John Forrest "Fuzzy" Knight (May 9, 1901 – February 23, 1976) was an American film and television actor. He was also a singer, especially in his early career. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1928 and 1967, usually as a cowboy hero's comic sidekick.
Fuzzy Knight | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Knight in Amateur Crook (1937) | |
| Born | John Forrest Knight May 9, 1901 Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 1976 (aged 74) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Alma mater | West Virginia University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929–1967 |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Ryan (née Thelma de Long) (m. 19??) |
Biography
editKnight was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, the third child and son of James A. and Olive Knight.[1] In Fairmont, he worked as a clerk at a hotel and played in a theater orchestra.[2]
He attended nearby West Virginia University[3] where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity,[2] a cheerleader and law student. He wrote a pep song, "Fight Mountaineers," which is still frequently used by the Mountaineer Marching Band 90 years later. He also wrote the melody for a WVU song titled "To Thee Our Alma Mater," with words by fellow graduate David A. Christopher. He formed his own band in college and played drums,[3] eventually leaving school to perform in vaudeville and in big bands such as Irving Aaronson's and George Olsen's.[4]
Eventually his musical and comedy skills took him to New York, where he appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1927 and on Broadway in Here's Howe and Ned Wayburn's Gambols.[5] He was billed under his nickname, Fuzzy (given him because of his peculiarly soft voice).[3]: 236
While touring with bands, Knight came to Hollywood and appeared in several musical short films for MGM and Paramount between 1928 and 1932.[4] Mae West gave him his first notable film role in She Done Him Wrong, and he went on to play in many dozens of films over the next 30 years. By the 1940s, he was primarily playing in Western movies and was voted one of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars in Westerns in 1940.[3]: 236
Knight became famous to a new generation when he co-starred as Buster Crabbe's sidekick (using his own name as Private Fuzzy Knight)[6] on the 1955 television series Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion.[3]: 236 In semi-retirement thereafter, Knight continued to make occasional appearances in films and TV shows through 1967.
He died in his sleep at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, and was survived by his wife, actress Patricia Ryan (née Thelma de Long).[4][3]: 236 He was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in Burbank, California.[7]
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1929 | Night Parade | Party Guest | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Fighting For Justice | Playing himself | Song singer at piano |
| Hell's Highway | Society Red | ||
| Vanity Street | Drunk | Uncredited | |
| Speed Demon | Lefty | ||
| 1933 | The Billion Dollar Scandal | Piano Entertainer | Uncredited |
| She Done Him Wrong | Rag Time Kelly | ||
| Under the Tonto Rim | Tex | ||
| Sunset Pass | Willy Willard | ||
| Her Bodyguard | Danny Dare | ||
| This Day and Age | Max | ||
| To the Last Man | Jeff Morley | ||
| Sitting Pretty | Stock Clerk | Uncredited | |
| 1934 | Moulin Rouge | Eddie | |
| Come On Marines! | Wimpy | ||
| The Last Round-Up | Charles Bunko McGee | ||
| I Hate Women | Cookie Smith | ||
| Operator 13 | Pvt. Sweeney | ||
| The Cat's-Paw | Stuttering Gangster | ||
| The Girl from Missouri | Photographer with O'Sullivan | Uncredited | |
| Belle of the Nineties | Comedian | ||
| She Had to Choose | Wally | ||
| Behold My Wife! | Photographer | Uncredited | |
| Night Alarm | Dinner Club Comedian | ||
