Fresh recognition for the Scots star who gave Homer his ‘D’oh’

James Finlayson was a Scot who crossed the pond to star alongside some of the greatest comics during the Golden Age of black-and-white cinema.  

Fames for his drooping moustache – which was actually a prop – Finlayson appeared alongside Laurel and Hardy in 30 films, often as the outwitted straight man whose response to their antics would be to shake his head and utter a long, drawn out sigh of ‘D’ohhhhh’.    

This verbal tick would one day be mimicked by Dan Castellaneta when he came up with Homer’s annoyed gasp, though it was shortened to simply ‘d’oh’.  

However, Finlayson’s connections to his old home are few and far between – something that’s been rectified with a new portrait to hang in the Dobbie Hall, where he first tread the boards.  

Artist Connor Draycott, who is studying Fine Art at The Glasgow School of Art (Image: Dobbie Halls) The new portrait has been created by 20-year-old Scottish oil painter Connor Draycott, who was commissioned to capture Finlayson’s famous moustachioed squint-eyed look by The Dobbie Hall Committee to celebrate the actor’s career and rise to international fame.  

The portrait was officially unveiled at a ceremony at The Dobbie Hall on Sunday 9 March in front of members of Finlayson’s Scottish and American family, some of whom had travelled to Scotland from the US for the occasion, alongside fans of the actor from across the UK.  

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Finlayson was born in Larbert in 1887 and after the death of his parents the former tinsmith moved to New York in 1911, aged 24, to follow his dream of becoming an actor.  

After a move to Hollywood to become a screen actor, Finlayson soon found success alongside legendary due Laurel and Hardy and he became one of their most popular supporting actors, appearing in films including Way Out West in 1937 and 1929’s Big Business.  

In total Finlayson appeared in over 100 films during his career.  

The new portrait (Image: Dobbie Halls) Artist Connor Draycott, who is studying Fine Art at The Glasgow School of Art, said: “It was an honour to be invited to create this portrait of James to celebrate his achievements. 

“James is such a well-known face among fans of black and white movies and I wanted to capture the distinctive look that made him a real superstar of his day.  

“I was commissioned late in 2023 and set about researching James and his films so I could recreate his trademark facial expression as accurately as possible.” 

He added: “There was initially some debate as to whether I should include his moustache in the portrait, as it was actually a false moustache that he wore specially for filming, but we decided that his moustache was such an integral part of his unique look that it should feature in the painting.

“I like the fact that despite his face being so well-known during the 19040s and 50’s he could apparently remove the moustache and walk around Hollywood without being recognised by members of the public.” 

Finlayson’s trademark sigh inspired Homer Simpson’s D’oh (Image: NQ) The portrait now hangs in The Dobbie Hall to commemorate the global success that Finlayson achieved from humble beginnings and acts as an inspiration to all young local theatrical talent and performers, many of who perform in shows at The Dobbie Hall.  

Connor Draycott was a finalist in the Scottish Portrait Awards 2022, the Scottish Fine Art Awards 2023 and winner of The Shining The Light art award in 2022.