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Andy Devine

For the English actor, see Andy Devine (English actor).

Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977)[1] was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in films such as Stagecoach (1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won (both 1962). He is also remembered as Jingles on the TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958, as Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1937), and as the voice of Friar Tuck in the Disney Animation Studio film Robin Hood (1973).

Andy Devine
Devine in 1934
Born
Andrew Vabre Devine

(1905-10-07)October 7, 1905
Flagstaff, Territory of Arizona, U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 1977(1977-02-18) (aged 71)
Orange, California, U.S.
Resting placePacific View Memorial Park, Newport Beach, California
33°36′34″N 117°51′12″W / 33.60953°N 117.85336°W / 33.60953; -117.85336
Other namesJeremiah Schwartz
EducationSaint Mary's College of California
Northern Arizona University
Santa Clara University
OccupationActor
Years active1932–1977
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Dorothy House
​
(m. 1933)​
Children2
FamilyJames H. Ward (great-grandfather)

Early life

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Devine attended St. Mary’s and St. Benedict's College, Northern Arizona State Teacher's College, and was a football player at Santa Clara University.[2][3] He also played semiprofessional football[3] under the pseudonym Jeremiah Schwartz. His football experience led to his first sizable film role in The Spirit of Notre Dame in 1931.[3]

Career

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Devine in the film A Star Is Born (1937)

Devine had an ambition to act, so after college, he went to Hollywood, where he worked as a lifeguard at Venice Beach.[3][4]

His peculiar wheezy voice was first thought likely to prevent him from moving to the talkies, but instead, it became his trademark. Devine claimed that his distinctive voice resulted from a childhood accident in which he fell while running with a curtain rod in his mouth at the Beale Hotel in Kingman, causing the rod to pierce the roof of his mouth. When he was able to speak again, he had a labored, scratchy, duo-tone voice. A biographer, however, indicated that this was one of several stories Devine fabricated about his voice.[5] His son Tad related in an interview for Encore Westerns Channel (Jim Beaver, reporting from the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival) that there indeed had been an accident, but he was uncertain if it caused his father's unusual voice. When asked if he had strange nodes on his vocal cords, Devine replied, "I've got the same nodes as Bing Crosby, but his are in tune."[citation needed]

 
Devine with Rosemary Clooney, 1958

Devine appeared in more than 400 films and shared with Walter Brennan, another character actor, the rare ability to move with ease from B-movie Westerns to mainstream feature films. His notable roles included Cookie, Roy Rogers's sidekick, in 10 films; a role in Romeo and Juliet (1936),[6] and Danny in A Star Is Born (1937). He appeared in several films with John Wayne, including Stagecoach (1939), Island in the Sky (1953), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

He was a long-time contract player with Universal, which in 1939 paired him with Richard Arlen for a series of fast-paced B-pictures (usually loaded with stock footage) that mixed action and comedy; they made 14 over a two-year period. When Arlen left in 1941, the series continued for another two years, teaming Devine with various actors, often Leo Carrillo.

Most of Devine's characters were reluctant to get involved in the action, but he played the hero in Island in the Sky (1953), as an expert pilot who leads other aviators on an arduous search for a missing airplane. Devine was generally known for his comic roles, but Jack Webb cast him as a police detective in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), for which Devine lowered his voice and was more serious than usual.

His film appearances in his later years included roles in Zebra in the Kitchen (1965),[7] The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969), and Myra Breckinridge (1970).

 
Devine and George Bancroft in Stagecoach (1939)
 
Roy Rogers, Jane Frazee and Devine in Under California Stars (1948)
 
Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
 
Devine's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 6366 Hollywood Boulevard

Devine worked extensively in radio, and is well remembered for his role as Jingles, Guy Madison's sidekick in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, which the two actors reprised on television. Devine appeared over 75 times on Jack Benny's radio show between 1936 and 1942, often in Benny's semiregular series of Western sketches, "Buck Benny Rides Again". Benny frequently referred to him as "the mayor of Van Nuys". In fact, Devine served as honorary mayor of that city, where he lived, preferring to be away from the bustle of Hollywood, from May 18, 1938, to 1957, when he moved to Newport Beach.[8][9]

Devine also worked in television. He hosted Andy's Gang, a children's TV show,[9] on NBC from 1955 to 1960. During this time, he also made multiple appearances on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. In addition, he was a guest star on many television shows in the 1950s and 1960s, including an episode of The Twilight Zone titled "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby", playing the part of Frisby, a teller of tall tales who impresses a group of gullible alien kidnappers. He played Hap Gorman, a character likewise given to tall tales, in five episodes of the NBC TV series Flipper, during its 1964 season. He played the role of Jake Sloan in the 1961 episode "Big Jake" of the acclaimed anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show, also on NBC. He also played Honest John Denton in the episode "A Horse of a Different Cutter" of the short-lived series The Rounders.

He made a cameo appearance as Santa Claus in an episode of the 1960s live-action Batman TV series on ABC. The episode, entitled "The Duo Is Slumming", was originally broadcast on December 22, 1966. In this role, he directly addressed the viewers, wishing them a merry Christmas.

Devine made his stage debut in 1957 with his portrayal of Cap'n Andy in Guy Lombardo's production of Show Boat at the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York.[9] In 1973, he went to Monroe, Louisiana, at the request of George C. Brian, an actor and filmmaker who headed the theater department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, to perform in Show Boat.

He also performed voice parts in animated films, including Friar Tuck in Walt Disney's Robin Hood. He provided the voice of Cornelius the Rooster in several TV commercials for Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Devine was a pilot and owned Provo Devine, a flying school that trained flyers for the government during World War II.

Political views

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Devine was a Republican.[10] Devine supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.[11]

Death

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Devine died of leukemia at age 71 in Irvine, California, on February 18, 1977.[12]

Filmography

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Television

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Andy Devine, Western Character, Dead at 71. Fairbanks Daily News Miner, February 19, 1977. p. A6.
  2. ^ Corneau, Ernest N. (1969). The Hall of Fame of Western Film Stars. Christopher Publishing House. p. 234. ISBN 978-0815801245.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Spirit of Culver". Culver-Union Township Public Library. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  4. ^ Lane, Frances. "Prairie Tales". Screen Stars, April 1946, p. 72. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "Froggy the Gremlin". Froggy the Gremlin. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  6. ^ Stanley, John (January 28, 2014). "Arizona Explained: Andy Devine, professional sidekick". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Andy Devine Named 'Mayor'." Los Angeles Times, May 10, 1938.
  9. ^ a b c Collura, Joe. "Big Man, Bigger Talent" Archived January 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Classic Images, June 25, 2009.
  10. ^ Kritchlow, Donald T. (October 21, 2013). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521199186. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Critchlow, Donald T. (October 21, 2013). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107650282.
  12. ^ Weil, Martin (February 20, 1977). "Andy Devine Dies, TV, Film Comic". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

Further reading

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