Paul McCullough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul McCullough (27 March 1883 - 25 March 1936) was an American actor who performed in a comedy team with Bobby Clark.
Born in Springfield, Ohio, McCullough met Clark at a local YMCA when they were boys. Their childhood friendship grew into an adult partnership, and the pair appeared in circuses and vaudeville revues before achieving mainstream stardom in the 1922 Irving Berlin Broadway show “Music Box Revue.” Clark and McCullough went to Hollywood in 1928 and starred in 35 short films produced over a seven-year period.
In their act, Clark was the dominant comedian and McCullough was the straight man. In many of their films, McCullough’s input was severely limited to a supporting role as Clark generated the bulk of the humor.[1]
McCullough suffered from severe depression and in 1936 sought treatment at a sanitarium in Medford, Massachusetts. Upon his release in March 1936, he stopped at a barber shop for a shave. After being shaved, he grabbed the barber’s razor and cut his wrists and neck. He died in the hospital two days later.
Upon learning of his partner’s death, Clark publicly stated: "I think it was just something Paul couldn't help. Something that had been with him all the time and he didn't even know it." [2] Clark continued performing as a solo act until his death in 1960.
