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Fred 'Snowflake' Toones

Fred 'Snowflake' Toones

Birthday: 1906-01-05 | Place of Birth: North Carolina, USA

Fred "Snowflake" Toones was a character actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1928 and 1951. He often worked under contract for Republic Pictures, appearing in about 40 of its films. He played a bootblack or shoeshine man in at least six of his movies, and Toones actually ran the shoeshine stand at Republic Studios. He first appeared as a porter in 1932 in The Hurricane Express and was usually typecast as a porter - appearing in over 50 films in such a role. He also played a variety of other service-oriented or domestic worker roles such as stable grooms, janitors, elevator operators, valets, cooks, bellhops, doormen, butlers, and bartenders. Like other actors of the time, i.e. Anna May Wong and Franklin Pangborn, Toones is a prime example of racial and social stereotyping in the Hollywood film industry. His standard characterization was that of a middle-aged "colored" man with a high-pitched voice and childlike mannerisms. "Snowflake" was the stage name Toones was best known by, and he used this name as his credit as early as his third film, 1931's Shanghaied Love. Likewise, in Shanghaied Love and over 35 other films, "Snowflake" was also Toones' character name. He acted in films such as Mississippi (1935), Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), and Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) with Bruce Bennett and in many "B" westerns such as The Lawless Nineties (1936) with John Wayne. He also appeared in dozens of two-reelers such as Columbia's Woman Haters (1934) with the Three Stooges, and had a bit role in Laurel and Hardy's classic feature Way Out West (1937). Toones is also a familiar face in four Preston Sturges comedies: Twentieth Century (1934), Remember the Night (1940), Christmas in July (1940), and The Palm Beach Story (1942). He died on 13 February 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1947
Bells of San Angelo

as    The Cook

1944
Hidden Valley Outlaws

as    Snowflake

1943
Haunted Ranch

as    Sam

1941
The Apache Kid

as    Snowflake (as Snowflake)

1941
Death Valley Outlaws

as    Snowflake (as Snowflake)

1940
The Biscuit Eater

as    Sermon

1940
The Tulsa Kid

as    Snowflake - the Cook (as Snowflake)

1938
Under the Big Top

as    Juba

1936
The Lawless Nineties

as    Moses

1936
Racing Blood

as    Sad Sam

1936
Born to Fight

as    Snowflake

1936
The Lonely Trail

as    Snowflake

1936
Wildcat Saunders

as    Snowflake - the Handyman (as Snowflake)

1935
Valley of Wanted Men

as    Snowflake

1935
Speed Limited

as    Vegas Station Pullman Porter

1934
Woman Haters

as    Baggage Handler

1934
Murder in the Private Car

as    Titus

1933
Deluge

as    Townsman

1932
Out of Singapore

as    Snowball, the Ship's Cook