CINEFILER

Jerry Colonna

Born
September 17, 1904
Died
November 21, 1986
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).
Known For
Alice in Wonderland
(1951)
March Hare (voice)
Make Mine Music
(1946)
Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
Road to Singapore
(1940)
Achilles Bombanassa
Full Filmography
Acting
Song Hits on Parade
(1936)
Rosalie
(1937)
Joseph
Swingtime in the Movies
(1938)
The Texas Tornado
Little Miss Broadway
(1938)
Band Member
Garden of the Moon
(1938)
Musician
Port of Seven Seas
(1938)
Arab Rug Dealer
Valley of the Giants
(1938)
Saloon Singer
The Star Reporter
(1938)
Singer-Freddie Rich Orchestra
Naughty But Nice
(1939)
Allie Gray
Sweepstakes Winner
(1939)
Nick, the Chef
Road to Singapore
(1940)
Achilles Bombanassa
Melody and Moonlight
(1940)
Abner Kellogg
Comin' Round the Mountain
(1940)
Sis Hopkins
(1941)
Professor
Ice-Capades
(1941)
Colonna
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
(1941)
Himself
Star Spangled Rhythm
(1942)
Jerry Colonna
Ice Capades Revue
(1942)
Theophilus J. Twitchell
True to the Army
(1942)
Pvt. 'Pinky' Fothergill
Priorities on Parade
(1942)
Jeep Jackson
Stars on Horseback
(1943)
Atlantic City
(1944)
The Professor
Musical Movieland
(1944)
The Texas Tornado
It's in the Bag!
(1945)
Dr. Greengrass
Make Mine Music
(1946)
Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
Casey at the Bat
(1946)
Narrator
Road to Utopia
(1946)
Man on boat to Alaska (uncredited)
The Brave Engineer
(1950)
Narrator
Alice in Wonderland
(1951)
March Hare (voice)
Kentucky Jubilee
(1951)
Jerry Harris
Operation Wonderland
(1951)
Self
Ellis in Freedomland
(1952)
The Waste-away (voice)
Music Land
(1955)
Narrator (archive footage)
Meet Me in Las Vegas
(1956)
Jerry Colonna
Andy Hardy Comes Home
(1958)
Doc
The Road to Hong Kong
(1962)
Man Looking For a Match (uncredited)
Joys
(1976)
Self
Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready
(1977)
Self
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
(1988)
Self (archive footage)
Bob Hope: Laughing With the Presidents
(1996)
Self (archive footage)
Entertaining the Troops: Bob Hope & the USO
(2002)
Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
(2017)
Self (archive footage)
Data provided by TMDB