From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0932629
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1072969
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Filmography (Movies)
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:25/07/2004
Drive-In Movie Memories
Character:
Release Date:31/08/2001
That's Entertainment! III
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:01/07/1994
John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
Character:Beekeeper
Release Date:06/06/1992
Stubby Pringle's Christmas
Character:The Janitor
Release Date:17/12/1978
Poco… Little Dog Lost
Character:Big Burt
Release Date:23/11/1977
Mr. Billion
Character:Col. Clayton T. Winkle
Release Date:03/03/1977
It's Showtime
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:31/03/1976
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Character:Lemuel
Release Date:23/05/1973
Guns of a Stranger
Character:Tom Duncan
Release Date:01/05/1973
The Steagle
Character:Tall Guy McCoy
Release Date:15/09/1971
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again
Character:Gentleman George Agnew
Release Date:16/11/1970
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
Character:Mr. Ike
Release Date:18/03/1970
The Over the Hill Gang
Character:Gentleman George Agnew
Release Date:06/07/1969
Big Daddy
Character:
Release Date:11/06/1969
Fireball 500
Character:Big Jaw
Release Date:07/06/1966
The Rounders
Character:Jim Ed Love
Release Date:08/01/1965
The Cardinal
Character:Monsignor
Release Date:12/12/1963
The Wheeler Dealers
Character:Jay Ray Spinelby
Release Date:14/11/1963
McLintock!
Character:Drago
Release Date:12/11/1963
Young Guns of Texas
Character:Preacher Sam Shelby
Release Date:30/11/1962
The Deadly Companions
Character:Turk
Release Date:06/06/1961
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
Character:Major Buford
Release Date:01/06/1961
Gold of the Seven Saints
Character:Doc Wilson Gates, M.D.
Release Date:18/02/1961
Where the Boys Are
Character:Police Captain
Release Date:28/12/1960
The Alamo
Character:Beekeeper
Release Date:23/10/1960
Disneyland '59
Character:Self
Release Date:15/06/1959
The Sad Horse
Character:Capt. Connors
Release Date:01/03/1959
The Western: A Lost TV Special
Character:Self
Release Date:08/06/1958
From Hell to Texas
Character:Amos Bradley
Release Date:29/04/1958
Gun Glory
Character:Preacher
Release Date:19/07/1957
Gun for a Coward
Character:Loving
Release Date:30/12/1956
Giant
Character:Uncle Bawley
Release Date:08/11/1956
New York Premiere Telecast 'Giant'
Character:Host
Release Date:09/10/1956
Santiago
Character:Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones
Release Date:13/07/1956
Kentucky Rifle
Character:Tobias Taylor
Release Date:01/07/1956
Francis in the Navy
Character:Francis (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:24/08/1955
Timberjack
Character:Steve Riika
Release Date:18/02/1955
Hell's Outpost
Character:Kevin Russell
Release Date:15/12/1954
Ricochet Romance
Character:Tom Williams
Release Date:01/11/1954
Francis Joins the WACS
Character:Francis (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:30/07/1954
Tumbleweed
Character:Sheriff Murchoree
Release Date:01/12/1953
The Man from the Alamo
Character:John Gage
Release Date:07/08/1953
City That Never Sleeps
Character:Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
Release Date:12/06/1953
Francis Covers the Big Town
Character:Francis (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:10/06/1953
Small Town Girl
Character:Happy
Release Date:10/04/1953
Ride the Man Down
Character:Ike Adams
Release Date:25/11/1952
Francis Goes to West Point
Character:Francis (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:01/07/1952
Bronco Buster
Character:Dan Bream
Release Date:01/05/1952
The Sea Hornet
Character:Swede
Release Date:06/11/1951
Cattle Drive
Character:Dallas
Release Date:01/08/1951
Francis Goes to the Races
Character:Francis (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:01/05/1951
Oh! Susanna
Character:Sgt. Barhydt
Release Date:01/03/1951
Rio Grande
Character:Dr. Wilkins
Release Date:15/11/1950
High Lonesome
Character:Boatwhistle
Release Date:01/09/1950
Stella
Character:Chief Clark
Release Date:20/07/1950
Rock Island Trail
Character:Hogger McCoy
Release Date:18/05/1950
Francis
Character:Francis the Talking Mule (voice)
Release Date:08/02/1950
The Sundowners
Character:Sam Beers
Release Date:02/02/1950
The Grass Is Always Greener
Character:Windy
Release Date:07/01/1950
Red Canyon
Character:Marshal G.T. Brackton
Release Date:27/04/1949
Tulsa
Character:Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)
Release Date:13/04/1949
Loaded Pistols
Character:Sheriff Cramer
Release Date:15/12/1948
Family Honeymoon
Character:Fred
Release Date:06/12/1948
That Wonderful Urge
Character:Homer Beggs
Release Date:20/11/1948
The Saxon Charm
Character:Captain Chatham
Release Date:28/09/1948
Northwest Stampede
Character:Mileaway
Release Date:28/07/1948
The Sainted Sisters
Character:Will Twitchell
Release Date:30/04/1948
Heartaches
Character:'Breezie' Mann
Release Date:28/06/1947
High Barbaree
Character:Lars (uncredited)
Release Date:01/05/1947
The Yearling
Character:Buck Forrester
Release Date:18/12/1946
Gallant Bess
Character:Chief Petty Officer
Release Date:05/12/1946
The Harvey Girls
Character:H.H. Hartsey
Release Date:18/01/1946
Leave Her to Heaven
Character:Leick Thome
Release Date:25/12/1945
What Next, Corporal Hargrove?
