along the stands on their way to saddle up. They all have hats on, and all are very short and pretty young looking. The woman with the light-colored dress says haughtily, “Hmmm, those jockeys are just little boys.” Buster was the next in line, and when he hears the comment, he doffs his hat, saying, “I thank you, lady.” Everyone laughs- Buster was great at getting a laugh with just a few words. (But do note his voice- that may be why he did not get many speaking parts in the movies, but did fine in vaudeville in earlier years. Rudolph Valentino had the same problem.)

Closeup of Buster Brodie/Max Broida as a jockey in the 1935 C. C. Burr Productions' sports-crime-drama, "Kentucky Blue Streak."
Closeup of Buster Brodie/Max Broida as a jockey in the 1935 C. C. Burr Productions’ sports-crime-drama, “Kentucky Blue Streak.”

The film makers had some fun with this film. The ‘meet cute’ at about 12 minutes in is interesting- they have hot dogs at the racetrack but they are in round buns and stick out at the ends! (Maybe hot dog buns had not yet been ‘invented’? But I am not researching that this late at night- especially because I would probably end up writing a social history piece about the hot dog and bun, and not stay focused on finishing this post.) Real Kentucky Derby racetrack scenes are incorporated to add realism- the cars are very cool. Also, C.C. Burr, of ‘C.C. Burr Productions’ played a cameo, as a jockey.

One very interesting thing in the movie caught my attention at the predictable end, and I had to go back and listen again. When they are calling the race at the end (about 52 minutes into the movie), the #3 post position horse is named, “Time Out.” The rider’s name is “Buster Brodie.” I was so surprised to hear that in the movie! Wonder how all the other ‘riders’ were related to the movie or writers.

“Kentucky Blue Streak” was made in 1935, but maybe there was a bit of foreshadowing, and we can only wonder why the name of the horse “Time Out” and Buster Brodie as its ‘rider’ were mentioned in the film. Variety– the entertainment professional’s newspaper- stated in Buster’s obituary that he had been in pictures for 20 years, “in addition to selling mutual tickets at race tracks recently.” It was probably hard for Buster to make it with just film work. Looking back on his life and career, we can see the irony of this film and his ‘second job’ during his later years.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. See also, especially for availability of films:
    1. “Talented Tuesday: Max Broida-Now Starring as Buster Brodie”- http://heritageramblings.net/2015/04/07/talented-tuesday-max-broida-now-starring-as-buster-brodie/
    2. The Real Max Broida, AKA Buster Brodie- http://heritageramblings.net/2015/04/10/the-real-max-broida-aka-buster-brodie/
    3. “Talented Tuesday: A Bit More Buster Brodie”- http://heritageramblings.net/2015/04/28/talented-tuesday-a-bit-more-buster-brodie/
  2. Watch “Kentucky Blue Streak” online: http://free-classic-movies.com/movies-03b/03b-1935-05-01-Kentucky-Blue-Streak/index.php
  3. IMDb.com– This used to be the “International Movie Data Base” with volunteers posting all the details of favorite movies. The website is now owned by Amazon.com but still a good (although not always complete) source of information.
  4. “Buster Brodie” – Buster Brodie/Max Broida obituary in Variety, 14 Apr 1948.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

Labor Day: Celebrating the Labors of Our Ancestors

First Labor Day Parade in the US, 5 Sep 1882 in New York City. Via Wikimedia.
First Labor Day Parade in the US, 5 Sep 1882 in New York City. Via Wikimedia. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Labor Day officially became a federal holiday in the United States in 1894. “The Gilded Age” included the rise of big business, like the railroads and oil companies, but laborers fought- sometimes literally- for their rights in the workplace. Grover Cleveland signed the law to honor the work and contributions, both economic and for society, of the American laborer. Celebrated on the first Monday in September, ironically the holiday was a concession to appease the American worker after the government tried to break up a railroad strike but failed.

The Labor Day weekend is a good time to think about our ancestors and the work they did to help move our country and their own family forward.

