Wally Cox
| Wally Cox | |
|---|---|
Cox in 1962
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| Born |
Wallace Maynard Cox December 6, 1924 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | February 15, 1973 (aged 48) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Years active | 1948–1973 |
| Spouse(s) | Marilyn Gennaro (1954 – ?; divorced) Milagros Tirado (1963 –1966; divorced; two children) Patricia Tiernan (1969 –1973; his death) |
Wallace Maynard "Wally" Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American comedian and actor, particularly associated with the early years of television in the United States. He appeared in the U.S. television series Mister Peepers from 1952 to 1955, plus several other popular shows, and as a character actor in over 20 films. Cox was the voice of the popular animated canine superhero Underdog. Although often cast as a meek , he was actually quite athletic, as well as a military veteran. He married three times.
Cox was born on December 6, 1924, in Detroit, Michigan. When he was 10, he moved with his divorced mother, mystery author Eleanor Blake, and a younger sister to Evanston, Illinois, where he became close friends with a neighborhood child, Marlon Brando. His family moved frequently, eventually to Chicago, then New York City, then back to Detroit, where he graduated from Denby High School.
During World War II, Cox and his family returned to New York City, where he attended City College of New York. He next spent four months in the United States Army, and on his discharge attended New York University. He supported his invalid mother and sister by making and selling jewelry in a small shop and at parties, where he started doing comedy monologues. These would lead to regular performances at nightclubs, such as the Village Vanguard, beginning in December 1948. He became the roommate of Marlon Brando, who encouraged him to study acting with Stella Adler. Cox and Brando remained close friends for the rest of Cox's life, and Brando appeared unannounced at Cox's wake. Brando is also reported to have kept Cox's ashes in his bedroom and conversed with them nightly.
In 1949, Cox appeared on the CBS network-radio show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, to the great amusement of host Godfrey. The first half of his act was a monologue in a slangy, almost-mumbled punk-kid characterization, telling listeners about his friend Dufo: "What a crazy guy." The gullible oaf Dufo would take any dares and fall for his gang's pranks time after time, and Cox would recount the awful consequences: "Sixteen stitches. What a crazy guy." Cox's decidedly different standup routine was infectious in its ridiculousness, and just as the studio audience had reached a peak of laughter, Cox suddenly switched gears, changed characters, and sang a high-pitched version of "The Drunkard Song" ("There Is a Tavern in the Town") punctuated by eccentric yodels. "Wallace Cox" earned a big hand that night, but lost by a narrow margin to The Chordettes, but he made enough of a hit to record his radio routine for an RCA Victor single. The "Dufo" routine ("What a Crazy Guy") was paired with "Tavern in the Town." He appeared in Broadway musical reviews, night clubs, and early television comedy-variety programs between 1949 and 1951, including the short-lived (January–April 1949) DuMont series The School House and CBS Television's Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town starring Faye Emerson. Cox had a huge impact in 1951 with a starring role as a well-meaning but ineffective policeman on Philco Television Playhouse. Producer Fred Coe approached Cox about a starring role in a proposed live television sitcom, Mister Peepers, which he accepted. The show ran on NBC Television for three years. During this time, he guest-starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show. In 1959, Cox was featured in the guest-starring title role in "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" on NBC's Western series, Wagon Train, with Read Morgan. In 1963, Cox played a prominent supporting role as Preacher Goodman in the Earl Hamner novel brought to the screen, Spencer's Mountain. Cox played the role of a Navy sonar man in the The Bedford Incident in 1964. In 1965, he played the role of a drug-addicted doctor opposite Brando in the World War II suspense film, Morituri.
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