Character:Sgt. Cramp
Release Date:21/11/1945
I'll Be Seeing You
Character:Swanson
Release Date:31/12/1944
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier
Character:Mr. York
Release Date:08/12/1944
Meet Me in St. Louis
Character:Mr. Neely
Release Date:28/11/1944
Barbary Coast Gent
Character:Sheriff Hightower
Release Date:01/09/1944
The Immortal Blacksmith
Character:Tom Davenport
Release Date:20/05/1944
See Here, Private Hargrove
Character:First Sgt. Cramp
Release Date:18/03/1944
Best Foot Forward
Character:Chester Short
Release Date:08/10/1943
A Stranger in Town
Character:Charles Craig
Release Date:01/04/1943
Stand by for Action
Character:Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann
Release Date:31/12/1942
Apache Trail
Character:'Pike' Skelton
Release Date:01/09/1942
The Omaha Trail
Character:Henry Hawkins
Release Date:01/09/1942
Her Cardboard Lover
Character:Judge
Release Date:16/07/1942
Mr. Gardenia Jones
Character:Hotel Employee
Release Date:29/05/1942
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Character:Manchester Montford
Release Date:01/05/1942
The Bugle Sounds
Character:Sgt. Larry Dillon
Release Date:30/01/1942
Honky Tonk
Character:The Sniper
Release Date:01/10/1941
Belle Starr
Character:Blue Duck
Release Date:12/09/1941
Billy the Kid
Character:Tom Patterson
Release Date:30/05/1941
The Bad Man
Character:'Red' Giddings
Release Date:28/03/1941
Western Union
Character:Homer Kettle
Release Date:21/02/1941
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
Character:Shiftless
Release Date:26/10/1940
Sky Murder
Character:Sheriff Beckwith
Release Date:27/09/1940
The Westerner
Character:Southeast
Release Date:18/09/1940
Wyoming
Character:Lafe
Release Date:13/09/1940
Boom Town
Character:Harmony Jones
Release Date:30/08/1940
Allegheny Uprising
Character:M'Cammon
Release Date:10/11/1939
The Day the Bookies Wept
Character:Man on Bus (uncredited)
Release Date:13/09/1939
Timber Stampede
Character:Whopper Hatch
Release Date:29/06/1939
Racketeers of the Range
Character:Whopper Hatch
Release Date:26/05/1939
Sorority House
Character:Mr. Johnson
Release Date:05/05/1939
Trouble in Sundown
Character:Whopper
Release Date:23/03/1939
Arizona Legion
Character:Whopper Hatch
Release Date:20/01/1939
Lawless Valley
Character:Deputy Speedy McGow
Release Date:03/11/1938
Nobody's Baby
Character:Amateur Hour Quartet Singer
Release Date:23/04/1937
Way Out West
Character:Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)
Release Date:16/04/1937
Hideaway Girl
Character:Lead Singer of Avalon Boys
Release Date:20/11/1936
At Sea Ashore
Character:Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)
Release Date:04/04/1936
Call of the Prairie
Character:Singing Cowhand
Release Date:06/03/1936
Bar 20 Rides Again
Character:Henchman
Release Date:06/12/1935
Television Appearances
Alias Smith and Jones
Character:
Night Gallery
Character:Heppelwhite (segment "The Little Black Bag")
Judd for the Defense
Character:
Tarzan
Character:
The Rounders
Character:
Burke's Law
Character:Harry Riggs
Burke's Law
Character:Stanton Custer
Burke's Law
Character:General Hector Harder
The Merv Griffin Show
Character:Self
Frontier Circus
Character:Colonel Casey Thompson /Col. Casey Thompson
Route 66
Character:
Rawhide
Character:Sheriff Asa Tanner
The Texan
Character:
Trackdown
Character:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character:Mr. Kilmer
Gunsmoke
Character:Abe Blocker
Gunsmoke
Character:Red Conniston
Gunsmoke
Character:Elihu Gorman
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character:The Janitor
Images