Jefferson Springsteen was a mail carrier through the wilds of early Indiana, traveling for miles on horseback through spring freshets (full or flooding streams from snow melt), forest, and Indian villages. Samuel T. Beerbower, who would be a some-number-great uncle depending on your generation, was the Postmaster in Marion, Ohio, for many years. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

Edward B. Payne, circa 1874. Image courtesy of Second Congregational Church, Wakeman, Ohio.
Edward B. Payne, Pastor, circa 1874. Image courtesy of Second Congregational Church, Wakeman, Ohio.

Bad weather, gloom of night, ocean crossings in the mid 1800s, and the threat of disease or injury did not stay our minister, deacon, and missionary ancestors from their appointed rounds either- especially since the felt they were appointed by a higher power. We have quite a number of very spiritual men in the family. Henry Horn became a Methodist circuit rider after coming to America as a Hessian soldier, being captured by George Washington’s troops in Trenton, NJ, then taking an Oath of Allegiance to the United States, and serving in the Revolutionary Army. The family migrated from Virginia to the wilds of western Pennsylvania sometime between 1782 and 1786. A story is told of how he was riding home from a church meeting in the snow. The drifts piled up to the body of the horse, and they could barely proceed on, but Henry did, and was able to preach another day. He founded a church Pleasantville, Bedford Co., Pennsylvania that still stands, and has a congregation, even today. Edward B. Payne and his father, Joseph H. Payne, Kingsley A. Burnell and his brother Thomas Scott Burnell were all ministers, some with formal schooling, some without. Edward B. Payne gave up a lucrative pastorate because he thought the church members were wealthy and educated enough that they did not need him. He moved to a poor church in an industrial town, where he was needed much more, however, he may have acquired his tuberculosis there. He also risked his life, and that of his family, by sheltering a woman from the domestic violence of her husband, and he testified on her behalf.

Abraham Green was one of the best tailors in St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1900s, and many in the Broida family, such as John Broida and his son Phillip Broida, plus Phillip’s daughter Gertrude Broida Cooper, worked in the fine clothing industry.

Edgar Springsteen worked for the railroad, and was often gone from the family. Eleazer John “E.J.” Beerbower worked for the railroads making upholstered cars- he had been a buggy finisher previously, both highly skilled jobs.

Sheet music cover for "Bless Your Ever Loving Little Heart," from "The Slim Princess."
Sheet music cover for “Bless Your Ever Loving Little Heart,” from “The Slim Princess.” (Click to enlarge.)

The theater called a number of our collateral kin (not direct lines, but siblings to one of our ancestors): Max Broida was in vaudeville, and known in films as “Buster Brodie.” Elsie Janis, born Elsie Beerbower, was a comedienne, singer, child star in vaudeville, “Sweetheart of the A.E.F” as she entertained the troops overseas in World War I, and then she went on to write for films. Max Broida also did a stint in the circus, as did Jefferson Springsteen, who ran away from home as “a very small boy” to join the circus (per his obituary).

Collateral Lee family from Irthlingborough, England, included shoemakers, as that was the specialty of the town. They brought those skills to Illinois, and some of those tools have been handed down in the family- strange, unknown tools in an inherited tool chest turned out to be over 100 years old!

Will McMurray and his wife Lynette Payne McMurray owned a grocery store in Newton, Iowa. Ella V. Daniels Roberts sold eggs from her chickens, the butter she made from the cows she milked, and her delicious pies at the McMurray store. Franz Xavier Helbling and some of his brothers and sons were butchers in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and had their own stores.

Some of our ancestors kept hotels or taverns. Joseph Parsons (a Burnell ancestor) was issued a license to operate an ‘ordinary’ or “house of entertainment” in 1661 in Massachusetts, and Samuel Lenton Lee was listed as “Keeps hotel” and later as a saloon keeper in US Federal censuses. Jefferson Springsteen had a restaurant at the famous Fulton Market in Brooklyn, NY in the late 1840s.

From left: Edgar B. Helbling, (Anna) "May" Helbling, Vi Helbling, and Gerard William Helbling, on Flag Day 1914.
From left: Edgar B. Helbling, (Anna) “May” Helbling, Vi Helbling, and Gerard William Helbling, on Flag Day 1914. Note ‘Undertaker’ sign- yes, it was all done in his home. (Click to enlarge.)

