Known for his raspy, high-pitched, bicycle-horn voice and large girth,
Andy Devine was a very popular character actor. Born Jeremiah Schwartz in
Flagstaff, Arizona on October 7, 1905, he was a college football star who
later yearned to become a movie actor. Arriving in Hollywood in 1926, he
started in silent films in bit parts. He was warned that his raspy voice,
which resulted from a childhood accident, would be a detriment but he turned
it into an asset. He was often cast as a country bumpkin and became a cowboy
sidekick with Roy Rogers and others. Among his films were: "The Collegians"
(1926) as an extra/athlete, his film debut; "The Spirit of Notre Dame" (1931)
as Truck McCall; "Destry Rides Again" (1932); "The Farmer Takes A Wife"
(1935) as Elmer Otway; "In Old Chicago" (1937) as Pickle Bixby; "Stagecoach"
(1939) as Buck, the stagecoach driver; "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"
(1944) as Abdullah; "Follow the Boys" (1944) as Himself; "Bowery to Broadway"
as Father Kelly; "The Red Badge of Courage" (1951) as the Cheerful Soldier;
"Pete Kelly's Blues" (1955) as George Tenell; "Around the World in 80 Days"
(1956) as First Mate; "How the West Was Won" (1962) as Corporal Peterson
and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) as Link Appleyard; "Myra Breckinridge"
(1970) as Coyote Bill and "The Mouse and His Child" an animated tale, as
voice of The Frog, his last film. On TV he is best remembered for his role
as Jingles P. Jones on "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" (1951-56) with
Guy Madison. He also was a regular on "Flipper" (1964-65) as Hap Gorman
and as himself on "Andy's Gang" (1955-60) a kid's show which featured Midnight,
a piano/violin playing cat, Squeaky, a musical mouse and the mischievous
Froggy the Gremlin. He also did voices in some animated films including:
Disney's "Robin Hood" as Friar Tuck and "A Whale of a Tale" (1976). He died
of leukemia on February 18, 1977 in Orange, California at age 71.
