Willie Best
Encyclopedia
William "Willie" Best sometimes known as Sleep n' Eat was an American television and film actor
.
Best was one of the first well-known African American
film actors and comedian
s, although his work, like that of Stepin Fetchit
, is today sometimes reviled because he was often called upon to play stereotypically lazy, illiterate, and/or simple-minded characters in films. Of the 124 films he appeared in, he received screen credit in at least 77 of them, an unusual feat for a bit player.
, Best had arrived in Hollywood as chauffeur for a vacationing couple, and began his performing career with a traveling show in southern California
. He became a regular character actor in Hollywood films after a talent scout discovered him on stage.
) and his next four films that followed (The Monster Walks
(1932); Kentucky Kernels and West of the Pecos (both 1934) and Murder on a Honeymoon
(1935)). He thereafter usually received credit as “Willie Best” or “William Best.”
Best was alternately loved as a great clown, then reviled, then pitied, finally virtually forgotten. Hal Roach
called him one of the greatest talents he had ever met. In a similar gesture, Bob Hope acclaimed him as, "the best actor I know," as the two worked together on The Ghost Breakers
in 1940.
As a bit player, Best, like many black actors of his era, was regularly cast in domestic worker
or service-oriented roles (a few times he played the role that echoed his previous occupation – that of a private chauffeur
), and was usually seen making a brief comedic appearance as a hotel, airline or train porter
; but also as elevator operators, custodians, butlers, valets, waiters, deliverymen – and at least once as a launch pilot
(in 1939’s Mr. Moto in Danger Island).
Best’s work as a bit player was unusual in that he received screen credit most of the time. The largest part of bit players in 1930s and '40s did not. Walter Brennan
, for example, made 125 movies between 1930 and 1939, but was credited on only 57 of them.
Best’s career was also unusual because he was regularly – in over 80 of his movies – given a proper character name (as opposed to simple descriptions like ‘room service waiter’ or ‘shoe shine boy’), starting with his second film. By comparison, Lucille Ball
wasn’t billed with a proper character name until her 14th film, and some bit players like Robert Dudley
and Ethelreda Leopold
were only rarely billed with anything more than a character description.
Best played “Chattanooga Brown” in two Charlie Chan
films, 1945’s The Red Dragon
and 1946’s Dangerous Money. He also played the character of “Hipp” in three of RKO’s six Scattergood Baines films with Guy Kibbee
: 1941’s Scattergood Baines, 1942’s Scattergood Survives a Murder, and 1943’s Cinderella Swings It. (Actor Paul White, who played a young version of Best’s “Hipp” in the first film, went on to play “Hipp” in the next three films. Best returned to the role in the last two).
's My Little Margie
from 1953 to 1955.
He also played Willie, the house servant/handyman and close friend of the title character of ABC
’s The Trouble with Father, for its entire run from 1950 to 1955.
, of cancer, at age forty-five. He was buried (by the Motion Picture Fund) on March 5, 1962 at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Best was one of the first well-known African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
film actors and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s, although his work, like that of Stepin Fetchit
Stepin Fetchit
Stepin Fetchit was the stage name of American comedian and film actor Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry....
, is today sometimes reviled because he was often called upon to play stereotypically lazy, illiterate, and/or simple-minded characters in films. Of the 124 films he appeared in, he received screen credit in at least 77 of them, an unusual feat for a bit player.
Stage
A native of Sunflower, MississippiSunflower, Mississippi
Sunflower is a town in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 696 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sunflower is located at ....
, Best had arrived in Hollywood as chauffeur for a vacationing couple, and began his performing career with a traveling show in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He became a regular character actor in Hollywood films after a talent scout discovered him on stage.
