Most certainly egged on by the dandified antics of an
Edward Everett Horton,
Eric Blore and/or
Franklin Pangborn, burlesque clown
Billy DeWolfe in turn gave obvious inspiration to such effeminate cutups as
Paul Lynde and
Charles Nelson Reilly. Billy's
life was one hundred percent show business from start to finish in a
career that lasted five decades, and it took everything, including the
proverbial vaudeville hook, to get the delightful ham off the stage he
craved and loved so well.
Christened William Andrew Jones, he was the son of a Welsh-born
immigrant and bookbinder. Born in Massachusetts, the family returned to
Wales almost immediately and did not come back to the States until
Billy was nine years old. He began his career in the theater as an
usher until he found work as a dancer with a band. He subsequently took
his name from a theater manager, William De Wolfe, who actually offered
him his name. Billy developed his own comedy-dance act and originally
played the vaudeville circuit as part of a duo or trio. In London for
five years, he eventually went solo and was given the chance to play
the London Palladium at one point. He returned to America in 1939 and
enjoyed notice as a prime radio and nightclub performer-impressionist,
appearing in satirical revues, sometimes in drag, with great results.
Billy enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 shortly after completing his
first movie role as a riverboat conman in
Dixie (1943) for Paramount. In civilian
clothes again by war's end, he returned to Paramount and brought hyper
comedy relief to a number of films including
Miss Susie Slagle's (1946),
Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946),
and
The Perils of Pauline (1947).
He then instigated what would become his suitor prototype.
With trademark mustache and spiffy duds, he assumed the role of the
highly ineffectual, fastidious, self-involved bore who loses the girl,
in Dear Ruth (1947), one of his biggest
film triumphs, which was followed by two "Dear..." movie sequels.
Old-fashioned musicals were definitely his cup of tea and he was easily
fit into such nostalgic fare as
Bezaubernde Frau (1950) and
Das Wiegenlied vom Broadway (1951).
One of his other film highlights includes getting snitty with bombastic
Ethel Merman in
Madame macht Geschichte(n) (1953).
Irrepressible and definitely hard to contain for film (not to mention
difficult to cast due to his mincing mannerisms), Billy focused instead
on the live stage. He won the 1954 Donaldson Award for the NY
production of "John Murray Anderson's Almanac," returned to London in
command performances, and revisited Broadway in the last edition of
"The Ziegfeld Follies" in 1957. Better yet was his pompous performance
in the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" On TV
he was a mildly popular raconteur on the talk show circuit. Fussy
second-banana series roles took up his final decade of acting with
such comedy series showcasing the likes of
Imogene Coca,
Phyllis Diller and
Doris Day, who became a very close
friend.
A lifelong hypochondriac, Billy was about to take on the role of Madam
Lucy in a 1973 Broadway revival of "Irene" when the ravages of lung
cancer forced him to leave the show before rehearsals even began.
Character player George S. Irving
replaced Billy and went on to win a supporting-actor Tony for his
wild efforts. Billy lost his fight at age 67 in 1974.
