Chill Wills

Chill Wills
from Stand by for Action (1942)
Born	Chill Theodore Wills July 18, 1902(1902-07-18) Seagoville, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 15, 1978(1978-12-15) (aged 76) Encino, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1934–78
Spouse	Hattie Elizabeth "Bettie" Chappelle (1928–1971; her death) Novadeen Googe (1973–1978; his death)

Chill Theodore Wills (July 18, 1902^[1] – December 15, 1978) was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.

Biography

Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas in 1902. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s. After appearing with them 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 and Western twang were perfectly 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 on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry, Francis Joins the WACS. He provided the deep voice for Stan Laurel's performance of "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" in the 1937 movie Way Out West.

Wills also appeared in numerous serious roles, including that of Uncle Bawley in Giant, a 1956 film starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.^[2] Wills was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1960 for his role as Davy Crockett's companion "Beekeeper" in the film The Alamo. However, his aggressive campaign for the award was considered tasteless by many, including the film's star/director/producer, John Wayne, who publicly apologized for Wills. Wills' publicity agent, W.S. "Bow-Wow" Wojciechowicz, accepted blame for the ill-advised effort, claiming that Wills had known nothing about it. Wills was defeated for the Oscar by Peter Ustinov, who won for his role as Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus.^[3]

Wills was a poker player and a close friend of Benny Binion, the founder of the World Series of Poker and former owner of the Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Wills participated in the first World Series, held in 1970, and is seated in the center of the now famous picture with a number of legendary players.

From 1961–62, Wills starred in the short-run series Frontier Circus which only aired for one season on CBS. In 1966, Wills was cast in the role of a shady Texas rancher, Jim Ed Love, in the short-lived ABC comedy/western series The Rounders, with co-stars Ron Hayes, Patrick Wayne, and Walker Edmiston.

In 1963 and 1964, Wills joined fellow actors William Lundigan, Walter Brennan, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the campaign against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.^[4]

In 1968, however, Wills refused to support Richard M. Nixon for the presidency and served as master of ceremonies for George C. Wallace, Jr., former governor of Alabama, for the California campaign stops in Wallace's presidential campaign.^[2] He and Walter Brennan of The Real McCoys, The Tycoon, and The Guns of Will Sonnett, were among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallace's bid against Nixon and Hubert H. Humphrey. His last role was in 1978 as a janitor in Stubby Pringle's Christmas.

Death

Wills died in 1978 of cancer in Encino, California, aged 76. He is interred in the Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale.

Partial filmography

It's a Gift (1934) Bar 20 Rides Again (1935) Way Out West (1937) as himself Allegheny Uprising (1939) as John M'Cammon Boom Town (1940) The Westerner (1940) Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) Western Union (1941) as Homer Kettle The Bad Man (1941) Belle Starr (1941) Honky Tonk (1941) The Bugle Sounds (1942) Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) Stand by for Action (1942) A Stranger in Town (1943) Best Foot Forward (1943) Barbary Coast Gent (1944) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944) I'll Be Seeing You (1944) See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) Leave Her to Heaven (1945) The Harvey Girls (1946) The Yearling (1946) The Saxon Charm (1948) Tulsa (1949) as Pinky Jimpson Family Honeymoon (1949)

Francis (1950) (voice) Rock Island Trail (1950) Rio Grande (1950) as Dr. Wilkins Francis Goes to the Races (1951) (voice) Cattle Drive (1951) Francis Goes to West Point (1952) (voice) Francis Covers the Big Town (1953) (voice) City That Never Sleeps (1953) The Man From the Alamo (1953) Francis Joins the WACS (1954) as General Benjamin Kaye and voice of Francis Francis in the Navy (1955) (voice) Giant (1956) as Uncle Bawley Gun Glory (1957) The Alamo (1960) Beekeeper Where the Boys Are (1960) Gold of the Seven Saints (1961) The Deadly Companions (1961) McLintock! (1963) as Drago The Wheeler Dealers (1963) as Jay Ray The Rounders (1965) The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) as George Asque, retired Texas Ranger Big Daddy (1969) The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970) as George Asque The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) as Mr. Ike Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) as Lemuel Mr. Billion (1977) Poco... Little Dog Lost (1977)

References

1. ^ Ancestry.com info
2. ^ ^{a b} The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, by Dan T. Carter (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995, 2000), pg. 314; ISBN 0-8071-2597-0
3. ^ Clark, Donald, & Christopher P. Andersen. John Wayne's The Alamo: The Making of the Epic Film, Carol: 1995
4. ^ "The Impact of the Draft Goldwater Committee on the Republican Party". ashbrook.org. http://www.ashbrook.org/articles/hartz-draftgoldwater.html. Retrieved March 24, 2010. 

External links

Biography portal

• Chill Wills at the Internet Movie Database
• Chill Wills at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Wills, Chill Theodore
Alternative names
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	July 18, 1902
Place of birth	Seagoville, Texas, U.S.
Date of death	December 15, 1978 (aged 76)
Place of death	Encino, California, U.S.