Cliff (Ukulele Ike) Edwards, 76, died at Virgil Convalescent Hospital on July 17. He had been retired for many years. Possessor of a trick voice and an ability to get near-symphonic sounds from strumming the uke, Edwards small of stature, but mighty of melodic accomplishments, was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's 1940 animation classic, Pinocchio. He also introduced the film's theme, "When You Wish Upon a Star", which won an Oscar for best song.
Disney, many years later, called on him to reprise the assignment in the moppet teleseries, The Mickey Mouse Club. Producer then arranged for him to record an album for Disneyland Records, "Ukulele Ike Sings Again".
Edwards was best known in Hollywood for introducing the song, "Singin' in the Rain" in The Hollywood Review of 1929 at Metro, where he was under term contract. Production Chief Irving Thalberg had seen him in an act in 1928 and signed him for a musical short, which won Edwards a four-year pact and a part for his feature film debut in Robert Montgomery's So This is College? In all, Edwards was credited with appearances in 107 motion pictures.
He made it big in an era when a hit record created an automatic star, although this stardom did not extend to films. During the 1920s and early '30s he had one hit after another. His recordings of "June Night", "Sleepy Time Gal", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye" and "I Cried For You" sold nearly 8,000,000 platters.
He was credited with selling over a total of 74,000,000. Rudy Vallee liked his style so well that he made him virtually a regular on his radio shows, and sandwiching these appearances were stints on many other radio variety programs.
Like many other singers, Edwards got his start singing for nickels in St. Louis saloons, and also chanted narration for silent movies. In Chicago, he teamed with a pianist named Bobby Carleton, who wrote the song "Ja Da", which they parlayed into one of the biggest hits of the time. Edwards overnight became a popular figure on the vaude circuits.
A Chicago waiter with a bad memory was partially responsible for Edwards' nickname. The hashslinger called him Ike, and Edwards later began billing himself as Ukulele Ike in a singing uke act at Mike Frizl's Arizona Cafe.
After working with Joe Frisco at the Palace in N.Y., Edwards paired with dancer Pierce Keegan for Flo Ziegfeld at the Amsterdam Roof, then did a blackface act with Lou Clayton. Returning from a London tour, he met George Gershwin and was signed for the Broadway musical Lady Be Good! with Fred Astaire. Later he appeared in Sunny, Tattle Tales, and The Winter Garden Revue.
Edwards was twice married and divorced, first to Broadway singer Irene Wiley and later to filmite Nancy Dover. Services will be private.
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Last modified on 2/7/99