View source for Cliff Edwards

{{short description|American musician and actor (1895–1971)}}
{{for|another person|Cliff Edwards (footballer)}}
{{More footnotes|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Cliff Edwards
| image              = Cliff Edwards 1947.jpg
| caption            = Edwards in 1947
| birth_name         = Clifton Avon Edwards
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1895|06|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Hannibal, Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1971|07|17|1895|06|14|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[Hollywood, California]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]
| other_names        = Ukulele Ike
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* actor
}}
| years_active       = 1918–1971
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Gertrude Ryrholm|1919|1923|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Irene Wylie|1923|1931|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Judith Barrett]]|1932|1936|end=divorced}}
}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed               = yes
| instrument          = {{flatlist|
* Vocals 
* {{okina}}ukulele
}}
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* vaudeville
}}
| label               = {{flatlist|
* [[Audiophile Records]]
* [[Walt Disney Records]]
}}
| associated_acts     =
| website             =
| current_members     =
| past_members        =
}}
}}
'''Clifton Avon''' "'''Cliff'''" '''Edwards''' (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "'''Ukulele Ike'''", was an American pop singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes, including a number one hit with "[[Singin' in the Rain (song)|Singin' in the Rain]]" in 1929. Later in his career, he appeared in films and did voices for [[animated cartoon]]s, and is well-remembered as the voice of [[Jiminy Cricket]] in [[Walt Disney]]'s ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pinocchio (film)|url=https://d23.com/a-to-z/pinocchio-film/|access-date=2021-11-28|website=D23|language=en-US}}</ref> (introducing the standard "[[When You Wish Upon a Star]]") and ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]'' (1947), and Dandy Crow in Walt Disney's ''[[Dumbo]]'' (1941).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dumbo (film)|url=https://d23.com/a-to-z/dumbo-film/|access-date=2021-11-28|website=D23|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early life and musical career==
Edwards was born in [[Hannibal, Missouri]]. He left school at age 14 and soon moved to [[St. Louis, Missouri]], and [[Saint Charles, Missouri]], where he entertained as a singer in [[Bar (establishment)|saloons]]. As many places had [[piano]]s in bad shape or none at all, Edwards taught himself to play [[ukulele|{{okina}}ukulele]] to serve as his own accompanist (choosing it because it was the cheapest instrument in the music shop). He was nicknamed "Ukulele Ike" by a club owner who could never remember his name. He got his first break in 1918 at the Arsonia Cafe in [[Chicago, Illinois]], where he performed a song called "[[Ja-Da]]", written by the club's [[pianist]], [[Bob Carleton]]. Edwards and Carleton made it a hit on the [[vaudeville]] circuit. Vaudeville headliner [[Joe Frisco]] hired Edwards as part of his act, which was featured at [[Palace Theatre (Broadway)|the Palace]] in [[New York City]]—the most prestigious vaudeville theater—and later in the [[Ziegfeld Follies]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = Tranquada
| first = Jim
| title = The Ukulele: a History
| publisher = University of Hawaii Press
| year = 2012
| pages = 121–3
| isbn = 978-0-8248-3544-6}}</ref>
<ref name="Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age">{{cite book
| first= Ian
| last= Whitcomb
| year= 2012
| title= Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age
| publisher= Hal Leonard Books
| location= Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| isbn= 978-1-4584-1654-4}}</ref>

Edwards made his first [[gramophone record|phonograph records]] in 1919. He recorded early examples of [[jazz]] [[scat singing]] in 1922. The following year he signed a contract with [[Pathé Records]]. He became one of the most popular singers of the 1920s, appearing in several [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] shows. He recorded many of the pop and novelty hits of the day, including "[[California, Here I Come]]", "[[Hard Hearted Hannah]]", "[[Yes Sir, That's My Baby (song)|Yes Sir, That's My Baby]]", and "[[I'll See You in My Dreams (1924 song)|I'll See You in My Dreams]]".  Some of the labels of Edwards' early recordings identify him as "Ukelele Ike," a then common misspelling of "ukulele." 

