Kendall "Breezy Brisbane" McComas

This filmography was made in collaboration with Matthew Lydick.

name: Kendall McComas
professional nickname: "Breezy" or "Breezy Brisbane"
later non-show business name: John Mandy
born Oct. 29, 1916, in Holton, KS
died Oct. 15, 1981, in Lake Isabella, CA, of suicide

Special note: Kendall's family lived in Holton for only a few days after his birth, relocating to Butte, MT. His adult height was five feet, which meant that even as a teenager, he was able to continue playing little boys. In fact, the desire to keep winning such roles led him to take up smoking at a young age in order to stunt his growth.

1925

By the early part of this year, Kendall began performing around Butte as Baby John McCormack (in reference to the famous tenor). It was no secret that this wasn't his real name, though the press had a rough time keeping it straight.
On March 3rd, Kendall performed at the Silver Bow club in Butte as part of a farewell banquet for Charles Bocking, who was leaving Butte for British Columbia.
On March 6th, Kendall performed at an Exchange club night at the Winter Garden in Butte.
On March 29th, Kendall performed as an additional attraction between acts of "My Irish Rose" at the Prison Theater in Butte. The local paper misidentified him as "Master Kendall McCormack, known as Baby John McCormack."
On April 16th, Kendall performed a specialty number in blackface as part of a show called Minstrel Land at the Winter Garden in Butte. The local paper again got his name wrong, identifying him as "John McComas, better known as Baby John McCormack."
On May 13th, Kendall performed special song numbers at a Fox Trot Contest being held at Washoe Park Pavilion in Butte.
On June 4th and 5th, the Standard Cooking School was held at the Winter Garden in Butte. Kendall performed on both days, as well as at the Movi-Graff Ball at the Winter Garden on the evening of the 4th. The press misidentified him as "Kenneth McComas."
On June 15th, the Miner-Rex cooking school opened to the public in Butte. According to The Butte Miner: "Music for the opening day will be songs by Kendall McComas, known as Butte's baby John McCormack. His mother, Mrs. J. H. McComas, will play his accompaniments."

1926

Beginning on November 10th of this year and continuing for three days, the Rialto theater in Butte presented Myrtle Elver's Juvenile Dancers and Entertainers as a special stage attraction. Kendall performed the song "And Then I Forget."
On December 21st, the Seal Sale ball was held at the Winter Garden, which was organized by the Butte Anti-Tuberculosis Society. Among the many performers who took part was "Kendall McComas, Butte's John McCormack."
On December 22nd, Kendall performed at the East Side Neighborhood house in Butte, where the Kiwanians gave Christmas gifts to local children.

1927

On January 11th of this year, Kendall performed at a convention of the Montana Association of Dairy Products Manufacturers.
On January 22nd, Kendall did a "song and dance act" at the 168th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, put on by the Daughters of Scotia at the local Women's Club building.
On January 23rd, Kendall performed a song at another Robert Burns celebration, this one held at the local Y.M.C.A.
Beginning February 6th, and continuing for three days, the Rialto in Butte added a special stage attraction. Among the various performers was Kendall, who appeared twice during the bill, each time singing a song, the first of which was a Scotch number.
On February 26th, a benefit entertainment was given at the K of P Hall in Butte, which included Kendall singing twice on the bill, the second performance being billed as a Scotch song.
On April 8th, the Butte Exchange club met at the New Finlen Hotel. Several performers were on the entertainment bill. The Anaconda Standard reported: "George and Kendall McComas, a pair of clever young singers, were forced to respond to a number of encores."
In late April, a "Scholarship tea" was arranged by the women's club of Whitehall, MT. Among the entertainment was "dancing and singing by Wayne and Kendall McComas."
Midway through this year, Kendall's family relocated to southern California, where he broke into the movie business. He soon became a recurring player in the Mickey McGuire series.

Mickey's Eleven (small part: one of Mickey's gang): Nov. 7, 1927 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Nov. 7, 1927.

