Hollywood folk who lost track of Cliff (Ukulele Ike) Edwards in his final days of poverty and illness remembered him in a memorial service.
Thirty-three former actors and long-time friends of the singer-actor-comedian, who died last week in a Hollywood nursing home, attended the service yesterday at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Mortuary in North Hollywood. Johnny Ukelele (sic) plunked a background of "When You Wish Upon a Star ", one of Edwards' triumphs which he sang as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio. Organ renditions of some of the 76-year-old start's hits stirred memories as Will Ahern delivered the eulogy. The Rev. Edward R. Danks of the First Presbyterian Church of Burbank officiated.
"Making people happy was one of the principal objectives of his life," Ahern said. "Now his wish has been realized and he'll be sitting up there on all the stars."
Edwards was credited with selling more than 74 million records in his long show business career, including such old favorites as "Ja Da", "June Night", "Sleepy Time Gal", "I Cried for You", and "Toot, Toot, Tootsie".
Among the familiar faces at the service were actresses Bebe Sherman, Edith Fellos and Vera Marshe and actors Eddie Quillan and Jack Goodfield.
Also at the service were two of the Wiere Brothers, a comedy team that shared many past bills with Edwards, and ex-performer C.J. Seibert, as well as representatives of the Actors' Guild of America, the Theatre Authority and other groups for whom Edwards had done benefit performances over the years.
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Last modified on 3/06/00