Jerry Colonna

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Gerardo Luigi Colonna (born September 17, 1904 in Boston , Massachusetts , † November 21, 1986 in Woodland Hills , California ) was an American musician, singer, comedian and actor under the name Jerry Colonna . His trademarks were his oversized mustache, his eyes and his special way of singing.

life and work

Jerry Colonna, son of Italian immigrants, founded a band as early as 1917, with which he played drums . But he became successful with the trombone from the mid-1920s . He played in bands such as Benny Goodman , Artie Shaw , Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey , and Ozzie Nelson . In the early 1930s he was a member of the CBS Symphony Orchestra , where he was almost dismissed several times because of his pranks. He also appeared as a singer. He was able to hold a tone for a very long time (up to 72 seconds are reported), which he knew how to use to his advantage.

Since this ability could also be used comedically, the actress Minerva Pious arranged for him to appear on Fred Allen's radio show. During appearances on Bing Crosby's show, he fell on Bob Hope , who hired him in 1938 for his new radio show. With this hugely successful show, Jerry Colonna became famous as the craziest of Bob Hope's sidekicks . He stayed on the show as Professor Colonna until its success waned in the late 1940s. When Bob Hope began performing for the USO for troop entertainment in 1941, Jerry Colonna and Frances Langford were there. Jerry Colonna took part in 12 of Hope's tours in three wars ( World War II , Korean War and Vietnam War ) and came up with over 1500 shows. Often he appeared in the uniform of the unit he was visiting.

In 1937 Walter Wanger called in when he was looking for a special singer for his film 52nd Street . Then Jerry Colonna was seen in smaller roles. In 1940 he appeared in a supporting role in The Road to Singapore . After the surprising success of this film, he had bigger roles in films such as Sis Hopkins , Ice-Capades , True to the Army or It's in the Bag! , and starred in the 1951 film Kentucky Jubilee . He also had cameos in The Road to Utopia (no mention), The Road to Rio and The Road to Hong Kong . Disney used the popularity of his voice in the animated films Make Mine Music and Alice in Wonderland as the March Bunny . From May 28, 1951, ABC ran the weekly Jerry Colonna Show . But this mission was denied success; it got another slot three times until it was discontinued on November 17, 1951. In the 1940s in particular, several cartoons alluded to Jerry Colonna, such as And Forever Lures the Worm .

After suffering a stroke in 1966, Jerry Colonna was partially paralyzed but still performed and worked behind the scenes on Bob Hope shows. After a heart attack in 1977 (or 1979), he stayed permanently at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills , where he died of kidney failure in 1986 .

Jerry Colonna was married to Florence Colonna, nee Purcell, from 1930 until his death. In 1941 the two adopted a son, Robert, who later published a biography of his father.

Jerry Colonna is a great-great-uncle of comedian Sarah Colonna .

Filmography (selection)

actor

Awards

On February 8, 1960, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was dedicated to Jerry Colonna in the radio category . The address is 1645 Vine Street.

For his appearances with Bob Hope at the events of troop entertainment through the USO , he received the Air Force Scroll of Appreciation , the highest award of the USAF for civilians.

Works

  • 1945: Who Threw that Coconut! with a foreword by Bob Hope.
  • 1970: The Loves of Tullio

Web links

Commons : Jerry Colonna  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Jerry Colonna. In: Projects.LATimes.com. Accessed December 31, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Jerry Colonna, 82, Comic and Bob Hope's Foil . In: The New York Times . November 23, 1986 ( online at NYTimes.com [accessed December 31, 2018]).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Jim Ramsburg: 'Professor' Jerry Colonna. In: Jim Ramsburg's GOld Time Radio. Accessed December 31, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b c d Jerry Colonna. In: Walk of Fame. Accessed December 31, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b c d Hal Erickson : Jerry Colonna. In: Allmovie . Accessed December 31, 2018 .
  6. ↑ a b c d Jerry Colonna in the Find a Grave database . Accessed December 31, 2018.
  7. ^ Wesley Hyatt: Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops . McFarland, Jefferson 2003, ISBN 978-0-7864-1420-8 , The Jerry Colonna Show , pp. 28–30 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed December 31, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Jerry Colonna in the Notable Names Database . Accessed December 31, 2018.
  9. ↑ Bob Colonna: Greetings, Gate !: The Story of Professor Jerry Colonna . BearManor Media, Albany 2007, ISBN 978-1-59393-086-8 .
  10. ^ Iain Blair: Colonna: Latenight scribe shares 'Life' lessons . In: Variety . July 24, 2012 ( online at Variety.com [accessed December 31, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Colonna, Jerry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Colonna, Gerardo Luigi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American entertainer
DATE OF BIRTH 17th September 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston , Massachusetts , United States
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1986
Place of death Woodland Hills , California , United States