Billy Gilbert

Billy Gilbert
William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally
as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows beginning in 1929.
Career
Early life and vaudeville career
The child of singers with the Metropolitan Opera, he was born on September 12, 1894, in a dressing room at the Hopkins Opera House in Louisville, Kentucky. As a child, he lived in San Francisco, and he left school to be in a troupe of singing children. His early work included a female-impersonation act and professional boxing. Gilbert began working in vaudeville at the age of 12, and later played in burlesque on the Columbia and Mutual wheels.
Big break in films
Gilbert was spotted by Stan Laurel, who was in the audience of Gilbert's show Sensations of 1929. Laurel went backstage to meet Gilbert and was so impressed by him he introduced him to comedy producer Hal Roach. Gilbert was employed as a gag writer, actor and director, and at the age of 35 he appeared in his first film for the Fox Film Corporation in 1929.
Gilbert broke into comedy short subjects with the Vitaphone studio in 1930 – he appears without billing in the Joe Frisco comedy The Happy Hottentots (restored and released on DVD). Gilbert's burly frame and gruff voice made him a good comic villain, and within the year he was working consistently for producer Roach. He appeared in support of Roach's comedy stars Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase, Thelma Todd, and Our Gang. One of his Laurel and Hardy appearances was the Academy Award-winning featurette The Music Box (1932). Gilbert generally played blustery tough guys in the Roach comedies, but could play other comic characters, from fey couturiers to pompous radio announcers to roaring drunks. Gilbert's skill at dialects prompted Roach to give him his own series: big Billy Gilbert teamed with little Billy Bletcher as the Dutch-comic "Schmaltz Brothers." in offbeat musical shorts like "Rhapsody in Brew" (which Gilbert also directed). Gilbert regularly starred in Roach's short-comedy series The Taxi Boys, opposite comedians Clyde Cook, Billy Bevan, Franklin Pangborn, and finally Ben Blue.
Like many other Roach contractees, Gilbert found similar work at other studios. He appears in the early comedies of the Three Stooges at Columbia Pictures, as well as in RKO short subjects. These led to featured roles in full-length films, and from 1934 Gilbert became one of the screen's most familiar faces. In 1944, Billy signed with the prestigious William Morris Agency, which led to starring roles and prominent supporting roles in numerous films.
Feature films
One of his standard routines had Gilbert progressively getting excited or nervous about something, and his speech would break down into facial spasms, culminating in a big, loud sneeze. He used this bit so frequently that Walt Disney thought of him immediately when casting the voice of Sneezy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Gilbert and Disney would later work together again in the "Mickey and the Beanstalk" sequence in Fun and Fancy Free (1947), with Gilbert voicing Willie the Giant in a very similar way to Sneezy. Gilbert did the sneeze routine in a memorable cameo in the Paramount comedy Million Dollar Legs (1932) starring W. C. Fields, Jack Oakie, Susan Fleming, and Ben Turpin.
Gilbert is prominent in most of the movies he appeared in, and he often used dialects. He appeared as "Herring" – a parody of Nazi official Hermann Göring – the minister of war in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. He danced with Alice Faye and Betty Grable in Tin Pan Alley; he stole scenes as a dim-witted process server in the fast-paced comedy His Girl Friday; playing an Italian character, he played opposite singer Gloria Jean in The Under-Pup and A Little Bit of Heaven. He was also the soda server to Freddie Bartholomew in Captains Courageous. He was featured in the John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich film Seven Sinners. All of these were choice Gilbert roles, and all filmed within a single year, demonstrating how prolific and talented he was.
Gilbert seldom starred in movies but did have occasional opportunities to play leads. In 1943, he headlined a brief series of two-reel comedies for Columbia Pictures. That same year, Monogram Pictures teamed him with the urbane stage comedian Frank Fay for a comedy series; Fay left the series after the first entry. Gilbert asked his closest friend, vaudeville veteran Shemp Howard, to replace him. Howard had been the original third member of the Three Stooges before leaving to pursue a solo career.
Later years
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Gilbert worked on Broadway in several productions as an actor, writer and director. These include acting roles in Fanny, The Chocolate Soldier, and Gypsy Lady, and directing roles in The Red Mill and other plays. In the 1950s, Billy Gilbert worked frequently in television, including a memorable pantomime sketch with Buster Keaton on You Asked for It. He appeared regularly on the children's program Andy's Gang with Andy Devine, and starred as the giant in the Producers' Showcase TV episode of Jack and the Beanstalk (1956), along with Celeste Holm and Joel Grey as Jack. He retired from the screen following his appearance in the feature Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
Personal life
Gilbert married actress Lolly McKenzie. She had appeared as an ingenue in short-subject comedies. Fellow film comedian Charley Chase was the best man. In 1941, Billy and Ella adopted an 11-year-old son, Barry, who died in a 1943 shooting accident.