Many of our family had multiple jobs. William Gerard Helbling (AKA Gerard William Helbling or “G.W.”) listed himself as working for a theater company, was an artist, then an undertaker, and finally a sign painter. George H. Alexander was artistic as well- he created paintings but also worked as a lighting designer to pay the bills.

Sometimes health problems forced a job change. Edward B. Payne was a Union soldier, librarian, and then a pastor until he was about 44 when his respiratory problems from tuberculosis forced him to resign the pulpit. For the rest of his life he did a little preaching, lecturing, and writing. He also became an editor for a number of publications including, “The Overland Monthly,” where he handed money over from his own pocket (per family story) to pay the young writer Jack London for his first published story. Edward B. Payne even founded a Utopian colony called Altruria in California! He and his second wife, Ninetta Wiley Eames Payne, later owned and conducted adult ‘summer camps’ that were intellectual as well as healthy physically while camping in the wild and wonderful northern California outdoors.

Other times, health problems- those of other people- are what gave our ancestors jobs:  Edward A. McMurray and his brother Herbert C. McMurray were both physicians, as was John H. O’Brien (a Helbling ancestor), who graduated from medical school in Dublin, Ireland, and came to America in 1832. He settled in western Pennsylvania, still wild and in the midst of a cholera epidemic that was also sweeping the nation; he had his work cut out for him. (It appears he did not get the same respect as other doctors because he was Irish, and this was pre-potato famine.) Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee and his father Samuel J. Lee owned a drugstore in St. Louis, as did Gene’s brother-in-law, Claude Aiken. Edith Roberts McMurray Luck worked as a nurse since she received a degree in biology in 1923.

We have had many soldiers who have helped protect our freedom, and we will honor some of those persons on Veterans Day.

We cannot forget the farmers, but they are too numerous to name them all! Even an urban family often had a large garden to supplement purchased groceries, but those who farmed on a larger scale included George Anthony Roberts, Robert Woodson Daniel, David Huston Hemphill, Amos Thomas, etc., etc. We even have a pecan farmer in the Lee family- William Hanford Aiken, in Waltham County, Mississippi, in the 1930s-40s.

Lynette Payne, December 1909, wearing a purple and lavender silk dress.
Lynette Payne, December 1909, wearing a purple and lavender silk dress. (Click to enlarge.)

We must also, “Remember the ladies” as Abigail Adams entreated her husband John Adams as he helped form our new nation. He/they did not, so 51% of the population-women- were not considered citizens except through their fathers or husbands. Many of these women, such as Lynette Payne McMurray, labored to get women the right to vote, equal pay, etc. (Lynette ‘walked the talk’ too- she was the first woman to ride a bicycle in Newton, Iowa! Not so easy when one thinks about the clothing involved.) Some men, like her father, Edward B. Payne, put their energy into the women’s suffrage movement as well. Many of our ancestors worked for the abolition movement too, including the Payne and Burnell families.

A woman worked beside her husband in many families, although she would get little credit for it. Who cooked the meals and cleaned the rooms for the Lee and Parsons innkeepers? Likely their wives, who also had to keep their own home clean, laundry washed, manage a garden and often livestock- many families kept chickens even if they didn’t have a farm. They raised and educated their many children too, sometimes 13 or more. Oh yes, let’s not forget that women truly ‘labored’ to bring all those children into the world that they had made from scratch. (Building a human from just two cells makes building a barn seem somewhat less impressive, doesn’t it?) Some of them even died from that labor.

June 1942- Claude Frank Aiken and his wife Mildred Paul in their drugstore.
June 1942- Claude Frank Aiken and his wife Mildred Paul Aiken in their drugstore in St. Louis, Missouri.

Working alongside one’s husband could be frightening due to the dangers of the job. A noise in the Aiken family drugstore in St. Louis, Missouri in 1936 awoke Claude and Mildred Aiken since they lived in the back of the store. Claude look a gun and went into the store while Mildred called the police. Claude fired the gun high to frighten the intruder- Mildred must have been very scared if she was in the back, wondering who had fired the shot and if her husband was still alive. Thankfully he was, and the police were able to arrest the thief, who wanted to steal money to pay a lawyer to defend him in his three previous arrests for armed burglary and assault.

