The Ghost of Bud Jamison - A Halloween Story

Bud Jamison, the Spectre in question.

"When Curly falls off the stretcher, some say they hear Bud Jamison's voice in the background. Although he was not in this short -- oh and dead by the time of its filming." Me, in my write-up of 1946's Monkey Businessmen.

Happy HELLoween, gentlepersons.

I'm here to tell you, boys and ghouls, that these folks are correct in their hearings. Spooky, eh? To further instill ghostly and ghastly spine-tingling night terrors, the same occurs a tad bit later on in 1946's Rhythm in Weep. This time when Curly's plops a hammer upside some one's off-screen head -- a dead man screams.

What, though, is the reason for this spirit's Stoogery based after-life languishings? Let's attempt at an answer through a delving into the man in a mainly Moe, Larry, Curly/Shemp contextual understanding.

[Flourish]

[Professorial clearing of throat]

Born February 15, 1894 in California USA,Vallejo to be geographically painstaking; Bud Jamison joined the populous ranks of both stage and vaudeville performers plying their wares in that area. Jamison quickly secured work in silent comedies on the back of his husky build and his not shying away from pie-in-the-face slapstick and rowdy near bawdy action. By 1915 he was a member of Charlie Chaplin's stock company at the Essanay studio.

The hefty Mr. Jamison suffered from diabetes during his later years. In an odd sort of suicide by religion -- he eschewed the whole 'no gluttony thing' which may well have aided in protecting him against said diabetes. He did however flex his devout Christian Scientist lifestyle muscle when he died on September 30, 1944 at the youngish age 50 -- after refusing medical treatment for kidney cancer.

The dash in sir's birth-death dates of 1894-1944 professionally includes, beyond what was already mentioned, being a veteran of 37 Three Stooges shorts from 1937's Back to the Woods to 1952's Three Dark Horses -- eight years after his death via stock photo ... oh.

Stock footage. Zoinks.

"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids." Every single villain upon capture, in every single Scooby Doo episode -- always in the context of debunking spookery.

"Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage is film or video footage that can be used in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material." (Wikipedia)

"Let's do more quotes!" - Me

"The shot of the Stooges leaving in their high speed canoe was recycled from Whoops, I'm an Indian! (1936), the first Stooge film to employ stock footage. This practice would become more common in future productions."  (Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion) 

Interestingly, the short which Dr. Solomon alludes to there is none other than Back to the Woods -- Again, Bud Jamison's first go-'round with Stoogery. He can then be seen as on-hand for the ushering in of this particular film making procedure -- and come full circle, his ghostly post mortem cameos can be seen as lovely homage, whether intended as so, or not. Ah, poetry.

All told still, nothing to see here, ghost hunters. Other than the thrifty assemblage of Golden Age slash Depression Era comedic shorts. It's fun to be spooky, though, ain't it gentleboosons? I hope your fright brings delight and your candy corn treats ya right. 

Boo.