1928

On January 18th of this year, an evening's entertainment was put on at the National Soldiers' Home in Sawtelle. Featured was Aunt Dolly and her Times Junior Club, which consisted of 17 different child acts. Among these was a "character song" by Kendall McComas.

Mickey In School (small part: one of Mickey's gang): Feb. 6, 1928 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Jan. 30, 1928.
Mickey's Wild West (small part: one of Mickey's gang): May 7, 1928 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©May 7, 1928.
Home Meal (small part: one of the children): June 11, 1928 - Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Al Cooke series
Mickey's Movies (small part: one of Mickey's gang): Sep. 2, 1928 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Sep. 2, 1928.
Mickey's Rivals (small part: one of Mickey's gang): Sep. 30, 1928 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Sep. 30, 1928.
Mickey The Detective (supporting role: one of Mickey's gang): Oct. 28, 1928 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Oct. 28, 1928.
Mickey's Athletes (supporting role: one of Mickey's gang): Nov. 25, 1928 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Nov. 25, 1928.

1929

On June 23rd of this year, circus clown Harry Lipman entertained children at the Orthopedic Hospital School in Los Angeles. He was assisted by numerous stage and screen children, including Kendall McComas.
Kendall's involvement in the Mickey McGuire series seems to have ended by the end of this year, after which he mainly took small parts in feature films.

Mickey's Great Idea (small part: one of Mickey's gang): Jan. 30, 1929 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/FBO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Jan. 14, 1929.
Papa Spank (undetermined role): Feb. 2, 1929 - Christie/Paramount - 2 reels - Christie Comedy with Jack Duffy; ©Feb. 1, 1929.
Watch My Smoke (undetermined role): Apr. 7, 1929 - Van Beuren/Pathé - 2 reels - Smitty series; ©Mar. 25, 1929.
Mickey's Northwest Mounted (small part: rodeo ringmaster): June 9, 1929 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/RKO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©June 9, 1929.
Mickey's Midnite Follies (role: Stinky Davis): Aug. 18, 1929 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/RKO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Aug. 18, 1929.
The Mysterious Island (role: sea creature): prem. Sep. 14, 1929 - MGM - 10 reels - Technicolor - Lionel Barrymore feature; Released Oct. 5, 1929. ©Oct. 28, 1929. Filmed in 2-strip Technicolor. Kendall was among numerous little people who portrayed various undersea creatures in this film.
Mickey's Surprise (supporting role: Stinky Davis): Sep. 15, 1929 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/RKO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Sep. 15, 1929.
Mickey's Mix-Up (supporting role: Stinky Davis): Oct. 13, 1929 - Darmour/Standard Photoplay/RKO - 2 reels - Mickey McGuire series; ©Oct. 13, 1929, as Mickey's Mixup.

1930

Baby Follies (performer): Apr. 12, 1930 - MGM - 2 reels - Technicolor - MGM Colortone series; Credited as Kendall Comas. He sang a Scotch song in this film. Filmed in 2-strip Technicolor.
Night Work (bit part: orphan): Aug. 3, 1930 - Pathé - 9 reels - Eddie Quillan feature; ©June 6, 1930.