 

We applaud all of our ancestors who worked hard to support their family. Their work helped to make the US the largest economic power in the world, and a place immigrants would come to achieve their ‘American dream.’ We hope our generation, and the next, can labor to keep our country prosperous and strong.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. There are too many folks listed here to add references, but using the search box on the blog page can get you to any of the stories that have been posted about many of these persons. Of course, there is always more to come, so stay tuned!

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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Mystery Monday: Who was Ethel Broida Pincus?

John Jacob/Zelig Broida and his seven sons. From left- front sitting- Max,standing- Phillip, Joseph J., Morris, Louis, Theodore, Harold. Sitting on right- John J. "Zelig" Broida.
John Jacob/Zelig Broida and his seven sons. From left- front sitting- Max; standing- Phillip, Joseph J., Morris, Louis, Theodore, Harold. Sitting on right- John J. “Zelig” Broida. Taken 25 July 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Click to enlarge.)

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

Do you see a daughter in this picture? No? Hmmm…

One of the first Broida artifacts shown to a new married-in is the July 1930 picture of John Jacob “Zelig” Broida with his seven sons. It is a wonderful picture of them all, taken on a visit John made back to the US from Palestine, where he had immigrated in 1920. (Note all the nice suits!)

Gertrude Broida Cooper, John’s granddaughter through his son Phillip Broida, mentioned a couple of times that there was talk of a sister, in addition to the seven sons, but no one knew anything about her. She obviously was not important enough be in the family picture (but sons were the most important in a Jewish family of that time), and the sister is in no other images known to the immediate family, so that was Mystery #1.

We recently found a death notice for an infant named Samuel Broida, and he was listed as a son of John and Gitel Broida. The 1900 US Federal census states that Gitel had borne 10 children, 7 of which were still alive, so could one of the other 2 children who likely died young have been the mystery daughter? (Mystery #2)

Mystery #3 is that searches for the name “Broida” often bring up a woman by the name of Ethel Broida Pincus, but no one in the immediate family knew exactly who she was or how she was related.

Mystery #4: A 1910 US Federal Census entry for 206 Hull Alley in East Pittsburgh (Ward 3), Pennsylvania, listed a ‘Jacob Broida’ as head of household, age 54, and proprietor of a clothing store. As we have seen John listed before with the name Jacob and the occupation is correct, we can assume this is the same man. A wife named Fannie, age 35, to whom he had been married 6 years seemed correct, as John’ s first wife Gitel Frank Broida died in 1901, and we knew Fannie was the name of wife #2. Fanny was 19 years younger than John if the census is correct, and pictures of them together do suggest that she was quite a bit younger. So this is consistent with known facts.The census notes this marriage as John’s second-again, consistent- and Fannie’s first, BUT- it states Fannie had 2 children, both still living in 1910. So was John her first husband, or second? Family oral history states they had no children together since they married later in life. Who are the 2 children she had per the census? New Broida researchers might think that the youngest child on the census list could possibly be Fannie’s- Theodore, at age 17 would have been born when Fannie was 18, which is plausible, but she would have been just 13 when Phillip was born.

These aren’t her children though. Many of us already knew that.

This census also included in the household five of the eight (or more) sons born to John and Gitel Frank Broida: Joseph, age 27; Louis, 25; Max, 24; Philip, 22, and Theodore, 17. Yes, this had to be ‘our’ John Broida. (See notes for the other 2 ‘missing’ surviving sons.)

But wait- here is MYSTERY #5 (capitalized because this is a biggie)- there is an “Ethel Broida” listed as a sister (which would be to John as head of household, theoretically) on this enumeration, age 49, single, and born in Pennsylvania. So if the census is correct, Ethel Broida was John Broida’s sister. Indeed, many online family trees list Ethel Broida as John Broida’s sister, probably because of this census; some instead list her as his daughter. (We’ll explain where that may have come from in a minute.)

1910 US Federal Census excerpt for 'Jacob' (John) Broida and family.
1910 US Federal Census excerpt for ‘Jacob’ (John) Broida and family. (Click to enlarge.)