| Music in the Air | Nick | ||
| 1935 | Home on the Range | Cracker | |
| George White's 1935 Scandals | Sam Fogel | Uncredited | |
| Vagabond Lady | Swan - Man with Pat | Uncredited | |
| Dizzy Dames | Buzz | ||
| The Murder Man | 'Buck' Hawkins | ||
| Danger Ahead | Fred Klein | Delicatessen Owner (singer/pianist) | |
| Trails of the Wild | Mountie Windy Cameron | ||
| Wanderer of the Wasteland | Deputy Scott | ||
| The Old Homestead | Lem | ||
| Hot Off the Press | |||
| Bars of Hate | Montague | ||
| Mary Burns, Fugitive | Dance hall attendant | ||
| 1936 | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | Tater | |
| Song of the Trail | Pudge | ||
| Rio Grande Romance | Elmer | ||
| Palm Springs | Ranch Hand | Uncredited, off screen credit | |
| And Sudden Death | Steve Bartlett | ||
| Wildcat Trooper | Constable Pat O'Hearne - RCMP | ||
| Kelly of the Secret Service | Lefty Hogan | ||
| Sea Spoilers | Hogan | ||
| The Plainsman | Dave | ||
| Song of the Gringo | Zony | ||
| With Love and Kisses | Butch | ||
| Silks and Saddles | Bottsie Botsworth | ||
| 1937 | Her Husband Lies | Ears Norris | Uncredited |
| The Gold Racket | Scotty Summers | ||
| Mountain Justice | Clem Biggers | ||
| Mountain Music | Amos Burnside | ||
| Flying Fists | Spider | ||
| County Fair | Whitey the Trainer | ||
| Courage of the West | Hank Givens | First of four as the comic sidekick of Bob Baker | |
| Quick Money | Peter Piper Potter | ||
| Amateur Crook | Jape - Gas-Station Attendant | ||
| The Singing Outlaw | Longhorn | Second with Bob Baker | |
| 1938 | Everybody's Doing It | Softy's Henchman | Uncredited |
| Where the West Begins | Buzz - Jack's Sidekick | ||
| Border Wolves | Clem Barrett | ||
| The Last Stand | Pepper | ||
| Joy of Living | Sideshow Pianist & Singer | Uncredited | |
| Spawn of the North | Lefty Jones | ||
| The Cowboy and the Lady | Buzz | ||
| 1939 | Union Pacific | Cookie | |
| The Oregon Trail | Deadwood Hawkins | Serial | |
| Desperate Trails | Cousin Willie Strong | ||
| Oklahoma Frontier | Frosty | ||
| Chip of the Flying U | "Weary" | ||
| 1940 | Remember the Night | Bandleader at Barn Dance | Uncredited |
| West of Carson City | Banjo | ||
| My Little Chickadee | Cousin Zeb | ||
| Boss of Bullion City | Burt Pennypacker | ||
| Johnny Apollo | Cellmate | ||
| Riders of Pasco Basin | Luther | ||
| Bad Man from Red Butte | Spud | ||
| Son of Roaring Dan | Tick Belden | ||
| Brigham Young | Pete | ||
| Ragtime Cowboy Joe | Joe Bushberry | ||
| Law and Order | Deadwood | ||
| 1941 | Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie | Lem Fielding | |
| Horror Island | Stuff Oliver | ||
| The Cowboy and the Blonde | Skeeter | ||
| Law of the Range | Chap | ||
| The Shepherd of the Hills | Mr. Palestrom | ||
| Rawhide Rangers | Porky Blake | ||
| Man from Montana | Deputy Grubby | ||
| Badlands of Dakota | Hurricane Harry | ||
| The Masked Rider | Patches McQuilt | ||
| New York Town | Gus Nelson | ||
| Arizona Cyclone | Muleshoe | ||
| Fighting Bill Fargo | Scoop | ||
| 1942 | Stagecoach Buckaroo | Clem Clemmons | |
| Butch Minds the Baby | Wyoming Bill | ||
| Juke Girl | Ike Harper | ||
| Lady in a Jam | Govt. Man's Cabbie | Uncredited | |
| The Silver Bullet | Wild Bill Jones | ||
| Boss of Hangtown Mesa | Dr. J. Wellington Dingle | ||
| Deep in the Heart of Texas | "Happy" T. Snodgras | ||
| Apache Trail | Juke | ||
| Little Joe, the Wrangler | Little Joe Smith | ||
| The Old Chisholm Trail | Alvin Pendergast | ||
| 1943 | Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground | Si Dugan | |
| He's My Guy | Sparks | ||
| Cheyenne Roundup | Cal Calkins | ||
| Raiders of San Joaquin | Eustace Clairmont | ||
| Frontier Law | Ramblin' Rufe Randel | ||
| The Lone Star Trail | Angus MacAngus | ||
| Arizona Trail | 'Kansas' Cobb | ||
| Corvette K-225 | Cricket | ||
| 1944 | Marshal of Gunsmoke | Glowworm Johnson | |
| Oklahoma Raiders | Banjo Bonner | ||
| Hi, Good Lookin'! | Joe Smedley | ||
