The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 22

Page4B Sunday, July 1,2007 Des Moines Sunday Register FINAL FAMOUS IOWANS Character actor Lynn appeared in 500 movies AROUND IOWA Not rejected Paul Gregory, retired stage and movie producer, rebuts a story found on the Internet that Emmett Lynn lost out on a role in Gregory's acclaimed 1955 movie masterpiece "The Night of the Hunter." NOT CONSIDERED: Gregory says director Charles Laughton did not reject Lynn in favor of veteran character actor James Gleason. "I cast every part in that movie," says Gregory, adding that Lynn was never under consideration for the role of Birdie Steptoe. SPEECH WAS VITAL: Gregory says that Laughton paid particular attention to the way actors spoke and that Lynn was not very articulate, with a "laid-back, sometimes hillbilly quality" that Gleason did not have. WORTHY OF RESPECT: Gregory says that had Lynn ever been under consideration, he would have given him all the time and respect a veteran actor from Iowa deserved. Edwards, who cast the boy in a production of his 1908 Broadway hit "School Days." Edwards discovered Al Jolson, George Jessel and Eddie Cantor, and Lynn performed with them all.

In 1913, teenager Lynn broke into movies still a new industry working at Biograph Studios under the direction of D.W Griffith. Lynn and Jack Pickford brother of Mary were said to be the youngest performers on the movie lot. Lynn entered the Army during World War spending 19 months overseas. Afterward, in 1920, he was back in vaudeville before signing a contract that year with Universal Studios. When his contract ended, he took jobs as a freelance actor, working largely in outdoor films for almost every movie studio.

In 1931, Lynn appeared in the short-lived Broadway show "Gasoline Gypsies." In 1934, he spent 49 weeks on the road with a "personal tour," having started his own stage company. He also had success with radio dramas and serials for four years. But by 1939, Lynn found himself performing at a Los Angeles burlesque house as the lead in "Law West of the Pecos." He was happily surprised when RKO Studios made him a good offer, and Lynn signed a contract in July 1940 to appear in a series of westerns By TOM LONGDEN REGISTER STAFF WRITER Emmett Lynn was good at playing old men. His unusual talent earned him a living in movies for many years. He discovered his niche when he was just 18, performing on stage as an 85-year-old to great success.

Film buffs recognize his grizzled appearance in many movies. He played old-timers of all kinds, old miners and old comic sidekicks, especially in Western movies. His characters were often called "Pops" or "Pappy." When he died and the show business newspaper Variety published his obituary, it said he had performed in more than 500 movies. Lynn was at home in films, vaudeville, burlesque, legitimate theater, radio and television. He was born Feb.

14, 1897, in Muscatine. According to archives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he was the son of a publisher and was "descended from Irish stock." Lynn was the first member of his family to enter show business. At age 9, he emerged as a "singer of illustrated songs" a song plugger in Denver, Colo. He had a good singing voice, and this led him to a kiddie revue sponsored by a local newspaper. Lynn was noticed by respected stage producer Gus may have toured Iowa with a circus, possibly called the Sweet Brothers Circus.

In the 1940s, Lynn played in a series of "Red Ryder" movies. When television came on the scene, he was in such popular series as "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin," "The Gene Autry Show," "The Lone Ranger," in which he performed in nine episodes, and "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok." He even performed once on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Lynn's persona fit well in religious movies, and he was cast in "The Robe" (1955), "A Man Called Peter" (1955) and, his last film role, as a Hebrew slave in the 1956 epic "The Ten Commandments." At 61, on Oct. 20, 1958, Lynn died of a heart attack in with Tim Holt. Today, movie and stage producer Paul Gregory of Palm Springs, who grew up in Des Moines but left in 1939 to pursue a career in show business, recalls meeting Lynn backstage at a Los Angeles burlesque theater in 1942 or 1943, after seeing Lynn's performance there. Gregory said Lynn had a "Popeye-type face" that lended itself to humor.

"He was a sweet old guy. A nice guy," Gregory said. He said that when he met Lynn, the actor was chatting with others about performing at "the Orpheum," and Gregory said, "Do you mean the Orpheum in Des Moines?" Lynn turned to him and said he did indeed. Lynn also told Gregory he had performed in another Des Moines theater "down off Locust Street." Gregory thinks Lynn also PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER EMMETT LYNN Character actor The 5-foot-7-inch actor was sometimes billed as Emmett "Pappy" Lynn. Despite his up-and-down film career, he said of working in movies: "I love it." Before developing a character, he would sketch the character first.

He excelled at playing old rubes, rustics and reprobates. Debt collector in D.M. fired for abusive calls The CBE Group says the former supervisor violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when calling debtors. By CLARK KAUFFMAN REGISTER STAFF WRITER A Des Moines bill collector who insulted and belittled people while demanding payments for their creditors has been fired. Justin Saiz, 29, was a supervisor in the debt collection department of the CBE Group, a company that helps corporate clients, such as credit card companies, collect money from borrowers.

Saiz worked for the company from January 2005 through April of this year when he was fired for violating the federal consumer protection Consumer advice THE LAW: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects consumers from harassment by debt collectors. ITS TERMS: Under the law, a debt collector must send you the following within five days of contacting you: a written notice telling you the amount of money you owe; the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money; and information on how to challenge a debt if you believe you do not owe the money. Debt collectors may not harass or abuse you or use profane language. YOUR RIGHTS: You have the right to sue a debt collector in state or federal court within one year of a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If you win, you may recover money for damages suffered, plus an additional amount up to $1,000.

Court costs and attorney fees also can be recovered. HOW TO ACT: You can report any problems you have with a debt collector to the Federal Trade Commission. To file a complaint, visit www.ttc.gov or call toll-free, (877) FTC-HELP. CBE Group, said the tapes documented several tactics that violated company policy and federal law: Saiz told a man who owed a creditor $1,804, "You are not a wealthy man You are screwed with this $1,804." At one point, Saiz began mocking the man, saying, "You sound like Goofy: yucka, yucka, yucka." Saiz then told the man to "stop flapping your gums." During another call, Saiz told the debtor, "All bets are off. It's our way or no way.

You get it?" Saiz instructed one man to go get a pen and paper to write down some information. The man complied, and Saiz then said: "All right, listen very, very carefully. I need you to pay attention here." Saiz paused, shouted "Get off my phone, debtor," and slammed down the phone. Saiz admitted to the conduct cited by Braddock, but he testified that such behavior had always been tolerated, if 7 Deadly Mistakes That Will Cost You Thousands When You Sell Your Home This Summer law known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. According to testimony at a recent public hearing dealing with Saiz's request for unemployment benefits, his bosses had frequently asked him about his tactics in attempting to collect payments through telephone calls made to people owing money.

After receiving a complaint about one call handled by Saiz, a company official listened to tapes of some of Saiz's other calls. At the recent benefits hearing, Ken Braddock, senior director of operations for PAID ADVERTISEMENT mistakes that cost them literally thousands of dollars. The good news is that each and every one of these mistakes is entirely preventable. In answer to this issue, industry insiders have prepared a free special report entitled "The 9 Step System to Get Your Home Sold Fast and For Top Dollar" To hear a brief recorded message about how to order your free copy of this report, call 1-800-969-8275 and enter ID 1000. You can call anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Call Now to find out how you can get the most money for your home. Tua fwwt aajrtes mnt, Kmh At WW 1w Esafc Gro mtartiealo snow! pnnMs cwws usM tt sac CanrqmXKM Charity golf event honors crash victim When asked about the man he hung up on, Saiz described his actions as a "psychological tactic" intended to show that he was controlling the conversation. Braddock testified that Saiz's actions damaged the company's reputation and that of its clients. Administrative Law Judge Bonny Hendricksmeyer ruled in favor of the CBE Group, saying she disagreed with Saiz's contention that his conduct was normal and appropriate. She denied Saiz's request for unemployment benefits.

