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Jerry Colonna

Acting Born Sep 17, 1904 Boston, Massachusetts, USA 24 credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gerardo Luigi "Jerry" Colonna (September 17, 1904 – November 22, 1986) was an American musician, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and trombonist best remembered as the zaniest of Bob Hope's sidekicks in Hope's popular radio shows and films of the 1940s and 1950s.

With his pop-eyed facial expressions and walrus-sized handlebar moustache, Colonna was known for singing loudly "in a comic caterwaul," according to Raised on Radio author Gerald Nachman, and for his catchphrase, "Who's Yehudi?", uttered after many an old joke, although it usually had nothing to do with the joke. The line was believed to be named for violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, and the search for Yehudi became a running gag on the Hope show.

Colonna featured in three of the popular Hope-Crosby Road films: Road to Singapore (1940) as Achilles Bombassa, Road to Rio (1947) as a Cavalry captain and The Road to Hong Kong (1962) in a cameo role. He can also be seen in the Fred Allen vehicle, It's in the Bag! (1945), as psychiatrist Dr. Greenglass, and he made a brief appearance with Hope in the "Wife, Husband and Wolf" sketch in Star Spangled Rhythm. In 1956 he performed the featured song "My Lucky Charm" in the film Meet Me in Las Vegas, starring Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse.

He provided the voice of the March Hare in the Walt Disney animated film version of Alice in Wonderland (1951) (another radio legend, Ed Wynn, voiced the Mad Hatter) and also lent his zany narration style to several Disney shorts, including Casey at the Bat (1946) and The Brave Engineer (1950).

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Known for

Climax!

as Stan
Film

Alice in Wonderland

as March Hare (voice)

Full filmography

  • Climax! (1954) as Stan
  • What's My Line? (1950) as Self
  • The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) as Self
  • Dinah! (1974) as Self
  • The Monkees (1966) as Dr. Mann
  • Alice in Wonderland (1951) as March Hare (voice)
  • The Rosemary Clooney Show (1956) as Self
  • Make Mine Music (1946) as Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
  • The Road to Hong Kong (1962) as Man Looking For Match (uncredited)
  • Joys (1976) as Self
  • Rosalie (1937) as Joseph
  • This Is Bob Hope... (2017) as Self (archive footage)
  • Road to Utopia (1946) as Man on Boat to Alaska (uncredited)
  • Road to Rio (1947) as Jerry Colonna
  • Sis Hopkins (1941) as Professor
  • Road to Singapore (1940) as Achilles Bombanassa
  • Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) as Jerry Colonna
  • Bob Hope's World of Comedy (1976) as Self (archive footage)
  • Valley of the Giants (1938) as Saloon Singer
  • Swingtime in the Movies (1938) as The Texas Tornado
  • Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) as Doc
  • Music Land (1955) as Narrator (archive footage)
  • Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) as Jerry Colonna
  • Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988) as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)