Andy Devine
Television Category Star
- Ceremony was on February 8, 1960
Andy Devine
Radio Category Star
- Ceremony was on February 8, 1960
Andy Devine
Autographed Matchbook
Andy Devine
Raspy-Voiced Andy Devine, Veteran Actor, Dies at 71
From AP and UPIp
ORANGE, Calif. - Andy Devine, the gravel-voiced sidekick Jingles to television's Wild Bill Hickok, died of a heart attack Friday at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center, a family spokesman said.
"I never won an Oscar but I've lent money to a lot of guys who did." Devine once said. "I never starred in pictures. I was always the second man through the door. I never got the credit when a picture was a hit but I never got blamed for all the crap that I was in, either."
THE JOVIAL 71-YEAR-OLD character actor had a history of leukemia and recently had been treated at several California hospitals for that disease and related ailments.
When told by doctors that he had the disease but that they had diagnosed it as not being serious, Devine said, "I might die of two or three other things before leukemia gets me."
The actor was best known as the fat friend of Wild Bill Hickok, played by actor Guy Madison. His most/recent performance was a cameo role last year in "Won Ton Ton, the Dog That Saved Hollywood."
He also played recently in dinner theaters, appearing in such shows as "Never Too Late" and "Where Did We Go Wrong?"
DEVINE, BORN the son of a hotel owner In Flagstaff, Ariz, on Oct. 1, 1905, came to Los Angeles in 1925 after working as professional football player, telephone lineman, lifeguard, and news photographer.
He said one of his life's biggest thrills came when he was seven, and carried a new 48-star flag sewn by his mother in the Admission Day parade when Arizona became a state in 1912.
After a brief period studying for the Roman Catholic priesthood, he went to Santa Clara College, where he played football. He was spotted by a talent scout while working as a lifeguard in Santa Monica, and his then athletic build eventually won him leading man roles in silent films, where his odd voice was no handicap.
Devine's figure grew portly, however, and stayed that way through the rest of his life. "When I was working with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at Republic, I hit a high of 358 pounds," he recalled.
His first film role was in "The Collegians" series. Later, he appeared in The Spirit of Notre Dame," the original "A Star Is Born," and "Stagecoach," among others.
From 1935 to 1940 he appeared on the Jack Benny radio show, playing Benny's cheerful sidekick. He worked on the Wild Bill Hickok TV series which ran for 118 episodes in the 1950s, and later on his own children's show, "Andy's Gang."
His voice, which sounded like the squeaky wheeze of a badly played accordion, slowed his acting career for a time. But because of his football experience, he was given a role in "The Spirit of Notre Dame," in which his rasp enhanced the part and assured his film career.
For years Devine and his wife of 43 years, Dorothy, lived in Van Nuys, where he served as honorary mayor for almost 20 years.
In later years they lived in Newport Beach, Calif.
In addition to his widow, Devine is survived by two sons, Tad and Denny.
