Jerry Colonna (entertainer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jerry Colonna
Colonna in 1951
Born	Gerardo Luigi Colonna (1904-09-17)September 17, 1904 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 21, 1986(1986-11-21) (aged 82) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Musician actor comedian singer songwriter trombonist
Years active	1935–1971
Spouse(s)	Florence Purcell ​ (m. 1930)​
Children	1

Jerry Colonna (born Gerardo Luigi Colonna on September 17, 1904 – died November 21, 1986) was a famous American entertainer. He was a musician, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and played the trombone. Jerry Colonna was best known for being a funny sidekick to the famous comedian Bob Hope in his radio shows and movies during the 1940s and 1950s.

He also lent his voice to a well-known Disney character. You might recognize him as the voice of the March Hare in Walt Disney's 1951 animated movie Alice in Wonderland. Jerry Colonna was easy to spot because of his wide-eyed expressions and a very large handlebar moustache. He was known for singing loudly in a funny, unique way. He also had a famous catchphrase, "Who's Yehudi?" He would say this after many old jokes, even if it didn't make much sense. People thought the line was named after a famous violin player, Yehudi Menuhin. "The search for Yehudi" became a running joke on Bob Hope's show.

Jerry Colonna often played silly characters. One of his most remembered roles was a goofy professor. He brought a wild and funny energy to Bob Hope's show. For example, Bob Hope might ask, "Professor, did you plant the bomb in the embassy like I told you?" Colonna would reply in his loud, funny voice, "Embassy? Great Scott, I thought you said NBC!"

Jerry Colonna's Musical Journey

Jerry Colonna began his career as a trombonist. He played in orchestras and dance bands around his hometown of Boston. In the 1930s, Colonna played with the CBS house orchestra. He also played with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. During this time, he became known for being a prankster and very funny.

While at CBS, he sometimes worked with bandleader Raymond Scott. He even made recordings with Scott's famous Quintette. In these recordings, Colonna would often make funny, nonsensical sounds over the music. His jokes and antics off-stage were so wild that CBS almost fired him more than once! Later, he joined the John Scott Trotter band on Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall radio show.

Colonna and Bob Hope on Hope's NBC radio program, 1940

On Bob Hope's show, Jerry Colonna would sometimes perform opera parodies. He would "holler" an aria in a funny, serious scream that became his signature style. Colonna was one of three popular discoveries from the Kraft Music Hall in the 1940s. The others were pianist and comedian Victor Borge and drummer Spike Jones. Before his big radio fame, Colonna also sang two songs for the 1938 Warner Bros. film Garden of the Moon. These songs were "Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish" and "Lady on the Three Cent Stamp."

Jerry Colonna was very good at stretching out syllables in his singing. For example, he would sing "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall, or nothing at aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall..." He used this trick in his musical acts. He also used it in the movie Road to Rio. In that film, he played a cavalry captain. The movie would often show his cavalry riding to rescue Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Colonna would yell to his riders, "Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge!" At the end of the movie, he's still "charging" and asks the audience, "Well, what do you know... we never quite made it. Exciting, though... wasn't it?!"

According to a radio historian, Jerry Colonna created many of the famous catchphrases on Bob Hope's show. One was, "Give me a drag on that before you throw it away." The cast would use this phrase to tease anyone who was bragging. Colonna's usual greeting to Bob Hope was, "Greetings, Gate!" Fans and listeners quickly started repeating this phrase too.

Jerry Colonna also joined Bob Hope on some of his early USO tours in the 1940s. These tours entertained American troops. Another singer and impressionist, Dennis Day, could do a very good imitation of Colonna's wild style.

In 1956, Colonna joined ASCAP, a group for songwriters. His own songs include "At Dusk," "I Came to Say Goodbye," "Sleighbells in the Sky," and "Take Your Time." In the 1950s, he released two LPs (long-play records). These were Music? for Screaming!!! and He Sings and Swings.

Jerry Colonna in Movies

Colonna in Road to Singapore, 1940.

Jerry Colonna appeared in three of the popular "Road" movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. These were Road to Singapore (1940), Road to Rio (1947), and The Road to Hong Kong (1962). In Road to Singapore, he played Achilles Bombassa. In Road to Rio, he was a Cavalry captain. He had a small guest role in The Road to Hong Kong.

He also appeared in the movie It's in the Bag! (1945) as a psychiatrist named Dr. Greenglass. He made a brief appearance with Bob Hope in a sketch in Star Spangled Rhythm. In 1956, he sang the song "My Lucky Charm" in the film Meet Me in Las Vegas.

Jerry Colonna was also a talented voice actor for Disney. He voiced the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland (1951). Another radio star, Ed Wynn, voiced the March Hare's friend, the Mad Hatter. Colonna also used his funny narration style for several Disney short films. These include the Casey at the Bat part of Make Mine Music (1946) and The Brave Engineer (1950).

Jerry Colonna's Filmography

Jerry Colonna on Television

Colonna as host of his 1951 television show.

Jerry Colonna stopped being a regular on the Bob Hope show in 1950. However, he continued to appear with Hope on special holiday television shows and live performances. He even hosted his own TV comedy series, The Jerry Colonna Show, but it only lasted one season.

In 1954, he hosted an episode called "Revenge with Music" on The Colgate Comedy Hour. His TV work also included voicing Moon Mad Tiger on Time for Beany. He was also the second and last host for Super Circus from 1955 to 1956. In 1960, he appeared in a version of Babes in Toyland on Shirley Temple's Storybook.

He also made guest appearances on other TV shows. These included an episode of Climax! in 1957, The Gale Storm Show in 1959, McHale's Navy in 1965, and The Monkees in 1966. Jerry Colonna also appeared in one of the oldest surviving recordings of a live television broadcast from 1947.

Jerry Colonna's Personal Life

Jerry Colonna was of Italian heritage. His parents, Elisabetta Magro and Giuseppe Colonna, were from a town called Muro Lucano in Italy. He married Florence Purcell (Porciello) in 1930. They reportedly met on a blind date. The couple adopted a son named Robert in 1941. Their marriage lasted for 56 years.

After his guest appearance on The Monkees TV show, Jerry Colonna suffered a stroke. This made it difficult for him to move, and he had to retire from show business. He made only a few short appearances in Bob Hope specials in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1979, he had a heart attack. This meant he spent the last seven years of his life in the Motion Picture and Television Hospital. Florence stayed by his side until he passed away in 1986 due to kidney failure. She died eight years later in the same hospital.

His son, Robert Colonna, has been involved in theater for almost 60 years. He first appeared on stage with his father. Robert was a member of the famous Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also the founder and director of the Rhode Island Shakespeare Theater. He has directed many plays at Rhode Island College. In 2007, he wrote a book about his father's life called Greetings, Gate!: The Story of Professor Jerry Colonna.

Jerry Colonna's great-great niece is the American stand-up comedian Sarah Colonna. It is not known if he was related to the famous Italian Colonna family of nobles.

See also

In Spanish: Jerry Colonna para niños