Fred 'Snowflake' Toones
Birthday: 1906-01-05
Place of Birth: North Carolina, USA
Synopsis
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.
Acting
Bells of San Angelo
as The Cook
Gridley is mining silver from an old Mexican mine and bringing it into the USA thru a passage into his worthless mine. Border guard Rogers suspects Gridley and finally finds the secret entrance to the Mexican mine. He sends Lee Madison for help only to have her captured by Gridley. Trigger brings help that takes care of Gridley's men and now Roy has to rescue Madison.
Hidden Valley Outlaws
as Snowflake
Lawyer Leland is using land rights to kick the ranchers off their land. When Wild Bill and Gabby arrive to help the ranchers, he has actor Percel frame them for murder and then incites the townsmen to lynch them.
Haunted Ranch
as Sam
Both the Range Buster and Rance and his outlaw gang are looking for stolen gold bullion. To scare people away from the ranch where the gold is hidden, Rance has his man imitating ghosts. The gold is in a steel cased organ but a certain combination of organ stops need to be pulled to obtain the gold.
The Apache Kid
as Snowflake (as Snowflake)
Don "Red" Barry, Republic's answer to Jimmy Cagney, stars in The Apache Kid. Barry plays Pete Dawson, a pugnacious cowboy who dons a mask and becomes a stagecoach robber. It's all in a good cause, however: Dawson is stealing from the town boss (Leroy Mason) who has ripped off a group of miners. Heroine Lynn Merrick is the daughter of the local judge, so naturally she misunderstands Barry's motives, at least until fadeout time.
Death Valley Outlaws
as Snowflake (as Snowflake)
Ambushed by the Vigilantes, a dying friend gets Johnny who was only passing through to take up the fight. To get in with the gang, Johnny poses as an outlaw and then beats them to a gold shipment by robbing the train ahead of them. This gets him invited into the gang. They are all masked and unknown to Johnny, one of them is his brother.
![]()
The Biscuit Eater
as Sermon
Two little boys have faith in a dog they name Promise, so much faith that they enter him in the championship trials for bird dogs. The favorite is Georgia Boy bred and trained by the boys' fathers. And if Georgia Boy doesn't win, the fathers may both lose their jobs.
![]()
The Tulsa Kid
as Snowflake - the Cook (as Snowflake)
A protegee of notorious outlaw Montana (Beery), young Tom Benton decides to stay on the good side of the Law upon reaching maturity. Montana, however, has no such inclination to reform, the result being a climactic gun duel between the ageing gunman and his former pupil.
![]()
Under the Big Top
as Juba
Director Karl Brown's 1938 circus drama stars Marjorie Main as a tough, fur-coat-wearing circus boss who raises her orphaned niece to be a trapeze star.
![]()
The Lawless Nineties
as Moses
Federal Agents Tipton and Bridger have been sent to Wyoming where the vote on statehood is imminent. Plummer and his gang are out to make sure the vote fails. When Plummer's men kill Bridger, Tipton fights on. He sends fake telegrams that trap some of Plummer's men. Then he organizes the ranchers and on election day they descend on the town barricaded by Plummer's gang.
![]()
Racing Blood
as Sad Sam
Frankie Reynolds (Frankie Darro' ), youngest member of a family of jockeys, borrows $4.85 (yes, four dollars and eighty-five cents) from his sister Phyllis (Gladys Blake), who is not a jockey, to buy a crippled colt from the stables owned by Clay Harrison (Kane Richmond). He nurses the colt back to health, and in two years has one of the fastest horses in the country.
![]()
Born to Fight
as Snowflake
An honest boxer refuses to throw a fight for a gambler. They get into a fight and the boxer knocks the gambler out. Thinking he's killed him and believing that the police are after him, the horrified boxer runs off and takes to the road, promising never to box again. However, one day he comes upon a small but scrappy young kid who has the potential to be a champion. The former boxer takes the kid under his wing and trains him, but the kid's ensuing success starts to go to his head. Pretty soon he finds himself mixed up with gamblers, too.
![]()
The Lonely Trail
as Snowflake
Though he fought for the North in the Civil War, John is asked by the Governor of Texas to get rid of some troublesome carpetbaggers. He enlists the help of Holden before learning that Holden too is plundering the local folk.
![]()
Wildcat Saunders
as Snowflake - the Handyman (as Snowflake)
Perrin plays a boxer whose manager takes him out to a ranch for training, but Perrin soon discovers the ranch foreman is responsible for a $100,000 jewel heist.
![]()
Valley of Wanted Men
as Snowflake
Three men escape from prison, go back to their hometown to try to find out who framed them.
![]()
Speed Limited
as Vegas Station Pullman Porter
A wealthy blonde gal in Las Vegas gets mixed up with a lady gangster and the G-man that is chasing the gangster.
![]()
Woman Haters
as Baggage Handler
The stooges join the "Women Haters" club and vow to have nothing to do with the fair sex. Larry marries a girl anyway and attempts to hide the fact from Moe and Curly as they take a train trip.
![]()
Murder in the Private Car
as Titus
Ruth Raymond works on the switchboard and her boyfriend is John Blake. It has taken 14 years, but a detective named Murray has found her and confirmed.
![]()
Deluge
as Townsman
A massive earthquake strikes the United States, which destroys the West Coast and unleashes a massive flood that threatens to destroy the East Coast as well.
![]()
Out of Singapore
as Snowball, the Ship's Cook
While a ship's captain is being slowly poisoned, a gang of thugs try to take over the ship.