Ella Baxter McKenzie was an Ulster-Scot whose grandfather John McKenzie was a prominent member of the Orange Order in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was Robert Baxter McKenzie, who always wore an orange flower on the Twelfth of July, Orangeman's Day in Northern Ireland, in remembrance of the family background and cultural heritage. Ella's sister was film actress Fay McKenzie. The family moved to America and settled in Oregon when he was nine years old. In late 1943, Gilbert appeared with Ella in a USO show, entertaining the US Marines stationed in Derry, Northern Ireland. Ella and Billy visited Ballymena in 1943; an account of their visit is reported in the Larne Times of December 9, 1943.
Death
Gilbert died on September 23, 1971, in North Hollywood at the age of 77, after suffering a stroke. He is buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
Legacy
For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Gilbert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6263 Hollywood Boulevard.
Selected filmography
The Woman from Hell (1929) as Minor Role (uncredited)
Noisy Neighbors (1929) as Third Son
The Happy Hottentots (1930, short) as Stage Manager
Sea Legs (1930) as Naval Officer (uncredited)
First Aid (1931) as Jenkins
Chinatown After Dark (1931) as Dooley
Shiver My Timbers (1931 short) as Sea Captain
The Music Box (1932 short) as Professor Theodore von Schwarzenhoffen (uncredited)
The Chimp (1932 short) as The Landlord (uncredited)
Million Dollar Legs (1932) as Secretary of the Interior (uncredited)
Skyscraper Souls (1932) as Second Ticket Agent (uncredited)
Blondie of the Follies (1932) as Kinskey's Friend (uncredited)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) as Mr. Hathaway
County Hospital (1932 short) as The Doctor
The Taxi Boys - What Price Taxi (1932 short) as Cabbie
The Taxi Boys - Strange Innertube (1932 short) as Cabbie
The Taxi Boys - Hot Spot (1932 short) as Cabbie
The Taxi Boys - Taxi for Two (1932 short) as Cabbie
The Taxi Boys - Bring 'Em Back a Wife (1933 short) as Billy Gilbert
The Taxi Boys - Wreckety Wrecks (1933 short) as Billy
The Taxi Boys - Taxi Barons (1933 short) as Billy
The Taxi Boys - Call Her Sausage (1933 short) as Heinie Schmaltz
The Taxi Boys - The Rummy (1933 short) as Schmaltz
Made on Broadway (1933) as Commissioner Jerry Allesandro (uncredited)
The Girl in 419 (1933) as Sneezing Patient (uncredited)
So and Sew (1933 short) as Rudolpho
This Day and Age (1933) as Manager of Nightclub (uncredited)
Sons of the Desert (1933) as Mr. Rutledge (voice, uncredited)
Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934) as Innkeeper (uncredited)
Peck's Bad Boy (1934) (uncredited)
Happy Landing (1934) as Husband (uncredited)
Men in Black (1934, Three Stooges short) as Dangerous Patient (uncredited)
Evelyn Prentice (1935) as First Chef (uncredited)
Escapade (1935) as Singer (uncredited)
Mad Love (1935) as Autograph Seeker on Train (uncredited)
Pardon My Scotch (1935, Three Stooges short) as opera singer Signor Louis Bellero Cantino (uncredited)
Curly Top (1935) as The Cook (uncredited)
Here Comes the Band (1935) as Oswald Carroll (uncredited)
Hi, Gaucho! (1935) as Cappa Rosa - Del Campo's Foreman (uncredited)
A Night at the Opera (1935) as Orchestra Member asking Fiorello not to play the piano (uncredited)
Coronado (1935) as Waiter (uncredited)
I Dream Too Much (1935) as Cook at Cafe (uncredited)
Millions in the Air (1935) as Nikolas Popadopolis
Dangerous Waters (1936) as Carlos (uncredited)
Sutter's Gold (1936) as Gen. Ramos (uncredited)
Love on a Bet (1936) as New York Policeman (uncredited)
The First Baby (1936) as Italian in Park (uncredited)
One Rainy Afternoon (1936) as Courtroom Doorman (uncredited)
Three of a Kind (1936) as The Tailor
Early to Bed (1936) as Burger
Parole! (1936) as Salvatore Arriolo (uncredited)
Poor Little Rich Girl (1936) as Waiter (uncredited)
Kelly the Second (1936) as Fur trader (role deleted) (uncredited)
The Bride Walks Out (1936) as Mr. Donovan
The Devil-Doll (1936) as Matin's Butler (uncredited)
Grand Jury (1936) as Otto, Janitor (uncredited)
My American Wife (1936) as French Chef (uncredited)