Film
Best appeared in more than one hundred films of the 1930s and 1940s. Although several sources state that for years he was only billed as “Sleep n’ Eat,” Best received credit under this moniker instead of his real name in only five movies: his first film as a bit player (Harold Lloyd’s Feet FirstFeet First
Feet First is a 1930 comedy film starring Harold Lloyd, a very popular daredevil comedian during the 1920s and early 1930s. It was Lloyd's second & most popular sound feature. It is also one of his 'thrill' comedies, involving him climbing up a tall building. Harold Lloyd was one of very few...
) and his next four films that followed (The Monster Walks
The Monster Walks
The Monster Walks directed by Frank R. Strayer, is a black-and-white horror movie.-Plot:The film opens with Ruth Earlton and her fiance Dr. Ted Carver arriving at her father's house. She has been told that her father has died, and is returning to find out what will be done with the estate...
(1932); Kentucky Kernels and West of the Pecos (both 1934) and Murder on a Honeymoon
Murder on a Honeymoon
Murder on a Honeymoon is a mystery film starring Edna May Oliver and James Gleason. This was the third and last time Oliver portrayed astute schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers, who in this film witnesses the death of an airplane passenger...
(1935)). He thereafter usually received credit as “Willie Best” or “William Best.”
Best was alternately loved as a great clown, then reviled, then pitied, finally virtually forgotten. Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
called him one of the greatest talents he had ever met. In a similar gesture, Bob Hope acclaimed him as, "the best actor I know," as the two worked together on The Ghost Breakers
The Ghost Breakers
The Ghost Breakers is a comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. The movie was adapted by Walter DeLeon from the play The Ghost Breaker by Paul Dickey and Charles W...
in 1940.
As a bit player, Best, like many black actors of his era, was regularly cast in domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
or service-oriented roles (a few times he played the role that echoed his previous occupation – that of a private chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
), and was usually seen making a brief comedic appearance as a hotel, airline or train porter
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
; but also as elevator operators, custodians, butlers, valets, waiters, deliverymen – and at least once as a launch pilot
Maritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
(in 1939’s Mr. Moto in Danger Island).
Best’s work as a bit player was unusual in that he received screen credit most of the time. The largest part of bit players in 1930s and '40s did not. Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
, for example, made 125 movies between 1930 and 1939, but was credited on only 57 of them.
Best’s career was also unusual because he was regularly – in over 80 of his movies – given a proper character name (as opposed to simple descriptions like ‘room service waiter’ or ‘shoe shine boy’), starting with his second film. By comparison, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
wasn’t billed with a proper character name until her 14th film, and some bit players like Robert Dudley
Robert Dudley (actor)
Robert Dudley , born Robert Y. Dudley in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a dentist turned film character actor who, in his 35-year career, appeared in over 115 films.-Career:...
and Ethelreda Leopold
Ethelreda Leopold
Ethelreda Leopold was an American film actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films between 1934 and 1972.Leopold is familiar to modern viewers for her roles in several Three Stooges, Andy Hardy, and Abbott and Costello films...
were only rarely billed with anything more than a character description.
Best played “Chattanooga Brown” in two Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
films, 1945’s The Red Dragon
The Red Dragon
The Red Dragon is a 1946 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, who has to sift through a host of suspects for three murders.-Cast:*Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan*Fortunio Bonanova as Insp...
and 1946’s Dangerous Money. He also played the character of “Hipp” in three of RKO’s six Scattergood Baines films with Guy Kibbee
Guy Kibbee
Guy Bridges Kibbee was an American stage and film actor.Born in El Paso, Texas, Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi riverboats and eventually became a successful Broadway actor...
: 1941’s Scattergood Baines, 1942’s Scattergood Survives a Murder, and 1943’s Cinderella Swings It. (Actor Paul White, who played a young version of Best’s “Hipp” in the first film, went on to play “Hipp” in the next three films. Best returned to the role in the last two).
Television
Best became known to early TV audiences as Charlie, the elevator operator on CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's My Little Margie
My Little Margie
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D...
from 1953 to 1955.
He also played Willie, the house servant/handyman and close friend of the title character of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s The Trouble with Father, for its entire run from 1950 to 1955.
