Lige Conley (born Elijah Crommie; December 5, 1897 – December 11, 1937) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 140 films between 1915 and 1938.
As Lige Crommie, the curly-haired young comedian joined the stock company of the Mack Sennett studio in 1915. In 1917 he moved to the up-and-coming Hal Roach studio, then producing one-reel comedies with Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, and Snub Pollard. The Roach comedies credited the actor as "Lige Cromley," but since Lloyd and company dominated their pictures, which were limited to single reels, there was little chance for Lige to distinguish himself. He returned to Sennett as a stock player, again as Lige Crommie. When Sennett director Fred Fishback left Sennett for his own unit at Universal Pictures. Lige soon joined him there.
The comic finally achieved stardom at Educational Pictures, where he appeared in a long string of brisk, elaborately staged two-reel comedies. Some of these were directed by Fishback, under the pseudonym of Fred Hibbard. Educational took out trade ads in the mid-1920s, hailing Conley as the next Charlie Chaplin. Conley, with his curly hair and coy grin, did indeed bear a resemblance to the out-of-character Chaplin.
Conley's stock-in-trade was the comedy of embarrassment, as his meek screen character earnestly failed at any occupation he tried. Conley's two most famous comedies are both 1924 releases.
Fast and Furious, directed by Norman Taurog, is a fast-moving comedy set in a general store, with Lige doing everything from demonstrating pancake batter to selling shoes. The last half of the film is a spectacular car-motorcycle-and-train chase, some of which was excerpted in the Kevin Brownlow-David Gill silent-film documentary Hollywood (1980).
Conley died in 1937, struck and killed by an automobile soon after playing a small role in the Fred Allen comedy Sally, Irene and Mary.
Actor
1938
Sally, Irene and Mary as
Comic Routine with Fred Allen (uncredited)
1933
Too Many Highballs (Short) as
Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
1930
Honk Your Horn (Short) as
Life - Garage Proprietor
1930
Good Morning Sheriff (Short) as
Short Cowboy (uncredited)
1930
Trouble for Two (Short)
1929
A Horse on Barney (Short)
1928
Una nueva y gloriosa nación as
Gómez
1928
Love at First Flight (Short) as
Andy McCannick
1927
Slippery Silks (Short)
1926
The Battling Kangaroo (Short) as
Pete Brush
1926
King of the Kitchen (Short) as
The Ship's Chef
1926
The Steeplechaser (Short)
1926
Kiss Papa (Short) as
The Husband
1926
Who's My Wife? (Short) as
The New Husband
1926
Going Crazy (Short) as
Lige
1926
Matrimony Blues (Short)
1926
The Tin Ghost (Short)
1926
Light Housekeeping (Short) as
The Lighthouse Keeper
1926
Lickety Split (Short)
1926
A Punch in the Nose (Short)
1925
Cheap Skates (Short) as
Johnnie Jones
1925
On Edge (Short) as
Egbert Eggleston
1925
Pleasure Bound (Short) as
Stanley Strong
1925
Beware (Short) as
The Dixie Composer
1925
Below Zero (Short) as
The Mountie
1925
Rough and Ready (Short)
1925
Hello Goodbye (Short) as
The Customs Inspector / The Alpine Prince (dual role)
1925
Hello, Hollywood (Short)
1924
What a Night! (Short)
1924
Fast and Furious (Short) as
The Demonstrator
1924
Wedding Showers (Short) as
The Bridegroom
1924
Air Pockets (Short) as
Octavius Jones - the Inventor
1924
There He Goes (Short) as
The Sulky Driver
1924
Midnight Blues (Short)
1924
Wide Open (Short) as
Mr. Hazard
1924
Neck and Neck (Short) as
The Country Hick
1923
Running Wild (Short) as
Hector
1923
The High Life (Short) as
Gasoline Gun
1923
Three Strikes (Short) as
Caesar
1923
This Way Out (Short) as
The Boy
1923
Kick Out (Short) as
The Scenario Writer
1923
Hold Tight (Short) as
Nose and Throat
1923
Casey Jones, Jr. (Short) as
Casey Jones Jr.
