Max Wagner (November 28, 1901 – November 16, 1975) was a Mexican actor who specialized in playing small parts such as thugs, gangsters, sailors, henchmen, bodyguards, cab drivers and moving men, appearing more than 400 films in his career, most without receiving screen credit. In 1927, he was a leading witness in the well-publicized manslaughter trials of actor Paul Kelly and actress/screenwriter Dorothy Mackaye.
Biography Wagner was one of five children, all boys, of William Wallace Wagner, a railroad conductor, and Edith Wagner, a writer who provided dispatches for the Christian Science Monitor during the Mexican Revolution. When he was 10 years old, his father was killed by rebels and the family moved to Salinas, California, where he met John Steinbeck, who became a lifelong friend. Steinbeck based the character of the boy in his novel The Red Pony on Wagner.
Three of Wagner's brothers were working in Hollywood – Jack Wagner and Blake Wagner as cameramen for D.W. Griffith, Hal Roach and Mack Sennett, and Bob as an assistant cameraman at First National – and Max Wagner moved there in 1924, where he got an acting job on the Harry Langdon film his brother Jack was working on, All Night Long.
Under the name "Max Baron", Wagner acted in many Spanish-language versions of English-language films, which studios made as a matter of course in the early days of sound films, He also served as a Spanish language coach for other actors, and appeared in many of the "Mexican Spitfire" films starring Lupe Vélez, where he also served to monitor Velez's Spanish ad-libs for profanity.
Other series that Wagner appeared in include the Charlie Chan films, and Tom Mix serials, as well as others made by Mascot Pictures Corporation. In the 1940s, Wagner was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in six films written and directed by Sturges, beginning with The Palm Beach Story.Wagner appeared in every film made by Sturges from 1942 to 1949, with the single exception of Hail the Conquering Hero. He can be seen in The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Great Moment, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Unfaithfully Yours, and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Sturges' last American picture.
In 1940 during the filming of "The Mad Doctor", Wagner was credited for driving 50,000 miles as an on-screen taxi driver on the studio back lots of Hollywood. Since his appearance as a cab driver in Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935), producers often cast him as a wise-cracking or henchman taxi driver. "I was cast as a taxi driver about five years ago", Wagner told a reporter. "And I was typed."Herald Journal
Wagner's career has several breaks in it. He served with the U.S. Army in the North African Campaign of World War II, and his struggle with alcoholism caused a short break in 1950.
Paul Kelly case Wagner was the star prosecution witness in the manslaughter trials of actor Paul Kelly and actress/screenwriter Dorothy Mackaye in 1927. Wagner was Kelly's roommate."Call Kelly's Roommate in Trial of Miss Mackaye", Wisconsin State Journal (June 19, 1927), p. 22.
During an alcohol-fueled party at Wagner and Kelly's apartment on April 16, 1927, Kelly beat to death Mackaye's husband, Ray Raymond, a Vaudeville entertainer. Kelly and Mackaye had been seeing each other for some time before the fight had occurred. Wagner was present when Kelly and Raymond were fighting.Milwaukee Sentinel, news.google.com; accessed June 1, 2017. One account reports that Kelly backhanded Wagner when the latter tried to stop him from confronting Raymond.Gene Coughlin, "Tragedies of the Stage", Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph (September 12, 1948), p. American Weekly, p. 7. When a Japanese houseboy who had served drinks at the party disappeared before the trial, Wagner testified of finding a note indicating the houseboy's intent to return to Asia."Raymond Case Witness Gone", The Los Angeles Times (May 6, 1927), p. II-5.
At her own trial several months later, Mackaye testified that Kelly and Raymond had agreed to the fight as a duel, and that Wagner was Kelly's second for the duel."Dot Mackaye Tells of 'Duel'", The San Francisco Examiner (June 25, 1927), p. 5. At one point, Wagner testified that he brought $800 from Kelly to Mackaye to pay the doctor who attended Raymond before his death, but Wagner denied that this payment was meant as part of a cover-up."Witness Flays Miss Mackaye", Detroit Free Press (Jun 21, 1927), p. 1.