Death
Best died on February 27, 1962 at the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, CaliforniaWoodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
, of cancer, at age forty-five. He was buried (by the Motion Picture Fund) on March 5, 1962 at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
.
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1930 | Deep South | ||
| Feet First Feet First Feet First is a 1930 comedy film starring Harold Lloyd, a very popular daredevil comedian during the 1920s and early 1930s. It was Lloyd's second & most popular sound feature. It is also one of his 'thrill' comedies, involving him climbing up a tall building. Harold Lloyd was one of very few... |
Janitor | Credited as Sleep 'n' Eat | |
| 1931 | The Virtuous Husband | Luftus | Alternative title: What Wives Don't Want |
| Up Pops the Devil Up Pops the Devil Up Pops the Devil is a film about an advertising man who quits his job to become a novelist, upsetting his wife and straining their marriage. The film was directed by A... |
Laundryman | Uncredited | |
| 1932 | The Monster Walks | Exodus | Credited as Sleep 'n' Eat |
| 1934 | Little Miss Marker Little Miss Marker Little Miss Marker is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Hellman after a short story by Damon Runyon. The film stars Shirley Temple, Adolphe Menjou, and Dorothy Dell in a story about a little girl held... |
Dizzy Memphis | Uncredited |
| West of the Pecos | Jonah | Credited as Sleep 'n' Eat | |
| 1935 | Murder on a Honeymoon Murder on a Honeymoon Murder on a Honeymoon is a mystery film starring Edna May Oliver and James Gleason. This was the third and last time Oliver portrayed astute schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers, who in this film witnesses the death of an airplane passenger... |
Willie, the Porter | Credited as Sleep 'n' Eat |
| Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (film) Annie Oakley is a 1935 biographical film about the life of Annie Oakley. It stars Barbara Stanwyck and Preston Foster.-Plot:In late 1800s Ohio, a backwoods gal, Annie Oakley delivers six dozen quail she has shot to the owner of the general store... |
Second Cook | Uncredited | |
| The Littlest Rebel The Littlest Rebel The Littlest Rebel is a 1935 American dramatic film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Edwin J. Burke was adapted from a play of the same name by Edward Peple and focuses on the tribulations of a plantation-owning family during the American Civil War... |
James Henry, a Cary slave | ||
| 1936 | The Bride Walks Out | Smokie - at marriage bureau | |
| Mummy's Boys | Catfish | ||
| Thank You, Jeeves | Drowsy | ||
| 1937 | Breezing Home | Speed | Credited as William Best |
| The Lady Fights Back | McTavish | ||
| Deep South Deep South (film) Deep South is a 1937 short film directed by Leslie Goodwins. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 10th Academy Awards in 1937 for Best Short Subject .... |
short film | ||
| 1938 | Merrily We Live Merrily We Live Merrily We Live is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, Clarence Kolb and Patsy Kelly. The film was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios, and was... |
George W. Jones | |
| Youth Takes a Fling | George | ||
| Vivacious Lady Vivacious Lady Vivacious Lady is a 1938 American black-and-white romantic comedy film starring Ginger Rogers and James Stewart, produced and directed by George Stevens, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The screenplay was written by P.J. Wolfson and Ernest Pagano and adapted from a short story by I. A. R. Wylie... |
Train Porter | ||
| 1939 | Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter | Apollo Johnson | |
| Miracle on Main Street | Duke | ||
| 1940 | The Ghost Breakers The Ghost Breakers The Ghost Breakers is a comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. The movie was adapted by Walter DeLeon from the play The Ghost Breaker by Paul Dickey and Charles W... |
Alex | |
| Who Killed Aunt Maggie? | Andrew | ||
| 1941 | High Sierra | Algernon | |
| Scattergood Baines | Hipp | ||
| Nothing But the Truth Nothing But the Truth (1941 film) Nothing But the Truth is a comedy film starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, their third movie together in three years. The movie was directed by Elliott Nugent.... |
