Cliff Edwards
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2019) |
Cliff Edwards | |
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Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
Other names | Ukulele Ike |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1918–1971 |
Spouses | Gertrude Ryrholm
(m. 1919; div. 1923)Irene Wylie
(m. 1923; div. 1931) |
Musical career | |
Genres |
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Instrument(s) |
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Labels | |
Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He had a number one hit with "
Early life and musical career
Edwards was born in
Edwards made his first
In 1924, Edwards performed as the headliner at the Palace, the pinnacle of his vaudeville success. That year he also featured in
Edwards, more than any other performer, was responsible for the soaring popularity of the ʻukulele.[5] Millions of ʻukuleles were sold during the decade, and
Edwards continued to record until shortly before his death in 1971. His last record album, Ukulele Ike, was released posthumously on the independent Glendale label. He reprised many of his 1920s hits; his failing health was however evident in the recordings.[6]
Film, radio, and television
In 1929, Cliff Edwards was playing at the
Edwards had a friendly working relationship with MGM's comedy star
Edwards was also an occasional supporting player in feature films and short subjects at
External image | |
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Cliff Edwards as a wounded soldier in Gone With the Wind (1939), with Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland . (In the final film, Edwards is not visible.) |
Edwards appeared in the darkly sardonic western comedy The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937), and he played the character "Endicott" in the screwball comedy film His Girl Friday (1940). In 1939, he voiced the off-screen wounded Confederate soldier in Gone with the Wind in a hospital scene with Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland.
His most famous voice role was as Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio (1940). Edwards's rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" is probably his most familiar recorded legacy. He voiced the head crow in Disney's Dumbo (1941) and sang "When I See an Elephant Fly".
In 1932, Edwards had his first national radio show on
Arthur Godfrey's use of the ʻukulele spurred a surge in its popularity and those that played it, including Edwards. Like many vaudeville stars, Edwards was an early arrival on television. In the 1949 season, he starred in The Cliff Edwards Show, a three-days-a-week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings) TV variety show on CBS. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he made appearances on The Mickey Mouse Club, in addition to performing his Jiminy Cricket voice for various Disney shorts and the Disney Christmas spectacular, From All of Us to All of You.[7]
Personal life
Edwards was careless with the money he made in the 1920s, always trying to sustain his expensive habits and lifestyle. He continued working during the Great Depression, but never again enjoyed his former prosperity. Most of his income went to alimony for his three former wives, and paying debts, and he declared bankruptcy four times during the 1930s and early 1940s. Edwards married his first wife Gertrude (Benson) Ryrholm in 1917, but they divorced four years later.[citation needed] He married Irene Wylie in 1923; they divorced in 1931. In 1932, he married his third and final wife, actress Judith Barrett.[8] They divorced in 1936.[8]
As well as being a lifelong heavy tobacco smoker,
Later years and death
In his final years, Edwards lived in a home for indigent actors and often spent his time at the Walt Disney Studios to be available any time he could get voice work. He was sometimes taken to lunch by animators whom he befriended and told stories of his days in vaudeville.
Edwards died on July 17, 1971, at the age of 76 from a
Honors
In 2000, Edwards was awarded as a Disney Legend for voice-acting. In 2002, Edwards' 1940 recording on Victor, Victor 26477, "When You Wish Upon a Star", was inducted into the
Discography
- Ukulele Ike Sings Again (Disneyland, 1956)
- A Day at Disneyland with Walt Disney and Jiminy Cricket (Disneyland, 1957)
- The Story of Walt Disney's Cinderella (Disneyland, 1957)
- Songs, Games & Fun (RCA Victor, 1958)
- Ukulele Ike (Glendale, 1978)
- Cliff Edwards and His Hot Combination 1925–1926 (Retrieval, 1978)
- The Vintage Recordings of Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike) (Take Two, 1979)
- The Musical Score of The Wizard of Oz/The Song Hits from Walt Disney's Pinocchio (MCA, 1980)
