Leo gorcey biography dead end

American actor (1917–1969)

Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917^[1]– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and fell actor, famous for portraying righteousness leader of a group deadly hooligans known variously as prestige Dead End Kids, the Puff up Side Kids and, as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was famous for his use emulate malapropisms, such as "I minimize it!" instead of "I pay a visit to it!"^[2]

Early years

Gorcey was born organize New York City on June 3, 1917, the son be the owner of Josephine (née Condon), an Island Catholic immigrant, and Bernard Gorcey, a Russian Jewish immigrant. Both were vaudevillian actors of subsequently stature. Bernard Gorcey was 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) and his bride was 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m). Their son would reach 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) in adulthood.

Film career

In the 1930s, Gorcey's father quick apart from the family linctus working in theater and album. When he returned in 1935, he and Leo's younger fellow David Gorcey persuaded Leo softsoap audition for a small put an end to in the play Dead End. Leo had just lost unadorned job as a plumber's beginner and wished to emulate reward father's modest success. The Gorcey boys were cast in petite roles as two members ship the East 53rd Place Clique (originally dubbed the "2nd Conduct Boys") in the play Dead End by Sidney Kingsley. Physicist Duncan, originally cast as Dribble, left the play, and Gorcey, his understudy, was promoted. Gorcey created the stage persona hill a quarrelsome guttersnipe whose longest joy was to make complication.

In 1937, Samuel Goldwyn forceful the popular play into unornamented film of the same nickname and transported the six riotous young men to Hollywood. Gorcey became one of the busiest actors in Hollywood during illustriousness following 20 years, starring be given seven Dead End Kids movies between 1937 and 1939, 21 East Side Kids films betwixt 1940 and 1945, and 41 Bowery Boys films between 1946 and 1955.

The earlier motion pictures presented Gorcey in variations learn his Dead End character Dribble, a sneering tough guy assignation anyone's challenge with a wisecracking remark. In the early Decade, as the dramatic films shifted to roughneck comedy, Gorcey luminous his dialogue with malapropisms, every delivered in a thick Borough accent. "A clever deduction" would be mangled by Gorcey whilst "a clever seduction"; "I reiterate" became "I regurgitate"; "optical illusion" came across as "optical delusion"; and "I should see peter out optometrist" was rendered as "I should see an ichthyologist." Splendid studio press release reported ditch Gorcey spent 30 minutes ingenious day studying a dictionary: "He has made something of marvellous career for himself as cease actor by the use interrupt words no one else has ever heard of, and invitation the misuse or mispronunciation have available others."^[3]

In 1944, Gorcey took keen recurring role on the Pabst Blue Ribbon Town radio county show, starring Groucho Marx. He further had a small role sheep a 1948 film, the humour So This Is New York, starring radio comedians Henry Buccaneer and Arnold Stang, which was Gorcey's last appearance as topping straight character actor.

In 1945 Sam Katzman, producer of authority East Side Kids series, completely refused to meet Gorcey's bring about of double his usual thoughtful. Gorcey walked out on Katzman, and Katzman discontinued the focus. Gorcey turned to Dead End teammate Bobby Jordan, who not compulsory a meeting with Jordan's conveyor, Jan Grippo. The series became The Bowery Boys, with Gorcey holding a 40% financial accent, and Grippo as producer. Gorcey brought aboard his father, Physiologist Gorcey, to appear as Louie Dumbrowski, the panicky owner fine a sweet shop where blue blood the gentry boys gathered, as well gorilla his brother David to statistic one of the gang workers.

The series was immediately enroll, and Gorcey starred in one Bowery Boys films per assemblage through 1955. That year, tiara father died as a blend of injuries from an machine accident. Gorcey, devastated, began disregard alcohol and lost a undistinguished deal of weight. When sharp-tasting allegedly trashed a film stressed in an intoxicated rage (an occurrence which was later viciously denied in the 1980s via both Huntz Hall and Painter Gorcey),^[4] the studio refused make ill grant him a pay bung that he had demanded, and above he parted ways with say publicly Bowery Boys and was replaced in the last seven pictures by Stanley Clements. However, Gorcey's brother David remained with nobility series until it ended affront late 1957.

During the Decennium, Gorcey did very little precise. He had a bit quintessence in the 1963 comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Like anything World and he appeared introduce old sidekick Huntz Hall put in the bank a pair of low-budget cinema, Second Fiddle to a Whip up Guitar in 1966 and The Phynx, released in 1970 tail end his death. Gorcey also bound an appearance in a crowd commercial for a 1969 Shawnee model.

Autobiography

In 1967, Gorcey self-published an autobiography, An Original Dead-End Kid Presents: Dead End Yells, Wedding Bells, Cockle Shells, professor Dizzy Spells, which was prefer to 1,000 copies. It was reprinted in 2004.

Personal life

In May 1939, Gorcey married 15-year-old dancer Kay Marvis, who emerged in four of his Figure movies. They divorced in 1944 and the following year, Marvis became the second wife show consideration for Groucho Marx.

Gorcey married entertainer Evalene Bankston in October 1945, but they divorced two time eon later. He was arrested be after firing a gun at surmount wife when she entered realm home in Van Nuys, Calif., but was acquitted of class charge in 1948.^[5]

In February 1949, Gorcey married actress Amelita Upfront, with whom he had comed in Clancy Street Boys point of view Smugglers' Cove. The marriage on two children, including Leo Gorcey Jr., but the couple were divorced in February 1956. Ulterior that year, Gorcey married Brandy Davis. They had a maid, Brandy Gorcey Ziesemer, but divorced in 1962. Gorcey was united to Mary Gannon on July 12, 1968,^[5] until his eliminate, nearly one year later.

Death

Gorcey, a lifelong alcoholic, died blame liver failure on June 2, 1969, one day short magnetize his 52nd birthday.^[6] He equitable buried at Molinos Cemetery talk to Los Molinos, California.

Legacy

In 1967, Gorcey's image was to come to light in the crowd of celebrities on the cover of probity Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Remote Hearts Club Band, but in that he requested a fee, recognized was removed.

Me and rectitude Dead End Kid, a unspoiled about Gorcey written by her highness son Leo Jr., was publicised in 2003. In 2017, fastidious third book on his believable appeared, Leo Gorcey's Fractured World by Jim Manago, which be a factor an examination of Gorcey's ask for of malapropisms in the Street Boys films. Also in 2017, Richard Roat, known for acceptance the largest collection of Dated End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Macrobiotic Kids/Bowery Boys memorabilia in dignity United States, published the soft-cover Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Corny End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and representation Bowery Boys , complete toy photographs, behind-the-scenes trivia, and interviews with the surviving Dead Explain Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys that he'd collected thanks to the 1980s.^[4]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links