Fuzzy Knight
Fuzzy Knight | |
---|---|
Born | John Forrest Knight May 9, 1901 Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S. |
Died | February 23, 1976 Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 74)
Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
Alma mater | West Virginia University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1929–1967 |
Spouse(s) | Patricia Ryan (née Thelma de Long) (m. 19??) |
John Forrest "Fuzzy" Knight (May 9, 1901 – February 23, 1976) was an American film and television actor. He was also a singer, especially in his early career. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1928 and 1967, usually as a cowboy hero's comic sidekick.
Biography
Knight was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, the third child and son of James A. and Olive Knight.[1] In Fairmont, he worked as a clerk at a hotel and played in a theater orchestra.[2]
He attended nearby West Virginia University[3] where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity,[2] a cheerleader and law student. He wrote a pep song, "Fight Mountaineers," which is still frequently used by the Mountaineer Marching Band 90 years later. He also wrote the melody for a WVU song titled "To Thee Our Alma Mater," with words by fellow graduate David A. Christopher. He formed his own band in college and played drums,[3] eventually leaving school to perform in vaudeville and in big bands such as Irving Aaronson's and George Olsen's.[4]
Eventually his musical and comedy skills took him to New York, where he appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1927 and on Broadway in Here's Howe and Ned Wayburn's Gambols.[5] He was billed under his nickname, Fuzzy (given him because of his peculiarly soft voice).[3]: 236
While touring with bands, Knight came to
Knight became famous to a new generation when he co-starred as Buster Crabbe's sidekick (using his own name as Private Fuzzy Knight)[6] on the 1955 television series Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion.[3]: 236 In semi-retirement thereafter, Knight continued to make occasional appearances in films and TV shows through 1967.
He died in his sleep at the
Filmography
Film | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1929 | Night Parade | Party Guest | Uncredited |
1932 | Fighting For Justice
|
Playing himself | Song singer at piano |
Hell's Highway | Society Red | ||
Vanity Street | Drunk | Uncredited | |
Speed Demon | Lefty | ||
1933 | The Billion Dollar Scandal | Piano Entertainer | Uncredited |
She Done Him Wrong | Rag Time Kelly | ||
Under the Tonto Rim | Tex | ||
Sunset Pass | Willy Willard | ||
Her Bodyguard | Danny Dare | ||
This Day and Age | Max | ||
To the Last Man | Jeff Morley | ||
Sitting Pretty | Stock Clerk | Uncredited | |
1934 | Moulin Rouge | Eddie | |
Come On Marines! | Wimpy | ||
The Last Round-Up | Charles Bunko McGee | ||
I Hate Women | Cookie Smith | ||
Operator 13 | Pvt. Sweeney | ||
The Cat's-Paw | Stuttering Gangster | ||
The Girl from Missouri | Photographer with O'Sullivan | Uncredited | |
Belle of the Nineties | Comedian | ||
She Had to Choose | Wally | ||
Behold My Wife! | Photographer | Uncredited | |
Night Alarm | Dinner Club Comedian | ||
Music in the Air | Nick | ||
1935 | Home on the Range | Cracker | |
George White's 1935 Scandals | Sam Fogel | Uncredited | |
Vagabond Lady | Swan - Man with Pat | Uncredited | |
Dizzy Dames | Buzz | ||
The Murder Man | 'Buck' Hawkins | ||
Danger Ahead | Fred Klein | Delicatessen Owner (singer/pianist) | |
Trails of the Wild | Mountie Windy Cameron | ||
