Frank Hagney
Frank Hagney? Silent Film Festival? Who was Frank Hagney and why would anyone go to a silent film festival?
Before Hugh Jackman, before Mel Gibson and even before Errol Flynn, there was Frank Hagney, Richmond/Fairfield/Liverpool's, perhaps Australia's most prolific and hardest working actor in Hollywood.
The Boer War veteran, professional cyclist, rower, boxer left Australia in 1914 bound for England just as World War I broke out. He miraculously meets world champion American boxer Jack Johnson and becomes his sparing partner. He travels with him to America and end up in Hollywood in 1919 as a stuntman and then an actor appearing in over 400 films and television shows. Frank's silent film roles mostly saw him cast in the role of the dastardly bad guy that featured his boxing prowess.
The festival is being staged by the
City of Liverpool and District Historical Society and held in the 'Havard Room' third floor of the Liverpool City Library this Saturday 25th March from 12.00pm.
This 'Festival' is an afternoon of four of Frank's silent films of the 1920's. On the program is:
12,05 Galloping Gallagher 1924 (Running Time: 31m)
12.35 Roaring Rails 1924 (Running Time: 1.07m)
1.45 Ice Flood 1926 (Running Time: 58m)
2.50 Through the Breakers 1928 (Running Time:53m)
It's a rare opportunity to see any silent film nowadays and certainly even rarer to see films of this era starring a pioneering Australian actor in Hollywood.
