Andy Devine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andy Devine
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Devine in 1934
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| Born |
Andrew Vabre Devine
October 7, 1905 Flagstaff, Territory of Arizona, U.S.
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| Died | February 18, 1977 (aged 71) Orange, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Pacific View Memorial Park, Newport Beach, California |
| Other names | Jeremiah Schwartz |
| Education | Saint Mary's College of California Northern Arizona University Santa Clara University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1977 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Dorothy House
(m. 1933) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | James H. Ward (great-grandfather) |
Andrew Vabre Devine (born October 7, 1905 – died February 18, 1977) was an American actor. He was famous for his very unique, raspy voice. He often played roles in Western movies.
Many people remember him as Cookie, the helper to Roy Rogers in 10 films. He also acted with John Wayne in movies like Stagecoach (1939) and How the West Was Won (1962). On TV, he was known as Jingles in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951-1958). He also voiced Friar Tuck in Disney's animated film Robin Hood (1973).
Early Life
Andy Devine was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, on October 7, 1905. When he was one year old, his family moved to Kingman, Arizona. His dad was Thomas Devine Jr. His mom was Amy Ward.
Andy went to college at St. Mary and St. Benedict's College. He also attended Northern Arizona State Teacher's College and Santa Clara University. He was a football player at Santa Clara. He even played semiprofessional football using the name Jeremiah Schwartz. His football skills helped him get his first big movie role in The Spirit of Notre Dame in 1931.
Acting Career
Andy Devine always wanted to be an actor. After college, he moved to Hollywood. He worked as a lifeguard at Venice Beach. This was close to the movie studios.
In 1933, he met Dorothy House while filming Doctor Bull. They got married on October 28, 1933, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They stayed married until his death in 1977. They had two sons, Timothy Andrew (Tad) and Dennis Patrick Gabriel.
At first, people thought his unusual voice might stop him from acting in "talkies" (movies with sound). But instead, it became his special trademark! Andy said his voice came from a childhood accident. He claimed he fell with a curtain rod in his mouth, which hurt the roof of his mouth. After that, his voice became scratchy and unique. However, some people say this was just one of the fun stories Andy made up. His son, Tad, said there was an accident, but he wasn't sure if it caused his father's voice.
Andy Devine acted in over 400 films! He was great at moving between smaller Western films and big Hollywood movies. He was Roy Rogers's sidekick, Cookie, in 10 films. He also appeared in Romeo and Juliet (1936) and A Star Is Born (1937). He worked with John Wayne in several movies, including Stagecoach (1939) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).
He worked for Universal for a long time. In 1939, they paired him with Richard Arlen for action-comedy movies. They made 14 films together.
Most of Andy's characters didn't want to get into trouble. But in Island in the Sky (1953), he played a hero pilot. He led other pilots to find a missing plane. Even though he was known for funny roles, he played a serious police detective in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955).
Later in his career, he appeared in films like Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) and Myra Breckinridge (1970).
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Andy Devine also worked a lot in radio. He was famous as Jingles, the sidekick to Guy Madison in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. They also did this show on TV. He was on Jack Benny's radio show many times. Jack Benny often called him "the mayor of Van Nuys". Andy was actually the honorary mayor of Van Nuys from 1938 to 1957.
He hosted Andy's Gang, a children's TV show, on NBC from 1955 to 1960. He also appeared on The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. Andy was a guest star on many TV shows in the 1950s and 1960s. He was in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby". He played Frisby, a person who told tall tales. He also played Hap Gorman, another character who told tall tales, in five episodes of Flipper.
He even made a quick appearance as Santa Claus in a 1960s Batman TV show episode. It was called "The Duo Is Slumming". He wished viewers a merry Christmas!
In 1957, Andy Devine started acting on stage. He played Cap'n Andy in Show Boat in New York. He also did voice acting for cartoons. He was Friar Tuck in Walt Disney's Robin Hood. He was also the voice of Cornelius the Rooster in commercials for Kellogg's Corn Flakes.
Andy Devine was also a pilot. He owned a flying school called Provo Devine. It trained pilots for the government during World War II.
Political Views
Andy Devine was a member of the Republican Party. He supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.
Death and Legacy
Andy Devine passed away from leukemia on February 18, 1977. He was 71 years old. Actor Ken Curtis sang at his funeral.
The main street in his hometown of Kingman, Arizona, was renamed Andy Devine Avenue. You can learn about his career at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts in Kingman. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His name is even in songs by Jimmy Buffett and Frank Zappa.
Filmography
- The Spirit of Notre Dame (1931) as Truck McCall
- Law and Order (1932) as Johnny Kinsman
- Doctor Bull (1933) as Larry Ward
- Stingaree (1934) as Howie
- The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) as Elmer Otway
- Romeo and Juliet (1936) as Peter
- A Star Is Born (1937) as Danny McGuire
- In Old Chicago (1937) as Pickle Bixby
- Stagecoach (1939) as Buck
- When the Daltons Rode (1940) as Ozark
- The Flame of New Orleans (1941) as first sailor
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944) as Abdullah
- Canyon Passage (1946) as Ben Dance
- Bells of San Angelo (1947) as Sheriff Cookie Bullfincher
- Under California Stars (1948) as Cookie Bullfincher
- The Traveling Saleswoman (1950) as Waldo
- The Red Badge of Courage (1951) as the cheery soldier
- Island in the Sky (1953) as Willie Moon
- Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) as George Tenell
- Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as first mate
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) as Mr. Carmody
- Two Rode Together (1961) as Sgt. Darius P. Posey
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) as Link Appleyard
- How the West Was Won (1962) as Cpl. Peterson
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Sheriff
- Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) as Branch Hawksbill
- The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969, TV Movie) as Judge Amos Polk
- Myra Breckinridge (1970) as Coyote Bill
- Robin Hood (1973) as Friar Tuck (voice)
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) as priest
- The Mouse and His Child (1977) as the frog (voice) (final film role)
Television
- Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok – 112 episodes as Deputy Marshal Jingles P. Jones (1951–1958)
- Andy's Gang – as Host (1955–1960)
- Wagon Train – episode "The Jess MacAbee Story" as Jess MacAbee (1959)
- The Twilight Zone – "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" as Frisby (1962)
- Flipper – 5 episodes as Hap Gorman (1964–1965)
- Batman – "The Duo Is Slumming" as Santa (1966)
- Bonanza – "A Girl Named George" as Roscoe (1968)
- Gunsmoke – episode "Stryker" as Jed Whitlow (1969)
- Alias Smith and Jones – "The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg" as Sheriff Bintell (1972)
See Also
In Spanish: Andy Devine para niños
- Froggy the Gremlin
- Old Time Radio – Wild Bill Hickok (Andy was Jingles, his sidekick)