Samuel | ||
| The Smiling Ghost The Smiling Ghost The Smiling Ghost is a film directed by Lewis Seiler in the mystery comedy genre popular in the 1940s.-Plot:The elderly Mrs. Bentley and her lawyer see a newspaper ad from an unemployed and unmarried engineer seeking work doing “anything legal.” The lawyer calls the engineer, Alexander “Lucky”... |
Clarence | ||
| 1942 | Whispering Ghosts | Euclid White Brown | |
| The Hidden Hand | Eustis the Chauffeur | ||
| 1943 | Cabin in the Sky Cabin in the Sky Cabin in the Sky is a 1943 American musical film with music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. It closed on March 8, 1941 after a total of 156 performances... |
Second Idea Man | |
| Thank Your Lucky Stars Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943 film) Thank Your Lucky Stars is a film made by Warner Brothers as a World War II fundraiser. It was directed by David Butler and starred Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, Joan Leslie, Edward Everett Horton and S. Z... |
Soldier | Uncredited | |
| 1944 | The Adventures of Mark Twain The Adventures of Mark Twain The Adventures of Mark Twain is a 1944 biographical film starring Fredric March as Samuel Clemens and Alexis Smith as his wife, Olivia... |
George, Twain's Butler | Uncredited |
| The Girl Who Dared | Woodrow | ||
| 1945 | Hold That Blonde | Willie Shelley | |
| The Red Dragon The Red Dragon The Red Dragon is a 1946 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, who has to sift through a host of suspects for three murders.-Cast:*Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan*Fortunio Bonanova as Insp... |
Chattanooga Brown | ||
| 1946 | The Bride Wore Boots The Bride Wore Boots The Bride Wore Boots is a 1946 romantic comedy film with Barbara Stanwyck in the title role, playing opposite Robert Cummings. A very young Natalie Wood is seen in the film, directed by Irving Pichel.... |
Joe | |
| Dangerous Money Dangerous Money Dangerous Money is a 1946 American film directed by Terry O. Morse, featuring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan. The is the second and last appearance of Willie Best as Chattanooga Brown, the cousin of Charlie Chan's usual chauffeur, Birmingham Brown .- Cast :* Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan* Gloria... |
Chattanooga Brown | Alternative title: Charlie Chan in Dangerous Money | |
| 1947 | Suddenly, It's Spring | Porter on train | |
| The Red Stallion | Jackson | ||
| 1948 | Smart Woman | Train Porter | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters | Willie | Uncredited |
| 1950 | High and Dizzy | Wesley | |
| 1951 | South of Caliente | Willie | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950–1955 | The Stu Erwin Show The Stu Erwin Show The Stu Erwin Show is an American sitcom which aired on ABC for five seasons from 1950 to 1955.-Synopsis:... |
Willie, The Handyman | 30 episodes |
| 1951–1952 | Racket Squad Racket Squad Racket Squad is an American TV crime drama series starring Reed Hadley as Captain John Braddock, a fictional detective working for the San Francisco, California Police Department.... |
Janitor Cleaning Man |
2 episodes |
| 1952–1955 | My Little Margie My Little Margie My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D... |
Charlie | |
| 1954–1955 | Waterfront | Billy Slocum/Willie Slocum | 18 episodes |
See also
- Stepin FetchitStepin FetchitStepin Fetchit was the stage name of American comedian and film actor Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry....
- Mantan MorelandMantan MorelandMantan Moreland was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Career:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Moreland began acting by the time he was an adolescent, reportedly running away to join the circus...
- Fred ToonesFred ToonesFred "Snowflake" Toones was an African-American film actor comedian of the early sound era...
- BlackfaceBlackfaceBlackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
- Uncle TomUncle TomUncle Tom is a derogatory term for a person who perceives themselves to be of low status, and is excessively subservient to perceived authority figures; particularly a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people....
- Jar Jar Binks