Smoki Whitfield (born Robert Whitfield, and sometimes credited as Jordan Whitfield; August 3, 1918 - November 11, 1967) was an African American actor, comedian, and musician.[1][2][3]
Biography
Smoki was born in Pittsburgh to John and Effie (Walker) Whitfield. He attended the University of Oregon, where he was a star athlete and made appearances in school plays.[4][5][6][7]
In the 1940s, he began a career as a character actor in Hollywood. He appeared in a third of the dozen Bomba, the Jungle Boy films. Over the next few decades, he amassed more than 50 on-screen credits. In the 1950s, he worked as a manager and MC at a number of Hawaiian nightclubs.[8][9] He later worked at the Top Banana Club in North Hollywood.[10]
In the 1959-1960 Walt Disney Studios miniseries The Swamp Fox, Whitfield played Oscar Marion, opposite Leslie Nielsen's Francis Marion. Oscar Marion was Francis Marion's man-servant, slave and friend. Whitfield sang the series' theme song, adding new verses in each of the eight installments to chronicle the characters' latest adventures. [11] Sadly, he was given no on-screen credit for his significant role in the series.
Whitfield died in 1967 of a heart attack in North Hollywood after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his wife, Eileen Jackson, and two sons.[12]
Selected filmography
- The Virginian (1969) (TV)
- The F.B.I. (1967) (TV)
- The Donna Reed Show (1966) (TV)
- Laredo (1965–1966) (TV)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1964) (TV)
- The Great Adventure (1964) (TV)
- The Magical World of Disney (1959–1961) (TV)
- Take a Giant Step (1959)
- The Last Angry Man (1959)
- M Squad (1959) (TV)
- The Rebel Set (1959)
- The Louisiana Hussy (1959)
- Kathy O' (1958)
- The Cry Baby Killer (1958)
- Guns Don't Argue (1957)
- Jet Pilot (1957)
- The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
- Jungle Jim (1955) (TV)
- One Desire (1955)
- Lord of the Jungle (1955)
- Seven Angry Men (1955)
- Killer Leopard (1954)
- The Golden Idol (1954)
- Safari Drums (1953)
- African Treasure (1952)
- Crazy Over Horses (1951)
- Callaway Went Thataway (1951)
- Journey Into Light (1951)
- The Lion Hunters (1951)
- Bomba and the Hidden City (1950)
- The Second Woman (1950)
- Bomba on Panther Island (1949)
- Bomba: The Jungle Boy (1949)
- Out of the Storm (1948)
- Jungle Goddess (1948)
- Another Part of the Forest (1948)
References
- ^ "Whitfield to Play in 'The Swamp Fox'". Courier-Post. 29 May 1959. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Whitfield Dies". The Independent. November 16, 1967. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Actor's Services Set". Dayton Daily News. 14 Nov 1967. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Fabulous Entertainment at the Pearl City Tavern". The Honolulu Advertiser. November 28, 1955. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Scene". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. April 20, 1950. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ ""Noah" to Be Next U-O Production". The Eugene Guard. November 28, 1938. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "OSC Ringsters Take Victory from Ducks". Corvallis Gazette-Times. January 29, 1938. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Late Date". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. July 12, 1956. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Honolulu Newsstand". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 20, 1957. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Honolulu Newsstand". The Honolulu Advertiser. November 13, 1964. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Whitfield to Play in 'The Swamp Fox'". Courier-Post. 29 May 1959. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Disney Actor's Rites Pending". Valley Times. November 13, 1967. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
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