The Clodhopper

Everett Nelson is a clumsy small town boy nicknamed "The Clodhopper." Though his father is the richest man in town, he is made to toil day and night on the family farm. When Everett and his father come to blows over the cost of a new suit the boy needs for the town square dance, he leaves home for the big city. In New York, his awkward gait is noticed and inspires a new dance phenomenon, "The Clodhopper Glide." Now a minor league celebrity, Everett learns his father's business faces bankruptcy back home. He decides to let bygones be bygones and come to the aid of the family who once rejected him.

The Clodhopper's leading man, Charles Ray, was once one of the biggest box-office draws of the Silent Age, but his star fell almost as quickly as it rose. Plucked from obscurity, the former extra's starring role in Thomas H. Ince's The Coward (1915) led to a seemingly endless run of comedies where Ray played small town country boys who made good in the big city. Wearying of the repetition, he struck out on his own away from Ince with the self-financed historical drama The Courtship of Myles Standish (1923). The film was a major flop, and was notoriously parodied by 'Snub' Pollard as The Courtship of Miles Sandwich (1923). Afterwards, Ray only survived in Hollywood with the help of Ince, his original benefactor, and eked out a meagre living from bit parts. Better roles in the sound era, like Just My Luck (1935), gave Ray hope for a comeback, but this never materialized. Charles Ray died in 1943 at the age of 52 from an impacted tooth that became infected, largely forgotten by Hollywood. Director Victor Schertzinger made Something to Sing About (1937) with James Cagney, as well as the first two Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" pictures, Road to Singapore (1940) and Road to Zanzibar (1941). He is also recognized as a songwriter. Among his best known compositions are "I Remember You" and "Tangerine."

BONUS: Grandma's Child (1926): Bobby Ray (no relation) plays a lazy house husband who lies to his mother-in-law about having a kid in order to get financial support. Now he and his wife have to produce the tyke when the old battleaxe decides to pay a surprise visit! Shortly after the release of this two-reeler, Bobby Ray gave up on acting, finding work instead as an editor and assistant director on films such as His Private Secretary (1933), Million Dollar Haul (1935), and The Flaming Urge (1953), as well TV series like I Led 3 Lives (1953-1956).