Cliff Edwards

I've been doing some research on some classic Disney voice stars, and I thought I would start with the person who recorded my very favorite Disney song "When you wish upon a star". The song was sung by Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) in Pinocchio (1940). Cliff was the voice of Jiminy Cricket until around 1970, and died in 1971. There is so much interesting information regarding Cliff Edwards, and I thought it was worth sharing.

Cliff was born on June 14th, 1895 in Hannibal, Missouri. Growing up, Cliff taught himself to play Ukulele, and was given the nickname "Ukulele Ike" from a club owner (some reports say it was a waiter) that couldn't remember his name. He realized great success early in his career, having a string of hit songs in the 20s and 30s, and was one of the most successful artists of the 1920's. He reached number one for one week on the U.S. pop singles chart for his recording of "I Can't Give Anything But Love," in 1928. In 1929, his recording of "Singin' in the Rain" was number one for three weeks. The 1929 Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brown song was recently featured as the number 3 song on the 100 years...100 songs AFI list. 

Cliff Edwards was largely responsible for the growing popularity of the Ukulele in the 1920s, with millions of ukes sold during that time!
 
Cliff's acting success came in the 1930's and 1940's, appearing in more than 100 motion pictures in his career! He voiced the dying confederate soldier in Gone with the Wind. In 1940, he voiced Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, and later voiced the head crow in Disney's Dumbo. His recording of "When You Wish Upon a Star" for Pinocchio was perhaps his most famous recording, and has been heard and loved for generations. The song won an Oscar in 1940.

He fell on hard times later in life, and supposedly suffered from various substance abuse issues and money problems. It was reported that Walt Disney Productions had been paying for many of his medical bills, and had at least some part in helping to provide a proper burial.

I've been asked why "When You Wish Upon a Star" is my favorite classic Disney song. I have been trying to put my finger on it, but not sure why. I guess I love everything about it - the lyrics, the distinctive feel of the song, and the way that Cliff made it seem so real. Every time I hear it, it brings so much happiness to me and my family! How about you? Are you a fan of the song? Why or why not? Leave your comments in the comments section of this post.

More great information on Cliff Edwards can be found at the following sites:
Disney Legends - Cliff Edwards
Wikipedia Entry for Cliff Edwards
Red Hot Jazz
Jazz Age 1920's

Image above from Wikipedia

--- Disney Dean