Pat Walshe
Pat Walshe | |
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Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1908–1950 |
Height | 3 ft 11 in (119 cm) |
Signature | |
Patrick Walshe (July 26, 1900 – December 11, 1991) was an American dwarf
Life and career
Pat Walshe was born as Patrick Walshe, on July 26, 1900, in New York City. Living his early years in Brooklyn,[1] Walshe had a form of restricted growth, and as a result never grew to be taller than 3'11".
Walshe began performing in
In following years, Walshe appeared in the cabaret revue Hell at the
Walshe made his motion picture debut in 1915, in the Lew Fields comedy Old Dutch. He reprised his role from The Girl Behind the Counter from five years previously.[7] The waiters' quartet had been popular with audiences, so Fields reunited them all for his comedy film produced by World Films.[8]
Many of Walshe's performances included playing animals, particularly
Rather than attaching fur to his body, Walshe had a costumer make a special fur suit for him. However, Walshe dealt with the makeup himself. With grey paint, he used highlights and shadows, as well as protruding false teeth and a wig to transform himself into a monkey. Walshe often worked directly with apes, which was dangerous due to the creatures' unpredictable nature. To minimize risk, Walshe was well acquainted with the apes with which whom appeared, had an in-depth knowledge of ape psychology, and was naturally comfortable around them.[9]
In addition to working with live apes simply to mimic their movements, Walshe also performed with them. One of his best-known performances was alongside the
Throughout the 1920s, Walshe earned a reputation for his act. At one point he worked as a businessman, though he found being a little person made it considerably difficult. His business was unsuccessful, and after a period of illness, he ceased his business activities and returned to performing.[9] In 1920 he was once again reunited with Irwin Emmer, when they both played monkeys in As You Were.[11]
In 1928, Walshe was enlisted to appear in Rain or Shine,
Walshe continued to perform in vaudeville, variety shows, circuses, and several Broadway productions, as well as the occasional screen appearance. In 1930 he appeared in Harold Beaudine short film Seeing Things starring William Demarest. Back on stage he appeared in Fine and Dandy[10] with Joe Cook, with whom he'd worked in 1928 in Rain or Shine. Walshe appeared alongside another dwarf actor, Hermon Ergotti, a German standing 3'8". They portrayed "The Colt", with Walshe doubling as "J. Newton Wheer". In 1936 Walshe appeared in Topsy Turvy Revue, billed as the 'midget Tarzan', again with Joe Cook.[12]
The Wizard of Oz
In, 1938, Walshe was cast in the most prominent role of his career: his feature film appearance in
Unlike the other monkeys, Nikko was a credited role, serving as the
Although Walshe is listed in the film's credits as "Nikko", and despite his frequent appearances, the name "Nikko" is never spoken. (In the book, the character is simply called "the Monkey King".) Many of the film's viewers wondered who "Nikko" was; some confused him with the
Later career, retirement
From 1945 to 1946, Walshe performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,[16][17] Al Dean's Circus,[18] at the Court Square Theater, and with the Cole Bros. Circus.[19] He also made some other film appearances, with minor roles in Pinky and Roseanna McCoy, and in addition to working as a stunt double.[20] He had one of his few on-screen speaking roles in Panic in the Streets (1950), where he played a newspaper peddler named Pat (after himself). Walshe eventually quit performing due to the physical demands of his work, but was still remembered for his appearance in The Wizard of Oz.
Death
Walshe died on December 11, 1991, in
Selected theatre appearances
- The Girl Behind the Counter (1908) - Thompkins, a waiter
- The Midnight Sons (1909) - Bird
- Ringling Brothers Circus (1910)
- Hell at Folies-Begere (1911) - An Antique
- Bunty Bull and Strings (1912) - Mr MacGregor
- Barnum & Bailey at Madison Square Garden(1912) - Clown
- A Good Little Devil (1913) - Huggermunk/Squirrel
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1913) - Dwarf
- Frank A. Robbins Circus (1914)
- Toyland (1915)
- Weber and Fields Reunion (1915) - Monkey
- Good-Bye, Bill (1918) - Chorus
- As You Were (1920) - Primeval Father
- The Merchant of Venice (1922) - Jessica's monkey
- The Jeweled Tree (1926) - Hotep/First Shade
- Rain or Shine (1928–29) - The Monkey
- Fine and Dandy (1930–31) - J. Newton Wheer/The Colt
- Topsy Turvy Revue (1936) - Midget Tarzan
- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1945–46)
- Al Dean's Circus (1946) - The Human Ape
- Cole Bros. Circus (1950)
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1915 | Old Dutch | Waiter | Film debut, Uncredited |
1930 | Seeing Things | Little Guy | Short |
1939 | The Wizard of Oz
|
Nikko | |
1949 | Pinky | Minor Role | Uncredited |
Roseanna McCoy | A Hatfield | Uncredited | |
1950 | Panic in the Streets | Pat - Newspaper Peddler | Final film, Uncredited |
References
- ^ a b c "Theatre Topics: Charles Frohmans List of New plays promises much that is interesting". Brooklyn Eagle. July 9, 1931. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "LEW FIELDS in the musical comedy THE GIRL BEHIND THE COUNTER". Billboard. No. 20. September 26, 1908. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ "News, Notes and Gossip About Plays and Pictures". The Boston Sunday Globe. No. 20. December 19, 1920. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "From Circus to "Rain or Shine"". Brooklyn Eagle. May 27, 1928. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "The Barnum & Bailey Show at Madison Square Garden in All its Glory". The New York Clipper. Vol. 60, no. 3. March 2, 1912. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "P. P. I. E. News". Variety. No. 5. January 1915. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "Brevities of the Business". Motography. Vol. 13, no. 1. January 2, 1915. p. 216. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "Remember the Waiter's Quartette in 'The Girl Behind the Counter?'". The New York Clipper. No. 47. January 2, 1915. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Monkey Shines as "Man", While Man Apes "Monkey"". The Boston Post. December 12, 1920. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- ^ a b "Private Lives' Reopens and Jed Harris Bobs Up Again". Brooklyn Eagle. April 5, 1931. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "P. P. I. E. News". The New York Clipper. Vol. 67, no. 51. February 4, 1920. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "News of the Stage and Screen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 31, 1936. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1480397194.
- ISBN 9781493035328.
- ^ "The Nikko Controversy". Reelclassics.com. November 8, 1998. Archived from the original on October 6, 1999. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "Dressing Room Gossip: Ringling Barnum". Billboard. Vol. 57, no. 29. July 21, 1945. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Ringling-Barnum 1946 Program". Billboard. Vol. 58, no. 15. April 13, 1946. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "They Bloom With the Sprigs In Spring -- Tra-La -- L. A." Billboard. Vol. 58, no. 14. April 6, 1946. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Dressing Room Gossip: Cole Bros". Billboard. Vol. 62, no. 27. July 8, 1950. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ISBN 9780525484868.
External links
- Pat Walshe at IMDb
- Pat Walshe at the Internet Broadway Database