Biografia
Hilliard "Fat" Karr was a corpulent comedian who featured in silent two-reel slapstick comedies alongside fellow heavyweights Frank Alexander and "Kewpie Ross" in F.B.O.'s budget "Ton of Fun" series at the close of the silent film era.
Originating from Houston, Texas, Karr debuted in motion pictures with the Florida Film Corp.'s "Sunbeam Comedy" A Dumbwaiter Scandal (1919). By 1922, he was in California working for Metropolitan Pictures Corp., playing J.B. Warner's sidekick in the Western Big Stakes (1922). He then moved to Universal for King Baggot's Human Hearts (1922) and later to Coffin Productions for Easy Pickin' (1922), the first film to acknowledge his considerable weight by crediting him as "Fatty" Karr.
In 1924 and 1925, starting with Lost Control (1924), Karr appeared in comedy shorts for Century Film Corp. (distributed by Universal), collaborating with directors like Edward Ludwig and Charles Lamont. A representative film was the Buster Brown short Educating Buster (1925), starring Pete the Dog as Buster's companion Tighe. Karr also played the character "Fatty" in the Blue Streak Western The Circus Cyclone (1925) for Universal, but the majority of his film career from 1925 to 1928 was spent entertaining as part of the comedy team Ton of Fun.
As part of Ton of Fun, Karr teamed with two other large comedians, each weighing over 300 pounds (with "Fatty" Alexander reaching 350 pounds at his peak). The trio debuted in 1925's Tailoring, with Alexander billed initially as "Tiny Alexander" (later adopting "Fatty") and Karr as "Fat Karr." A classic gag from the series, seen in Campus Romeos (1927), involved Fatty Alexander stepping into a canoe to approach a young woman, only to cause the boat to tip vertically under his weight, sending the woman into the water while Alexander remained soaked but undeterred.
Produced by Joe Rock, these shorts were made by the Poverty Row studio Standard Photoplay Co. and distributed by Joseph P. Kennedy's Film Booking Office (F.B.O.), the predecessor to R.K.O. Radio Pictures. Created during an era less sensitive to political correctness and health concerns, the series was designed to fill theater programs for budget-conscious audiences in the heyday of cinema, long before television emerged.
Promoted by F.B.O. as the "three fattest men on the screen," Fat Karr, Fatty Alexander, and Kewpie Ross appeared in 34 shorts, many with "Heavy" in the title—such as The Heavy Parade (1926), Heavy Fullbacks (1926), Heavy Infants (1928), and the unusually named Heavyation (1926). Known also as "The Three Fatties," the Ton of Fun team delivered some of the most chaotic comedy of their time. In Three of a Kind (1926), they played nightclub entertainers who quickly provoke a brawl, resulting in overturned tables and broken dishes.
In Heavy Love (1926), the trio portrayed hopelessly inept carpenters who, after being hired by a young woman (Lois Boyd), construct and then demolish an eccentric house.
Following their final Ton of Fun short, A Joyful Day (1928), Kewpie Ross retired, and Fatty Alexander took on minor roles at other studios. Undeterred, Hilliard Karr continued with supporting roles in F.B.O.'s Love in the Desert (1929) and Too Hot to Handle (1930)—the latter released by R.K.O., the company Joe Kennedy formed from F.B.O. and other assets—before ending his career with an uncredited part in R.K.O.'s The Big Shot (1931).
Hilliard Karr passed away in Dallas, Texas, on October 5, 1945, at the age of 45.
