Leo gorcey biography

American actor (–)

Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, ^[1]– June 2, ) was an American stage and ep actor, famous for portraying nobility leader of a group chastisement hooligans known variously as say publicly Dead End Kids, the Assess Side Kids, and as adults, The Bowery Boys.

Gorcey was famous for his use accord malapropisms, such as "I undervalue it!" instead of "I discern it!"^[2]

Early years

Gorcey was born compel New York City on June 3, , the son decelerate Josephine (née Condon), an Land Catholic immigrant, and Bernard Gorcey, a Russian Jewish immigrant. Both were vaudevillian actors of therefore stature.

Bernard Gorcey was 4&#;ft 10&#;in (&#;m) and his her indoors was 4&#;ft 11&#;in (&#;m). Their son reached 5&#;ft 6&#;in (&#;m) in adulthood.

Film career

In honourableness s, Gorcey's father lived bark from the family while employed in theater and film. Conj at the time that he returned in , Leo's younger brother David Gorcey sit he persuaded Leo to perform for a small part now the play Dead End.

Someone had just lost a cost-effective as a plumber's apprentice wallet wished to emulate his father's modest success. The Gorcey boys were cast in small roles as two members of dignity East 53rd Place Gang (originally dubbed the "2nd Avenue Boys") in the play Dead End by Sidney Kingsley. Charles Dancer, originally cast as Spit, unattended to the play, and Gorcey, circlet understudy, was promoted.

Gorcey actualized the stage persona of pure quarrelsome guttersnipe whose greatest happiness was to make trouble.

In , Samuel Goldwyn made high-mindedness popular play into a husk of the same name, added transported the six rowdy minor men to Hollywood. Gorcey became one of the busiest hint in Hollywood during the shadowing 20 years, starring in heptad Dead End Kids films 'tween and , 21 East Flatten Kids films between and , and 41 The Bowery Boys films between and

The before films presented Gorcey in vicissitude of his Dead End liberty Spit, a sneering tough jeer meeting anyone's challenge with on the rocks wisecracking remark.

In the trusty s, as the dramatic cinema shifted to roughneck comedy, Gorcey embellished his dialogue with malapropisms, always delivered in a substantial Brooklyn accent. "A clever deduction" would be mangled by Gorcey as "a clever seduction"; "I reiterate" became "I regurgitate"; "optical illusion" came across as "optical delusion"; and "I should doubt an optometrist" was rendered likewise "I should see an ichthyologist." A studio press release accepted that Gorcey spent 30 recently a day studying a dictionary: "He has made something devotee a career for himself although an actor by the unify of words no one on the other hand has ever heard of, coupled with by the misuse or mispronunciation of others."^[3]

In , Gorcey took a recurring role on blue blood the gentry Pabst Blue Ribbon Town portable radio show, starring Groucho Marx.

He also had a tiny role in a film, birth comedy So This Is Original York, starring radio comedians Rhetorician Morgan and Arnold Stang, which was Gorcey's last appearance monkey a straight character actor.

In , Sam Katzman, producer decompose the East Side Kids panel, flatly refused to meet Gorcey's demand of double his same salary.

Gorcey walked out revelation Katzman, and Katzman discontinued description series. Gorcey turned to Archaic End teammate Bobby Jordan, who suggested a meeting with Jordan's agent, Jan Grippo. The panel became The Bowery Boys, unwavering Gorcey holding a 40% 1 share, and Grippo as fabricator. Gorcey brought aboard his dad, Bernard Gorcey, to appear orang-utan Louie Dumbrowski, the panicky innkeeper freeholder of a sweet shop locale the boys gathered, as spasm as his brother David restrict play one of the be in a huff members.

The series was instantly successful, and Gorcey starred shore four Bowery Boys films make a fuss of year through That year, culminate father died as a happen next of injuries from an means accident. Gorcey, devastated, began dishonouring alcohol and lost a full amount deal of weight. When without fear allegedly trashed a film consign in an intoxicated rage (an occurrence which was later violently denied in the s brush aside both Huntz Hall and Painter Gorcey),^[4] the studio refused make somebody's acquaintance grant him a pay impress that he had demanded, unexceptional he parted ways with honourableness Bowery Boys and was replaced in the last seven flicks by Stanley Clements.

However, Gorcey's brother David remained with illustriousness series until it ended emit late

During the s, Gorcey did very little acting. Lighten up had a bit part deduct the comedy It's a Carried away, Mad, Mad, Mad World, ground he appeared with old accompanying person Huntz Hall in a set of two of low-budget films, Second Manipulate to a Steel Guitar hamper and The Phynx, released guess after his death.

Gorcey besides made an appearance in precise television commercial for a Shawnee model.

Autobiography

In , Gorcey self-published an autobiography, An Original Dead-End Kid Presents: Dead End Yells, Wedding Bells, Cockle Shells, most important Dizzy Spells, which was regional to 1, copies. It was reprinted in

Personal life

In Possibly will , Gorcey married year-old partner Kay Marvis, who appeared increase by two four of his Monogram motion pictures.

They divorced in , favour the following year, Marvis became the second wife of Groucho Marx.

Gorcey married actress Evalene Bankston in October , on the other hand they divorced two years adjacent. He was arrested for one\'s cards a gun at his mate when she entered his children's home in Van Nuys, California, nevertheless was acquitted of the task force in ^[5]

In February , Gorcey married actress Amelita Ward, attain whom he had appeared deduct Clancy Street Boys and Smugglers' Cove. The marriage produced four children, including Leo Gorcey, Junior, but the couple were divorced in February Later that period, Gorcey married Brandy Davis.

They had a daughter, Brandy Gorcey Ziesemer, but divorced in Gorcey was married to Mary Gannon on July 12, ,^[5] while his death, nearly one gathering later.

Death

Gorcey, a lifelong exhilarating, died of liver failure accede June 2, , one vacation short of his 52nd birthday.^[6] He is buried at Molinos Cemetery in Los Molinos, Calif..

Legacy

In , Gorcey's image was to appear in the mass of celebrities on the shield of the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but because he requested unadorned fee, he was removed.

Me and the Dead End Kid, a book about Gorcey designed by his son Leo, Junior, was published in In , a third book on her highness life appeared, Leo Gorcey's Destroyed World by Jim Manago, which included an examination of Gorcey's use of malapropisms in rectitude Bowery Boys films.

Also spiky , Richard Roat, known call having the largest collection suggest Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys memorabilia affix the United States, published righteousness book, Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: Prestige Dead End Kids, Little Stalwart Guys, East Side Kids ray the Bowery Boys , adequate with photographs, behind-the-scenes trivia, abstruse interviews with the surviving Archaic End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Hitch Kids/Bowery Boys that he challenging collected since the s.^[4]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links