29 Facts About Andy Devine

Andrew Vabre Devine was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films.

Andy Devine appeared alongside John Wayne in films such as Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won.

Andy Devine is remembered as Jingles on the TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958, as Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born, and as the voice of Friar Tuck in the Disney Animation Studio film Robin Hood.

Andy Devine was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, on October 7,1905.

Andy Devine grew up in Kingman, Arizona, where his family moved when he was one year old.

Andy Devine attended St Mary and St Benedict's College, Northern Arizona State Teacher's College, and was a football player at Santa Clara University.

Andy Devine played semiprofessional football under the pseudonym Jeremiah Schwartz.

Andy Devine had an ambition to act, so after college, he went to Hollywood, where he worked as a lifeguard at Venice Beach, in easy distance of the studios.

Andy Devine claimed that his distinctive voice resulted from a childhood accident in which he fell while running with a curtain rod in his mouth at the Beale Hotel in Kingman, causing the rod to pierce the roof of his mouth.

Andy Devine first attempted stand-up comedy, as he was part of a Vegas act called Three Fat Guys, along with David Arvedon and Jackie Gleason.

Andy Devine appeared in several films with John Wayne, including Stagecoach, Island in the Sky, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Andy Devine was a long-time contract player with Universal, which in 1939 paired him with Richard Arlen for a series of fast-paced B-pictures that mixed action and comedy; they made 14 over a two-year period.

Andy Devine was generally known for his comic roles, but Jack Webb cast him as a police detective in Pete Kelly's Blues, for which Andy Devine lowered his voice and was more serious than usual.

Andy Devine worked extensively in radio, and is well remembered for his role as Jingles, Guy Madison's sidekick in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, which the two actors reprised on television.

Andy Devine appeared over 75 times on Jack Benny's radio show between 1936 and 1942, often in Benny's semiregular series of Western sketches, "Buck Benny Rides Again".

Andy Devine served as honorary mayor of that city, where he lived, preferring to be away from the bustle of Hollywood, from May 18,1938, to 1957, when he moved to Newport Beach.

Andy Devine hosted Andy's Gang, a children's TV show, on NBC from 1955 to 1960.

Andy Devine played Hap Gorman, a character likewise given to tall tales, in five episodes of the NBC TV series Flipper, during its 1964 season.

Andy Devine played the role of Jake Sloan in the 1961 episode "Big Jake" of the acclaimed anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show, on NBC.

Andy Devine played Honest John Denton in the episode "A Horse of a Different Cutter" of the short-lived series The Rounders.

Andy Devine made a cameo appearance as Santa Claus in an episode of the 1960s live-action Batman TV series on ABC.

Andy Devine performed voice parts in animated films, including Friar Tuck in Walt Disney's Robin Hood.

Andy Devine provided the voice of Cornelius the Rooster in several TV commercials for Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Andy Devine was a pilot and owned Provo Andy Devine, a flying school that trained flyers for the government during World War II.

Andy Devine supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.

Andy Devine died of leukemia at the age of 71 in Irvine, California, on February 18,1977.

Andy Devine's career is highlighted in the Mohave Museum of History and Arts in Kingman, and a star in his honor is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Andy Devine's name appears in the song "Pencil Thin Mustache" by Jimmy Buffett, which describes the pop culture of his youth, and in Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's song "Andy" on their 1975 album One Size Fits All.

In 2019, on his album Good Dog, Dave Stamey released a song entitled "Andy Devine," recounting tales of encounters with Hollywood Western actors.