Oscar Larson

born: 25 January 1881
Stockholm,
Sweden
died: 30 May 1937
Los Angeles, California,
United States of America
(ruptured gastric ulcer, age 56)

Short Swedish-born actor and assistant director. His parents were August Larson and Carolina Mathilda (Rehnstrom) Larson, who married in 1875. They had seven children, three of whom (Oscar and brothers August and Reuben) survived to adulthood. Oscar immigrated from Sweden to the United States with his mother and brothers in 1893, his father having arrived a year earlier. The Larson family settled in Chicago, Illinois. Oscar was working as a laborer at the time of the 1900 Census.
He married Sedalia, Missouri native Mattie Frances Rhoman Erwin (1884-1931) on 28 March 1904 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had three children: Jeanette (later Jeanelle) Elizabeth (1905-1987), Melbourn(e) Oscar (1908-1974), and Douglas Alonzo (2 July-30 July 1910). In the 1910 Census, Oscar is still in Chicago with his wife and children, working as a painter, "out doors [sic]." Oscar's bio from the 1920 and 1921 Motion Picture Studio Directories:
LARSON, Oscar M.; also asst. director; b. Stockholm, Sweden; educ. there and Chicago, Ill.; stage career, with Lincoln J. Carter and Lorin J. Howard Stk. Co., Chicago, Ill.; screen career, Universal ("Bedford's Hope"), Rolin-Pathe ("Kicking the Germ Out of Germany"), W. H. Clifford Co. ("Democracy"), Biograph ("The Battle of Truth"), Universal ("From Dawn to Dark"). Hght., 5, 7; wght., 160; light brown hair, dark blue eyes. Home ad., 406 Court st., Los Angeles, Calif.; Pico 680.
Photoplayers' Weekly, 21 May 1915: "Director J. Farrell McDonald [sic] of the Biograph Company has just finished 'Wings of Fate' a smuggler's story . . . Oscar M. Karson [sic], who may be remembered as having played with Mary Leonard in Carmen, in the production of Jack London's famous novel John Barleycorn, and as handling the military situation for Mrs. Leslie Carter in the making of the wonderful picture 'The Heart of Maryland' has been given a very important part." In April 1915, while filming "The Wings of Fate" (which appears to have been released as "The Smuggler's Ward"), Oscar assisted Biograph actress Vola Smith (later Vola Vale) in the rescue of assistant director Dan Sullivan from a "whirling current near the dangerous rocks at White Point, San Pedro."
Moving Picture World, 04 Dec 1915: "Oscar M. Larson who formerly did much of the work for Al Hale when he was making comedies for Kalem, is now assistant to J. Farrell Macdonald, one of the directors now working here. Larson is a busy man and a hustler and deserves the progress that has been afforded him. He can act too, b'gosh!" By June 1917, Oscar was at Rolin.
Oscar Manuel Larson filled out his World War I draft registration card on 12 September 1918. 37 years old, he is living at "614 S. Mt. View, Huntington Pk., L.A., Calif." and is a U.S. citizen by way of his father's naturalization. He gives his occupation as "Actor & Ass't. Director" at "Rolin-Pathe Film Co." He is of medium height and build, with gray eyes and "lt. brown" hair. In the 1920 Census, Oscar, Mattie, Jeanette and Melbourne are still living at 614 So. Mountain View, with Oscar and Mattie both acting in motion pictures.
A June 1919 Los Angeles Times article mentions the Rolin studio's raucous brass band, with Oscar on alto; the article mentions that he is "famous for his Kaiser makeups."
Camera!, 1 May 1920: "Oscar M. Larsen [sic], for the past year with the Rolin Film Company, has joined the Historical Film Corporation of America as assistant purchasing agent." By September, Oscar is employed at the Vitagraph studio.
In the 1930 Census, Oscar and Mattie are living at 1516 Lake St. in Glendale, California. Oscar is working as a "painter," "building trade." It appears they were living at 607 No. Fairmont in Burbank at the time of Mattie's death on 6 November 1931 at Los Angeles County General Hospital (cause: "Large pelvic abscess, cause undermined," with "postoperative shock").
Oscar M. Larson was working as a house painter (supposedly for 25 years) and living at 445 N. Providencia Ave. in Burbank, California at the time of his death, at Los Angeles County General Hospital at 3:15am on 30 May 1937; cause of death was listed as "Ruptured gastric ulcer with generalized peritonitis & bilateral subphrenic abscesses." He was buried at Inglewood Cemetery on 2 June 1937.
Real name: Oscar Manuel Larson
Height: 5'7"
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

58


1917
Over The Fence
[?]

1917
Pinched
[?]

1917
By The Sad Sea Waves
Strangled victim on beach

1917
Bliss
[?]

1917
Rainbow Island
[?]

1917
The Flirt
[?]

1917
All Aboard
[?]

1917
Move On
[?]

1917
Bashful
[?]

1917
Step Lively
[?]

1918
The Tip
[?]

1918
The Big Idea
[?]

1918
The Lamb
[?]

1918
Beat It
[?]

1918
A Gasoline Wedding
[?]

1918
Let's Go
[?]

1918
Follow The Crowd
Pedestrian at door 1315

1918
Pipe The Whiskers
[?]

1918
It's A Wild Life
[?]

1918
Fireman, Save My Child
[?]

1918
The City Slicker
[?]

1918
Somewhere In Turkey
[?]

1918
Are Crooks Dishonest?
[?]

1918
An Ozark Romance
[?]

1918
Kicking The Germ Out Of Germany
[?]

1918
That's Him
Gang member

1918
Two Scrambled
[?]

1918
Bees In His Bonnet
[?]

1918
Swing Your Partners
[?]

1918
Why Pick On Me?
[?]

1918
Nothing But Trouble
[?]

1918
Hear 'Em Rave
[?]

1918
Take A Chance
[?]

1918
She Loves Me Not
[?]

1919
Wanted $5,000
[?]

1919
Going! Going! Gone!
[?]

1919
Ask Father
[?]

1919
On The Fire
Waiter

1919
I'm On My Way
Musician

1919
Look Out Below!
[?]

1919
The Dutiful Dub
[?]

1919
Next Aisle Over
[?]

1919
Just Dropped In
[?]

1919
Crack Your Heels
[?]

1919
Ring Up The Curtain
[?]

1919
Spring Fever
Bum who puts on cape

1919
Just Neighbors
[?]

1919
Pay Your Dues
[?]

1919
His Only Father
[?]

1919
Bumping Into Broadway
[?]

1919
Captain Kidd's Kids
[?]

1919
From Hand To Mouth
[?]

1920
His Royal Slyness
Guard

1920
Haunted Spooks
[?]

1920
An Eastern Westerner
[?]

1920
High And Dizzy
[?]

1921
Never Weaken
Store clerk

1923
Back Stage
Audience member

Acknowledgements:
The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia, by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLGD-CB3H (Swedish household record)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6BB-5X3 (1893 pass. list)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSQN-CL1 (1900 Census)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSGR-XF4 (1904 marriage)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8GL-CYQ (1904 marriage)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKZ1-HCV (1910 Census)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZVK-5SL (WWI draft reg. card)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH7F-KCX (1920 Census)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCFL-D9W (1930 Census)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKS9-WC6F (CA Death Index)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLF-KSKS (death certificate)
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KJ4G-FP7 (family tree, FamilySearch)
https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturestu00moti_0#page/n234/mode/1up/search/larson (1920 Motion Picture Studio Directory)
https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturestu00johnrich#page/184/mode/1up/search/labson (1921 Motion Picture Studio Directory)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/678145736/ (Los Angeles Record, 29 Apr 1915)
https://archive.org/details/ThePhotoplayersWeeklyMayToJuly1915/page/n65/mode/1up?q=karson&view=theater (Photoplayers' Weekly, 21 May 1915)
https://books.google.com/books?id=HHRJAQAAMAAJ&q=%22oscar+larson%22 (The Movie Magazine, Jun 1915)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/678213310/ (Los Angeles Record, 07 Jul 1915)
https://archive.org/details/movpicwor26chal/page/n100/mode/1up?q=%22oscar+m+larson%22&view=theater (Moving Picture World, 04 Dec 1915)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380527705/ (Los Angeles Times, 08 Jun 1919)
https://archive.org/stream/camera03unse#page/n57/mode/1up/search/larsen (Camera!, 01 May 1920)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/678216306/ (Los Angeles Record, 29 Sep 1920)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG62-8F5W (wife Mattie/Rhoman [Erwin]'s death certificate, 1931)
1920 L.A. City Directory: Larson Oscar asst dir Rolin Film Co r Huntington Park
"bobspicer1" at FamilySearch.org (photo proof)
Jesse Brisson (research and correct information; identification in That's Him, His Royal Slyness, Back Stage,
By The Sad Sea Waves, Follow The Crowd, I'm On My Way, Spring Fever, On The Fire, Never Weaken)

This page was last updated on: 22 August 2022