
Clifton Young

Robert Howard Young (September 15, 1917 – September 10, 1951) professionally known as Clifton Young, was an American film actor.
Early years.
Young was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Young. His father started him in vaudeville when he was 5 years old. When he was 7, he began acting in "Our Gang" comedies.
Career.
Young played "Bonedust" in nineteen "Our Gang" films from 1925 to 1931, his most notable film being "School's Out". As an adult, to avoid confusion with established star Robert Young, he took his mother's maiden name, Clifton (Eva Clifton) as his screen name.
Young became a contract player at Warner Bros., landing small parts in a number of 1940s film noir and western films. Notable credits include "Nora Prentiss", "Pursued", "Possessed", "Dark Passage", and "Blood on the Moon".
While at Warners, Young was featured prominently in the Joe McDoakes comedy shorts. He played a variety of roles: a craven mobster in "So You Want to Be a Detective", a department-store clerk in "So You're Going on Vacation", and memorably as "Homer," Joe's brash, know-it-all office colleague in several McDoakes reels.
One of Young's last films was the Roy Rogers western "Trail of Robin Hood", in which he played a sneering villain.
Death.
Young died on September 10, 1951, in a hotel fire that started when he fell asleep while smoking.