Kelly was convicted of manslaughter but served only two years in prison. Mackaye was sentenced to 10 months in prison on accessory and concealing evidence convictions. Kelly and Mackaye were married after Kelly's release from prison. Wagner and Kelly appeared together in two films after the incident: Death on the Diamond (1934) and Frenchie (1950).
Later career In 1952, Wagner began to appear on television, in episodes of such shows as The Cisco Kid, Zane Grey Theater and Perry Mason, playing much the same kind of parts he played in the movies.
He was a regular cast member on the western television series Gunsmoke, making nearly 80 appearances between 1959 and 1973. He also appeared in many episodes of The Rifleman, Bonanza, Cimarron Strip, The Wild Wild West and Maverick, including a guest-starring role in the 1959 Rifleman episode "Blood Brother." He also had roles in the original Star Trek and The Twilight Zone series. He appeared in more than 200 television episodes between 1952 and 1974.
Notable film roles for Wagner include a supporting role in the cult science fiction classic Invaders from Mars (1953), an actor playing a gangster in the film-within-a-film segment of Bullets or Ballots (1936), and the bull farm attendant in the Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bullfighters (1945). In a 1959 interview, Wagner joked that he used to play "the third mugg to come through the door behind the boss", but that in his status had been elevated by efforts to cut costs, so that "all three of us come through the door together now".Erskine Johnson, "Film Togetherness? Max Isn't So Lonely Today", Redlands Daily Facts (September 23, 1959), p. 12.
Late in his career, he appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). In 1963 Wagner appeared (uncredited) as a Train Bum on The Virginian in the episode titled "Duel at Shiloh."
He also occasionally composed music, such as the Mexican folk ballad "Pedro, Rudarte y Simon" in the Western film The Last Trail (1933).
Death Wagner died of a heart attack in Hollywood in 1975.
Filmography
The First Auto (1927) - Bartender (uncredited) The Thrill Seekers (1927) - A Hood Numbered Men (1930) - Convict Road Laborer (uncredited) Shooting Straight (1930) - Gambler (uncredited) El último de los Vargas (1930) - Estévez El valiente (1930) - Sargento de policia Going Wild (1930) - Ferguson - Pilot (uncredited) Entre platos y notas (1930) Cupido Chauffeur (1930) El código penal (1931) - (uncredited) The Hot Heiress (1931) - Kidney Beet - on Dance Floor (uncredited) The Good Bad Girl (1931) - Thug Cuerpo y alma (1931) - (uncredited) El pasado acusa (1931) - Minor Role (uncredited) Suicide Fleet (1931) - Radio Operator (uncredited) Step Sisters (1932) - Joey Cock of the Air (1932) - Military Policeman (uncredited) It's Tough to Be Famous (1932) - Ben, a Sailor (uncredited) The World and the Flesh (1932) - Vorobiov The Last Mile (1932) - Max Kruger (uncredited) Renegades of the West (1932) - Bob Rockabye (1932) - Reporter (uncredited) Grand Slam (1933) - Fred (uncredited) Broadway Bad (1933) - A Reporter (uncredited) The Whispering Shadow (1933, Serial) - Kruger - Henchman #6 [Ch. 1] (uncredited) Song of the Eagle (1933) - Sam, Ex-Doughboy (uncredited) Emergency Call (1933) - Police Patrolman (uncredited) Arizona to Broadway (1933) - Pete Before Dawn (1933) - Policeman in Car (uncredited) Morning Glory (1933) - Smoker in Diner (uncredited) The Last Trail (1933) - Duke Thompson, Henchman (uncredited) The Wolf Dog (1933, Serial) - Dave Harmon Goodbye Love (1933) - Alimony Inmate (uncredited) Sons of the Desert (1933) - Brawny Speakeasy Manager (uncredited) Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen (1934) - Grip (uncredited) Wharf Angel (1934) - Waiter (uncredited) The Lost Jungle (1934, Serial) - Slade, Crewman I Like It That