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Kit Guard
Kit Guard
Kit Guard
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Kit Guard (born Christen Klitgaard May 5, 1894 - July 18, 1961) was a Danish-American actor whose career started in the 1920s.[1]

Key Information

In the sound era, Guard would often be cast in supporting roles as “a small-time hood.”[2]

Biography and career

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Guard left his birthplace of Hals, Denmark, around the turn of the 20th century, one of five brothers to do so. He moved to San Francisco, and in 1913 he became assistant stage manager and actor at the Alcazar Theatre there. He later acted on stage at the Wigwam Theatre in San Francisco. During World War I, he entertained troops overseas in France and England and later served in the Rainbow Division of the U. S. Army.[3][4]

Guard made his sound film debut with The Racketeer (1929), in the role of a small-time criminal, a social type he would often play.[5] He was a prolific performer, appearing in over 400 films. He appeared with Al Cooke as a comic duo in a number of films from 1923 to 1927 and briefly reuniting in 1931 to co-star in the low-budget Defenders of the Law with Mae Busch.[6]

Most of his 30 feature films in which he appeared were decidedly low-budget, poverty row projects, but he had small roles in a number of high-production movies, among these Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1935) as a bus passenger and You Can't Take It With You (1938) as prison inmate, neither role credited. Kit Guard’s final role was in Paramount Picture’s The Joker Is Wild (1957), in which he plays a doorman.[7][8]

Guard died of cancer at the Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on July 18, 1961, aged 67.[3][7]

Selected filmography

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Notes

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References

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Kit Guard

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''Kit Guard'' is a Danish-American character actor known for his prolific career in Hollywood, appearing in over 400 films from the silent era through the 1950s, frequently cast in small supporting roles as criminals, henchmen, or bit parts in low-budget features and serials. Born Christen Klitgaard on May 5, 1894, in Hals, Denmark, he emigrated to the United States and began his entertainment career in San Francisco theater before entering films around 1923. He formed a comic duo with Al Cooke in the 1920s and transitioned to sound films, with occasional uncredited appearances in higher-profile productions such as ''It Happened One Night'' (1934) and ''You Can't Take It With You'' (1938). His film career extended into 1958, with his final appearances including uncredited roles in ''The Joker Is Wild'' (1957) and ''Revolt in the Big House'' (1958), and he passed away on July 18, 1961, in Woodland Hills, California. Guard's extensive filmography reflects the working life of many character actors in Hollywood's golden age, contributing to countless Poverty Row and studio pictures without achieving starring status.

Early life

Birth and family background

Christen Klitgaard, later known professionally as Kit Guard, was born on May 5, 1894, in Hals, Denmark. He was one of five brothers born to farmers Jens Klitgaard and Thyra Klitgaard, all of whom emigrated from Denmark around the turn of the 20th century. The brothers settled in the San Francisco area.

Emigration and settlement in San Francisco

The Klitgaard family emigrated from Denmark to Manitoba, Canada, in 1901. They later moved to the United States, settling in San Francisco, California, in 1902. This move marked the beginning of Kit Guard's life in the United States following his birth in Denmark.

Early theatrical work

Kit Guard's early theatrical work took place in San Francisco following his settlement in the city after emigrating from Canada. In 1913, he broke into the theatrical world as an actor and assistant stage manager at the old Alcazar Theatre. He later performed as an actor in stage productions at the Wigwam Theatre in San Francisco. These pre-Hollywood stage roles represented his initial professional experience in the performing arts.

World War I service

Military service

During World War I, Kit Guard served in the United States Army. He was inducted on September 29, 1917, in New York City. He had prior service as a bugler in the Coast Artillery of the California National Guard for three years. He served overseas from March 29, 1918, to May 1, 1919, in military police units: 1st Company 302 MP until January 2, 1918, and then 77 Company MP until discharge. He was promoted to bugler on July 1, 1918, and to Private First Class on November 1, 1918. He was honorably discharged on May 9, 1919. His grave marker notes "PFC 77 Military Police Co, World War I." Some sources, including his New York Times obituary, state that he served with the 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division and that he entertained troops overseas during the war. His obituary indicates he served overseas first as an entertainer and later with the Army's Rainbow Division, though detailed military records emphasize his role as a bugler in a military police unit.

