John Wayne and Andy Devine

 

If you were born in 1950 or before, you remember Andy Devine.  If you were born after 1960, you probably have no clue who he was.  I remember him as the character, "Jingles," in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok television series which ran from 1951 through 1959.  That was two years longer than the I Love Lucy Show!  The Hickok show was on the radio before it was made into a TV series.  Devine had a really raspy voice - which may be why he got the radio gig.

Born in 1905 in Flagstaff, Arizona, Andy grew up in Kingman.  One of the two main thoroughfares here is named after him, Andy Devine Boulevard.  There is a whole room at the museum here in Kingman that is devoted to him and his career as a film star.

As we've driven around this area, it has occurred to me that it might have been Andy that introduced Hollywood to the majestic, rugged scenery that shows up in films from John Wayne's "Stagecoach" to today's "Indiana Jones."

He had a total of five children, some of whom appeared in movies with him.  He was married to one woman, Dorothy, for 44 years before his death from leukemia. That's what you'd want your Hollywood actors to be - faithful.

His paternal grandfather was from County Tipperary in Ireland, coming to America in 1852; his maternal grandfather was the first Navy Commander killed during the Civil War.

Devine played semi-professional football under the name "Jeremiah Schwartz," (why the identity secrecy I don't know!) but his football experience held him in good stead for his first real acting role, The Spirit of Notre Dame in 1931.  He appeared in films from 1928 to 1973 - dozens and dozens and dozens of 'em - along with radio and television appearances. 

By all accounts, Devine was a good, good man.  He did Kingman, Arizona proud!