Pepper (1936) as Man Eating Sandwich (uncredited)
Bulldog Edition (1936) as George Poppupoppalas (uncredited)
The Big Game (1936) as Fisher (uncredited)
Love on the Run (1936) as Maitre d' (uncredited)
Night Waitress (1936) as Torre - Cafe Owner
On the Avenue (1937) as Joe Papaloupas
We're on the Jury (1937) as Mr. Ephraim Allen
When You're in Love (1937) as Jose the Bartender (uncredited)
Sea Devils (1937) as Billy (policeman)
Espionage (1937) as Turk
China Passage (1937) as Ship's Bartender
Maytime (1937) as Drunk (uncredited)
The Man Who Found Himself (1937) as Fat Hobo
The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1937) as Charley - the Bartender
Captains Courageous (1937) as Soda Steward (uncredited)
The Toast of New York (1937) as Photographer
Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) as George Papaloopas
The Firefly (1937) as Inn Keeper
The Life of the Party (1937) as Dr. Molnac
One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) as Garage Owner
Music for Madame (1937) as Krause
Fight for Your Lady (1937) as Boris
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) as Sneezy (voice, uncredited)
Rosalie (1937) as Oloff
She's Got Everything (1937) as Chaffee - a Creditor
Once Over Lightly (1938 short) as Professor Dimitrius Kapouris
Happy Landing (1938) as Counter Man
Maid's Night Out (1938) as Mr. Papalapoulas
Joy of Living (1938) as Cafe Owner
Army Girl (1938) as Cantina Pete
Block-Heads (1938) as Mr. Gilbert
My Lucky Star (1938) as Nick
Breaking the Ice (1938) as Mr. Small
Mr. Doodle Kicks Off (1938) as Professor Minorous
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938) as Bud Boggs
The Girl Downstairs (1938) as Garage Proprietor
Forged Passport (1939) as Nick Mendoza
Million Dollar Legs (1939) as Dick Schultz (uncredited)
The Under-Pup (1939) as Tolio
The Star Maker (1939) as Steel Worker
Rio (1939) as Manuelo
Destry Rides Again (1939) as Loupgerou
His Girl Friday (1940) as Joe Pettibone
Sandy Is a Lady (1940) as Billy Pepino
Women in War (1940) as Pierre, the Cobbler
Safari (1940) as Mondehare
Queen of the Mob (1940) as Mr. Reier
Cross-Country Romance (1940) as Orestes
Scatterbrain (1940) as Hoffman
Lucky Partners (1940) as Charles (uncredited)
Sing, Dance, Plenty Hot (1940) as Hector
A Little Bit of Heaven (1940) as Tony
The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940) as Master of Ceremonies
The Great Dictator (1940) as Herring
Seven Sinners (1940) as Tony
Tin Pan Alley (1940) as Sheik
A Night at Earl Carroll's (1940) as Machinist's Mate
No, No, Nanette (1940) as Styles
The Great Awakening (1941) as Dominic
Reaching for the Sun (1941) as Amos
One Night in Lisbon (1941) as Popopopoulos
Angels with Broken Wings (1941) as Billy Wilson
New Wine (1941) as Poldi
Week-End in Havana (1941) as Arbolado
Song of the Islands (1942) as Palola's Father
Valley of the Sun (1942) as Judge Homer Burnaby
Mr. Wise Guy (1942) as Knobby
Sleepytime Gal (1942) as Chef Popodopolis
Arabian Nights (1942) as Ahmad
Shantytown (1943) as 'Papa' Ferrelli
Spotlight Scandals (1943) as Himself
Always a Bridesmaid (1943) as Nicholas 'Nick' Neopolitan
Crazy House (1943) as Sid Drake
Three of a Kind (1944) as Billy
Ever Since Venus (1944) as Tiny Lewis
Three Is a Family (1944) (uncredited)
Crazy Knights (1944) as Billy
Trouble Chasers (1945) as Billy
Anchors Aweigh (1945) as Cafe Manager
Fun and Fancy Free (1947) as Willie the Giant (voice)
The Kissing Bandit (1948) as General Felipe Toro
Bride of Vengeance (1949) as Beppo (uncredited)
Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953) as King Jilouili
Paradise Alley (1962) as Julius Wilson
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) as Sultan / Auctioneer (final film role)
See also
References
Further reading
External links
Literature on Billy Gilbert
1894 births
1971 deaths
American male comedians
American comedy writers
American film directors
American male voice actors
Hal Roach Studios actors
Male actors from Louisville, Kentucky
Vaudeville performers
20th-century American male actors
Hal Roach Studios short film series
Comedians from Kentucky
Comedians from California
20th-century American comedians