Willie Best, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Willie Best
Acting

Willie Best
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1913-05-27,Sunflower, Mississippi, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
William “Willie” Best (May 27, 1916 - February 27, 1962), sometimes known as “Sleep n' Eat,” was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African-American film actors and comedians to become well known. In the 21st century, his work, like that of Stepin Fetchit, is 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, an unusual feat for an African-American bit player. Willie Best appeared in more than one hundred films of the 1930s and 1940s. Although several sources state that for years he was billed only as “Sleep n' Eat,” Best received credit under this moniker instead of his real name in only six movies: his first film as a bit player (Harold Lloyd's Feet First) and in Up Pops the Devil (1931), The Monster Walks (1932), Kentucky Kernels and West of the Pecos (both 1934), and Murder on a Honeymoon (1935). Best was first loved as a great clown, then later in the 20th century reviled and pitied, before being forgotten in the history of film. Hal Roach called him one of the greatest talents he had ever met. Comedian Bob Hope similarly acclaimed him as “the best actor I know,” while the two were working together in 1940 on The Ghost Breakers. As a supporting actor, Best, like many black actors of his era, was regularly cast in domestic worker or service-oriented roles (though a few times he played the role echoing his previous occupation as a private chauffeur). He was often seen making a brief comic turn as a hotel, airline or train porter, as well as an elevator operator, custodian, butler, valet, waiter, deliveryman, and at least once as a launch pilot (in the 1939 movie Mr. Moto in Danger Island). Willie Best received screen credit most of the time, which was unusual for “bit players,” most in the 1930s and '40s were not accorded due credit. This also happened to white actors in small roles, but black actors were not credited even when their roles were larger. In more than 80 of his movies, he was given a proper character name (as opposed to simple descriptions such as “room service waiter” or “shoe-shine boy”), beginning with his second film. Best played “Chattanooga Brown” in two Charlie Chan films —The Red Dragon in 1945 and Dangerous Money in 1946. He also played the character of “Hipp” in three of RKO’s six Scattergood Baines films with Guy Kibbee: Scattergood Baines (1941), Scattergood Survives a Murder (1942), and Cinderella Swings It in 1943. (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.) After a drug arrest ended his film career, he worked in television for a while and became known to early TV audiences as “Charlie the Elevator Operator” on CBS'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.

Filmography

Ellis in Freedomland

0

Ellis in Freedomland
1952-06-15

7.1

Blondie
1938-11-30

Blondie Brings Up Baby

6.5

Blondie Brings Up Baby
1939-11-08

Scattergood Survives a Murder

4.5

Scattergood Survives a Murder
1942-10-01

Cinderella Swings It

0

Cinderella Swings It
1943-01-22

The Covered Trailer

0

The Covered Trailer
1939-11-10

7.1

High Sierra
1941-01-23

6.6

Feet First
1930-10-30

The Ghost Breakers

6.5

The Ghost Breakers
1940-06-21

0

Hit and Rum
1935-04-25

A-Haunting We Will Go

6

A-Haunting We Will Go
1942-08-07

The Littlest Rebel

6.2

The Littlest Rebel
1935-12-27

6.1

The Red Dragon
1945-08-01

Dangerous Money

5.7

Dangerous Money
1946-10-12

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

6

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
1939-06-17

Murder on a Bridle Path

5

Murder on a Bridle Path
1936-04-17

5.8

Highway West
1941-08-07

The Smiling Ghost

6.5

The Smiling Ghost
1941-09-06

The Hidden Hand

6.3

The Hidden Hand
1942-11-07

Little Miss Marker

6.4

Little Miss Marker
1934-06-01

Murder on a Honeymoon

6.2

Murder on a Honeymoon
1935-02-22

Cabin in the Sky

6.4

Cabin in the Sky
1943-03-24

The Face of Marble

4.4

The Face of Marble
1946-01-19

Nothing But the Truth

7.1

Nothing But the Truth
1941-10-10

Whispering Ghosts

6.9

Whispering Ghosts
1942-05-17

6.5

Juke Girl
1942-05-30

Maisie Gets Her Man

6.5

Maisie Gets Her Man
1942-06-01

6.6

Busses Roar
1942-09-19

She Wouldn't Say Yes

5.9

She Wouldn't Say Yes
1945-11-29

5.5

Pillow to Post
1945-06-09

The Girl Who Dared

5.7

The Girl Who Dared
1944-08-05

5.8

Road Show
1941-02-18

The Lady from Cheyenne

5.2

The Lady from Cheyenne
1941-04-11

5

Super-Sleuth
1937-07-16

Down the Stretch

5.5

Down the Stretch
1936-09-18

Kisses for Breakfast

5.5

Kisses for Breakfast
1941-07-05

The Bride Wore Boots

5.9

The Bride Wore Boots
1946-06-05

The Monster and the Ape

6.1

The Monster and the Ape
1945-04-20

Raised and Called

0

Raised and Called
1935-03-22

Who Killed Aunt Maggie?