- Ukulele Ike 1930's Radio Transcriptions: Live June 1947 (Collectors' Choice, 1996)
Partial filmography
- Marianne (1929) as Soapy
- So This Is College (1929) as Windy
- The Hollywood Revue of 1929(1929) as Himself
- They Learned About Women (1930) as Singer in Harlem Madness number (uncredited)
- Lord Byron of Broadway (1930) as Joe
- Crazy House (1930, Short) as Writer
- Doughboys(1930) as Nescopeck
- Montana Moon (1930) as Froggy
- Children of Pleasure (1930) as Cliff - Radio Performer (uncredited)
- Way Out West (1930) as Trilby
- Good News (1930) as Kearney
- Those Three French Girls (1930) as Owly
- Remote Control (1930) as Hog Caller (uncredited)
- Dance, Fools, Dance (1931) as Bert Scranton
- The Prodigal (1931) as Snipe, a Tramp
- Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931) as Bell Hop
- Stepping Out (1931) as Paul Perkins
- Shipmates (1931) as Bilge
- Laughing Sinners (1931) as Mike
- The Great Lover (1931) as Finny
- Sidewalks of New York (1931) as Poggle
- The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) as Victor Lebeau
- Hell Divers (1931) as "Baldy"
- Young Bride (1932) as Pete
- Fast Life (1932) as Bumpy
- Flying Devils (1933) as 'Screwy' Edwards
- Take a Chance (1933) as Louie Webb
- George White's Scandals (1934) as Stew Hart
- George White's 1935 Scandals (1935) as Dude
- Red Salute (1935) as P.J. Rooney
- The Man I Marry (1936) as Jerry Ridgeway
- They Gave Him a Gun (1937) as Laro
- Between Two Women (1937) as Snoopy
- Saratoga (1937) as Tip
- Bad Guy (1937) as 'Hi-Line'
- The Women Men Marry (1937) as Jerry Little
- The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937) as 'Buzz' McCreedy
- Big City (1937)
- The Girl of the Golden West (1938) as Minstrel Joe
- The Little Adventuress (1938) as Handy
- Maisie (1939) as 'Shorty' Miller
- Smuggled Cargo (1939) as Professor
- Gone with the Wind (1939) as Reminiscent Soldier
- His Girl Friday (1940) as Reporter Endicott
- High School (1940) as Jeff Jefferson
- Pinocchio (1940) as Jiminy Cricket (voice, uncredited)
- Millionaires in Prison (1940) as Happy
- Flowing Gold (1940) as 'Hot Rocks' Harris
- Cliff Edwards and His Buckaroos (1940) as "Mr. Cliff" (Western short)
- Friendly Neighbors (1940) as Notes
- She Couldn't Say No (1940) as Banjo Page
- The Monster and the Girl (1941) as Leon Beecher 'Tips' Stokes
- Knockout (1941) as Pinky (credits) / Sleepy
- Power Dive(1941) as Squid Watkins
- International Squadron (1941) as Omaha McGrath
- Dumbo (1941) as Dandy Crow (voice, uncredited)
- Sundown Jim (1942) as Stable proprietor
- Bandit Ranger (1942) as Ike
- Red River Robin Hood (1942) as Ike
- Seven Miles from Alcatraz (1942) as Stormy
- Pirates of the Prairie (1942) as Ike
- American Empire (1942) as Runty
- Nazi lead singer[13]
- Fighting Frontier (1943) as Ike
- Salute for Three (1943) as Foggy
- The Falcon Strikes Back (1943) as Goldie Locke
- Sagebrush Law (1943) as Ike
- The Avenging Rider (1943) as Ike
- Fun and Fancy Free (1947) as Jiminy Cricket (voice)
- Bat Masterson (1959) as AJ Mulvaney - Town Undertaker
- Platinum High School (1960) as Frank (uncredited)
- The Man from Button Willow (1965) as Doc / The Whip (voice, uncredited)
- Once Upon a Studio (2023) as Jiminy Cricket (voice, archive audio)
References
- ^ "Pinocchio (film)". D23. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
- ^ "Dumbo (film)". D23. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-3544-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4584-1654-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-3544-6.
- ^ Glendale Records GL-6011 LP, 1978
- ISBN 978-0-8248-3544-6.
- ^
- ^ "Cliff Edwards: The Voice of Disney's Jiminy Cricket by David Soren | The American Vaudeville Museum". Vaudeville.sites.arizona.edu. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Disney's forgotten genius". Independent.ie. 12 May 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ New York Times (July 22, 1971). "Cliff Edwards, 76, 'Ukulele Ike' Of Stage and Film, Dies on Coast". nytimes.com. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "Disney First Christmas Special". Tvparty.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Scott, Keith (3 October 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
Further reading
- The Cliff Edwards Discography by Larry F. Kiner, Greenwood Press, New York, 1987. , and listing of his film, radio, and television appearances.
External links
- Cliff Edwards at IMDb
- Cliff Edwards at the Internet Broadway Database
- Cliff Edwards extensive fan site by David Garrick
- Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards bio on ragtimepiano.com
- Cliff Edwards "Ukulele Ike" on RedHotJazz.com, with .ram files of his vintage recordings.