Adamson did not merely direct and produce his ultra-cheap westerns; in the early period he also tried to appear in them as the cowboy hero Art Mix. According to filmmaker Richard L. Bare, who had invested in one of Adamson’s productions, the plan became embarrassing because Adamson was struggling with a new set of dentures. While the camera was running, the teeth could click, shift, and move visibly in his mouth. In productions made on budgets so small that scenes were often shot only once, there was little opportunity for retakes or careful concealment. Adamson eventually abandoned his starring role and hired George Kesterson to play Art Mix instead; Kesterson continued using that professional name for the rest of his career. The strange substitution illustrates how poverty-row filmmaking could turn even a performer’s dental problem into a permanent change of screen identity.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1920s
The Clicking Dentures That Ended Adamson’s Career as His Own Cowboy Star
Victor Adamson / 1920s
Adamson did not merely direct and produce his ultra-cheap westerns; in the early period he also tried to appear in them as the cowboy hero Art Mix. According to filmmaker Richard L. Bare, who had invested in one of Adamson’s productions, the plan became embarrassing because Adamson was struggling with a new set of dentures. While the camera was running, the teeth could click, shift, and move visibly in his mouth. In productions made on budgets so small that scenes were often shot only once, there was little opportunity for retakes or careful concealment. Adamson eventually abandoned his starring role and hired George Kesterson to play Art Mix instead; Kesterson continued using that professional name for the rest of his career. The strange substitution illustrates how poverty-row filmmaking could turn even a performer’s dental problem into a permanent change of screen identity.
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