In 1924, Edwards performed as the headliner at the Palace, the pinnacle of his vaudeville success. That year he also featured in [[George Gershwin|George]] and [[Ira Gershwin]]'s first Broadway musical ''[[Lady Be Good (musical)|Lady Be Good]]'', alongside [[Fred Astaire|Fred]] and [[Adele Astaire]]. As a recording artist, his hits included "Paddlin’ Madeleine Home" (1925), "[[I Can't Give You Anything but Love]]" (1928), and the classic "[[Singin' in the Rain (song)|Singin' in the Rain]]" (1929), which he introduced. Edwards's own compositions included "(I'm Cryin' 'Cause I Know I'm) Losing You", "You're So Cute (Mama o' Mine)", "Little Somebody of Mine", and "I Want to Call You 'Sweet Mama'". He also recorded a few "off-color" novelty songs for under-the-counter sales, including "I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir", "Mr. Insurance Man", and "Give It to Mary with Love".

Edwards, more than any other performer, was responsible for the soaring popularity of the {{okina}}ukulele.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Tranquada
| first = Jim
| title = The Ukulele: a History
| publisher = University of Hawaii Press
| year = 2012
| pages = 122–3
| isbn = 978-0-8248-3544-6}}</ref>
Millions of {{okina}}ukuleles were sold during the decade, and [[Tin Pan Alley]] publishers added {{okina}}ukulele chords to standard [[sheet music]]. Edwards always played American [[Martin Guitar|Martin]] ukuleles, favoring the small soprano model in his early career. In his later years, he moved to the larger tenor {{okina}}ukulele, which was becoming popular in the 1930s.

Edwards continued to record until shortly before his death in 1971. His last record album, ''Ukulele Ike'', was released posthumously on the independent Glendale label. He reprised many of his 1920s hits; his failing health was however evident in the recordings.<ref>Glendale Records GL-6011 LP, 1978</ref>

==Film, radio, and television==
In 1929, Cliff Edwards was playing at the [[Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles, California)|Orpheum Theater]] in [[Los Angeles]] where he caught the attention of [[film|movie]] producer-director [[Irving Thalberg]]. His film company [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] hired Edwards to appear in early [[sound movie]]s. After performing in some short films, Edwards was one of the stars in the feature ''[[The Hollywood Revue|The Hollywood Revue of 1929]]'', doing some comic bits and singing some numbers, including the film debut of his hit "Singin' in the Rain". He appeared in a total of 33 films for MGM through 1933. He had a small role as Mike, playing a {{okina}}ukulele very briefly at the beginning of the 1931 movie ''[[Laughing Sinners]]'' (1931), starring [[Joan Crawford]].

Edwards had a friendly working relationship with MGM's comedy star [[Buster Keaton]], who featured Edwards in three of his films. Keaton, himself a former vaudevillian, enjoyed singing and harmonized with Edwards between takes. One of these casual jam sessions was captured on film, in ''[[Doughboys (1930 film)|Doughboys]]'' (1930), in which Keaton and Edwards scat-sing their way through "You Never Did That Before".

Edwards was also an occasional supporting player in feature films and short subjects at [[Warner Bros.]] and [[RKO Radio Pictures]]. He played a wisecracking sidekick to Western star [[George O'Brien (actor)|George O'Brien]], and he filled in for [[Allen Jenkins]] as "Goldie" opposite [[Tom Conway]] in ''The Falcon Strikes Back''. In a 1940 short, he led a cowboy chorus in ''Cliff Edwards and His Buckaroos''. Throughout the 1940s he appeared in a number of "B" Westerns playing the comic, singing sidekick to the hero, seven times with Charles Starrett and six with Tim Holt.
{{external media
| float  = right
| width  = 250px
| image1 = [http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/7300000/Scarlett-Melanie-gone-with-the-wind-7323547-449-345.jpg Cliff Edwards as a wounded soldier] in ''[[Gone With the Wind (film)|Gone With the Wind]]'' (1939), with [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Olivia de Havilland]]. (In the final film, Edwards is not visible.)
}}
Edwards appeared in the darkly sardonic [[Western (genre)|Western]] comedy ''[[The Bad Man of Brimstone]]'' (1937), and he played the character "Endicott" in the [[screwball comedy]] film ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (1940). In 1939, he voiced the off-screen wounded [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] soldier in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' in a hospital scene with [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Olivia de Havilland]].

His most famous voice role was as [[Jiminy Cricket]] in [[Walt Disney]]'s ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940), where he sings ''[[Give a Little Whistle]]'' and ''[[When You Wish Upon a Star]]''. Edwards's rendition of "[[When You Wish Upon a Star]]" is probably his most familiar recorded legacy. He voiced the head crow in Disney's ''[[Dumbo]]'' (1941) and sang "When I See an Elephant Fly".

