Andy Devine

Andy Devine
Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) 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).
Early life
Devine was born in Flagstaff, Arizona on October 7, 1905. He grew up in Kingman, Arizona, where his family moved when he was one year old. His father was Thomas Devine Jr., born in 1869 in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Andy's grandfather, Thomas Devine Sr., was born in 1842 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and immigrated to the United States in 1852. Andy's mother was Amy Ward, a granddaughter of Commander James H. Ward, the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the Civil War.
He attended St. Mary and St. Benedict's College, Northern Arizona State Teacher's College, and was a football player at Santa Clara University. He also played semiprofessional football under the pseudonym Jeremiah Schwartz. His football experience led to his first sizable film role in The Spirit of Notre Dame in 1931.
Career
Devine had an ambition to act, so after college, he went to Hollywood, where he worked as a lifeguard at Venice Beach, in easy distance of the studios. While filming Doctor Bull at Fox Studios in 1933, he met Dorothy House (1915–2000). They were married on October 28, 1933, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and remained united until his death, on February 18, 1977. They had two children, Timothy Andrew (Tad) Devine and Dennis Patrick Gabriel Devine.
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. 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."
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), 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), The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969), and Myra Breckinridge (1970).
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.
Devine also worked in television. He hosted Andy's Gang, a children's TV show, 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. 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
Devine was a Republican. Devine supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.
Death and legacy
Devine died of leukemia at the age of 71 in Irvine, California, on February 18, 1977. Actor Ken Curtis sang at the funeral.
The main street of his hometown of Kingman was renamed Andy Devine Avenue. His career is highlighted in the Mohave Museum of History and Arts in Kingman, and a star in his honor is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His name also appears in the song "Pencil Thin Mustache" by Jimmy Buffett, which describes the pop culture of his youth, and in Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's song "Andy" on their 1975 album One Size Fits All. In 2019, on his album Good Dog, Dave Stamey released a song entitled "Andy Devine," recounting tales of encounters with Hollywood Western actors.
Filmography
The Collegians (1926, short) as student (uncredited)
Around the Bases (1927, short) as Calford baseball player (uncredited)
The Relay (1927, Short) as sophomore (uncredited)
That's My Daddy (1927) as sailor (uncredited)
Finders Keepers (1928) as doughboy and gate guard (uncredited)
We Americans (1928) as Pat O'Dougal
Lonesome (1928) as Jim's friend
Noah's Ark (1928) as extra (uncredited)
Red Lips (1928) as a sophomore and as Professor Fountain
Naughty Baby (1928) as Joe Cassidy
Why Be Good? (1929) as young man at boiler (uncredited)
The Divine Lady (1929) as extra (uncredited)
Hot Stuff (1929) as Bob
Junior Luck (1929, short) (uncredited)
His Lucky Day (1929) as roadhouse thug (uncredited)
Flying High (1929, short) as student admirer (uncredited)
Dames Ahoy! (1930) as Marine at dance contest (uncredited)
Shooting Straight (1930) as kibitzer (uncredited)
A Soldier's Plaything (1930) as doughboy (uncredited)
The Criminal Code (1931) as Cluck, the convict with a knife (uncredited)
Heroes of the Flames (1931) as fireman
Danger Island (1931) as Briney
The Spirit of Notre Dame (1931) as Truck McCall
