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 onscreen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry Francis Joins the WACS He provided the deep voice for Stan Laurels 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 Crocketts companion Beekeeper in the film The Alamo 1960 However his aggressive campaign for the award was considered tasteless by many including the films stardirectorproducer John Wayne who publicly apologized for Wills Wills publicity agent WS BowWow Wojciechowicz accepted blame for the illadvised 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 Calhouns 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 shortrun series Frontier Circus which aired for only one season 196162 on CBS In 1966 he was cast in the role of a shady Texas rancher Jim Ed Love in the shortlived ABC comedywestern series The Rounders reprising his role in the 1965 film The Rounders starring Henry Fonda with costars Ron Hayes Patrick Wayne and Walker Edmiston in 196364 Wills joined William Lundigan Walter Brennan and Efrem Zimbalist Jr in making appearances on behalf of US Senator Barry Goldwater the Republican nominee in the campaign against US 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 Wallaces presidential campaign5 Wills was among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallaces 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 Pringles Christmas CLR Description above from the Wikipedia article Chill Wills licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia