A bit more info about Joe Twerp

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
1

The column: Was there really an actor named Joe Twerp?

I’m sure I’m not the only one who went to IMDb to check out Joe Twerp after reading this column. Rather surprisingly, I learned that there were actually two Joe Twerps listed.

The first Joe Twerp is the one Cecil mentioned, who acted in twelve films from 1934 to 1938 (none of which this film buff has ever heard of). He lived from 1910 to 1980, and was at one time a contender to supply the voice of Doc in “Snow White.” Most amazing of all, Joe Twerp wasn’t his real name; he was born Joseph Boyes, and–in a move eerily prescient of Mr. Gerry Dorsey’s assuming the moniker “Engelbert Humperdinck”–actually chose to be known henceforth as “Joe Twerp.”

The second Joe Twerp has one film credit only: He wrote 1954’s Hawaiian Nights, a 17-minute “Musical Featurette” from Universal that starred Pinky Lee, Mamie Van Doren, and… a bunch more people I’ve never heard of.

So never let it be said that an unfortunate name is a bar to reaching the pinnacle of Hollywood success.

2

Just noting, of course, that Cecil’s column was written long before things like the International Movie Data Base (www.imdb.com) and similar information was readily availalble.

3

Oops, should have made clear that I was starting with that assumption; didn’t mean to imply that The Perfect Master had skimped on his research.

4

Show me the Beef!

Even Cecil got taken in, IMHO. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_019a.html

There never was such a person. It was merely a Hollywood name for a bit player, and not a real person.

If you can provide a cite for anything factual about such a person, I’d like to see it.

And, NO, IMDB doesn’t count. And don’t link to some site that uses IMDB as a reference.

I could be wrong and would love to be proven so.

5

Interestingly enough, that entry shows “uncredited” appearances in more than half of the films. Was he merely Johnny on the Spot, or did he have another, now-lost claim to fame?

6

Older films frequently credited no more cast than would fit on one title card. One website suggests that he specialized in spoonerisms.

7

It seems to me that you are the one on whom the burden of proof lies. We have nothing but your naked assumption.

8

I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

9

To clarify my post above:

I posted that in a separate thread. My reading skills tonight were non-existant. Sorry about that.

And, I just found some newspaper cites that prove me WRONG!. At least, kinda.

While I’m still in the middle of reading newspapers from 1930-1940, there WAS a radio comedian names “Joe Twerp” (real name? stage name? Who knows).

I can find cites from as early as 1933 that he was on the radio, and his speciality was mis-speaking himself, a la Spoonerisms.

I may have an update about his movie career tomorrow. Too late tonight to do more.