Figure 1.-- Billy Mauch played Tommy'Tom', the Drummer Boy in "White Angle" (1936). This was just they had arrived in Hollywood. |
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The boys had a rather short film career from 1936 to 39. Billy played a drummer boy in "White Angle" (1936). I am not sure if he did this before or after "Anthony Adverse", another 1936 film. Billy played a rather revealing role in "Anthony Adverse" (1936). He is raised in a convent. He get's stripped by poor boys on the street and runs into the house where he is to be aprenticed without any clothes at all. Bobby was to be his stand-in for minor scenes. Apparently Bobby didn't like the idea and the boys agreed among themselves to share the role. After the film was completed, the boys told director Mervyn LeRoy that that had taken turns playing the lead role throughout the movie, positive that no one would notice. The Mauch brothers debut as twins and their best known film is the Mark Twain classic, "The Prince and the Pauper" (1937). This is probably the film they are most famous for, because of the need for twins ton act the two different parts and Errol Flynn's starring role. The interesting apect of the film is not only that the premise is built around switching roles, but that the boys apparently switched roes in this film as well without telling anyone. These first two films were major productions. They never really moved on from them.
They played in some of the Penrod series films (1937-38). These were, however, minor films although I quite enjoyed them. Perrod was Booth Tarkington ranbunctious Midwest boy set in the 1900s. They were in “Penrod and His Twin Brother” and “Penrod’s Double Trouble.” They would sometimes flip a coin to decide who got what role. Their last film as twins was "I'll Tell the World" (1939).
Billy played a drummer boy in "White Angel" (1936). I am not sure if he did this before or after "Anthony Adverse", another 1936 film.
Billy played a rather revealing role in "Anthony Adverse" (1936). He is raised in a convent. He get's stripped by poor boys on the street and runs into the house where he is to be aprenticed without any clothes at all. Bobby was to be his stand-in for minor scenes. Apparently Bobby didn't like the idea and the boys agreed among themselves to share the role. After the film was completed, the boys told director Mervyn LeRoy that that had taken turns playing the lead role throughout the movie, positive that no one would notice.
The Mauch brothers debut as twins and their best known film is the Mark Twain classic, "The Prince and the Pauper" (1937). This is probably the film they are most famous for, because of the need for twins ton act the two different parts and Errol Flynn's starring role. The interesting apect of the film is not only that the premise is built around switching roles, but that the boys apparently switched roes in this film as well without telling anyone. These first two films were major productions. They never really moved on from them.
The twins played in some of the Penrod series films (1937-38). Perrod was Booth Tarkington ranbunctious Midwest boy set in the 1900s. These were, however, minor films although I quite enjoyed them. Only Billy was credited, but both boys probabnly appeared. It was released in late February, 1937. Two sequels followed: "Penrod's Twin Brother" later that year, and "Penrod's Double Trouble" in 1938. The squels allowed both boys to appear. The first of these "Penrod" films is the best, I think. "Penrod and Sam" packs a surprising amount of adventure and social commentary into a film just over an hour long. The film also could be described as a "children's melodrama", as well. While both adults and children can enjoy "P&S", the target audience is surely young people. One can easily imagine school-age children in good attendance at an old movie palace seventy years ago, enjoying a Saturday matinee
showing.
The Twins second Penrod film was "Penrod and His Twin Brother”.
The Mauch twins also played in “Penrod’s Double Trouble.” They would sometimes flip a coin to decide who got what role.
Their last film as twins was "I'll Tell the World" (1939).
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