The 1910 census states that John, Fannie, and Ethel were all born in Pennsylvania. The age listed for Ethel, 49, could work if she was John’s sister, since he was 54. It could also work if she was a sister to Fannie- a 14 year age span did happen with large families, BUT the census suggest Ethel’s surname was Broida, not Fannie’s maiden name (whatever that may be). Ethel, however, could NOT be John’s daughter or even Fannie’s daughter if the listed ages are correct.

The age of 49 in 1910 would place Ethel’s birth in 1861. Does the woman below look like she could have been born in 1861? Does the photo look of that era? (approx. 1900s) Doesn’t seem to be, to me.

Ethel Broida Pincus (Click to enlarge.)
Ethel Broida Pincus (Click to enlarge.)

Mystery #6- John Broida’s obituary after his death on 12 November 1938 lists his seven sons as surviving him, 2 brothers, and one sister, Mrs. Rachael (Broida) Goldstein (wife of Morris I. Goldstein) of Pittsburgh. No Ethel Broida is listed as a sister or a daughter, but Ethel was still alive in 1938.

Mystery #7- The obituary for John Broida’s son Joseph J. Broida on 26 Dec 1958 lists his brothers Theodore and Morris as surviving him, and along with those siblings, “Mrs. Ethel Pincus of Miami.” So this is why some researchers list Ethel as a daughter of John Broida, instead of a sister.

 

Confused yet? (Yep.) Maybe a bit crazy? (Definitely.)

So what is the solution to these mysteries? Is there another sister to John Broida, or a daughter?

Research over the years has only found a few pieces of information about who we believe is this same Ethel Broida. She does have an entry on the MyHeritage website, and it and other research indicates she married a Jacob Mordechai Pincus (1880-1956).

1920_0200_PINCUS_Jacob M_passport picture
February 1920 passport picture of Jacob M. Pincus. via Ancestry.com.

It is highly unlikely that Jacob would have married a woman born in 1861- she would have been 19 years older- and that they would have had three sons, beginning when she was age 51. Again, the age on the 1910 census has to be wrong if they are the same person.

Jacob and Ethel Pincus had three sons:

Irwin Jacob Pincus, 1912-2000, married Lena L. Magaziner; he was a physician in Beverly Hills, California;

Bernard B. (or E.) Pincus, 1914-2001, born Pennsylvania, died in Southfield, Michigan;

Max J. Pincus- possibly born as Jacob M. Pincus Jr.? Born about 1923, died 1987 in Detroit, Michigan. May have married Lois Padover per Ancestry.com members.

In his obituary, Jacob Pincus is noted as having married “the former Ethel Broida.”

11 Apr 1956 Obituary of Jacob M. Pincus, Philadelphia Inquirer, page 23, columns 1-2. Posted with kind permission of fultonhistory.com.
11 Apr 1956 Obituary of Jacob M. Pincus, Philadelphia Inquirer, page 23, columns 1-2. Posted with kind permission of fultonhistory.com. (Click to enlarge.)

The Social Security Death Index listed Ethel Pincus as being born 26 December 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She died 13 Sep 1973 in Beverly Hills, California, per the SSDI.

The naturalization papers of Ethel’s husband Jacob Pincus state that she was born in Ostrow, Russia but other records, such as census, state Pennsylvania; Jacob Pincus was also born in Russia. If this is the same Ethel Broida as in the 1910 census with John Broida’s family, she would have actually been 18 at the 1910 census, using the SSDI birth date. She could still be Fannie Broida’s sister, but questionable as to John’s since he was 54, unless Ethel was from a second marriage of his father to a much younger woman. (Such a marriage is not known for John’s father, Joseph Broida.) Additionally, for Ethel to bear two children that were still living in 1910 when Ethel was just 18 does not seem likely, though it was possible, so again, most probably some of the 1910 census information is in error.

The obituary for Mrs. Jacob Pincus, of Beverly Hills, California (where her son Dr. Irwin J. Pincus lived) stated that she was the “former Ethel Broida,” and listed their three sons by name.

 

So more data was needed. A marriage license has not been found for John and Fannie Broida, and we still do not know her maiden name, nor very much about her at all. We now think they were in Pittsburgh when they decided to marry, rather than when they lived in Florida; neither place has a marriage record that we have been able to find online. Dead end there after a lot of searching over the years- for now, anyway.

