Chill Wills
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Chill Theodore Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s. After appearing in a few westerns he disbanded the group in 1938, and struck out on a solo acting career. One of his more memorable roles was that of the distinctive voice of Francis the Mule in a series of popular films. Wills' deep, rough voice, with its Western twang, was matched to the personality of the cynical, sardonic mule. As was customary at the time, Wills was given no billing for his vocal work, though he was featured prominently on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry, Francis Joins the WACS. He provided the deep voice for Stan Laurel's performance of "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" in Way Out West (1937), in which the Avalon Boys Quartet appeared. Wills was cast in numerous serious film roles, including as "the city of Chicago" as personified by a phantom police sergeant in the film noir City That Never Sleeps (1953), and that of Uncle Bawley in Giant (1956), which also features Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Wills was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his role as Davy Crockett's companion "Beekeeper" in the film The Alamo (1960). However, his aggressive campaign for the award was considered tasteless by many, including the film's star/director/producer John Wayne, who publicly apologized for Wills. Wills' publicity agent, W.S. "Bow-Wow" Wojciechowicz, accepted blame for the ill-advised effort, claiming that Wills had known nothing about it. The Oscar was instead won by Peter Ustinov for his role as Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus. In Rory Calhoun's CBS western series The Texan, Wills appeared in the lead role in the 1960 episode entitled "The Eyes of Captain Wylie". Wills starred in the short-run series Frontier Circus which aired for only one season (1961–62) on CBS. In 1966, he was cast in the role of a shady Texas rancher, Jim Ed Love, in the short-lived ABC comedy/western series The Rounders (reprising his role in the 1965 film The Rounders, starring Henry Fonda), with co-stars Ron Hayes, Patrick Wayne and Walker Edmiston. in 1963-64, Wills joined William Lundigan, Walter Brennan and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the campaign against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1968, Wills refused to support Richard Nixon for the presidency and served as master of ceremonies for George C. Wallace, former governor of Alabama, for the California campaign stops in Wallace's presidential campaign.[5] Wills was among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallace's bid against Nixon and Hubert H. Humphrey; another was Walter Brennan. Also in 1968, he starred in the Gunsmoke episode "A Noose for Dobie Price", where he played Elihu Gorman, a former outlaw who joins forces with Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness, to track down a member of his former gang who has escaped jail. His last role was in 1978, as a janitor in Stubby Pringle's Christmas. CLR Description above from the Wikipedia article Chill Wills, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2004 · Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade as Self (archive footage)
- 2001 · Drive-In Movie Memories as
- 1994 · That's Entertainment! III as (archive footage)
- 1992 · John Wayne's 'The Alamo' as Beekeeper
- 1978 · Stubby Pringle's Christmas as The Janitor
- 1977 · Poco… Little Dog Lost as Big Burt
- 1977 · Mr. Billion as Col. Clayton T. Winkle
- 1976 · It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- 1973 · Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid as Lemuel
- 1973 · Guns of a Stranger as Tom Duncan
- 1971 · The Steagle as Tall Guy McCoy
- 1971 · Alias Smith and Jones as
- 1970 · Night Gallery as Heppelwhite (segment "The Little Black Bag")
- 1970 · The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again as Gentleman George Agnew
- 1970 · The Liberation of L.B. Jones as Mr. Ike
- 1969 · The Over the Hill Gang as Gentleman George Agnew
- 1969 · Big Daddy as
- 1967 · Judd for the Defense as
- 1966 · Tarzan as
- 1966 · The Rounders as
- 1966 · Fireball 500 as Big Jaw
- 1965 · The Rounders as Jim Ed Love
- 1963 · The Cardinal as Monsignor
- 1963 · The Wheeler Dealers as Jay Ray Spinelby
- 1963 · McLintock! as Drago
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Harry Riggs
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Stanton Custer
- 1963 · Burke's Law as General Hector Harder
- 1962 · Young Guns of Texas as Preacher Sam Shelby
- 1961 · Frontier Circus as
- 1961 · The Deadly Companions as Turk
- 1961 · The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come as Major Buford
- 1961 · Gold of the Seven Saints as Doc Wilson Gates, M.D.