Wanderer of the Wasteland | Deputy Scott | ||
The Old Homestead | Lem | ||
Hot Off the Press | |||
Bars of Hate | Montague | ||
Mary Burns, Fugitive | Dance hall attendant | ||
1936 | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | Tater | |
Song of the Trail | Pudge | ||
Rio Grande Romance | Elmer | ||
Palm Springs | Ranch Hand | Uncredited, off screen credit | |
And Sudden Death | Steve Bartlett | ||
Wildcat Trooper | Constable Pat O'Hearne - RCMP | ||
Kelly of the Secret Service | Lefty Hogan | ||
Sea Spoilers | Hogan | ||
The Plainsman | Dave | ||
Song of the Gringo | Zony | ||
With Love and Kisses | Butch | ||
Silks and Saddles | Bottsie Botsworth | ||
1937 | Her Husband Lies | Ears Norris | Uncredited |
The Gold Racket | Scotty Summers | ||
Mountain Justice | Clem Biggers | ||
Mountain Music | Amos Burnside | ||
Flying Fists | Spider | ||
County Fair | Whitey the Trainer | ||
Courage of the West | Hank Givens | First of four as the comic sidekick of Bob Baker | |
Quick Money | Peter Piper Potter | ||
Amateur Crook | Jape - Gas-Station Attendant | ||
The Singing Outlaw | Longhorn | Second with Bob Baker | |
1938 | Everybody's Doing It | Softy's Henchman | Uncredited |
Where the West Begins | Buzz - Jack's Sidekick | ||
Border Wolves | Clem Barrett | ||
The Last Stand | Pepper | ||
Joy of Living | Sideshow Pianist & Singer | Uncredited | |
Spawn of the North | Lefty Jones | ||
The Cowboy and the Lady | Buzz | ||
1939 | Union Pacific | Cookie | |
The Oregon Trail | Deadwood Hawkins | Serial | |
Desperate Trails | Cousin Willie Strong | ||
Oklahoma Frontier | Frosty | ||
Chip of the Flying U
|
"Weary" | ||
1940 | Remember the Night | Bandleader at Barn Dance | Uncredited |
West of Carson City | Banjo | ||
My Little Chickadee | Cousin Zeb | ||
Boss of Bullion City | Burt Pennypacker | ||
Johnny Apollo | Cellmate | ||
Riders of Pasco Basin | Luther | ||
Bad Man from Red Butte | Spud | ||
Son of Roaring Dan | Tick Belden | ||
Brigham Young | Pete | ||
Ragtime Cowboy Joe | Joe Bushberry | ||
Law and Order | Deadwood | ||
1941 | Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie | Lem Fielding | |
Horror Island | Stuff Oliver | ||
The Cowboy and the Blonde | Skeeter | ||
Law of the Range | Chap | ||
The Shepherd of the Hills | Mr. Palestrom | ||
Rawhide Rangers | Porky Blake | ||
Man from Montana | Deputy Grubby | ||
Badlands of Dakota | Hurricane Harry | ||
The Masked Rider | Patches McQuilt | ||
New York Town | Gus Nelson | ||
Arizona Cyclone | Muleshoe | ||
Fighting Bill Fargo | Scoop | ||
1942 | Stagecoach Buckaroo | Clem Clemmons | |
Butch Minds the Baby | Wyoming Bill | ||
Juke Girl | Ike Harper | ||
Lady in a Jam | Govt. Man's Cabbie | Uncredited | |
The Silver Bullet | Wild Bill Jones | ||
Boss of Hangtown Mesa | Dr. J. Wellington Dingle | ||
Deep in the Heart of Texas | "Happy" T. Snodgras | ||
Apache Trail | Juke | ||
Little Joe, the Wrangler | Little Joe Smith | ||
The Old Chisholm Trail | Alvin Pendergast | ||
1943 | Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground | Si Dugan | |
He's My Guy | Sparks | ||
Cheyenne Roundup | Cal Calkins | ||
Raiders of San Joaquin | Eustace Clairmont | ||
Frontier Law | Ramblin' Rufe Randel | ||
The Lone Star Trail | Angus MacAngus | ||
Arizona Trail | 'Kansas' Cobb | ||
Corvette K-225 | Cricket | ||
1944 | Marshal of Gunsmoke | Glowworm Johnson | |
Oklahoma Raiders | Banjo Bonner | ||
Hi, Good Lookin'! | Joe Smedley | ||
The Great Alaskan Mystery | 'Grit' Hartman | Serial, [Chs. 4-13] | |
Cowboy and the Senorita | Fuzzy | ||