Three Wise Girls (1932) as Jimmy Callahan, the chauffeur
Law and Order (1932) as Johnny Kinsman
The Impatient Maiden (1932) as Clarence Howe
Destry Rides Again (1932) as stagecoach passenger (uncredited, scene deleted)
Man Wanted (1932) as Andy Doyle
Radio Patrol (1932) as Pete Wiley
Fast Companions (1932) as Information Kid
The Man from Yesterday (1932) as Steve Hand
Tom Brown of Culver (1932) as Mac
The All American (1932) as Andy Moran
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (1933) as Andy Moran
Song of the Eagle (1933) as Mud
The Big Cage (1933) as Scoops
Horse Play (1933) as Andy
Midnight Mary (1933) as Sam
Doctor Bull (1933) as Larry Ward, the soda jerk
Saturday's Millions (1933) as Andy Jones
Chance at Heaven (1933) as Al
The Poor Rich (1934) as Andy
Upper World (1934) as Oscar
Stingaree (1934) as Howie
Let's Talk It Over (1934) as Gravel
Million Dollar Ransom (1934) as Careful
Gift of Gab (1934) as John P. McDougal, the waiter
Wake Up and Dream (1934) as Joe Egbert, aka Egghead
The President Vanishes (1934) as Valentine Orcott
Hell in the Heavens (1934) as Sgt. "Ham" Davis
Straight from the Heart (1935) as Edwards
Hold 'Em Yale (1935) as Liverlips
Chinatown Squad (1935) as George Mason
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) as Elmer Otway
Way Down East (1935) as Hi Holler
Fighting Youth (1935) as Cy Kipp
Coronado (1935) as Pinky Falls
Small Town Girl (1936) as George Brannan
Romeo and Juliet (1936) as Peter, a servant of Juliet's nurse
Yellowstone (1936) as Pay-Day
The Big Game (1936) as Pop Andrews
Flying Hostess (1936) as Joe Williams
Mysterious Crossing (1936) as Carolina
A Star Is Born (1937) as Danny McGuire
The Road Back (1937) as Willy
Double or Nothing (1937) as Half Pint
You're a Sweetheart (1937) as Daisy Day
In Old Chicago (1937) as Pickle Bixby
Doctor Rhythm (1938) as Officer Lawrence O'Roon
Yellow Jack (1938) as Charlie Spill
Men with Wings (1938) as Joe Gibbs
Personal Secretary (1938) as "Snoop" Lewis
Swing That Cheer (1938) as Doc Saunders
The Storm (1938) as Swede Hanzen
Strange Faces (1938) as Hector Hobbs
Stagecoach (1939) as Buck
The Spirit of Culver (1939) as Tubby
Never Say Die (1939) as Henry Munch
Mutiny on the Blackhawk (1939) as Slim Collins
Tropic Fury (1939) as Tynan ('Tiny') Andrews
Legion of Lost Flyers (1939) as "Beef" Brumley
Geronimo (1939) as Sneezer
Man from Montreal (1939) as Constable "Bones" Blair
Danger on Wheels (1940) as "Guppy" Wexel
Little Old New York (1940) as Commodore
Buck Benny Rides Again (1940) as Andy
Torrid Zone (1940) as Wally Davis
Hot Steel (1940) as Matt Morrison
Black Diamonds (1940) as Tolliver Higgenbotham
When the Daltons Rode (1940) as Ozark
Margie (1940)
The Leather Pushers (1940) as Andy Adams
The Devil's Pipeline (1940) as Andy Jennings
Trail of the Vigilantes (1940) as Meadows
Lucky Devils (1941) as Andy Tompkins
Mutiny in the Arctic (1941) as Andy Adams
The Flame of New Orleans (1941) as first sailor
Men of the Timberland (1941) as Andy Jensen
Raiders of the Desert (1941) as Andy "Hammer" McCoy
A Dangerous Game (1941) as Andy McAllister
Badlands of Dakota (1941) as Spearfish
The Kid from Kansas (1941) as Andy
South of Tahiti (1941) as Moose
Road Agent (1941) as Andy
North to the Klondike (1942) as Klondike
Unseen Enemy (1942) as Detective Sam Dillon
Escape from Hong Kong (1942) as Blimp
Danger in the Pacific (1942) as Andy Parker
Top Sergeant (1942) as Andy Jarrett
Timber (1942) as Arizona
Between Us Girls (1942) as Mike Kilinsky
Sin Town (1942) as "Judge" Eustace Vale
Keeping Fit (1942, short) as Andy
Rhythm of the Islands (1943) as Eddie Dolan
Frontier Badmen (1943) as Slim, a cowhand
Corvette K-225 (1943) as Walsh
Crazy House (1943) as Andy Devine
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944) as Abdullah
Follow the Boys (1944) as Andy Devine (uncredited)
Ghost Catchers (1944) as Horsehead
Babes on Swing Street (1944) as Joe Costello
Bowery to Broadway (1944) as Father Kelley
Frisco Sal (1945) as Bunny
Sudan (1945) as Nebka
That's the Spirit (1945) as Martin Wilde Sr.
