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DIED
November 21, 1986

RECENT CREDITS
Star Spangled Rhythm (FILM)  Jan. 1, 2001
The Road to Morocco (FILM)  Jan. 1, 2000
Andy Hardy Comes Home (FILM)  Aug. 1, 1958
Meet Me in Las Vegas (FILM)  Mar. 1, 1956
Road to Rio (FILM)  Jan. 1, 1947

BIOGRAPHY
In his youth, Jerry Colonna worked as a longshoreman by day to finance his music studies by night. He became a star trombonist in several major bands, fronting his own jazz aggregation for a time. Not willing to become....
In his youth, Jerry Colonna worked as a longshoreman by day to finance his music studies by night. He became a star trombonist in several major bands, fronting his own jazz aggregation for a time. Not willing to become just one more sideliner, Colonna decided to develop a wacky comic persona, growing a huge handlebar mustache for that purpose. He skyrocketed to popularity as a combination stooge/heckler for radio comedian Bob Hope, coining such catch phrases as "Who's Yehudi?" and "Ah, yes...exciting, isn't it?" On his own, Colonna recorded several best-selling records, offering ear-piercing renditions of such songs as "On the Road to Mandalay" (he could hold a high note longer--and to better effect--than any "serious" opera diva). After his film debut in 52nd Street (1937), Colonna played several hilarious supporting roles, and also starred in a few lively "B"-movies like Priorities on Parade (1944) and Kentucky Jamboree (1950); he was also seen in an ersatz version in dozens of Warner Bros. cartoons of the 1940s. During the 1950s and 1960s, Colonna continued making USO tours with Bob Hope (as he'd done during the war), headlined a nightclub act, and showed up with great frequency as a TV guest star on such series as The Monkees and McHale's Navy. After Colonna fell victim to a stroke in the late 1960s, his old boss Hope saw to it that Jerry and his family were well-provided for. In addition to his performing credits, Jerry Colonna also penned a novel, The Loves of Tullio (1970).

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide



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Recently Worked With...

Star Spangled Rhythm
Released: Jan. 1, 2001

The Road to Morocco
Released: Jan. 1, 2000

Andy Hardy Comes Home
Released: Aug. 1, 1958

Meet Me in Las Vegas
Released: Mar. 1, 1956

Road to Rio
Released: Jan. 1, 1947


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