Boss of Boomtown | Corporal 'Chatter' Box | ||
Take It Big | Cowboy Joe | ||
Trigger Trail | Echo | ||
Allergic to Love | Charlie | ||
Trail to Gunsight | Horatius Van Sickle | ||
The Singing Sheriff | Fuzzy | ||
Riders of the Santa Fe | Bullseye Johnson | ||
The Old Texas Trail | H. Pinkerton 'Pinky' Pinkley | ||
1945 | Frisco Sal | Hallelujah | |
Song of the Sarong | Pete McGillicutty | ||
Beyond the Pecos | Barnacle Pete Finnegan | ||
Swing Out, Sister | Clutch | ||
Trail to Vengeance | Hungry Huggins | ||
Renegades of the Rio Grande | Ranger Trigger Bidwell | Alternative title: Bank Robbery | |
Bad Men of the Border | Mortimer P. Rockabye Jones | ||
Code of the Lawless | Bonanza Featherstone | ||
Senorita from the West | Rosebud | ||
Frontier Gal | Fuzzy | ||
1946 | Girl on the Spot | Bim | |
Gun Town | Ivory | ||
Her Adventurous Night | Cudgeons | ||
Lawless Breed | Tumbleweed | ||
Rustler's Round-Up | Pinkerton J. 'Pinky' Pratt | ||
Gunman's Code | Bosco O'Toole | ||
1947 | The Egg and I | Cab Driver | |
1948 | Adventures of Gallant Bess | Woody | |
1949 | Down to the Sea in Ships | Lern Sykes | Uncredited |
Rimfire | Porky Hodges | ||
Feudin' Rhythm | Horseshoe | ||
Apache Chief | Sergeant Nevada | ||
1950 | Hostile Country | Deacon Hall | |
Marshal of Heldorado | The Mayor | ||
Crooked River | Deacon | ||
Colorado Ranger | Deacon | ||
Hills of Oklahoma | Jiggs Endicott | ||
West of the Brazos | Judge Deacon | ||
Fast on the Draw | Deacon | ||
1951 | Dead or Alive | Texas - U. S. Marshal | |
Canyon Raiders | Texas Milburn | ||
Skipalong Rosenbloom | Sneaky Pete | Alternative title: Square Shooter | |
Nevada Badmen | Texas | ||
Stagecoach Driver | Texas McGillicudy | ||
Show Boat | Trocadero Piano Player | Uncredited | |
Gold Raiders | Sheriff | ||
Honeychile | Ice Cream Vendor | ||
Lawless Cowboys | Horace Greeley Smithers | ||
Stage to Blue River | Texas | ||
1952 | Night Raiders | Tex | |
Rancho Notorious | The Barber | Uncredited | |
Rodeo | Jazbo Davis | ||
Oklahoma Annie | Larry | ||
The Gunman | Blinkey | ||
Kansas Territory | Cap | ||
Fargo | Tad Sloan | ||
Feudin' Fools | Traps | ||
1953 | Topeka | Pop Harrison | |
Vigilante Terror | Strummer Jones | ||
Geraldine | Song Plugger | Uncredited | |
1956 | The Naked Hills | Pitch Man | |
1958 | The Notorious Mr. Monks | Tom | |
1959 | These Thousand Hills | Jacob Smith | Uncredited |
1965 | The Bounty Killer | Captain Luther | |
1966 | Waco | Telegraph Operator | |
1967 | Hostile Guns | Buck | |
Television | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1950–1951 | The Gene Autry Show | Sagebrush - Sidekick | 4 episodes |
1955–1957 | Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion | Pvt. Fuzzy Knight | 33 episodes |
1959 | The Man and the Challenge | Burro Charlie | 1 episode |
1960 | Outlaws | Isaac Miller | 1 episode |
1962 | The Tall Man | Johnny Red | 1 episode |
The Joey Bishop Show
|
Charles Porter | 2 episodes |
References
- ^ United States Federal Census 1920; Fairmont Ward 8, Marion, West Virginia; Roll: T625_1961; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 27; Image: 1015.
- ^ a b "Our Cheer Leader". The Delta of Sigma Nu Fraternity. 39. Sigma Nu Fraternity: 527–528. 1922. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Corneau, Ernest. Hall of Fame of Western Film Stars. Christopher Publishing, 1969, p. 235
- ^ a b c Fuzzy Knight obituary, Variety, March 3, 1976
- ^ Internet Broadway Database http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=67987
- ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.