Herman The Hermit

1884-1964.

Herman settled in Stockton, California and moved in 1922 to Burbank, where, amidst the first movie studios, he and his wife opened the 5 acre Snyder Nursery. With his several hound dogs in tow, he would go hunting in what was then a very rural area. Soon, with his growing contacts and friends in the film biz, he would rent out his hounds as “atmosphere dogs” for movies, often appearing with them as the appropriate background character (One source claims he appeared in 100 films).

His unusual “big break” occurred during the filming of 1930’s “The Big Trail” (which featured John Wayne in his first leading role). After playing “Oh Suzanna” on his banjo for the film crew’s evening campfires during the three month location shoot, he was later asked by director Raoul Walsh to play it on the film score. When a popular KEHE radio show host/singer named Stuart Hamblen went to the movies one day and heard the banjo on the soundtrack, he tracked down and hired Snyder for his radio show band.

Snyder happened to show up in the long hair and full beard that he had been asked to grow for his Big Trail “pioneer extra” role, whereupon Hamblen christened him “Herman the Hermit,” which immediately became his professional stage name for the remainder of his career. I wonder whether he ever longed to return to a short-haired, clean-shaven appearance – he certainly seems to have embraced the “hermit” character, with a joyous inviting smile in every photo he appears in. When Herman later got his bassist son – also named Clifford (G.) Snyder – a spot in Hamblen’s band, Hamblen nicknamed the lad “Cliffie Stonehead,” simply because he wanted to keep his dad’s “hermit” character intact! The younger Cliff would eventually shorten it to become “Cliffie Stone” for the remainder of his life.

Grandfather of Curtis Stone and Steve Stone.