Way (1934) - Pupil (uncredited) Hell Bent for Love (1934) - Ernest Dallas The Personality Kid (1934) - Max (uncredited) Blind Date (1934) - Evans - Bob's Chauffeur (uncredited) Name the Woman (1934) - Reporter Death on the Diamond (1934) - Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited) She Had to Choose (1934) - Hold-Up Man The Captain Hates the Sea (1934) - Sailor (uncredited) Gridiron Flash (1934) - Convict Football Player (uncredited) The Oil Raider (1934) - Simmons 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) The Mighty Barnum (1934) - Man in Museum (uncredited) Bachelor of Arts (1934) - Tough Character (uncredited) Romance in Manhattan (1935) - Man at East River (uncredited) A Notorious Gentleman (1935) - Taxicab Driver (uncredited) Storm Over the Andes (1935) - Sentry The Miracle Rider (1935, Serial) - Morley - Henchman Under the Pampas Moon (1935) - Big José Ladies Crave Excitement (1935) - Pat (uncredited) The Daring Young Man (1935) - Reporter (uncredited) Dante's Inferno (1935) - Drunken Sailor (uncredited) The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935, Serial) - Tramp [Ch. 5] (uncredited) The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) - Harry (uncredited) Welcome Home (1935) - Clem (uncredited) Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935) - Taxi Driver Dr. Socrates (1935) - Gangster (uncredited) Case of the Missing Man (1935) - Steve's Second Henchman (uncredited) Three Kids and a Queen (1935) - Reporter (uncredited) Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935) - Sailor The Fighting Marines (1935, Serial) - Gibson - Henchman The Adventures of Frank Merriwell (1936, Serial) - Pug O'Leary (uncredited) Paddy O'Day (1936) - Milkman's Helper on Dock (uncredited) Follow the Fleet (1936) - Marine Leader on Ship (uncredited) Love on a Bet (1936) - Reporter (uncredited) Two in Revolt (1936) - Davis The House of a Thousand Candles (1936) - Henchman (uncredited) The Moon's Our Home (1936) - Truck Driver (uncredited) The Girl from Mandalay (1936) - Drunken Brawler (uncredited) The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936) - Soupy (uncredited) The Crime Patrol (1936) - Bennie Sons O' Guns (1936) - Soldier (uncredited) Dancing Pirate (1936) - Pirate (uncredited) Bullets or Ballots (1936) - Actor Impersonating Kruger in Newsreel (uncredited) Trapped by Television (1936) - Henchman Al (uncredited) The Bride Walks Out (1936) - Furniture Mover (uncredited) Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936) - Joe (uncredited) Two-Fisted Gentleman (1936) - First Beggar Love Begins at 20 (1936) - Lester - O'Bannion's Driver Walking on Air (1936) - Sam, Second Gas Station Attendant (uncredited) The Girl on the Front Page (1936) - Fireman (uncredited) The Big Game (1936) - Man Outside Hotel (uncredited) Come and Get It (1936) - Lumberjack (uncredited) Love Letters of a Star (1936) - Doolin Night Waitress (1936) - Diner Trying to Date Helen (uncredited) Chatterbox (1936) - Himself (uncredited) Career Woman (1936) - Reporter-Clarkdale (uncredited) We Who Are About to Die (1937) - Cell Block E Convict (uncredited) Smart Blonde (1937) - Chuck Cannon God's Country and the Woman (1937) - Gus Black Legion (1937) - Truck Driver in Diner (uncredited) You Only Live Once (1937) - Dan - Corridor Guard (uncredited) The Great O'Malley (1937) - School Bus Driver (uncredited) When Love Is Young (1937) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) Step Lively, Jeeves! (1937) - Joey Wings Over Honolulu (1937) - Marine (uncredited) There Goes My Girl (1937) - Whelan's Strong Arm Man (uncredited) San Quentin (1937) - Prison Runner Border Cafe (1937) - Shakey Slim (1937) - Griff Alcatraz Island (1937) - Baggage Man (uncredited) Some Blondes Are Dangerous (1937) - Ruby Hall Submarine D-1 (1937) - Sailor (uncredited)