OK, how about a marriage record for Ethel Broida and Jacob Mordecai Pincus? Not an easy find there, either, but if it listed her parents, it would be a winner. The search continued…

MyHeritage.com was helpful in having the 15 Aug 1911 engagement notice of ” Miss Ethel Broida of East Pittsburgh and Mr. Jacob Pincus of Monessen…” The article continues: “Miss Broida is the daughter of Mrs. J. Broida….The marriage will be an event of the early fall.”

Oh my- this Ethel is the daughter of the wife of a J. Broida, and from East Pittsburgh. There were a number of J. Broidas in Pittsburgh during these years, but could it be our John/Jacob/Zelig Broida? Ethel was living with John & Fannie Broida in East Pittsburgh for the 1910 census one year earlier- could this be our solution?

Then, of course, the great research find happens in the wee hours when there is no one around to proclaim the exhilaration to, and do the happy dance, with, (note second line below):

Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 1, via Ancestry.com.
Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 1, via Ancestry.com. (Click to enlarge.)
Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 2, via Ancestry.com.
Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 2, via Ancestry.com. (Click to enlarge.)
Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 3, via Ancestry.com.
Marriage record of Ethel Rubinstein to Jacob M. Pincus in Delaware, 06 Sept 1911, part 3, via Ancestry.com. (Click to enlarge.)

So Jacob M. Pincus, age 30, born in Russia and a merchant in Monessen, Pennsylvania, married Ethel Rubenstein, age 20, born in Russia but residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The record gives Jacob’s parents as Isaac Pincus and L. Freeman, and other research verified that. Thus this has to be the Jacob we are seeking, and the wedding date was confirmed by other researchers (though the license has not been shown on any family group records I have seen).

Did you notice the interesting part- the Happy Dance inspiration?

The bride’s name was Ethel Rubenstein.

The bride’s parents were Jacob Cohen and Fanne Robenstein.

Lightbulb moment- Is Fanne Robestein/Rubenstein the second wife of John Broida?

And how did those names work out? Was Fannie first married to Jacob Cohen, and then he died (or they divorced, etc.), and Fannie married a Rubinstein (marriage #2), then Ethel took that name? Or was Mr. Cohen a bad memory and Fannie reverted to her maiden name of Rubinstein, giving that to Ethel as they started a new life?

Is there a sibling somewhere for Ethel, since the 1910 census noted that Fannie had two children who were still living of the two born to her?

And then, when Fannie married John Broida, she became the “Mrs. J. Broida” listed as Ethel’s mother in the engagement announcement. Note that there is no father of the bride listed- his absence is suspicious; even if Fannie had remarried he might have been mentioned if he had taken an active role in his daughter’s life.

So here is a solution hypothesis for your consideration:

Ethel Cohen was born to Jack Cohen and Fannie Rubinstein (maiden name or a second marriage name?) 26 December 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Ethel Cohen’s name was changed at some point to Rubinstein- whether by her mother’s next marriage or if her mother reverted to her maiden name at some point. (There is also the possibility that Jack and Fannie were not married thus the child took the mother’s name, but highly doubtful in that era/ group of people.)

Ethel’s mother Fannie married John Jacob Zelig Broida after his first wife died, and when she assumed his surname, so did her daughter, who became Ethel Broida. She would have been the step-sister to all seven living sons. Because Ethel lived with the family at least in 1910, she was probably treated like a sister in the household.

15 Aug 1911- engagement to Jacob Mordechai Pincus announced; fall ‘event’ planned.

Ethel and Jacob decided to elope and marry in Delaware. (There is no date of registration prior to the marriage, so it may have been a spur-of-the-moment event.)

07 Sep 1911- Ethel Broida and Jacob Mordechai Pincus marry in Delaware.

For a marriage license, however, Ethel likely needed to use her legal name, Rubenstein. Perhaps that is why they traveled to Delaware to marry- so announcements would not mention her real name or biological father?

Son Irwin J. Pincus born in 1912.

Son Bernard B (or E.) Pincus born in 1914.

Son Jacob M. Pincus, Jr/ Max J. Pincus born about 1923.

