Chill Wills

Chill Wills

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 Description above from the Wikipedia article Chill Wills, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For: Acting
Birthday: 1902-07-18
Place of Birth: Seagoville, Texas, USA
Also Known As: Theodore Childress Wills

Movies List of Chill Wills

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Meet Me in St. Louis

1944 Movie
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Giant

1956 Movie
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The Alamo

1960 Movie
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I'll Be Seeing You

1944 Movie
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Rio Grande

1950 Movie
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The Rounders

1965 Movie
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The Westerner

1940 Movie
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The Wheeler Dealers

1963 Movie
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Where the Boys Are

1960 Movie
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The Sundowners

1950 Movie
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McLintock!

1963 Movie
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Western Union

1941 Movie
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Allegheny Uprising

1939 Movie
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Francis in the Navy

1955 Movie
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Mr. Billion

1977 Movie
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Sky Murder

1940 Movie
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The Deadly Companions

1961 Movie
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Leave Her to Heaven

1945 Movie
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The Yearling

1946 Movie
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Belle Starr

1941 Movie
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Boom Town

1940 Movie
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From Hell to Texas

1958 Movie
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Fireball 500

1966 Movie
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Honky Tonk

1941 Movie
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High Lonesome

1950 Movie
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Family Honeymoon

1948 Movie
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The Bugle Sounds

1942 Movie
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Her Cardboard Lover

1942 Movie
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Tulsa

1949 Movie
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Cattle Drive

1951 Movie
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Gun Glory

1957 Movie
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Red Canyon

1949 Movie
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A Stranger in Town

1943 Movie
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Santiago

1956 Movie
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The Sad Horse

1959 Movie
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The Sainted Sisters

1948 Movie
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Young Guns of Texas

1962 Movie
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Bronco Buster

1952 Movie
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Gun for a Coward

1956 Movie
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Gallant Bess

1946 Movie
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Tumbleweed

1953 Movie
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The Cardinal

1963 Movie
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Oh! Susanna

1951 Movie
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Timberjack

1955 Movie
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Barbary Coast Gent

1944 Movie
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Northwest Stampede

1948 Movie
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Kentucky Rifle

1956 Movie
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At Sea Ashore

1936 Movie
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That Wonderful Urge

1948 Movie
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Apache Trail

1942 Movie
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Sorority House

1939 Movie
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Way Out West

1937 Movie
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Billy the Kid

1941 Movie
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Rock Island Trail

1950 Movie
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Ride the Man Down

1952 Movie
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Arizona Legion

1939 Movie
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Bar 20 Rides Again

1935 Movie
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Ricochet Romance

1954 Movie
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Best Foot Forward

1943 Movie
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Call of the Prairie

1936 Movie
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Timber Stampede

1939 Movie
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The Omaha Trail

1942 Movie
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Lawless Valley

1938 Movie
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Trouble in Sundown

1939 Movie
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Stella

1950 Movie
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Wyoming

1940 Movie
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Hell's Outpost

1954 Movie
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Stand by for Action

1942 Movie
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Heartaches

1947 Movie
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Francis

1950 Movie
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The Sea Hornet

1951 Movie
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The Bad Man

1941 Movie
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Loaded Pistols

1948 Movie
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Guns of a Stranger

1973 Movie
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Mr. Gardenia Jones

1942 Movie
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The Steagle

1971 Movie
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Big Daddy

1969 Movie
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It's Showtime

1976 Movie
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The Harvey Girls

1946 Movie
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Disneyland '59

1959 Movie
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The Saxon Charm

1948 Movie
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Nobody's Baby

1937 Movie