Andrew Vabre Devine was born on October 7, 1905 in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was the son of hotel operator Thomas Devine and his wife Amy. He had one brother, Thomas Jr, and a step-sister, Mae. When Andy was not quite one year old, the family moved from Flagstaff to the town of Kingman in Northwest Arizona. His father owned and operated the Hotel Beale, located across from the railroad tracks on what is today Andy Devine Avenue.
Andy's Childhood
Andy spent his childhood at the hotel and at the family home, which was located a few blocks away from the hotel. Andy was a mischievous child, often playing tricks on the traveling salesmen staying at the Hotel Beale. His antics often got him kicked out of school.
Andy's trademark raspy voice came when, as a young boy, he tripped and injured his vocal cords. He was unable to talk for several months. When he finally regained his voice, it was scratchy, and it never lost that quality.
Andy was sent to a private school when the local high school couldn't hold his interest. After high school, Andy attended college at the University of California at Santa Clara, where he played college football.
Andy Becomes an Actor
Andy's acting career began in 1926, when he started out with small, uncredited roles in silent films. Andy got his first role in a talking motion picture in 1931, in the film "The Spirit of Notre Dame". He appeared in a number of small roles throughout the 1930's. In 1939, he was given the role of the stage driver in the John Wayne classic "Stagecoach" because he had experience driving teams of horses.
Andy also appeared in several other Westerns, including the feature films "How The West Was Won" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" with John Wayne. Over the course of his acting career, Andy appeared in over 400 feature films.
On television, Andy starred as Jingles in "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" in 1951. He hosted the "Andy's Gang" children's hour from 1955 to 1960, and he starred in the made-for-tv movies "The Over-The-Hill Gang" in 1969 and "The Over-The-Hill Gang Rides Again" in 1970. He also voiced several cartoon characters.
Andy's Family
Andy married Dorothy House in 1933. He was 29 and she was 19. They bought a horse ranch near Van Nuys, California where they raised their two sons, Tad and Dennis, out of the Hollywood spotlight. Andy's sons appeared with their father in one movie, "Canyon Passage", in 1946.
Andy died of cardiac arrest and complications of diabetes on February 18, 1977. Dorothy passed away on June 14, 2000.
Andy's Legacy
The Andy Devine Room at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts in Kingman features Andy Devine memorabilia. Andy Devine also has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for radio and one for television.
Resources:
http://www.mohavemuseum.org/andy.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222596/
 |