| The Great Alaskan Mystery | 'Grit' Hartman | Serial, [Chs. 4-13] | |
| Cowboy and the Senorita | Fuzzy | ||
| Boss of Boomtown | Corporal 'Chatter' Box | ||
| Take It Big | Cowboy Joe | ||
| Trigger Trail | Echo | ||
| Allergic to Love | Charlie | ||
| Trail to Gunsight | Horatius Van Sickle | ||
| The Singing Sheriff | Fuzzy | ||
| Riders of the Santa Fe | Bullseye Johnson | ||
| The Old Texas Trail | H. Pinkerton 'Pinky' Pinkley | ||
| 1945 | Frisco Sal | Hallelujah | |
| Song of the Sarong | Pete McGillicutty | ||
| Beyond the Pecos | Barnacle Pete Finnegan | ||
| Swing Out, Sister | Clutch | ||
| Trail to Vengeance | Hungry Huggins | ||
| Renegades of the Rio Grande | Ranger Trigger Bidwell | Alternative title: Bank Robbery | |
| Bad Men of the Border | Mortimer P. Rockabye Jones | ||
| Code of the Lawless | Bonanza Featherstone | ||
| Senorita from the West | Rosebud | ||
| Frontier Gal | Fuzzy | ||
| 1946 | Girl on the Spot | Bim | |
| Gun Town | Ivory | ||
| Her Adventurous Night | Cudgeons | ||
| Lawless Breed | Tumbleweed | ||
| Rustler's Round-Up | Pinkerton J. 'Pinky' Pratt | ||
| Gunman's Code | Bosco O'Toole | ||
| 1947 | The Egg and I | Cab Driver | |
| 1948 | Adventures of Gallant Bess | Woody | |
| 1949 | Down to the Sea in Ships | Lern Sykes | Uncredited |
| Rimfire | Porky Hodges | ||
| Feudin' Rhythm | Horseshoe | ||
| Apache Chief | Sergeant Nevada | ||
| 1950 | Hostile Country | Deacon Hall | |
| Marshal of Heldorado | The Mayor | ||
| Crooked River | Deacon | ||
| Colorado Ranger | Deacon | ||
| Hills of Oklahoma | Jiggs Endicott | ||
| West of the Brazos | Judge Deacon | ||
| Fast on the Draw | Deacon | ||
| 1951 | Dead or Alive | Texas - U. S. Marshal | |
| Canyon Raiders | Texas Milburn | ||
| Skipalong Rosenbloom | Sneaky Pete | Alternative title: Square Shooter | |
| Nevada Badmen | Texas | ||
| Stagecoach Driver | Texas McGillicudy | ||
| Show Boat | Trocadero Piano Player | Uncredited | |
| Gold Raiders | Sheriff | ||
| Honeychile | Ice Cream Vendor | ||
| Lawless Cowboys | Horace Greeley Smithers | ||
| Stage to Blue River | Texas | ||
| 1952 | Night Raiders | Tex | |
| Rancho Notorious | The Barber | Uncredited | |
| Rodeo | Jazbo Davis | ||
| Oklahoma Annie | Larry | ||
| The Gunman | Blinkey | ||
| Kansas Territory | Cap | ||
| Fargo | Tad Sloan | ||
| Feudin' Fools | Traps | ||
| 1953 | Topeka | Pop Harrison | |
| Vigilante Terror | Strummer Jones | ||
| Geraldine | Song Plugger | Uncredited | |
| 1956 | The Naked Hills | Pitch Man | |
| 1958 | The Notorious Mr. Monks | Tom | |
| 1959 | These Thousand Hills | Jacob Smith | Uncredited |
| 1965 | The Bounty Killer | Captain Luther | |
| 1966 | Waco | Telegraph Operator | |
| 1967 | Hostile Guns | Buck | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950–1951 | The Gene Autry Show | Sagebrush - Sidekick | 4 episodes |
| 1955–1957 | Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion | Pvt. Fuzzy Knight | 33 episodes |
| 1959 | The Man and the Challenge | Burro Charlie | 1 episode |
| 1960 | Outlaws | Isaac Miller | 1 episode |
| 1962 | The Tall Man | Johnny Red | 1 episode |
| The Joey Bishop Show | Charles Porter | 2 episodes | |
References
edit- ^ United States Federal Census 1920; Fairmont Ward 8, Marion, West Virginia; Roll: T625_1961; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 27; Image: 1015.
- ^ a b "Our Cheer Leader". The Delta of Sigma Nu Fraternity. 39. Sigma Nu Fraternity: 527–528. 1922. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Corneau, Ernest. Hall of Fame of Western Film Stars. Christopher Publishing, 1969, p. 235
- ^ a b c Fuzzy Knight obituary, Variety, March 3, 1976
- ^ Internet Broadway Database http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=67987
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 412. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7.
External links
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