Paul McCullough
| Paul McCullough | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Bobby Clark & Paul McCullough, in Kickin' the Crown Around (1933) | |
| Born |
March 27, 1883 Springfield, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died |
March 25, 1936 (aged 52) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Cause of death | Suicide |
Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery and Crematory |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
Paul Johnston McCullough (March 27, 1883 – March 25, 1936) was an American actor and comedian who performed in a comedy team Clark and McCullough with Bobby Clark.
Early life and career
Born in Springfield, Ohio, McCullough met Bobby Clark at a local YMCA when they were boys. Their childhood friendship grew into an adult partnership, and the pair appeared in circuses and vaudeville revues before achieving mainstream stardom in the 1922 Irving Berlin Broadway show Music Box Revue. Their Broadway hit The Ramblers was filmed in 1930 as The Cuckoos, a vehicle for Wheeler & Woolsey. Clark and McCullough went to Hollywood in 1928 and starred in 35 short films produced over a seven-year period.
In their act, Clark was the dominant, motor-mouthed comedian and McCullough was the quieter straight man. In many of their films, McCullough’s input was severely limited to a supporting role as Clark generated the bulk of the humor. Their occupations in the films usually dictated what Clark's character name was: when photographers, such as in Alibi Bye Bye, Clark was named "Flash"; when chefs, Clark was "Cook"; when lawyers, Clark was "Blackstone", etc. Paul McCullough was always named "Blodgett," regardless of the role. The Clark and McCullough film series ended in 1935.
Death
McCullough suffered from severe depression and, in 1936, sought treatment at a sanitarium in Medford, Massachusetts. Upon his release in March 1936, he stopped at a barber shop for a shave. After being shaved, he grabbed the barber’s razor and cut his wrists and neck. He died in the hospital two days later.
Upon learning of his partner’s death, Clark publicly stated: "I think it was just something Paul couldn't help. Something that had been with him all the time and he didn't even know it." [1] Clark continued performing as a solo act until his death in 1960.