Frontier Gal (1945) as Big Ben
Canyon Passage (1946) as Ben Dance
The Michigan Kid (1947) as Buster
Bells of San Angelo (1947) as Sheriff Cookie Bullfincher
The Vigilantes Return (1947) as Andy
Springtime in the Sierras (1947) as Cookie Bullfincher
Slave Girl (1947) as Ben, the fat sailor
On the Old Spanish Trail (1947) as Constable Cookie Bullfincher
The Fabulous Texan (1947) as Elihu Mills
The Gay Ranchero (1948) as Cookie Bullfincher
Old Los Angeles (1948) as Sam Bowie
Under California Stars (1948) as Cookie Bullfincher and Alf Bullfincher
The Gallant Legion (1948) as Windy Hornblower
Eyes of Texas (1948) as Cookie Bullfincher
Night Time in Nevada (1948) as Cookie Bullfincher
Grand Canyon Trail (1948) as Cookie Bullfincher
The Far Frontier (1948) as Judge Cookie Bullfincher
The Last Bandit (1949) as Casey Brown
The Traveling Saleswoman (1950) as Waldo
Never a Dull Moment (1950) as Orvie
New Mexico (1951) as Sergeant Garrity
The Red Badge of Courage (1951) as the cheery soldier
Slaughter Trail (1951) as Sgt. Macintosh
Montana Belle (1952) as Pete Bivins
Island in the Sky (1953) as Willie Moon
The Two Gun Teacher (1954)
Thunder Pass (1954) as Injun
Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) as George Tenell
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as first mate of the 'S.S. Henrietta'
No Place Like Home (1960, TV Movie)
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 of Crockett County
Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) as Branch Hawksbill
The Ballad of Josie (1967) as Judge Tatum
Shoestring Safari (1967, TV Movie) as Colonel Hazeltine
The Road Hustlers (1968) as Sheriff Estep
The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969, TV Movie) as Judge Amos Polk
Smoke (1970, TV Movie) as Mr. Stone
The Phynx (1970) as Andy Devine
Myra Breckinridge (1970) as Coyote Bill
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970, TV Movie) as Amos Polk
Robin Hood (1973) as Friar Tuck (voice)
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) as priest in dog pound
A Whale of a Tale (1976) as Captain Andy
The Mouse and His Child (1977) as the frog (voice) (final film role)
Television
The Virginian – "Yesterday´s Timepiece" (1967)
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 (uncredited) (1966)
Bonanza – "A Girl Named George" as Roscoe (1968)
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color – "Ride a Northbound Horse: Parts 1 & 2" (1969)
Gunsmoke – episode "Stryker" as Jed Whitlow (1969)
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color – "Smoke: Parts 1 & 2" as Mr. Stone (1970)
Alias Smith and Jones – "The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg" as Sheriff Bintell (1972)
See also
Froggy the Gremlin
Old Time Radio – Wild Bill Hickok (Andy was Jingles, his sidekick)
References
Further reading
Devine, Dennis. Your Friend and Mine, Andy Devine, BearManor Media, 2013.
External links
Photos of Andy Devine from Stagecoach by Ned Scott
1905 births
1977 deaths
Male actors from Arizona
Amateur radio people
American male film actors
American people of Irish descent
American male radio actors
American male television actors
Deaths from cancer in California
Deaths from leukemia
People from Flagstaff, Arizona
People from Kingman, Arizona
Santa Clara University alumni
Male Western (genre) film actors
20th-century American male actors
California Republicans
Universal Pictures contract players