He husband Jacob was the founder and President of Pincus Brothers, a clothing manufacturer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jacob belonged to Temple Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh. (We might be able to gather more information from them about Ethel as she likely was a member as well.)

Jacob M. died 08 Apr 1956 in Miami, where they had a second home.

Ethel moved to Beverly Hills, California to be near her son Irwin.

Ethel Cohen Rubinstein Broida Pincus died 13 Sep 1973 in Beverly Hills, California.

What do you think?

 

 

Next time: a most interesting document that more clearly delineates the relationship of Ethel Broida to John Broida. Of course, it has been in my possession for a while… Just have to wait until the genealogical muses sing before one can see the connections, sometimes.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) 1910 US Federal Census for John Broida, listed as ‘Jacob Broida’-

Year: 1910; Census Place: East Pittsburgh Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1293; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1375306

2) Morris Broida, in 1910, at age 14, was still living with his father’s cousin Jacob Broida in St. Louis, where he had gone at age 4 when his mother became ill and moved to Denver, where she died of tuberculosis. Harold, who had gone to Denver as the baby of the family, was 13 in 1910, and apparently was sent to live with their St. Louis relatives after the death of Gitel- he was only 4 when she died in 1901. They are listed as ‘nephews’ to Jacob Broida and his wife Anna, but Jacob was actually a cousin to John Broida. See 1910 US Federal Census- Year: 1910; Census Place: St Louis Ward 4, Saint Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T624_812; Page: 23A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1374825.

3) 1910 US Federal Census for Jacob Broida (a cousin of John Broida) in St. Louis, Missouri-

Year: 1910; Census Place: St Louis Ward 4, Saint Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T624_812; Page: 23A; Enumeration District: 0064; FHL microfilm: 1374825

4) 1900 US Federal Census for John Broida and family-

Year: 1900; Census Place: Denver, Arapahoe, Colorado; Roll: 120; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0126; FHL microfilm: 1240122

5) “Engagement of Local Man” in the Daily Independent, Monessen, Pennsylvania, 15 Aug 1911, Vol. 10, No. 59, Page 1, Column 6, via MyHeritage.com.

6) Delaware marriage record for Ethel Rubinstein and Jacob M. Pincus-

Ancestry.com. Delaware Marriage Records, 1806-1933 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Delaware. Delaware Vital Records. Microfilm. Delaware Public Archives, Dover.

 

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Talented Tuesday: A Bit More Buster Brodie

Buster Brodie in a group of Little People, 07 October 1928 in Culver City, California at the Hunt Hotel.  Autographed "To Ruth & Harry From Buster Brodie." (Click to enlarge.)
Buster Brodie in a group of Little People, 07 October 1928 in Culver City, California at the Hunt Hotel. Autographed “To Ruth & Harry From Buster Brodie.” Buster is the second tallest, standing in back to left of center. Buster Brodie was the stage name of Max Broida. (Click to enlarge.)

Broida Family (Click for Family Tree)

[NOTE: Photo updated 13 May 2015 with higher resolution scan and enhancements.]

Previous posts (see notes below) about Buster Brodie revealed that his real name was Max Broida, and that he performed in the circus and vaudeville, as well as silent and ‘talkie’ movies.

We were thrilled to receive a comment on the second of those posts from DAC of Austin, Texas, stating that she had a picture of Buster Brodie that she would like to send to someone in the family. A quick email correspondence provided an address for mailing the image, and a bit of provenance: she and her daughter found it in a small antique store in Georgetown, Texas. Once we do a high resolution scan, the image will be donated to the Broida Family Collection at the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library in St. Louis, Missouri. We can’t thank DAC enough for rescuing this unique image and then contacting us through the blog to share.

Buster is easy to identify- he was bald by 1928, so it is Buster standing in the back, taller than most of the other people. He is just to the left of the hanging lantern on the far left. His bald  pate blends somewhat with the light background. If the picture is enlarged, one can tell that he was wearing a bow tie. He would have looked very dapper- and his family would be proud, as so many of them worked in the clothing business.

