and MGM was worried that actors with thick foreign accents would not be ideal for sound films. In his memoirs, George K. Arthur claimed that after MGM tested the duo for sound films, they felt his British accent was "more desirable" and thought Dane's thick Danish accent made his English difficult for audiences to understand. As a result, MGM discontinued the Dane & Arthur series after China Bound (1929) and began offering Dane fewer roles. Dane & Arthur's only talking MGM credit was a brief guest appearance in the all-star musical comedy The Hollywood Revue of 1929, and their skit was staged with very little dialogue. In 1930, Dane had a supporting role in Montana Moon, a musical Western starring Joan Crawford and Johnny Mack Brown. He followed with another supporting role (in which he had no dialogue) in the prison drama The Big House, starring Robert Montgomery, Wallace Beery and Chester Morris. Later that year MGM terminated Dane's contract, citing his Danish accent. In his final interview in September 1933, Dane claimed that MGM wanted to renew his contract but he declined as he had suffered a nervous breakdown. Dane admitted that he had found it difficult to transition from silent to sound films due to his accent, but also said that he was exhausted from years of constant filming and was grieving the death of his father who died in September 1930. Although the Dane & Arthur series had been terminated by MGM, they did star in 10 sound films, albeit less prestigious short subjects. In 1930, Dane & Arthur were signed by producer Larry Darmour for six short-subject comedies, released through RKO Radio Pictures. In December 1930 Paramount Pictures' theater chain offered Dane & Arthur a 23-week vaudeville tour. In July 1931, Dane & Arthur were signed for four more shorts to be produced at Paramount's New York studio, beginning with The Lease Breakers (released in September 1931). The final film, Summer Daze (1932), ended the series and the Dane-Arthur partnership. In November 1931, Dane and some friends formed a mining corporation called Avelina Mines. The venture failed. By February 1932, Dane had returned to vaudeville, this time as a solo comedian. His act was panned by critics and apparently short-lived. Dane's final film appearance was a bit role as a dispatcher in the 1933 thriller The Whispering Shadow, starring Bela Lugosi. Personal life Dane became an