The Film Stills

Charles Ashton’s photographic stills come from seven films: Kitty(1929), Sweeney Todd (1928), We Women (1925), A Will and A Way (1922), Head of the Family (1922), Sam’s Boy (1922), and Pillars of Society (1920). There are also several stills which have not been identified or linked to films.  These appear at the end of the book. If the reader recognises the actors or which films these stills belong to, please contact the authors.

You will see from the earlier film stills that Charles was a handsome man.  He was of sturdy build with a strong expressive face, appropriate for character roles.   He did not have the looks of the leading men of the time, like young John Stuart or Rudolph Valentino, but he did start his silent film career with a few leading roles and then settled into supporting roles.  He was credited for most of his supporting roles. One suspects also that he had a sense of humour because of the number of comic roles he played, for instance, PC Evans in The Constable Moves, Robert Letts in Head of the Family, George Smith, cowman, in A Will and A Way (1922).

STILL 1: Film crew for “Head of the Family” (1922). Charles Ashton is on the right.  Leading lady, cynthia murtagh, is seated.

STILL 1: Film cast for Head of the Family (1922), Charles Ashton is on the far right

STILL 2: film cast for pillars of society (1920)

STILL 2: FILM CAST FOR PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1920).

STILL 3: Irene rooke (martha karsten) and charles ashton (dick alward) in pillars of society (1920)

ha Karsten) and Charles Ashton (Dick Alward) in Pillars of Society (1920)

STILL 4: LYDIA HAYWARD (LENA HESSEL) ON LEFT WITH CHARLES ASHTON (DICK ALWARD) IN BACKGROUND.

STILL 4: LYDIA HAYWARD (LENA HESSEL) AND PAMELA NEVILLE (FLORENCE) ON THE LEFT, WITH CHARLES ASHTON (DICK ALWARD) IN BACKGROUND.

STILL 5: pillars of society (1920) with charles ashton (dick hayward, centre) and lydia hayward (lena hessel, right)

STILL 5: PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1920) WITH PAMELA NEVILLE (MRS HALLIGAN), CHARLES ASHTON (DICK ALWARD, CENTRE), LYDIA HAYWARD (LENA HESSEL, RIGHT)

STILL 6: pillars of society (1920) with lydia hayward (lena hessel), charles ashton (dick alward), irene rooke (martha karsten), joanna lockton (dina dorf), lovat chin (olaf), possibly pamela neville (florence) on right.

STILL 6: PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1920)

STILL 7: charles ashton (dick alward) and joanna lockton (dina dorf) in pillars of society (1920)

STILL 7: CHARLES ASHTON (DICK ALWARD) AND JOANNA LOCKTON (DINA DORF) IN PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1920)

STILL 8: Daisy England (Mrs green), cynthia murtagh (betty foster), charles ashton (robert letts) and johnny butt (mr green) in head of the family (1922)

STILL 8: HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1922)

STILL 9: moore marriott (the mate), charles ashton (robert letts), cynthia murtagh (betty foster) and johnny butt (mr green) – far right in the head of the family (1922)

STILL 9: HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1922)

STILL 10: head of the family (1922)

STILL 10: HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1922)

STILL 11: betty foster (Cynthia Murtagh) and robert letts (charles aston) in Head of the family (1922)

STILL 11: BETTY FOSTER (CYNTHIA MURTAGH) AND ROBERT LETTS (CHARLES ASTON) IN HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1922)

STILL 12: head of the family (1922)

STILL 12: HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1922) WITH MOORE MARRIOTT (THE MATE) AND CHARLES ASHTON

STILL 13: head of the family (1922) with johnny butt (Mr green) and charles ashton (robert letts)

STILL 13: HEAD OF THE FAMILY (1922) WITH JOHNNY BUTT (MR GREEN) AND CHARLES ASHTON (ROBERT LETTS)

STILL 14: still from the long lost film “The last king of wales”(1922).  King edward i (reginald fox) shows the indemnity document to llewellyn (charles ashton) with eleanor de montfort (cynthia murtagh) and queen eleanor (malvina longfellow).

STILL 14: STILL FROM THE LONG LOST FILM “THE LAST KING OF WALES”(1922)

STILL 15: BILLY WITH THE CAPTAIN (JOHNNY BUTT) AND SAM BROWN (TOM COVENTRY), CHARLES ASTON (HARRY GREEN) IS ON THE RIGHT.  SAM’S BOY (1922).

STILL 15: BILLY WITH THE CAPTAIN HUNT (JOHNNY BUTT) AND SAM BROWN (TOM COVENTRY). CHARLES ASHTON (HARRY GREEN) IS ON THE RIGHT. SAM’S BOY (1922)

STILL 16: sam’s boy (1922)

STILL 16: SAM’S BOY (1922)

STILL 17: sam’s boy (1922)

STILL 17: SAM’S BOY (1922)

STILL 18: sam’s boy (1922)

STILL 18: SAM’S BOY (1922)

STILL 19: sam’s boy (1922)

STILL 19: SAM’S BOY (1922) WITH TOM COVENTRY (SAM BROWN), CHARLES ASHTON (HARRY GREEN), BOBBIE RUDD (BILLIE, YOUNG BOY), JOHNNY BUTT (CAPTAIN HUNT)

STILL 20: A will and a way (1922) scene with the two sweethearts, flora pottle (cynthia murtagh) and george smith (charles ashton).

STILL 20: A WILL AND A WAY (1922) WITH THE TWO SWEETHEARTS: FLORA POTTLE (CYNTHIA MURTAGH) AND GEORGE SMITH (CHARLES ASHTON)

STILL 21: A will and a way (1922)

STILL 22: a will and a way (1922)

STILL 22: A WILL AND A WAY (1922)

STILL 23: marie ault as mrs white in the monkey’s paw (1923). Image held on the listal.com social networking website.

STILL 24: Pc evans (Charles Ashton) and Bob crummit (johnny butt) in The constable’s move

STILL 25: Johnny butt as Bob crummit and Charles Ashton as PC evans in constable’s move (1923)

STILL 26: billie (Beatrice ford) gambling in We women (1925)

STILL 27: we women (1925) with billie (beatrice ford) and birt simmons (charles ashton)

STILL 28: Chili bouchier as the gypsy sister in maria marten (1928).  taken from missing link (classic horror movies) website

STILL 29: charles ashton (mark ingestre) and sweeney todd (moore marriott)

STILL 30: charles ashton (mark ingestre) and johanna (zoe palmer) Sweeney todd (1928)

STILL 31: Street scene outside Mrs Lovett’s pie shop from Sweeney Todd

STILL 32: johanna (zoe palmer) and mark ingestre (charles ashton) in Sweeney Todd (1928)

STILL 33: the american prisoner (1929) or CLAUDE DUVAL (1924) OR maria marten (1928)??

STILL 34-45 UNIDENTIFIED STILLS  PAGES

STILLS 46- 52 ADDITIONAL FILM STILLS FROM PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1920) – can be seen on the British Film Institute’s website and National Library of Norway’s Ibsen.net website.

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