"He was demeaning and condescending mocking and ridiculing the individual on the phone with him," Hendricksmeyer ruled. "This is not acceptable conduct." Saiz, who recently obtained an unlisted telephone number, could not be reached for comment. Reporter Clark Kaulfman can be reached at (515) 284-8233 or ckautfmandmreg.com way to honor him. About 1 10 people teed off after 10 a.m. while nearly 50 others placed bids at the silent auction.

Barglof said she hopes the Josh Trainor Christmas for Kids Foundation raised about $18,000 on Saturday. "Today was supposed to be our wedding day," Barglof said outside Toad Hill Golf Course in Pleasant Hill. "It's just a day I want everyone to remember how special Josh was, so we decided to start an organization in his memory." The Josh Trainor Christmas for Kids Memorial Golf Tournament was the first fundrais- i yZ not encouraged, by managers who wanted him to "stir things up." He claimed his "naturally aggressive nature" was responsible for his promotion to a supervisory position with CBE Group, where he handled some of the more difficult accounts. He testified that the company received "countless 20, 50 or 100" complaints that he had harassed, pressured or belittled debtors he had called. Those complaints, he said, resulted in discussions with his superiors but no instructions to modify his behavior.

"I imagine that I received numerous, numerous, numerous complaint entries against me," he testified at the recent hearing. "No action has been taken against me to imply that I'm doing the wrong thing." Saiz said managers were aware of his actions as he often stood up in the call center and spoke loudly to debtors when he was on the phone. Christmastime. Trainor, 23, of Des Moines died in a plane crash on Nov. 13, 2006, while on a business trip with three other employees of Two Rivers Marketing and the pilot.

The other Two Rivers Marketing employees killed in the crash were Tom Dunphy, 41, of Clive, the firm's president; Leslie O'Bannon, 27, of Des Moines, an account executive; and Eric Jacobs, 31, of Ankeny, the company's information technology leader. The pilot was John Mitch Trewet, 45, of Atlantic. Heather Barglof, Trainor's fiancee, said the event was a mpg 20 city26 hwy, 2008 Manner 1-4 FWD. ing event for the foundation, which was incorporated in May, said Cathy Medina, 47, Trainor's former co-worker and Barglof 's friend. She said the foundation is planning to hold a 5K run in the fall.

"This event is important and special," Medina said. "It brought all of their family together and it will benefit others." Barglof said she started planning the golf event and the foundation in March. "This is a way to positively focus my energy because it was negative for so long. I want to give back and help other people," she said. Des A A new report has just been released which reveals 7 costly mistakes that most homeowners make when selling their home, and a 9 step system that can help you sell your home fast and for the most amount of money.

This industry report shows clearly how the traditional ways of selling homes have become increasingly less and less effective in market. The fact of the matter is that fully three quarters of home-sellers don't get what they want for their home and become disillusioned and worse financially disadvantaged when they put their home on the market. As this report uncovers, most homesellers make 7 deadly See must ONDAYS By MEGAN GORDON REGISTER STAFF WRITER A putter was needed in stead of a bouquet of flow ers. Shorts were worn instead of a wedding dress. Gifts were given to families in need instead of the bride and groom.

On Saturday, Trainor there was supposed to be a wedding. But instead, family members and friends remembered Josh Trainor with a golf tournament to raise money in his name to help families at Dealer today "YOU'VE GOTTA PUT MARINER ON YOUR LIST." BUY ANY '08 MARINER ON ANY MONDAY AND GET A GIFT OF MUSIC, MONEY OR MAINTENANCE. Newly Redesigned 2008 Mercury Mariner Standard Safety Canopy system first and second rows Standard six airbags Standard plug-n-play MP3 jack Available as a Hybrid Up to 26 mpg highway your local area Lincoln Mercury orvisitmustdrivemondays.com. "See dealer for complete details. "Always wear your safety belt and secure children in the rear seat.

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