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Raymond Griffith (with hot dog) and Granville Redmond (on right) in You'd Be Surprised

I've been contacted by a graduate student doing research on deaf actors in Hollywood. Obviously Granville Redmond is a prime example in silent films, as he also worked in small parts for Charlie Chaplin. Were there any other deaf actors in the silent era? Or deaf people behind the camera?

Paging Jim Roots!

The essential text is John S. Schuchman's Hollywood Speaks: Deafness and the Film Entertainment Industry. He mentions several deaf actors from the silent era: Granville Redmond of course, Emerson Romero, Albert Ballin, Louis Weinberg and Carmen de Arcos. Lon Chaney was the offsrping of deaf parents, and there were films for the deaf made during the silent era, a number of which can be viewed on the Gallaudet University site.

I write about deaf people and silent cinema here:

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/2007/09/ ... o-library/

and here (The Silent Worker is a digitised newspaper available online which has much information on deaf people and silent film):

http://bioscopic.wordpress.com/2007/07/ ... nt-worker/

Charles A. Taylor was primarily a writer, but he did direct at least two films. Here's an article on him:
http://www.archive.org/stream/Pantomime ... 0/mode/1up

Jack Oakie wasn't deaf, but his hearing was limited for much of his life. I found an article about him dating from the 1950s in which he admitted that he always had to watch other actors' lips closely, in case of ad-libs he might miss.

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I understand that C. Aubrey Smith wore hearing aids that he removed when filming a scene. David Niven mentioned this in one of his memoirs, referring to his working with Smith in THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937). Between scenes, Smith was reading a newspaper and couldn't hear people calling for him. Somebody had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.

As Luke mentioned, the best resource is the Schuchman book.

You could also check the archives at Gallaudet University.

Deaf filmmaking is a huge industry right now, thanks to new technology. The 3rd Toronto International Deaf Film/Video Festival was held in May (I was there but could not attend the festival due to a tight travel schedule) and it attracted people from all over the world, including a guy from Boston who looked exactly like me except about 20 pounds heavier. It's just one of at least a half-dozen international Deaf film festivals held every year.

On mainstream screens, unfortunately, it's still basically Marlee Matlin, Howie Seago, and Linda Bove. Establishment producers aren't willing to look at what amazing stuff the younger Deaf generation is putting out there.

Jim

There's also Nanette Fabray.


Jim

Jim Roots wrote:There's also Nanette Fabray.


Jim

Lou Ferrigno is also hearing impaired, isn't he?

Frederica wrote:

Jim Roots wrote:There's also Nanette Fabray.


Jim

Lou Ferrigno is also hearing impaired, isn't he?

If we're getting into the 70s, there's also Florence Henderson - and she sings too

The Lousiville (Colorado) Historical Society newsletter had an issue about movies in Louisville, and during the silent and early talkie eras, one of the theaters was owned and managed by a deaf woman. I know that's off-topic for this particular question, but contact me if you want more details.

There's something quite Shakespearean about the fact that Lon Chaney's parents were deaf - and that his final illness rendered him mute.

Margaret Sullavan is another sound-era actress who had trouble with hearing loss.

Frederica wrote:

Jim Roots wrote:There's also Nanette Fabray.


Jim

Lou Ferrigno is also hearing impaired, isn't he?

He's hard of hearing.

Never heard the one about Florence Henderson, though.

As for Lon Chaney, the sticking point for me is whether he actually knew ASL (American Sign Language) which was the first language of his parents. There are innumerable references to his using "pantomime" and to having "acted out silently" the daily news for his mother when she was ill in bed, but mime and acting-out-silently are not ASL. On the other hand, people ignorant of ASL always assume it is nothing more than mime and acting-out-silently, so I can't easily dismiss their reports.

I've read anecdotal evidence (can't even remember where now) that members of the local Deaf community said Lon couldn't sign. In those days, there was a stigma to ASL and Deaf parents would generally not teach it to their hearing children. But there would certainly be fluent signing going on in a house with Deaf parents -- how else could they communicate with each other? They would attempt to use voice with their hearing children, but would use only limited signs with them, at best.

It's too late, obviously, to ever find out the answer. I will say that I have never caught Lon unconsciously using a Sign in any of his movies. But then, I've never caught Granville Redmond unconsciously using a Sign, either, so that proves nothing. I did catch Emerson Romero letting slip a Sign in the only one of his solo two-reelers that still exists (unless Richard has discovered more).

Jim