1931

On May 26th, Kendall attended the premiere of "Daddy Long Legs" at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
On September 20th, Kendall was signed to a longterm contract with Hal Roach Studios, starting at $75 a week.
On September 30th, Louella Parsons wrote the following in her syndicated column: "Jackie Cooper paved the way for all other precocious youngsters. Hal Roach originally discovered Jackie. Mr. Roach yesterday signed up another juvenile wonder. His name is Kendall McComas and he is 8 years old. He hails from Butte, Mont., and although he had made 54 pictures, he will get his special training in 'Our Gang' comedies, admittedly the best school for child actors. Young Kendall loses his stylish name and in the gang becomes 'Breezy,' a more appropriate name for a mischievous boy. Perhaps you remember Kendall. He played the naughty boy in 'Daddy Long Legs' and did a very good job of it. Mr. Roach would have us know 'Breezy' has other talents. He does Scotch imitations and sings so well he has appeared in a Fanchon and Marco prologue and also with Abe Lyman's band."
On October 4th, The Baltimore Sun reported: "Kendall McComas, who played the tough kid in "Merely Mary Ann," which costarred Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, has just been given a contract to appear in Our Gang Comedies by Hal Roach, due to his work in that picture. McComas is 14 years old and attends high school, but for several years he has been playing 6-year-old characters in pictures." Well, there you have it: an example of entertainment journalism from Hollywood's Golden Age that's actually accurate.
On October 16th, Kendall's contract was approved in superior court. The Los Angeles Times reported this and correctly revealed his age as 14. A 1935 press release from the Roach studio came close to the truth when it stated that Kendall was 12 when he joined the Gang.
On October 26th, The Meriden Daily Journal (CT) reported the following: "It begins to look as though 'Our Gang' is getting hard-boiled. The latest recruit to the gang, who makes his appearance in 'Readin' and Writin',' is Kendall McComas. Perhaps you remember Kendall as the young orphan in 'Daddy Long Legs' who could put so much feeling behind his favorite expression, 'Aw, nuts!' He'll be known as 'Breezy' in the gang."
Reportedly, Kendall had made 54 films before joining Our Gang, so this filmography is almost certainly incomplete.
Usually, Kendall's nickname was reported to be "Breezy," but the Motion Picture Herald of November 7th reported that he would be known as "Breezy" Brisbane.

Daddy Long Legs (small part: Freddie Perkins): June 5, 1931 - Fox - 9 reels - Janet Gaynor feature; ©May 21, 1931.
Merely Mary Ann (role: tough kid): Sep. 6, 1931 - Fox - 7 reels - Janet Gaynor & Charles Farrell feature; ©July 29, 1931.
The Spider (small part: "The Kid"): prem. Sep. 23, 1931 - Fox - 7 reels - Edmund Lowe & Lois Moran feature; ©Aug. 8, 1931. Released Sep. 27, 1931.
Arrowsmith (small part: Johnny): prem. Dec. 7, 1931 - Goldwyn/UA - 11 reels - Ronald Colman feature; Filmed during the summer of 1931. Released Dec. 26, 1931. ©Jan. 16, 1932.

1932

On January 25th of this year, Kendall was signed to a new contract, effective from this date until Sep. 20, 1936.
On February 13th, the Los Angeles Record reported the following: "Remember when you used to have your teeth pulled by tieing a string to the tooth and the other end to a door? So does little Kendall McComas, eight-year-old juvenile actor who is seen in 'Arrowsmith' at the United Artists theater. It happened during the making of 'Arrowsmith,' Sinclair Lewis' prize winning story in which Ronald Colman is starred with Helen Hayes and Richard Bennett. Colman, in the early sequences is seen as a struggling young medical man in a small town in Dakota. His duties as the sole physician in the county include treating everything from diptheria to cattle diseases, with a bit of dentistry thrown in for good measure. One morning a group of small boys come to the doctor's home and announce that Johnny, played by young Mr. McComas, has a tooth which needs pulling. Colman ties one end of a string about Kendall's tooth, seats the boy in a rocking-chair. Then, turning suddenly, with a piece of burning paper in his hand, Colman makes the boy dodge backwards and the tooth is automatically extracted. Aftermath... Kendall had a false tooth placed over his two good front teeth, both of which were his permanent teeth. In the action of the scene the false tooth stuck to the real ones, breaking them off. Now Kendall boasts of having two real false teeth. Incidentally, upon completion of his role in 'Arrowsmith,' Kendall, false teeth and all, was signed by Hal Roach for Our Gang comedies, in which he is still playing."
On May 26th, Kendall's status as a longterm player ended, and he became a day player at the studio.
On August 4th, Kendall worked with the Our Gang unit for the last time.
During August, Our Gang had an endorsement deal with J.C. Penney's Back To School promotion. Newspapers carried information about each Our Gang kid, with this to say about Kendall: "Breezy (Kendall) McComas is 9 years old; born in Holton, Kansas; grew up at Butte Montana - a typical American boy with light brown hair, grey eyes and freckles. He has his own amusing brand of slang expressions, 'aw nerts' being his favorite and the one he has made most popular in his pictures. He enjoys outdoor games but is also very studious, and plans to attend college. He is of a rather shy, retiring nature. He started his public career at Butte in a singing act as 'Baby John McCormack' at the age of 3."
On August 18th, The Elk City Daily News (OK) reported the following: "There is 'Breezy,' known by his family as Kendall McComas...He is planning on going to a university. Although he is a lover of outdoor games he is very studious and when he wrinkles a nose over a difficult arithmetic problem there are an even 'millyun' freckles set in motion."

