Chill Wills
Born
July 18, 1902
Died
December 15, 1978 (76 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Seagoville, Texas, USA
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 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 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 Crockett's companion "Beekeeper" in the film The Alamo (1960). 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. The Oscar was instead won by Peter Ustinov for his role as Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus.
In Rory Calhoun's 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 short-run series Frontier Circus which aired for only one season (1961–62) on CBS. In 1966, he was cast in the role of a shady Texas rancher, Jim Ed Love, in the short-lived ABC comedy/western series The Rounders (reprising his role in the 1965 film The Rounders, starring Henry Fonda), with co-stars Ron Hayes, Patrick Wayne and Walker Edmiston.
in 1963-64, Wills joined William Lundigan, Walter Brennan and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the campaign against U.S. 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 Wallace's presidential campaign.[5] Wills was among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallace's 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 Pringle's Christmas. CLR
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Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Self (archive footage)
2004
Drive-In Movie Memories
2001
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
1994
John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
Beekeeper
1992
Stubby Pringle's Christmas
The Janitor
1978
Poco… Little Dog Lost
Big Burt
1977
Mr. Billion
Col. Clayton T. Winkle
1977
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
1976
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Lemuel
1973
Guns of a Stranger
Tom Duncan
1973
The Steagle
Tall Guy McCoy
1971
Alias Smith and Jones
(1 episode)
1971
Night Gallery
Heppelwhite (segment "The Little Black Bag") · (1 episode)
1970
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again
Gentleman George Agnew
1970
The Liberation of L.B. Jones
Mr. Ike
1970
The Over the Hill Gang
Gentleman George Agnew
1969
Big Daddy
1969
Judd for the Defense
(1 episode)
1967
Tarzan
(1 episode)
1966
The Rounders
(18 episodes)
1966
Fireball 500
Big Jaw
1966
The Rounders
Jim Ed Love
1965
The Cardinal
Monsignor
1963
The Wheeler Dealers
Jay Ray Spinelby
1963
McLintock!
Drago
1963
Burke's Law
Harry Riggs · (1 episode)
1963
Burke's Law
Stanton Custer · (1 episode)
1963
Burke's Law
General Hector Harder · (1 episode)
1963
Young Guns of Texas
Preacher Sam Shelby
1962
Frontier Circus
(26 episodes)
1961
The Deadly Companions
Turk
1961
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
Major Buford
1961
Gold of the Seven Saints
Doc Wilson Gates, M.D.
1961
Where the Boys Are
Police Captain
1960
The Alamo
Beekeeper
1960
Route 66
(2 episodes)
1960
Disneyland '59
Self
1959
The Sad Horse
Capt. Connors
1959
Rawhide
Sheriff Asa Tanner · (2 episodes)
1959
The Texan
(1 episode)
1958
From Hell to Texas
Amos Bradley
1958
Trackdown
(1 episode)
1957
Gun Glory
Preacher
1957
Gun for a Coward
Loving
1956
Giant
Uncle Bawley
1956
New York Premiere Telecast 'Giant'
Host
1956
Santiago
Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones
1956
Kentucky Rifle
Tobias Taylor
1956
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Mr. Kilmer · (1 episode)
1955
Gunsmoke
Abe Blocker · (1 episode)
1955
Gunsmoke
Red Conniston · (1 episode)
1955
Gunsmoke
Elihu Gorman · (1 episode)
1955
Francis in the Navy
Francis (voice) (uncredited)
1955
Timberjack
Steve Riika
1955
Hell's Outpost
Kevin Russell
1954
Ricochet Romance
Tom Williams
1954
Francis Joins the WACS
Francis (as Francis the Talking Muke)
1954
Tumbleweed
Sheriff Murchoree
1953
The Man from the Alamo
John Gage
1953
City That Never Sleeps
Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'
1953
Francis Covers the Big Town
Francis (as Franis the Talking Mule)
1953
Ride the Man Down
Ike Adams
1952
Francis Goes to West Point
Francis (as Francis the Talking Mule)
1952
Bronco Buster
Dan Bream
1952
Hallmark Hall of Fame
The Janitor · (1 episode)
1951
The Sea Hornet
Swede
1951
Cattle Drive
Dallas
1951
Francis Goes to the Races
Francis The Talking Mule (as Francis the Talking Mule)
1951
Oh! Susanna
Sgt. Barhydt
1951
Rio Grande
Dr. Wilkins
1950
High Lonesome
Boatwhistle
1950
Stella
Chief Clark
1950
Rock Island Trail
Hogger McCoy
1950
Francis
Francis the Talking Mule (voice)
1950
The Sundowners
Sam Beers
1950
The Grass Is Always Greener
Windy
1950
Red Canyon
Brackton
1949
Tulsa
Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)
1949
Loaded Pistols
Sheriff Cramer
1948
Family Honeymoon
Fred
1948
That Wonderful Urge
Homer Beggs
1948
The Saxon Charm
Captain Chatham
1948
Northwest Stampede
Mileaway
1948
The Sainted Sisters
Will Twitchell
1948
Heartaches
'Breezie' Mann
1947
High Barbaree
Lars (uncredited)
1947
The Yearling
Buck Forrester
1946
Gallant Bess
Chief Petty Officer
1946
The Harvey Girls
H.H. Hartsey
1946
Leave Her to Heaven
Leick Thome
1945
What Next, Corporal Hargrove?
Sgt. Cramp
1945
I'll Be Seeing You
Swanson
1944
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier
Mr. York
1944
Meet Me in St. Louis
Mr. Neely
1944
Barbary Coast Gent
Sheriff Hightower
1944
The Immortal Blacksmith
Tom Davenport
1944
See Here, Private Hargrove
First Sgt. Cramp
1944
Best Foot Forward
Chester Short
1943
A Stranger in Town
Charles Craig
1943
Stand by for Action
Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann
1942
Apache Trail
'Pike' Skelton
1942
The Omaha Trail
Henry Hawkins
1942
Her Cardboard Lover
Judge
1942
Mr. Gardenia Jones
Hotel Employee
1942
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Manchester Montford
1942
The Bugle Sounds
Sgt. Larry Dillon
1942
Honky Tonk
The Sniper
1941
Belle Starr
Blue Duck
1941
Billy the Kid
Tom Patterson
1941
The Bad Man
'Red' Giddings
1941
Western Union
Homer Kettle
1941
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
Shiftless
1940
Sky Murder
Sheriff Beckwith
1940
The Westerner
Southeast
1940
Wyoming
Lafe
1940
Boom Town
Harmony Jones
1940
Allegheny Uprising
M'Cammon
1939
The Day the Bookies Wept
Man on Bus (uncredited)
1939
Timber Stampede
Whopper Hatch
1939
Racketeers of the Range
Whopper Hatch
1939
Sorority House
Mr. Johnson
1939
Trouble in Sundown
Whopper
1939
Arizona Legion
Whopper Hatch
1939
Lawless Valley
Deputy Speedy McGow
1938
Nobody's Baby
Amateur Hour Lead Quartet Singer (as The Avalon Boys)
1937
Way Out West
Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)
1937
Hideaway Girl
Lead Singer of Avalon Boys
1936
At Sea Ashore
Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)
1936
Call of the Prairie
Singing Cowhand
1936
Bar 20 Rides Again
Henchman
1935