Tiffany Thayer, aka Elmer Ellsworth, founder of the Fortean Society, publisher of Doubt, writer of memorably sleazy fiction, was in Hollywood throughout much of the ’30s.  Several of his novels were made into reasonably successful movies (particularly Call Her Savage, tailored for Clara Bow).  He had less luck writing screenplays; only a few scenes and scraps of dialogue made it to the screen.

He did, however, act in one movie: The Devil on Horseback, in 1936.  In it, he plays a press agent named Wilbur Hitchcock; and provides comic relief by pretending to be saddle sore and hungover.

I can’t tell you if it’s a good movie or not, since I have little affinity for the medium.  Like other movies, it features recordings of actors playing make believe and reciting dialogue that they’ve memorized.  If that appeals to you, maybe you’ll like it.  At any rate, it also contains the only footage of the curious Mr. Thayer.  And it’s now on YouTube, so you can see for yourself.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)