4.3

Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
1940-11-01

Home in Indiana

5.6

Home in Indiana
1944-06-15

Goodbye Broadway

0

Goodbye Broadway
1938-04-01

Money and the Woman

4.3

Money and the Woman
1940-08-17

5.5

Muss 'em Up
1936-02-13

Merrily We Live

7.1

Merrily We Live
1938-03-04

Gold Is Where You Find It

6.9

Gold Is Where You Find It
1938-02-12

Meet the Missus

4

Meet the Missus
1937-06-04

Saturday's Heroes

7

Saturday's Heroes
1937-10-08

The Red Stallion

0

The Red Stallion
1947-08-16

6

Deep South
1937-01-01

The Lady Fights Back

6

The Lady Fights Back
1937-10-01

The Powers Girl

6.5

The Powers Girl
1943-01-15

Youth Takes a Fling

1

Youth Takes a Fling
1938-09-22

We Who Are About to Die

6.8

We Who Are About to Die
1937-01-08

3

Dixie
1943-06-23

Hold That Blonde!

6.375

Hold That Blonde!
1945-11-23

To Beat the Band

0

To Beat the Band
1935-11-23

Up Pops the Devil

4.2

Up Pops the Devil
1931-05-19

Everybody's Doing It

5

Everybody's Doing It
1938-01-14

6.3

At the Circus
1939-10-20

6

Two in Revolt
1936-04-03

4.7

Mummy's Boys
1936-10-02

3.9

Spring Madness
1938-11-11

6.1

The Nitwits
1935-06-07

Kentucky Kernels

6.1

Kentucky Kernels
1934-11-02

0

Horse Heir
1935-02-01

The Saint Strikes Back

5.6

The Saint Strikes Back
1939-03-08

Mr. Moto in Danger Island

6.7

Mr. Moto in Danger Island
1939-04-07

5.4

Way Down South
1939-07-21

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation

6.588

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
1939-07-07

South of Caliente

0

South of Caliente
1951-10-15

Slightly Honorable

5.1

Slightly Honorable
1939-12-22

The Bride Walks Out

5.3

The Bride Walks Out
1936-07-10

6.4

Blackmail
1939-09-08

4.8

Jalna
1935-08-09

5.3

Racing Lady
1937-01-12

You Can't Buy Luck

4.5

You Can't Buy Luck
1937-04-30

5.8

Night Waitress
1936-12-18

Crashing Hollywood

5.8

Crashing Hollywood
1938-01-07

Music for Millions

6

Music for Millions
1944-12-18

Ladies of Leisure

6.1

Ladies of Leisure
1930-04-05

Blondie on a Budget

6

Blondie on a Budget
1940-02-29

I Take This Woman

6.2

I Take This Woman
1940-02-02

Suddenly It's Spring

4.3

Suddenly It's Spring
1947-02-13

The Green Pastures

6.3

The Green Pastures
1936-08-01

West of the Pecos

0

West of the Pecos
1934-12-27

Thank You, Jeeves!

6

Thank You, Jeeves!
1936-10-04

The Mark of the Whistler

5.9

The Mark of the Whistler
1944-10-09

Breakdowns of 1941

7

Breakdowns of 1941
1941-11-14

5

Hot Tip
1935-08-20

I'm from the City

5

I'm from the City
1938-08-05

0

The Arizonian
1935-06-27

5.3

General Spanky
1936-12-11

Mississippi Moods

0

Mississippi Moods
1937-07-19

Thank Your Lucky Stars

6.1

Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943-09-25

6.9

Vivacious Lady
1938-05-13

8

Silly Billies
1936-03-20

The Monster Walks

4.2

The Monster Walks
1932-02-07

5.2

The Kansan
1943-09-10

Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy

7.3

Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy
1962-12-04

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

4

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004-01-01

Straight, Place and Show

6

Straight, Place and Show
1938-09-30

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

5.7

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975-08-06

The Shanghai Chest

6.1

The Shanghai Chest
1948-07-11

0

Breezing Home
1937-02-01

Half Past Midnight

6

Half Past Midnight
1948-03-01

Flight from Destiny

5.2

Flight from Destiny
1941-02-08

The Adventures of Mark Twain

6.6

The Adventures of Mark Twain
1944-07-20

Scattergood Baines

6

Scattergood Baines
1941-02-21

Private Detective

6

Private Detective
1939-12-09

0

Minstrel Days
1941-09-06

Virtuous Husband

0

Virtuous Husband
1931-04-12

The Guilty Generation

6

The Guilty Generation
1931-11-19

The Body Disappears

5.2

The Body Disappears
1941-11-22

My Little Margie

3

My Little Margie
1952-06-16

6

Racket Squad
1951-06-07

The Stu Erwin Show

6

The Stu Erwin Show
1950-10-21

7

Waterfront
1954-08-21