In 1932, Edwards had his first national radio show on [[CBS Radio]]. He continued hosting [[radio network|network]] radio shows through 1946. In the early 1930s, however, Edwards' popularity faded as public taste shifted to [[crooner]]s such as [[Russ Columbo]], [[Rudy Vallee]], and [[Bing Crosby]].

Arthur Godfrey's use of the {{okina}}ukulele spurred a surge in its popularity and those that played it, including Edwards. Like many vaudeville stars, Edwards was an early arrival on [[television]]. In the 1949 season, he starred in ''The Cliff Edwards Show'', a three-days-a-week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings) TV variety show on [[CBS]]. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he made appearances on ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]'', in addition to performing his Jiminy Cricket voice for various Disney shorts and the Disney Christmas spectacular, ''[[From All of Us to All of You]]''.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Tranquada
| first = Jim
| title = The Ukulele: a History
| publisher = University of Hawaii Press
| year = 2012
| page = 148
| isbn = 978-0-8248-3544-6}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Edwards was careless with the money he made in the 1920s, always trying to sustain his expensive habits and lifestyle. He continued working during the [[Great Depression]], but never again enjoyed his former prosperity. Most of his income went to [[alimony]] for his three former wives, and paying debts, and he declared [[bankruptcy]] four times during the 1930s and early 1940s. Edwards married his first wife Gertrude (Benson) Ryrholm in 1917. Their marriage ended in divorce four years later.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cullen |first1=Frank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFnfnKg6BcAC&dq=%22cliff+edwards%22+%22gertrude+Ryrholm%22&pg=PA347 |title=Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America |last2=Hackman |first2=Florence |last3=McNeilly |first3=Donald |date=2007 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-93853-2 |pages=347 |language=en}}</ref> He married Irene Wylie in 1923; they divorced in 1931. In 1932, he married his third and final wife, actress [[Judith Barrett]].<ref name="bh"/> They divorced in 1936.<ref name="bh">{{cite news|title=Judith Barrett Weds|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12327369/judith_barrett_marries_lindsay_howard/|work=The Brownsville Herald|agency=Associated Press|date=March 23, 1940|location=Texas, Brownsville|page=2|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = July 12, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref>

As well as being a lifelong heavy tobacco smoker,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vaudeville.sites.arizona.edu/node/64|title=Cliff Edwards: The Voice of Disney's Jiminy Cricket by David Soren &#124; The American Vaudeville Museum|website=Vaudeville.sites.arizona.edu|access-date=25 August 2021}}</ref> Edwards also was an [[alcoholism|alcoholic]], a [[drug addiction|drug addict]] and a [[gambling|gambler]] for much of his career.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/disneys-forgotten-genius-26384275.html|title=Disney's forgotten genius|website=Independent.ie|date=12 May 2006 |access-date=25 August 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Cliff Edwards Grave.JPG|thumb|200px|Grave of Cliff Edwards at Valhalla Memorial Park]]

==Later years and death==
In his final years, Edwards lived in a home for [[Wiktionary:indigent#Pronunciation|indigent]] actors and often spent his time at the [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Walt Disney Studios]] to be available any time he could get voice work. He was sometimes taken to lunch by animators whom he befriended and told stories of his days in vaudeville.

Edwards died on July 17, 1971, at the age of 76 from a [[cardiac arrest]] brought on by [[arteriosclerosis]].<ref name="nytimes1971">{{cite news|author=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/22/archives/cliff-edwards-76-ukulele-ike-of-stage-and-film-dies-on-coast.html|title=Cliff Edwards, 76, 'Ukulele Ike' Of Stage and Film, Dies on Coast |newspaper=nytimes.com |date=July 22, 1971 |access-date=March 31, 2020}}</ref> At the time of his death, Edwards was a penniless charity patient at the Virgil Convalescent Hospital in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood, California]]. His body was unclaimed and was donated to the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] medical school. When [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]], which had been quietly paying many of his medical expenses, discovered this, they offered to purchase his remains and pay for the burial. Instead, it was done by the [[Actors' Fund of America]] (which had also aided Edwards) and the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund. Disney paid for his grave marker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tvparty.com/xmas-disney.html|title=Disney First Christmas Special|website=Tvparty.com|access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref>

==Honors==
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2021}} 
In 2000, Edwards was awarded as a Disney Legend for voice-acting. In 2002, Edwards' 1940 recording on Victor, Victor 26477, "When You Wish Upon a Star", was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]].

