- published: 06 May 2014
- views: 30491
Andrew Vabre "Andy" Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor and comic cowboy sidekick known for his distinctive raspy voice.
Born in Flagstaff, Arizona on October 7, 1905, Andy Devine grew up in nearby Kingman, where his family moved when he was a 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 emigrated to the United States in 1852. Andy's mother was Amy Ward, the 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 (now Northern Arizona University), and was a star football player at Santa Clara University. He also played semi-professional football under the pseudonym "Jeremiah Schwartz" -- it was not his birth name as has been erroneously reported elsewhere. His football experience led to his first sizable film role, in the 1931 The Spirit of Notre Dame.
Actors: John Hart (actor), Louis Hayward (actor), Edgar Bergen (actor), Lou Antonio (actor), Larry Hankin (actor), Michael Ansara (actor), Dick Clark (actor), Xavier Cugat (actor), Andy Devine (actor), Busby Berkeley (actor), Fritz Feld (actor), James Brown (actor), Leo Gorcey (actor), Huntz Hall (actor), George Jessel (actor),
Plot: An athlete, a campus militant, a black model, and an American Indian are picked by a computer (shaped like a woman) to form a rock group called the Phynx and go on tour in Albania where American show biz people have been kidnapped by Communists. Some of the stars that the phony band rescues: Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan (the most famous movie Tarzan and Jane), Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall (the Bowery Boys), Ed Sullivan, James Brown, Colonel Sanders, Guy Lombardo, Andy Devine, Ruby Keeler, Edgar Bergen, Butterfly McQueen, Jay Silverheels (Tonto), Rudy Vallee, Xavier Cugat, Trini Lopez, Dick Clark, Richard Pryor, Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, George Jessel, and Rhona Barrett. Warner Bros. Studios thought it was so bad that they decided at the last minute not to release it!
Keywords: albania, castle, communist, computer, copenhagen-denmark, espionage, kidnapping, london-england, orgy, recordingActors: Charles Butterworth (actor), Lon Chaney Jr. (actor), Nigel Bruce (actor), Walter Abel (actor), Lane Chandler (actor), Charles D. Brown (actor), Noah Beery Jr. (actor), Stanley Andrews (actor), William 'Billy' Benedict (actor), Lee Bennett (actor), Turhan Bey (actor), John L. Cason (actor), Bobby Barber (actor), Steve Brodie (actor), Wallis Clark (actor),
Plot: During World War II, all the studios put out "all-star" vehicles which featured virtually every star on the lot--often playing themselves--in musical numbers and comedy skits, and were meant as morale-boosters to both the troops overseas and the civilians at home. This was Universal Pictures' effort. It features everyone from Donald O'Connor to the Andrews Sisters to Orson Welles to W.C. Fields to George Raft to Marlene Dietrich, and dozens of other Universal players.
Keywords: 1940s, actor, actress, american-flag, archive-footage, army-base, ballet, cigarette-smoking, dancer, dancing