Dooley Wilson
Dooley Wilson | |
---|---|
Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Resting place | Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1893–1952 |
Spouse(s) | Estelle Williams (m. 19??; his death 1953) |
Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (April 3, 1886 – May 30, 1953) was an American actor, singer and musician who is best remembered for his portrayal of Sam in the 1942 film Casablanca. In that romantic drama, he performs its theme song "As Time Goes By".
Wilson was a drummer and singer
Early life and career
Arthur Wilson was born in Tyler, Texas,[3] the youngest of five children. At age seven, the year of his father's death, he began to earn a living by performing in churches in Tyler. When he was eight years old he was earning $18 a week, singing and playing in tent shows. By 1908 he was in Chicago in the repertory company of the Pekin Theatre, the first legitimate black theatre in the United States. By then he had earned the nickname "Dooley", for his whiteface impersonation of an Irishman singing a song called "Mr. Dooley".[4]: 142–143
Part of the emerging African American theatre scene, Wilson worked with the Anita Bush company in New York City in 1914 and with Charles Gilpin's stock company at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem in 1915.[4]: 143 He performed in James Reese Europe's band, and after World War I he toured Europe with his own band, The Red Devils, throughout the 1920s.[3]
Working in the U.S. again during the Great Depression, Wilson starred in Conjur' Man Dies (1936) and other plays for the Federal Theatre Project's Negro Theatre Unit, then under the direction of John Houseman. His breakthrough role came in 1940, with his portrayal of Little Joe in the Broadway musical Cabin in the Sky. This won him a contract with Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. He found himself playing Pullman porters while his stage role in the MGM film adaptation of Cabin in the Sky was played by Eddie "Rochester" Anderson.[4]: 143–144
Casablanca
In May 1942, Warner Bros. was casting its production of Casablanca and borrowed Wilson from Paramount Pictures for seven weeks at $500 a week. Per the studio custom of the day, Wilson received his contract salary, $350 per week, and Paramount kept the balance.[4]: 144
Wilson was cast in the role of Sam, a singer and pianist employed by nightclub owner Rick (
Wilson was a singer and drummer, but not a pianist. The piano music for the film was played off-screen, either by Elliot Carpenter or Jean Plummer, and dubbed.[6]
Later life and career
Wilson was cast in the film version of
Back on Broadway, Wilson played Pompey, an escaped slave, in the musical
Death and legacy
Wilson died May 30, 1953, of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He had become ill two years earlier while performing in a New York stage production of Harvey.[11][12][13][14]
In January 2017, Wilson's hometown of Tyler, Texas dedicated a memorial marker to him on its Half Mile of History.[15]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Sources |
---|---|---|---|
1939 | Keep Punching | Baron Skinner | [3][16] |
1942 | My Favorite Blonde | Porter | [7] |
Take a Letter, Darling | Moses | [7] | |
Night in New Orleans | Shadrach Jones | [7] | |
Cairo | Hector | [7] | |
Casablanca | Sam | [7] | |
1943 | Two Tickets to London | Accordionist | [7] |
Stormy Weather | Gabe Tucker | [7] | |
Higher and Higher | Oscar | [7] | |
1944 | Seven Days Ashore | Jason | [7] |
1948 | Triple Threat | Porter | Offscreen credit[7] |
Racing Luck | Abe | [7] | |
1949 | Knock on Any Door | Piano player | Offscreen credit[7] |
Come to the Stable | Anthony James | [7] | |
Free for All | Aristotle | [7] | |
Tell It to the Judge | Pullman porter | Offscreen credit[7] | |
1950 | No Man of Her Own | Dining car waiter | Offscreen credit[7] |
Father Is a Bachelor | Blue | Offscreen credit[7] | |
1951 | Passage West
|
Rainbow | [7] |
1951–1952 | Beulah
|
Bill Jackson | TV series[10] |
References
- ^ "Obituaries: Dooley Wilson". Variety. June 10, 1953. p. 83. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0816078387. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Charles, John. "Biography for Dooley Wilson". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1562829414.
- ^ "Casablanca (1942) Soundtrack and Complete List of Songs". What-song. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ Wallace, Robert. "Who Played It Again, Sam? The Three Pianists of 'Casablanca'". American Federation of Musicians; Local 47. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Dooley Wilson". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ "Bloomer Girl". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ Bowers, Dwight Blocker (ed.) American Musical Theatre: Shows, Songs, and Stars; Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, Washington, D.C., 1989.
- ^ ISBN 978-0345356109.
- ^ "Actor Dooley Wilson Dies at Age of 67". Yuma Sun. United Press International. June 1, 1953. p. 5.
- ISBN 978-0429560392. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Hardman, Peggy (June 15, 2010). "Arthur [Dooley] Wilson". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ Rea, E. B. (April 17, 1943). "Dooley Wilson, Newest Star to Rise in Film Skies, Gets Eighth Good Role". The Afro American. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ Harper, Faith (January 10, 2017). "Dooley Wilson, actor known as Sam in Casablanca, honored with downtown marker". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Keep Punching". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
External links
- Dooley Wilson at IMDb
- Dooley Wilson at AllMovie
- Dooley Wilson at Turner Classic Movies
- Dooley Wilson at the better source needed]
- Dooley Wilson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dooley Wilson at Find a Grave