==Compilation Discography==
* ''Ukulele Ike Sings Again'' (Disneyland, 1956)
* ''A Day at Disneyland with Walt Disney and Jiminy Cricket'' (Disneyland, 1957)
* ''The Story of Walt Disney's Cinderella'' (Disneyland, 1957)
* ''Songs, Games & Fun'' (RCA Victor, 1958)
* ''I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir'' (Yazoo, 1975)
* ''Ukulele Ike'' (Glendale, 1978)
* ''Cliff Edwards and His Hot Combination 1925–1926'' (Retrieval, 1978)
* ''The Vintage Recordings of Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike)'' (Take Two, 1979)
* ''The Musical Score of The Wizard of Oz/The Song Hits from Walt Disney's Pinocchio'' (MCA, 1980)
* ''Ukulele Ike 1930's Radio Transcriptions: Live June 1947'' (Collectors' Choice, 1996)
* ''I Did it With My Little Ukulele''  (Upbeat Jazz, 2013)

==Partial filmography==
{{Div col}}
* ''[[Marianne (1929 musical film)|Marianne]]'' (1929) as Soapy
* ''[[So This Is College]]'' (1929) as Windy
* ''[[The Hollywood Revue|The Hollywood Revue of 1929]]'' (1929) as Himself 
* ''[[They Learned About Women]]'' (1930) as Singer in Harlem Madness number (uncredited)
* ''[[Lord Byron of Broadway]]'' (1930) as Joe
* ''Crazy House'' (1930, Short) as Writer
* ''[[Doughboys (1930 film)|Doughboys]]'' (1930) as Nescopeck
* ''[[Montana Moon]]'' (1930) as Froggy
* ''[[Children of Pleasure]]'' (1930) as Cliff - Radio Performer (uncredited)
* ''[[Way Out West (1930 film)|Way Out West]]'' (1930) as Trilby
* ''[[Good News (1930 film)|Good News]]'' (1930) as Kearney
* ''[[Those Three French Girls]]'' (1930) as Owly
* ''[[Remote Control (1930 film)|Remote Control]]'' (1930) as Hog Caller (uncredited)
* ''[[Dance, Fools, Dance]]'' (1931) as Bert Scranton
* ''[[The Prodigal (1931 film)|The Prodigal]]'' (1931) as Snipe, a Tramp
* ''[[Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931 film)|Parlor, Bedroom and Bath]]'' (1931) as Bell Hop
* ''[[Stepping Out (1931 film)|Stepping Out]]'' (1931) as Paul Perkins
* ''[[Shipmates (film)|Shipmates]]'' (1931) as Bilge
* ''[[Laughing Sinners]]'' (1931) as Mike
* ''[[The Great Lover (1931 film)|The Great Lover]]'' (1931) as Finny
* ''[[Sidewalks of New York (1931 film)|Sidewalks of New York]]'' (1931) as Poggle
* ''[[The Sin of Madelon Claudet]]'' (1931) as Victor Lebeau
* ''[[Hell Divers]]'' (1931) as "Baldy"
* ''[[Young Bride]]'' (1932) as Pete
* ''[[Fast Life (1932 film)|Fast Life]]'' (1932) as Bumpy
* ''[[Flying Devils]]'' (1933) as 'Screwy' Edwards
* ''[[Take a Chance (1933 film)|Take a Chance]]'' (1933) as Louie Webb
* ''[[George White's Scandals (1934 film)|George White's Scandals]]'' (1934) as Stew Hart
* ''[[George White's 1935 Scandals]]'' (1935) as Dude
* ''[[Red Salute (1935 film)|Red Salute]]'' (1935) as P.J. Rooney
* ''[[The Man I Marry]]'' (1936) as Jerry Ridgeway
* ''[[They Gave Him a Gun]]'' (1937) as Laro
* ''[[Between Two Women (1937 film)|Between Two Women]]'' (1937) as Snoopy
* ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'' (1937) as Tip
* ''[[Bad Guy (1937 film)|Bad Guy]]'' (1937) as 'Hi-Line'
* ''[[The Women Men Marry]]'' (1937) as Jerry Little
* ''[[The Bad Man of Brimstone]]'' (1937) as 'Buzz' McCreedy
* ''[[Big City (1937 film)|Big City]]'' (1937)
* ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1938 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'' (1938) as Minstrel Joe
* ''[[The Little Adventuress (1938 film)|The Little Adventuress]]'' (1938) as Handy
* ''[[Maisie (film)|Maisie]]'' (1939) as 'Shorty' Miller
* ''[[Smuggled Cargo]]'' (1939) as Professor 
* ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939) as Reminiscent Soldier
* ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (1940) as Reporter Endicott
* ''[[High School (1940 film)|High School]]'' (1940) as Jeff Jefferson
* ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940) as [[Jiminy Cricket]] (voice, uncredited)
* ''[[Millionaires in Prison]]'' (1940) as Happy
* ''[[Flowing Gold (1940 film)|Flowing Gold]]'' (1940) as 'Hot Rocks' Harris
* ''Cliff Edwards and His Buckaroos'' (1940) as "Mr. Cliff" (Western short)
* ''[[Friendly Neighbors]]'' (1940) as Notes
* ''[[She Couldn't Say No (1940 film)|She Couldn't Say No]]'' (1940) as Banjo Page
* ''[[The Monster and the Girl]]'' (1941) as Leon Beecher 'Tips' Stokes
* ''[[Knockout (1941 film)|Knockout]]'' (1941) as Pinky (credits) / Sleepy
* ''[[Power Dive (film)|Power Dive]]'' (1941) as Squid Watkins
* ''[[International Squadron (film)|International Squadron]]'' (1941) as Omaha McGrath
* ''[[Dumbo]]'' (1941) as Dandy Crow (voice, uncredited)
* ''[[West of Tombstone]]'' (1942) as Harmony Haines
* ''[[Sundown Jim]]'' (1942) as Stable proprietor
* ''[[Bandit Ranger]]'' (1942) as Ike
* ''[[Red River Robin Hood]]'' (1942) as Ike
* ''[[Seven Miles from Alcatraz]]'' (1942) as Stormy
* ''[[Pirates of the Prairie]]'' (1942) as Ike 
* ''[[American Empire (film)|American Empire]]'' (1942) as Runty
* ''[[Der Fuehrer's Face]]'' (1943) as [[Nazi]] lead singer<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |language=en}}</ref>
* ''[[Fighting Frontier]]'' (1943) as Ike 
* ''[[Salute for Three]]'' (1943) as Foggy
* ''[[The Falcon Strikes Back]]'' (1943) as Goldie Locke
* ''[[Sagebrush Law]]'' (1943) as Ike
* ''[[The Avenging Rider]]'' (1943) as Ike
* ''[[Fun and Fancy Free]]'' (1947) as Jiminy Cricket (voice)
* ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]'' (1959) as AJ Mulvaney - Town Undertaker 
* ''[[Platinum High School]]'' (1960) as Frank (uncredited)
* ''[[The Man from Button Willow]]'' (1965) as Doc / The Whip (voice, uncredited)
* ''[[Once Upon a Studio]]'' (2023) as Jiminy Cricket (voice, archive audio)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''The Cliff Edwards Discography'' by Larry F. Kiner, Greenwood Press, New York, 1987. {{ISBN|0-313-25719-1}} Contains a short [[biography]], an extensive [[discography]], and listing of his film, radio, and television appearances.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|Biography}}

* {{IMDb name|id=0249893|name=Cliff Edwards}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://www.jazzage1920s.com/cliffedwards/cliff.php Cliff Edwards] extensive fan site by David Garrick
*[http://ragpiano.com/perform/cedwards.shtml Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards] bio on ragtimepiano.com
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190402150752/http://www.redhotjazz.com/cliffedwards.html Cliff Edwards "Ukulele Ike"] on RedHotJazz.com, with .ram files of his vintage recordings.
{{Disney Legends Awards 2000s}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Cliff}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1971 deaths]]
[[Category:American street performers]]
[[Category:American crooners]]
[[Category:American male pop singers]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American ukulele players]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Disney Legends]]
[[Category:People from Hannibal, Missouri]]
[[Category:Male actors from St. Louis]]
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]]
[[Category:Scat singers]]
[[Category:Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:American whistlers]]