Herbert
Smith, 108, has died. He was the last surviving Boing Man from the golden
age of silent movies.
Herbert
was one of the most popular Boing Men in Los Angeles during the 1920's, and one
of the few who could be relied on to time his 'boings' and 'dings' accurately
for an entire 90 minute feature.
Boing
Men were employed to add 'boings' and 'dings' to silent movies to add comedic
effect in an era before motion pictures had sound.
At
the height of their popularity there were over 250 Boing Men in the Los Angeles
area alone, each offering a specialization. Herbert's specialty was that he was
one of the few who could 'boing' and 'ding' at the same time.
The
demand for Boing Men collapsed with the advent of talking motion pictures, but
Herbert has left a legacy which is difficult to ignore.
Exclusively,
here on theVoiceofReason.com, we present our tribute to Herbert in a small collection
of shots from The General with some of Herbert's finest 'boings' and 'dings' added
as a tribute to this great entertainer of years gone by.
Download
Our Tribute to Herbert 'Boing Man' Smith here |
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