1922
The Steeplechaser (Short)
1922
Look Out Below! (Short)
1922
Treasure Bound (Short)
1922
Home Made Movies (Short) as
Secondary Role (unconfirmed, uncredited)
1922
A Treacherous Rival (Short) as
The Smuggler Chief
1922
Step This Way (Short)
1921
Free and Easy (Short)
1921
For Land's Sake (Short)
1921
The Vagrant (Short) as
Man at dock / Man on street (uncredited)
1921
The Whizbang (Short) as
The Inventor
1921
She Sighed by the Seaside (Short) as
The Boob Fisherman (as Lige Crommie)
1921
Astray from the Steerage (Short) as
The Rich Husband (as Lige Crommie)
1921
Sweetheart Days (Short) as
The Schoolgirl's Father (as Lige Crommie)
1921
Made in the Kitchen (Short) as
1st Drinker (as Lige Crommie)
1921
Wedding Bells Out of Tune (Short) as
The Contented Husband (as Lige Crommie)
1921
The Unhappy Finish (Short) as
Scenario Writer (as Lige Crommie)
1921
A Small Town Idol as
Minister (as Lige Crommie)
1921
Dabbling in Art (Short) as
Bum in Theatre (uncredited)
1920
Love, Honor and Behave! as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1920
Movie Fans (Short) as
2nd Tourist Husband (as Lige Crommie)
1920
My Goodness (Short) as
The Jealous Neighbor Husband (as Lige Crommie)
1920
Don't Weaken! (Short) as
Reilly's Poker Pal (uncredited)
1920
Great Scott! (Short)(as Lige Crommie)
1920
The Quack Doctor (Short) as
Audience Spectator (uncredited)
1920
A Fresh Start (Short)
1919
His Only Father (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Pay Your Dues (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Count the Votes (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Soft Money (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
He Leads, Others Follow (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Be My Wife (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Don't Shove (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Heap Big Chief (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Chop Suey & Co. (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Count Your Change (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Never Touched Me (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Spring Fever (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Why Beaches Are Popular (Short) as
Lige Crommie (as Lige Crommie)
1919
A Sammy in Siberia (Short)(uncredited)
1919
Toto's Troubles (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1919
Love's Young Scream (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Check Your Baggage (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
An Enemy of Soap (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Swing Your Partners (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Bees in His Bonnet (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Nipped in the Bud (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Do Husbands Deceive? (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
That's Him (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Kicking the Germ Out of Germany (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Are Crooks Dishonest? (Short)
1918
Cleopatsy (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Somewhere in Turkey (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Sic 'Em, Towser (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
The City Slicker (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Fireman Save My Child (Short) as
Fireman (as Lige Cromley)
1918
Kicked Out (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Hey There (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
It's a Wild Life (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Pipe the Whiskers (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
On the Jump (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Let's Go (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Fare, Please (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Here Come the Girls (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Look Pleasant, Please (Short)(uncredited)
1918
A Gasoline Wedding (Short)(uncredited)
1918
A One Night Stand (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Beat It (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1918
Hit Him Again (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1917
Step Lively (Short)(as Lige Cromley)
1917
The Big Idea (Short)(uncredited)
1917
The Late Lamented (Short) as
Boarder (as Lige Crommie, unconfirmed)
1917
His Precious Life (Short) as
The Telegram Boy (as Lige Crommie)
1917
Thirst (Short) as
Employment Agency Representative (uncredited)
1917
His Naughty Thought (Short) as
Cross-Eyed Drunk (as Lige Crommie)
1917
Her Circus Knight (Short) as
The Small Animal Trainer (as Lige Crommie)
1916
Dollars and Sense (Short) as
Algy's Valet (as Lige Crommie)
1916
His Last Laugh (Short) as
The Crook's Accomplice (as Lige Crommie)
1915
A Janitor's Wife's Temptation (Short) as
2nd Cafe Shooter (as Lige Crommie)
1915
A Hash House Fraud (Short)(as Lige Crommie, unconfirmed)
Writer
1938
Sally, Irene and Mary (additional gags)
1937
She Had to Eat (gags and dialogue - uncredited)
1937
Born Reckless (contributing writer - uncredited)
1927
Smith's Cousin (Short) (scenario)
1927
Smith's Cook (Short) (scenario)
1927
Sailors, Beware! (Short) (uncredited)
1927
Catalina, Here I Come (Short)
Director
1927
Love's Languid Lure (Short)