- 1960 · Where the Boys Are as Police Captain
- 1960 · The Alamo as Beekeeper
- 1960 · Route 66 as
- 1959 · Disneyland '59 as Self
- 1959 · The Sad Horse as Capt. Connors
- 1959 · Rawhide as Sheriff Asa Tanner
- 1958 · The Texan as
- 1958 · From Hell to Texas as Amos Bradley
- 1957 · Trackdown as
- 1957 · Gun Glory as Preacher
- 1956 · Gun for a Coward as Loving
- 1956 · Giant as Uncle Bawley
- 1956 · New York Premiere Telecast 'Giant' as Host
- 1956 · Santiago as Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones
- 1956 · Kentucky Rifle as Tobias Taylor
- 1955 · Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Mr. Kilmer
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Abe Blocker
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Red Conniston
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Elihu Gorman
- 1955 · Francis in the Navy as Francis (voice) (uncredited)
- 1955 · Timberjack as Steve Riika
- 1954 · Hell's Outpost as Kevin Russell
- 1954 · Ricochet Romance as Tom Williams
- 1954 · Francis Joins the WACS as Francis (as Francis the Talking Muke)
- 1953 · Tumbleweed as Sheriff Murchoree
- 1953 · The Man from the Alamo as John Gage
- 1953 · City That Never Sleeps as Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
- 1953 · Francis Covers the Big Town as Francis (as Franis the Talking Mule)
- 1952 · Ride the Man Down as Ike Adams
- 1952 · Francis Goes to West Point as Francis (as Francis the Talking Mule)
- 1952 · Bronco Buster as Dan Bream
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as The Janitor
- 1951 · The Sea Hornet as Swede
- 1951 · Cattle Drive as Dallas
- 1951 · Francis Goes to the Races as Francis The Talking Mule (as Francis the Talking Mule)
- 1951 · Oh! Susanna as Sgt. Barhydt
- 1950 · Rio Grande as Dr. Wilkins
- 1950 · High Lonesome as Boatwhistle
- 1950 · Stella as Chief Clark
- 1950 · Rock Island Trail as Hogger McCoy
- 1950 · Francis as Francis the Talking Mule (voice)
- 1950 · The Sundowners as Sam Beers
- 1950 · The Grass Is Always Greener as Windy
- 1949 · Red Canyon as Brackton
- 1949 · Tulsa as Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)
- 1948 · Loaded Pistols as Sheriff Cramer
- 1948 · Family Honeymoon as Fred
- 1948 · That Wonderful Urge as Homer Beggs
- 1948 · The Saxon Charm as Captain Chatham
- 1948 · Northwest Stampede as Mileaway
- 1948 · The Sainted Sisters as Will Twitchell
- 1947 · Heartaches as 'Breezie' Mann
- 1946 · The Yearling as Buck Forrester
- 1946 · Gallant Bess as Chief Petty Officer
- 1946 · The Harvey Girls as H.H. Hartsey
- 1945 · Leave Her to Heaven as Leick Thome
- 1945 · What Next, Corporal Hargrove? as Sgt. Cramp
- 1944 · I'll Be Seeing You as Swanson
- 1944 · Sunday Dinner for a Soldier as Mr. York
- 1944 · Meet Me in St. Louis as Mr. Neely
- 1944 · Barbary Coast Gent as Sheriff Hightower
- 1944 · See Here, Private Hargrove as First Sgt. Cramp
- 1943 · Best Foot Forward as Chester Short
- 1943 · A Stranger in Town as Charles Craig
- 1942 · Stand by for Action as Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann
- 1942 · The Omaha Trail as Henry Hawkins
- 1942 · Apache Trail as 'Pike' Skelton
- 1942 · Her Cardboard Lover as Judge
- 1942 · Mr. Gardenia Jones as Hotel Employee
- 1942 · Tarzan's New York Adventure as Manchester Montford
- 1942 · The Bugle Sounds as Sgt. Larry Dillon
- 1941 · Honky Tonk as The Sniper
- 1941 · Belle Starr as Blue Duck
- 1941 · Billy the Kid as Tom Patterson
- 1941 · The Bad Man as 'Red' Giddings
- 1941 · Western Union as Homer Kettle
- 1940 · Tugboat Annie Sails Again as Shiftless
- 1940 · Sky Murder as Sheriff Beckwith
- 1940 · The Westerner as Southeast
- 1940 · Wyoming as Lafe
- 1940 · Boom Town as Harmony Jones
- 1939 · Allegheny Uprising as M'Cammon
- 1939 · The Day the Bookies Wept as Man on Bus (uncredited)
- 1939 · Timber Stampede as Whopper Hatch
- 1939 · Racketeers of the Range as Whopper Hatch
- 1939 · Sorority House as Mr. Johnson
- 1939 · Trouble in Sundown as Whopper
- 1939 · Arizona Legion as Whopper Hatch
- 1938 · Lawless Valley as Deputy Speedy McGow
- 1937 · Nobody's Baby as Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)
- 1937 · Way Out West as Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)
- 1936 · At Sea Ashore as Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)
- 1936 · Call of the Prairie as Singing Cowhand
- 1935 · Bar 20 Rides Again as Henchman