Archive of photographs belonging to screenwriter Jack Henley, circa 1920-1957

N.p. N.p., Circa 1920-1957. An archive of 38 photographs, two newspaper clippings, and an SS Lurline paper photo-mat, housed in a generic photograph album, belonging to screenwriter Jack Henley, circa 1920-1957.

The archive primarily consists of 8 x 10 inch press and professional photographs, with six smaller vernacular photographs, documenting the screenwriter's private and professional life, the majority of which date from the late 1920s to the early 1940s, during Henley's ascent and establishment as a popular comic screenwriter during Hollywood's Golden Age.

17 double weight photographs, five borderless photographs, eight inscribed photographs, and seven on-the-set photographs, as well as two newspaper clippings, and a lei-themed paper photo-mat from a cruise on the SS Lurline. The photograph album contains twenty pages with the photographs, one newspaper article, and the cruise photo-mat under a clear plastic overlay on the rectos and versos of most pages, with one article laid in. Detailed inventory available upon request.

A prolific comedy screenwriter, Henley is credited with writing or contributing to 120 films beginning in 1930 until his death in 1958. Despite Henley's contribution to cinema, we have been unable to locate much biographic information on the Irish born writer other than screen credits, death notices, and the photograph album found here. Henley's first screen credits date to pre-Code comedy shorts beginning in 1930, and beginning in 1932 he worked extensively with Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle on his comeback projects until Arbuckle's death in 1933. Henley is credited as screenwriter or co-screenwriter (with Glen Lambert) on all six of the films Arbuckle made in the last two years of his life, Hey Pop" (1932), "In the Dough" (1932), "Buzzin' Around" (1933), "How've You Bean?" (1933), "Close Relations" (1933), and "Tomalio" (1933). Henley is perhaps best remembered for his work on the films "A Night to Remember" (1942), "Reveille with Beverly" (1943), and "Strange Affair" (1944), as well as being screenwriter for six of the "Blondie" film series made between 1947 and 1950.

The first nine photographs in the album all appear to be of "America's Prima Donna of the Blues," Billie DeVere (not to be confused with the 1940s "Myrt and Marge" radio show character of the same name), circa 1920s to 1934, a likely early paramour of Henley's. Five of the photographs are publicity portrait photographs, one with an annotation of DeVere's name on the verso, and two charmingly inscribed by DeVere's mother. One, a smaller portrait photograph, is inscribed "Lovingly Always Billie," and another, a publicity photograph for the nine-piece Billie DeVere Company, is inscribed "Best Regard from The Billie DeVere Co," with the inscription of the ensemble member's first names in the bottom margin. The final two of the nine DeVere photographs depict DeVere and a man, we believe to be Henley, together, one at a 1932 New Year's Eve celebration aboard the SS Rotterdam with a third, unidentified man, inscribed in the negative as "New Years Eve / 1933-34 / S.S. Rotterdam," and a humorous photograph of DeVere and Henley in cowboy regalia.

DeVere was renowned for her elaborate, gorgeous costumes, and toured extensively with her company around the US during the late 1920s and early 1930s, "Bluin' the Blues," performing "a riot of singing, music, comedy and novelties."

The next five photographs are of Henley's next and, presumably, final girlfriend, Lucille Watson (not to be confused with the Canadian actress Lucile Watson), an aspiring blonde actress, who, because of the inscription on a later photograph by actor and singer Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, "For Lucille — Regards to the charming wife of my pal Jackie," we can reasonably infer became the wife of Henley. Three of the five are publicity portraits with agency stamps on the versos, one is a candid photograph of Watson, and one is of Watson with an unknown performer, "Jack," found in two other photographs in the archive, including one inscribed photograph.

Next is a 5 x 7 inch photograph of an unidentified man in a "Mocambo Hollywood" paper mat, the large ornamental SS Lurline, lei-themed paper photo-mat (not containing a photograph), two 5 x 7 inch photographs of Watson at cruise ship events, and a vernacular photograph of Henley with fishing gear and his catch, a large flatfish (Henley and Watson likely honeymooned aboard the SS Lurline). Next is a portrait photograph of a young man in a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) uniform, circa early 1920s, likely Henley during or after World War I, before emigrating to the US.

Most of the subsequent photographs document Henley's career in Hollywood, including:

Two copies of a photograph of Henley behind a piano with an unidentified pianist and woman, possibly Ann Miller rehearsing for the film "Reveille with Beverly" (1943).

Four on-the-set photographs from the "The Wife Takes a Flyer" (1942), here under the working title "Highly Irregular," featuring director Richard Wallace, stars Joan Bennett and Franchot Tone, and actor Pat O'Brien visiting the set. Two feature Henley, who is noted on the mimeo snipes on the versos, but was not credited in the final film.

Three on-the-set photographs from "Two Yanks in Trinidad" (1942), featuring director Gregory Ratoff and stars Pat O'Brien, Janet Blair, Brian Donlevy, and Roger Clark, with two featuring Henley.

Four inscribed portrait photographs to Henley (or his wife "Lucille") from actor Victor Moore, actor and singer Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, actress Leslie Brooks, and an unidentified actor or performer "Jack."

Among the other photographs in the archive is a humorous photograph of Henley in a undershirt with four unidentified, sharply-dressed individuals posing on an LA street, and a group of six unidentified individuals, including the aforementioned "Jack," at a nightclub table. Other photographs include three photographs of the interior and exterior of a home (presumably Henley's) and a vernacular photograph of an unidentified young boy, with the annotation "Fred" in the bottom margin.

The article clipping, midway through the photograph album, dated October 25, 1942, regards a Marion Davies Foundation Benefit Party in Venice, and the article clipping laid in, is a 1957 Sidney Skolsky "Hollywood Is My Beat" article, with the ink annotations of "March 25th" and circling a section of the article noting "Jack Henley has bought the rights to the story of Isaac Murphy, Negro jockey who has won every big race in America, including the Kentucky Derby three times." Henley passed away the following year.

Photographs, 5 x 7 inches to 8 x 10 inches. Very Good plus to Near Fine overall, with three photographs partially adhered to the photograph album pages.

Photograph Album, 11.75 x 11.5. Very Good plus, with some faint foxing to the front board, and occasional creasing to the plastic overlay.

[Book #169420]