Jerry Colonna
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).
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (44)
This Is Bob Hope...
as Self (archive footage)
2017
Entertaining the Troops: Bob Hope & the USO
as Self (archive footage)
2002
Bob Hope: Laughing With the Presidents
as Self (archive footage)
1996
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage)
1988
Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready
as Self
1977
Joys
as Self
1976
The Road to Hong Kong
as Man Looking For a Match (uncredited)
1962
Andy Hardy Comes Home
as Doc
1958
Pinocchio
as Ringmaster
1957
Meet Me in Las Vegas
as Jerry Colonna
1956
Music Land
as Narrator (archive footage)
1955
Ellis in Freedomland
as The Waste-away (voice)
1952
Alice in Wonderland
as March Hare (voice)
1951
Operation Wonderland
as Self
1951
Kentucky Jubilee
as Jerry Harris
1951
The Brave Engineer
as Narrator
1950
Casey at the Bat
as Narrator
1946
Make Mine Music
as Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
1946
Road to Utopia
as Man on boat to Alaska (uncredited)
1946
It's in the Bag!
as Dr. Greengrass
1945
G.I. Journal
as Self
1944
Atlantic City
as The Professor
1944
Musical Movieland
as The Texas Tornado
1944
Stars on Horseback
1943
Ice Capades Revue
as Theophilus J. Twitchell
1942
Priorities on Parade
as Jeep Jackson
1942
True to the Army
as Pvt. 'Pinky' Fothergill
1942
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Jerry Colonna
1942
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
as Self (uncredited)
1941
Ice-Capades
as Colonna
1941
Sis Hopkins
as Professor
1941
You're the One
as Dr. Colonna
1941
Melody and Moonlight
as Abner Kellogg
1940
Comin' Round the Mountain
as Argyle Phifft
1940
Road to Singapore
as Achilles Bombanassa
1940
Naughty But Nice
as Allie Gray
1939
Sweepstakes Winner
as Nick, the Chef
1939
Swingtime in the Movies
as The Texas Tornado
1938
Garden of the Moon
as Musician
1938
Valley of the Giants
as Saloon Singer
1938
Little Miss Broadway
as Band Member
1938
Port of Seven Seas
as Arab Rug Dealer
1938
The Star Reporter
as Singer-Freddie Rich Orchestra
1938
Rosalie
as Joseph
1937
