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Andy Devine


Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977), known professionally as Andy Devine, was an American character actor recognized for his distinctive raspy voice and portrayals of jovial sidekicks in Western films and television programs.
Born in , and raised in nearby Kingman, Devine began his career in silent films before transitioning to sound pictures, where his gravelly timbre—resulting from a childhood throat injury—became a signature trait enabling him to secure over 150 screen credits spanning four decades.
He frequently collaborated with leading Western stars, including recurring as the cook "Cookie" alongside in ten films and as the deputy Link Appleyard in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) directed by John Ford.
Devine's television work featured prominently as Jingles on the series (1951–1958), and he provided the voice of in Disney's animated (1973), one of his final roles before succumbing to .
In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded a star on the in 1960 and inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Early Life

Birth and Arizona Upbringing

Andrew Vabre Devine was born on October 7, 1905, in , to Thomas Devine, an Irish-American hotel operator and former railroad employee who had lost a in a work-related accident, and his wife. The family relocated to , when Devine was one year old, where Thomas Devine used insurance proceeds from his injury to purchase the Beale Hotel. The Devines owned and managed the establishment from 1906 to 1925, handling guests including prospectors, ranchers, and early automobile tourists traversing the region's nascent roadways. Devine's childhood unfolded amid Kingman's sparse population of around 700 residents and its arid, high-desert setting, marked by vast open spaces and a lingering atmosphere that demanded practical self-sufficiency from inhabitants. This immersion in a working hotel and the unyielding Southwestern terrain acquainted him from an early age with the rhythms of transient life, elements that resonated in his subsequent on-screen embodiments of hearty, plainspoken frontiersmen.

Education and Voice Development

Devine attended high school in , where he grew up after his family's relocation from Flagstaff. He later pursued postsecondary education at St. Mary's College and St. Benedict's College, followed by Northern Arizona State Teachers College (now ) in Flagstaff, where he participated in football and basketball. Devine also played football as a standout athlete at , leveraging his physical build in the sport before transitioning toward entertainment aspirations. During his childhood in , Devine experienced an accident that permanently altered his voice: while running with a stick—or in some accounts, a —in his , he tripped and fell, causing the object to pierce the roof of his mouth and damage his sinuses and vocal structures. This injury resulted in a distinctive high-pitched, raspy , often described as a "dual-tone ," which deviated from typical vocal norms but empirically provided a unique auditory signature without evidence of surgical nodes or other embellished pathologies. Though initially a physical detriment, the unaltered —stemming directly from the trauma's causal effects on his —later distinguished him in an favoring memorable traits over conventional ones, as verified by contemporaneous accounts rather than myths. After his collegiate athletic pursuits, Devine briefly left formal education to take on various jobs, reflecting a pragmatic shift toward practical experience over continued academic enrollment, before fully committing to Hollywood.

Career

Entry into Entertainment

Devine arrived in Hollywood in the late 1920s with aspirations to act, initially supporting himself as a lifeguard at Venice Beach while taking on uncredited roles as an extra and stuntman in silent films. His first credited appearance occurred in the 1928 silent drama We Americans, directed by Edward Sloman, where he played the small role of Pat O'Dougal in a story exploring immigrant family dynamics. These early bit parts provided limited opportunities amid the competitive silent era, but Devine's athletic background from college football positioned him for persistence. The advent of sound films in the early initially threatened many silent performers, yet Devine's distinctive high-pitched, gravelly voice—stemming from a childhood in which he fell while running with a stick in his mouth, damaging his —emerged as an asset rather than a hindrance. This vocal quirk, combined with his robust physique, lent itself to comedic characterizations, marking his adaptation to talkies. His breakthrough came with a sizable supporting role as football player Truck McCall in the 1931 sound film , leveraging his real-life sports experience to secure the part and establish reliability in the shifting industry. From these origins, Devine faced as , a trajectory evident in his accumulation of over 150 credits primarily in humorous sidekick roles, though this niche ensured steady work during the Depression-era transition.