111. Readin' And Writin' (lead role: Brisbane aka Breezy): Jan. 2, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-4 - Our Gang series; Also listed for Feb. 2, 1932. Filmed Sep. 30 to Oct. 10, 1931. ©Dec. 17, 1931.
112. Free Eats (supporting role: Brisbane): Feb. 13, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-5 - Our Gang series; Also listed for Feb. 18, 1932. Filmed Nov. 6 to 19, 1931. ©Feb. 11, 1932.
113. Spanky (featured role: Brisbane): Mar. 26, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-6 - Our Gang series; Filmed Dec. 14 to 22, 1931. ©Mar. 29, 1932.
114. Choo-Choo! (supporting role): May 7, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-7 - Our Gang series; Filmed Jan. 25 to Feb. 4, 1932. ©May 2, 1932.
115. The Pooch (supporting role: Breezy): June 11, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-8 - Our Gang series; Also listed for June 4, 1932. Filmed Mar. 9 to 17, 1932. ©June 13, 1932.
116. Hook And Ladder (supporting role: Breezy): Aug. 27, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-9 - Our Gang series; Filmed May 18 to 28, 1932. ©Sep. 14, 1932.
118. Birthday Blues (small part): Oct. 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-11 - Our Gang series; Listed for both Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, 1932. Filmed July 30 to Aug. 4, 1932. ©Oct. 24, 1932. Earilest verified screening took place on Oct. 14, 1932.
Air Mail (small part: boy): Nov. 3, 1932 - Universal - 9 reels - Ralph Bellamy feature; ©Oct. 27, 1932.
117. Free Wheeling (small part): Nov. 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-10 - Our Gang series; Listed for both Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, 1932. Filmed July 19 to 27, 1932, with retakes Sep. 3, 1932. ©Nov. 7, 1932. Earliest verified screening took place on Nov. 12, 1932.

1933

Doctor Bull (bit part: schoolboy): prem. Sep. 1, 1933 - Fox - 8 reels - Will Rogers feature; ©Aug. 31, 1933, as Dr. Bull. Released Sep. 22, 1933.
Man's Castle (bit part: Slades): prem. Nov. 17, 1933 - Columbia - 8 reels - Spencer Tracy & Loretta Young feature; ©Nov. 18, 1933. Released Nov. 20, 1933.

1934

You Can't Buy Everything (role: freckled boy): Jan. 26, 1934 - Cosmopolitan/MGM - 8 reels - May Robson feature; ©Jan. 25, 1934.
Chained (role: boy fishing): Aug. 31, 1934 - MGM - 8 reels - Joan Crawford & Clark Gable feature; ©Sep. 1, 1934.
I'll Fix It (bit role: boy): Nov. 10, 1934 - Columbia - 7 reels - Jack Holt feature; ©Sep. 28, 1934.

