Jerry Colonna
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).
Acting
Movie
Alice in Wonderland
as March Hare (voice)
1951
Movie
Make Mine Music
as Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
1946
TV
The Monkees
as Dr. Mann
1966
Movie
Road to Utopia
as Man on Boat to Alaska (uncredited)
1946
Movie
Road to Singapore
as Achilles Bombanassa
1940
Movie
Road to Rio
as Jerry Colonna
1947
Movie
The Road to Hong Kong
as Man Looking For Match (uncredited)
1962
TV
What's My Line?
as Self
1950
Movie
The Brave Engineer
as Narrator
1950
Movie
Little Miss Broadway
as Band Member
1938
Movie
Andy Hardy Comes Home
as Doc
1958
Movie
Casey at the Bat
as Narrator
1946
Movie
Swingtime in the Movies
as The Texas Tornado
1938
Movie
Meet Me in Las Vegas
as Jerry Colonna
1956
TV
The Colgate Comedy Hour
as Self
1950
TV
Climax!
as Stan
1954
Movie
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Jerry Colonna
1942
Movie
Naughty But Nice
as Allie Gray
1939
Movie
Rosalie
as Joseph
1937
Movie
Ice-Capades
as Colonna
1941
Movie
It's in the Bag!
as Dr. Greengrass
1945
Movie
Garden of the Moon
as Musician
1938
Movie
Valley of the Giants
as Saloon Singer
1938
Movie
Kentucky Jubilee
as Jerry Harris
1951