The sign on the Hunt Hotel in Culver City, California, reads as follows:

“Largest Number of LITTLE PEOPLE

EVER ASSEMBLED UNDER ONE ROOF

IN AMERICA

at HOTEL HUNT

CULVER CITY CALIF   OCTOBER 7th 1928″

 

Of course, research would be needed…

 

So I Googled ‘Hunt Hotel” and learned that it was still in existence. It is across from, and near to, movie studios, including MGM in its day, and was a wild place full of “movie stars, bookies, and bums.” The hotel was, and still is, used as a location for many film shoots, both interior and exterior- Laurel & Hardy fans may recognize it from some of their films. Stories abound, including that John Wayne won it in a poker game from Charlie Chaplin for $1- apparently untrue. The hotel had fallen into disrepair as the community did, but when the movie studios came back to Culver City, the hotel was purchased and refurbished to its former glory.

At first, the thought was that maybe the get-together in the picture had to do with, “The Wizard of Oz” since the hotel housed many of the Little People who played Munchkins in that movie. But… that movie was released in 1939, and the date on this image was 1928.

More research…

 

The online article, “The Culver Hotel: Harry C. Culver’s Flatiron of Fun” By Hadley Meares, March 28, 2014 at www.kcet.org provided the reason for this get-together. MGM was filming a version of Jules Verne’s 1874 novel, “L’Île mystérieuse” (“The Mysterious Island”), which was a sort of prequel to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” The movie included undersea human-like creatures with a duckbill helmet (head?); the Little People who played these parts were housed at the Hunt Hotel, as had been many Hollywood stars. The article states there were 40 Little People at the hotel in 1928 who posed for this picture- I only count 34.) The hotel topped both numbers in 1938, when 124 Little People were brought from all over the country to stay at the Culver City Hotel- it’s new name- while appearing in “The Wizard of Oz” as Munchkins and flying monkeys.

 

How did Buster Brodie/Max Broida end up in this group picture? He was short, to be sure, but was not a dwarf as far as we know. Was he a part of the extras in this movie? He is uncredited, if so, and no evidence has yet been found that he was in this movie- except possibly this picture. It is also conceivable that Buster answered a casting call for ‘little people’ for the MGM film- he had been in other MGM productions so this is plausible even though he was likely not technically a Little Person. Another possibility is that some of these Little People were members of “Singer’s Midgets,” a vaudeville group that Buster may have worked with during his time in vaudeville; they appeared in movies in the 1930s, including, “The Wizard of Oz.” Buster had also worked in the circus as a young man, and may have known some of these persons from those years.

The answer to how and why Buster was included in this picture may never be known, but we are so grateful for a genealogical act of kindness by DAC that brought up these questions, and for sharing this special picture with us so we can share with the world.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Talented Tuesday: Max Broida-Now Starring as Buster Brodie- http://heritageramblings.net/2015/04/07/talented-tuesday-max-broida-now-starring-as-buster-brodie/

The Real Max Broida, AKA Buster Brodie- http://heritageramblings.net/2015/04/10/the-real-max-broida-aka-buster-brodie/

2) Broida Family Collection at the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library- http://www.brodskylibrary.org/archives.php

3) Leo Singer/”Singer’s Midgets” article on Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Singer

4) The Hunt/Culver Hotel-

http://www.culverhotel.com/default.aspx?pg=history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culver_Hotel

http://www.hotelsoftherichandfamous.com/travel/North-America/United-States/California/Culver-City/Hotels/Culver-Hotel

“The Culver Hotel: Harry C. Culver’s Flatiron of Fun” By Hadley Meares, March 28, 2014, is an excellent article, an interesting read, and provided the solution to our mystery-

http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/columns/lost-landmarks/the-culver-hotel-harry-c-culvers-flatiron-of-fun.html

http://www.culvercitynews.org/latest-news/ghosts-and-hollywood-glamour-inhabit-a-landmark/

5) “The Mysterious Island,” 1929, MGM resources-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Island_(1929_film)

http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/M/MysteriousIsland1929.html

http://www.allmovie.com/movie/v103465

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020198/

A fun image of the lobby card from the movie, which may be under copyright so cannot be posted, but worth the click-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lobby_Card_for_the_1929_version_of_The_Mysterious_Island.jpg#/media/File:Lobby_Card_for_the_1929_version_of_The_Mysterious_Island.jpg

 

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Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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