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{{Short description|American actor (1895–1968)}}

factoids

| birth_place = Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.19681804|07}}| death_place = New York City, U.S.| nationality = American| known_for = Wheeler & Woolsey| occupation = Actor, Comedian| yearsactive = 1920–1962

• {{marriage|Margaret Grae|1915|1926|end=div{edih}
• {{marriage|Bernice Wheeler|1928|1936|end=div}}
• {{marriage|Sally Haines|1937|1939|end=div}}
• {{marriage|Patsy Orr|1940|1950|end=div}}
• {{marriage|Olga Desmondae Rieman|1951|1966|end=d.}}

}}| children = 1}}Albert Jerome Wheeler (April 7, 1895 – January 18, 1968) was an American comedian who performed in Broadway theatre, American comedy feature films, and vaudeville acts. He was the comedy partner of Robert Woolsey, and together they formed a successful double act called Wheeler & Woolsey.

Biography

Wheeler was born in Paterson, New Jersey on April 7, 1895. He began his career performing in vaudeville in an act with Russ Brown.BOOK, Who Sang what on Broadway, 1866-1996: The singers (A-K), Ruth Benjamin, Arthur Rosenblatt, 2006, McFarland & Company, 9780786421893, Russ Brown, 96, He worked with Robert Woolsey on Broadway until their film debut in 1929, Rio Rita, established them in the Hollywood film industry.NEWS, Mardaunt Hall, Rio Rita (1929),www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03EFDF1E3EE13ABC4F53DFB6678382639EDE, The acting is uniformly capable. Robert Woolsey is excellent as the fast-talking, deep-voiced, narrow-shouldered Lovett. Bert Wheeler does exceedingly well as Chick Bean., The New York Times, October 7, 1929, 2015-01-05, In the early 1940s, after Robert Woolsey had died, Bert Wheeler struggled to restart his career. Their friend and former film costar Dorothy Lee agreed to tour with him in a vaudeville act. He also worked on radio on programs starring Frank Sinatra.NEWS, Swing Shift,www.newspapers.com/clip/2876522/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle/, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 7, 1943, 15, Newspapers.com, July 24, 2015, {{Open access}}He continued to work off and on through the 1960s. In 1950 he appeared with Jackie Gleason on the early TV variety hour Cavalcade of Stars. His last theatrical films were two slapstick short films for Columbia Pictures, filmed in 1950 and produced by Jules White. He also kept up a busy schedule of live performances in nightclubs and on the legitimate stage, in such plays as Harvey (in the leading role of Elwood P. Dowd) and Three Wishes for Jamie. In 1955 Wheeler co-starred with Keith Larsen in the CBS western series Brave Eagle; Wheeler played the “half-breed” Smokey Joe, known for his tall tales and tribal wisdom.Bert Wheeler died of emphysema in New York City on January 18, 1968.NEWS, Bert Wheeler, Vaudeville Comic With Rubbery Face, Dead at 72. His Over 50-Year Career in Show Business Spanned Films, the Follies and TV,www.nytimes.com/1968/01/19/archives/bert-wheeler-vaudeville-comic-with-rubbery-face-dead-at-72-his-over.html, The New York Times, January 18, 1968, 2015-01-04, He had been a member of The Lambs Club since 1927.WEB, The Lambs,the-lambs.org/history/roster/, (Member Roster), The Lambs, The Lambs, Inc., the-lambs.org, November 24, 2021, May 31, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220531032150/https://the-lambs.org/history/roster/, dead,

Filmography

(As per the AFI database)WEB,www.afi.com/members/catalog/SearchResult.aspx?s=&Type=PN&Tbl=&CatID=DATABIN_CAST&ID=19943&searchedFor=Bert_Wheeler_&SortType=ASC&SortCol=RELEASE_YEAR, Bert Wheeler, American Film Institute, August 3, 2014, {| class=“wikitable”! Title! Year! Role! NotesRio Rita (1929 film)>Rio Rita| 1929| Chick Bean| Film debut.Dixiana (film)>Dixiana| 1930| Peewee|The Cuckoos (1930 film)>The Cuckoos| 1930| Sparrow|| Half Shot at Sunrise| 1930| Tommy Turner|Hook, Line and Sinker (1930 film)>Hook, Line and Sinker| 1930| Wilbur Boswell|| Caught Plastered| 1931| Tommy Tanner|Too Many Cooks (film)>Too Many Cooks| 1931| Albert Bennett|Without Woolsey.| Peach-O-Reno| 1931| Wattles|Cracked Nuts (1931 film)>Cracked Nuts| 1931| Wendell Graham|| Hold ‘Em Jail| 1932| Curly Harris|| Girl Crazy| 1932| Jimmy Deegan|| Diplomaniacs| 1933| Willy Nilly|| So This Is Africa| 1933| Wilbur Wheeler|| Kentucky Kernels| 1934| Willie Doyle|| Hips, Hips, Hooray!| 1934| Andy Williams|| Cockeyed Cavaliers| 1934| Bert Winstanley|| The Nitwits| 1935| Johnny|The Rainmakers (film)>The Rainmakers| 1935| Billy|| Silly Billies| 1936| Roy Banks|| Mummy’s Boys| 1936| Stanley Wright|| On Again-Off Again| 1937| William “Willy” Hobbs|High Flyers (film)>High Flyers| 1937| Jerry Lane|| The Cowboy Quarterback| 1939| Harry Lynn|Without Woolsey.| Las Vegas Nights| 1941| Stu Grant|Without Woolsey.

Marriages

Wheeler was married five times. His only child, with Speer, was Patricia Anne Wheeler.

• Margaret Grae (m. 27 April 1915 to 15 November 1926) divorced.
• Bernice Speer (m. 15 April 1928 to 19 February 1936) divorced, they had 1 child.NEWS, Bert Wheeler Is Divorced.,www.nytimes.com/1936/02/20/archives/bert-wheeler-is-divorced.html, Mrs. Bernice S. Wheeler won an interlocutory divorce today from Bert Wheeler, screen comic, after testifying that his actions saddened her. ‘He said he didn’t want to live with me,’ she testified. Custody of the couple’s daughter, Patricia, was granted to Mrs. Wheeler. ..., The New York Times, February 20, 1936, 2015-01-05,
• Sally Haines (m. 26 February 1937 to 1939) divorced.NEWS, Wife Sues Bert Wheeler,www.nytimes.com/1939/05/13/archives/wife-sues-bert-wheeler.html, Bert Wheeler ... was sued for divorce today by Sally Haines ... The Wheelers married in Beverly Hills Feb. 26, 1937, and separated April 20, 1939, The New York Times, May 13, 1939, 2015-01-04,
• Patsy Orr (c1940 to c1950) divorced.
• Olga Desmondae Rieman (m. 1951 - 8 August 1966) to her death.

Home video releases

Nine of Wheeler’s 21 movies were released in a DVD collection entitled “Wheeler & Woolsey: RKO Comedy Classics Collection” in March 2013 by Warner Archive.NEWS, Kehr, Dave, DVD Ribaldry Before the Code,www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/movies/homevideo/new-dvds-wheeler-and-woolseys-rko-comedy-classics.html?pagewanted=all, 30 March 2013, The New York Times, 2 March 2013, {{clear}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{commons category|Bert Wheeler}}

• {{IMDb name|0923774}}
• {{Find a Grave|4057}}

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