Film Roles and Western Genre Contributions

Andy Devine established himself as a prominent in films during the 1930s through the 1950s, frequently portraying hearty, loyal sidekicks who provided and steadfast support to lead protagonists in frontier narratives. His breakthrough role came in John Ford's (1939), where he played Buck, the stagecoach driver tasked with navigating perilous Apache territory while bantering with passengers including the Ringo Kid (), emphasizing the raw demands of self-preservation and camaraderie in lawless expanses. This performance, leveraging Devine's distinctive raspy voice and physicality honed from experience, underscored the genre's focus on individual grit and moral resolve against existential threats. Devine appeared in over 10 Westerns as Cookie, the comic sidekick to , including Under California Stars (1948), (1948), and Springtime in the Sierras (1947), roles that highlighted dependable allies aiding heroes in upholding justice through direct confrontation with bandits and rustlers. These B-Westerns, produced by , sustained the archetype of the jovial but capable companion, reflecting causal dynamics where loyalty and quick thinking enabled triumphs over disorder without institutional mediation. His recurring billing in such productions, amid the genre's box-office dominance during the era, evidenced a buoyed by audience demand for unvarnished tales of frontier individualism rather than contrived favoritism. In later major Westerns, Devine contributed to depictions of ethical clarity and defensive action, as seen in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), portraying Marshal Link Appleyard, a bumbling yet earnest lawman in a town plagued by the outlaw Liberty Valance (), where civilian resolve ultimately curbs tyranny. This film, starring Wayne and , portrayed the West's transition via personal agency and retribution, with Devine's character embodying the limitations of timid authority yielding to principled force. His involvement in these films, totaling dozens of credits amid a broader output exceeding 150 motion pictures, reinforced the genre's empirical portrayal of as a pragmatic response to , distinct from later revisionist sanitizations.

Radio, Television, and Voice Performances

Devine made frequent radio appearances in the 1930s and 1940s, leveraging his distinctive raspy voice for comedic and Western-themed sketches. He guested over 75 times on The Jack Benny Program from 1936 to 1942, often as part of semiregular Western segments like "Buck Benny Rides Again." He hosted the syndicated Western music program Melody Roundup from 1942 to 1946, and portrayed Buck on The Law West of Pecos in 1944, as well as appearing regularly as Andy on CBS's Lum and Abner. In the early 1950s, he starred as deputy Jingles Jackson opposite Guy Madison's Wild Bill Hickok in the Mutual Broadcasting System's radio serial The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, which ran from April 1, 1951, to December 31, 1954. On television, Devine transitioned his radio persona to hosting duties with Andy's Gang, a children's variety program on that aired from August 20, 1955, to December 31, 1960. Sponsored by Shoes, the show featured puppet characters like —activated by Devine's catchphrase "Plumber's Helper!"—alongside short films, live sketches, and moral lessons aimed at young viewers. It succeeded the radio-originated Smilin' Ed's Gang after host Ed McConnell's death in 1954, maintaining a format of unpretentious humor and family-oriented content that drew consistent audiences through straightforward entertainment without heavy scripting. Devine reprised his Jingles role in the television version of The Adventures of from 1951 to 1958, appearing in over 100 episodes as the loyal, comic-relief sidekick in this series targeted at youth demographics. He made additional guest appearances on programs like NBC's The Ford Show, Starring , contributing his vocal style to variety sketches. In voice performances, Devine capitalized on his gravelly for and commercials, providing the voice of , the jovial badger monk, in Disney's (1973). Later roles included the Frog in the animated feature The Mouse and His Child (1977) and Captain Andy in the family film A Whale of a Tale (1976), where his delivery enhanced comedic and authoritative character traits. These works underscored his versatility in audio media, appealing to audiences via authentic, voice-centric portrayals rather than visual presence.

Achievements and Industry Recognition

Andy Devine received two stars on the on February 8, 1960, one for television at 6366 and one for radio at 6258 . He earned no Academy Award nominations or wins during his career. Devine appeared in over 200 film and television credits from the late through 1976, demonstrating sustained professional reliability in the industry. Colleagues such as and acknowledged Devine's dependability through repeated collaborations and tributes at his funeral, reflecting his value as a supporting performer in ensemble casts. His recurring roles as comic sidekicks in 1950s Western television series, including Jingles on The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, contributed to the genre's resurgence by providing accessible, character-driven humor that appealed to family audiences and reinforced themes of frontier perseverance.

