Robert J. “Bob” Mauch, a teenage actor in the 1930s who with his brother, William, was known as one of the Mauch Twins, has died. He was 86.
Mr. Mauch, who left acting for a career as a film editor, died Oct. 15 in Santa Rosa, Calif., of complications from a heart condition, said his wife, Georgia.
He was best-known for his role as the prince in “The Prince and the Pauper,” a 1937 film that also featured his identical twin, who played the pauper. Two boys secretly change places in the movie that is based on a novel by Mark Twain.
The Mauch Twins “give credibility on the screen to a Mark Twain story that hinges entirely on the physical resemblance of the two young boys,” according to a 1937 review.
Mr. Mauch and his brother appeared together in several more films, including “Penrod and His Twin Brother” and “Penrod’s Double Trouble,” before Robert gave up acting in the late 1930s.
“The Mauch Twins had a flurry of popularity,” movie historian Leonard Maltin said Tuesday. “Their star shone bright for a short time, but they were well-known.”
As a film editor, Mr. Mauch worked for some years on “Dragnet,” the 1950s police TV drama that starred Jack Webb.
“Bob was always interested in the technical side of moviemaking,” veteran Paramount producer A.C. Lyles recalled.
Born in Peoria, Ill., the Mauch brothers worked in radio as children before moving to Los Angeles with their mother in the 1930s to pursue movie careers.
Mr. Mauch served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. He and his brother appeared in “Winged Victory,” a Broadway show that opened in 1943 that was intended as a morale booster during the war.
While Mr. Mauch began working as an editor, his brother continued acting until the early 1950s and then worked as a sound editor. He died in 2006.
