Jerry Colonna
Known For
Acting
Born
1904-09-17 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Died
1986-11-21
Biography
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).
Most Known For
What's My Line?
as Self
Climax!
as Stan
The Monkees
as Dr. Mann
The Colgate Comedy Hour
as Self
Alice in Wonderland
as March Hare (voice)
Dinah!
as Self
Joys
as Self
Rosalie
as Joseph
Sis Hopkins
as Professor
Make Mine Music
as Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
The Rosemary Clooney Show
as Self
Ice Capades Revue
as Theophilus J. Twitchell
It's in the Bag!
as Dr. Greengrass
The Road to Hong Kong
as Man Looking For a Match (uncredited)
Meet Me in Las Vegas
as Jerry Colonna
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage)
Little Miss Broadway
as Band Member
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Jerry Colonna
Road to Utopia
as Man on boat to Alaska (uncredited)
Naughty But Nice
as Allie Gray