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Andy Devine married Dorothy House on October 28, 1933, in , , following their introduction on the set of Doctor Bull. The couple had two sons: Timothy Andrew "Tad" Devine, born November 26, 1934, in , and Dennis Patrick "Denny" Devine, born January 24, 1939, in . The family lived primarily on a outside , providing a stable rural base that supported Devine's peripatetic acting schedule while preserving connections to his roots. Devine and House remained married for 43 years until his death, with no documented separations or conflicts amid the era's frequent divorces. Both sons entered entertainment briefly, appearing in minor roles alongside their father, including as homesteaders' children in (1946). Tad also featured in early films like Frontier Horizon (1939), while Denny acted in (1958) and appeared on television programs such as This Is Your Life (1957). This limited involvement highlighted intergenerational ties to the profession without overshadowing the parents' traditional family structure.

Lifestyle and Community Involvement

Devine exhibited a generous and boisterous personality, frequently lending money to friends without expectation of repayment, as recounted in anecdotes from his upbringing and circle. Colleagues remembered him for his jovial demeanor and hearty laugh, traits that extended beyond his on-screen roles into personal interactions, fostering lasting admiration among peers like and , who delivered emotional tributes at his 1977 funeral. His mischievous streak, evident in youthful pranks such as nailing salesmen's satchels or a incident with a in Kingman, reflected an unpretentious, adventurous spirit unmarred by scandal throughout his career. An avid outdoorsman, Devine pursued hunting activities, including membership in a duck club on the McGrath Home Ranch in Oxnard, California, and trips to Catalina Island with companions like Preston Foster and Phil Harris. He was also a skilled horseman capable of handling six-horse stagecoach teams, drawing from his Western roots. In his later years, he embraced amateur radio as a hobby, operating under the callsign WB6RER from his Newport Beach home and while traveling in a van. Devine maintained lifelong ties to Arizona, returning to Kingman—where his family owned the Hotel Beale—for milestones like birthdays and his 1933 honeymoon, and participating in local events such as the 1912 Arizona statehood parade as a child. Despite his success in over 400 films, Devine lived modestly on a family in , avoiding the excesses common among some contemporaries and channeling his football background— including play under the alias Jeremiah Schwartz—into a grounded, accountable lifestyle. He also held a pilot's license and trained others during , reflecting practical engagements beyond entertainment.

Health and Death

Later Health Challenges

In his later years, Andy Devine faced a slowdown in film and television roles after the , influenced by advancing age—he turned 60 in 1965—and his longstanding heavy build, which strained physical demands of on-set work. Despite these factors, Devine persisted with selective engagements, including voice work for Productions' (1973), where he portrayed , demonstrating professional endurance without public emphasis on personal hardships. Leukemia emerged as his primary health challenge in the mid-1970s, necessitating recurrent treatments to manage the condition. Medical records indicate the disease progressed gradually, with secondary cardiovascular strain developing amid ongoing therapy, though Devine prioritized career commitments over narratives of frailty. He maintained appearances at industry events and accepted limited roles, underscoring a focus on productivity amid empirical decline linked to age-related vulnerabilities rather than acute trauma from earlier injuries.

Death and Immediate Aftermath

Devine died on February 18, 1977, at age 71 from at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center in , amid a battle with . His remains were cremated, with the ashes returned to family members. A funeral mass was conducted at Holy Family Cathedral, drawing peers including and Jimmy Stewart, who openly wept in grief—a rare display underscoring the profound esteem Devine commanded within Hollywood's longstanding filmmaking cadre. Fellow actor , also in attendance, later characterized him as a "" attuned to others' value regardless of status. The response from industry figures centered on affirming his reliable portrayals of rugged camaraderie, with prompt tributes highlighting his embodiment of the genre's unpretentious moral framework and no ensuing disputes.

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