Film career

Entry into silent films

Kit Guard transitioned from his early theatrical work in San Francisco to the motion picture industry in 1923, marking his entry into silent films. His screen career began that year with appearances in silent productions, following his World War I service and prior stage experience. He became active in the silent era from 1923 onward, contributing to short films and other productions during the early 1920s as Hollywood's film industry expanded. This initial phase established him as a working actor in silent cinema before his later collaborations and sound-era roles.

Comic duo with Al Cooke

Kit Guard formed a notable comic duo with Al Cooke during the silent film era, starring together in comedy shorts and features beginning in 1927. They became a popular onscreen comedy team, with Guard often cast alongside Cooke in slapstick roles that capitalized on their contrasting physical styles and timing. Their partnership included several two-reel comedies and reached a high point with the feature-length production Legionnaires in Paris (1927), promoted as their first full-length starring vehicle and reviewed as a slapstick comedy depicting the mishaps of two ex-servicemen. The duo briefly reunited in 1931 for the low-budget picture Defenders of the Law, co-starring with Mae Busch in a film that marked one of their last joint appearances.

Sound-era transition and typecasting

Kit Guard transitioned to sound films with his debut in The Racketeer (1929), where he played Gus, a small-time criminal and gang associate. This role marked a shift from his silent-era comic duo work with Al Cooke and foreshadowed the character types that would define his sound-era career. He was typecast in supporting roles as small-time hoods, thugs, and other rough underworld figures, a pattern evident in his frequent portrayals of gangsters and henchmen. These parts suited his physical presence and allowed him to sustain a steady career in low-budget cinema despite limited leading opportunities. Guard remained active into 1958, appearing in more than 400 films overall, with the majority consisting of low-budget productions from Poverty Row studios. His prolific output in these modest films reflected the economic realities of character acting during Hollywood's Golden Age.

Prolific supporting roles in low-budget films

Kit Guard emerged as one of Hollywood's most prolific supporting actors in low-budget films during the sound era, particularly from the 1930s through the 1950s, appearing in hundreds of B-westerns, serials, and Poverty Row productions. These economical films provided steady work for character players like Guard, who transitioned from his earlier comedic leads to reliable bit parts and background roles. He became a familiar face in such productions, typically cast as henchmen, townsmen, barflies, convicts, or other minor figures essential to the action-oriented narratives of low-budget Westerns and chapterplays. His extensive involvement in this niche is reflected in his total of 452 acting credits, with the overwhelming majority consisting of small or uncredited appearances in modest-budget features. Representative examples include his credited role as Henchman Corrick in the 1942 serial The Secret Code, as well as supporting parts in B-Westerns such as The Fighting Champ and El Diablo Rides opposite Bob Steele. Guard also took bit parts in several Three Stooges comedy shorts and uncredited roles in later low-budget Westerns including Badman's Country (1958) as a townsman and The Tin Star (1957) in a similar capacity. This pattern of prolific, understated contributions continued until the late 1950s, underscoring his reliability as a utility player in the lower tiers of Hollywood filmmaking.

Uncredited appearances in major studio productions

Although Kit Guard's career was dominated by roles in low-budget Poverty Row productions, he occasionally secured small, uncredited parts in more prestigious studio films. These appearances represented exceptions to his usual pattern of work in independent and B-movie features. He appeared as a bus passenger in Frank Capra's It Happened One Night (1934), a major Columbia Pictures release that swept the Academy Awards. He later played an inmate wearing a black cap in Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938), another high-profile Columbia production adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Kit Guard's last known screen appearances were uncredited bit roles in 1958, including as a townsman in Badman's Country. One of his notable late roles was as the doorman at the Valencia in Paramount's The Joker Is Wild (1957), a biographical drama starring Frank Sinatra.

Death

Final years and passing

After concluding his film career with his final appearance in 1957, Kit Guard spent his later years in Los Angeles. He died of cancer on July 18, 1961, at the age of 67, at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital (now known as the Motion Picture & Television Fund) in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was specifically stomach cancer, as documented in records from the time. He was buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.
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