After this, Kendall seems to have vanished out of the entertainment world. He eventually worked at the U.S. Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, CA, as an electrical engineer. He then became an institutional mortgage-backed bond salesman under the name of John Mandy. He was married and divorced, and wound up committing suicide after an apparent forced retirement.

1977

During this year, two pilots were made for "The Little Rascals," aka "Norman Lear's New Little Rascals." They were never picked up. This was a rare occasion when one of these reboots actually had a character named Brisbane, this time played by Christopher Gardner.

1978

Rascal Dazzle (archival): 1978 - King World/Picture Scores - 93 min. - documentary feature; ©1978. Seems to have debuted on TV, followed by a theatrical release in late 1979. Includes footage from "Readin' And Writin'" "Choo-Choo!" and "Free Wheeling."

1984

Our Gang: Inside The Clubhouse (archival): May 8, 1984 - Lang/Camellia City Telecasters - 93 mins. - TV documentary; Includes footage from "Readin' And Writin'," "Free Eats," "Hook And Ladder" and "Free Wheeling."

1994

The Our Gang Story (archival): 1994 - Film Shows/GoodTimes - 120 min. - video documentary; Includes footage from "Hook And Ladder."

2002

Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (appearance): Feb. 5, 2002 - Jones/TCM - 89 min. - TV documentary; Includes footage from "The Pooch."

Kendall McComas's payroll history

The following is a list of Kendall's history at the Roach studio, with the amounts he was making from week to week. The dates given are Saturdays, the last day of each week at the studio. The only exceptions would be Saturdays that were also holidays, in which case the Friday date is used for those weeks.

Sep. 26, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G4 (Readin' And Writin')
Kendall's introduction to the series was as a contract player, but at a reduced rate, since the unit was between films.
Oct. 3, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G4
Oct. 10, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G4
Oct. 17, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G4
Oct. 24, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G5 (Free Eats)
Oct. 31, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G5
Nov. 7, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G5
Nov. 14, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G5
Nov. 21, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G5
Nov. 28, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G5
Dec. 5, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G6 (Spanky)
Dec. 12, 1931 - 25.00 charged to prod. G6
Dec. 19, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G6
Dec. 26, 1931 - 75.00 charged to prod. G6
Jan. 2, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G6
Jan. 9, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G6
Jan. 16, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G7 (Choo-Choo!)
Jan. 23, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G7
Jan. 30, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G7
Feb. 6, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G7
Feb. 13, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G7
Feb. 20, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G7
Feb. 27, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G8 (The Pooch)
Mar. 5, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G8
Mar. 12, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G8
Mar. 19, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G8
Mar. 26, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G8
Apr. 2, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G8
Apr. 9, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G8
Apr. 16, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G9 (Hook And Ladder)
Apr. 23, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G9
Apr. 30, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G9
May 7, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G9
May 14, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G9
May 21, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G9
May 28, 1932 - 58.33 charged to prod. G9
The Our Gang unit worked seven days during this week. At the end of the week, Kendall was given a $41.67 check, which was his last check as a longterm player. He was also given $8.33 checks on both May 27th and 28th, which brought about a total that was equivalent to working an extra day while under his $50 salary.

After this, it would be three weeks before Kendall worked at the studio again.

July 23, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G10 (Free Wheeling)
Kendall was given $10 checks on July 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd.
July 30, 1932 - 40.00 - 30.00 charged to prod. G10, 10.00 charged to prod. G11 (Birthday Blues)
Kendall was given two separate $10 checks on July 26th, implying that he also worked the previous day, then another $10 check on July 27th. All three of these were charged to G10. On July 30th, he was given another $10 check, this one charged to G11.
Aug. 6, 1932 - 50.00 charged to prod. G11
Kendall was given two separate $10 checks on Aug. 1st, implying that he also worked on Sunday, July 31st, and then three more $10 checks on Aug. 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.

Our thanks to the following people for assisting with this page:
Chris Wilson (for spotting Kendall in "Air Mail")