Dudley Dickerson

Dudley Dickerson (November 27, 1906 – September 23, 1968) was an African American film actor. Born in Oklahoma, he appeared in nearly 160 films between 1932 and 1952, and is best remembered for his roles in several Three Stooges films.

Modern viewers will remember Dickerson for his portrayals of startled cooks, quizzical orderlies, frightened porters, and apprehensive watchmen in such Three Stooges films as They Stooge to Conga, A Gem of a Jam, and Hold That Lion! In Hold that Lion, he played a lovable train conductor who memorably bugged out his eyes and shrieked, "He'p, he'p, ah'm losin' mah mahnd!" when a lion attacked him and ripped the seat of his pants while he was shining a pair of shoes.

Probably Dickerson's most memorable role was that of the hapless chef in the Stooges' A Plumbing We Will Go, in which he uttered in bewilderment, "This house has sho' gone crazy!" The footage would be recycled twice more in future Stooge comedies: 1949's Vagabond Loafers and 1956's Scheming Schemers.^[1]

Dickerson also made his mark in the Our Gang series in 1936's Spooky Hooky. Dickerson received featured billing in several Hugh Herbert comedies produced by Columbia Pictures, in which, as Herbert's valet, he is always in scary situations and reacts with comic terror.

Given the era that Dickerson performed, he was usually cast in stereotypical roles that were common in films of the time. It is to his credit that he took pride in each and every role, making his performances simultaneously appealing and hilarious. His boundless energy can be seen in what are, unfortunately, rather restrictive roles, and was a master at what has become known as "scared reaction" comedy.^[1] Dickerson also appeared in Soundies musical films with Dorothy Dandridge and Meade Lux Lewis.

Dickerson is spooked by a plaster-covered Curly Howard in The Three Stooges film A Gem of a Jam.

In the early 1950s, Dickerson appeared in several episodes of The Amos 'n Andy Show television program, usually as a lodge member or Joe the Barber. Dickerson retired from acting in 1959.

Dickerson died of a brain tumor at age 61 in 1968. He had lived long enough to see the renewed interest in his work with the Three Stooges.

Selected filmography

• The Alligator People (1959)
• Scheming Schemers (1956) [archive footage]
• Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
• Mr. and Mrs. North (1952)
• The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951-1953)
• Between Midnight and Dawn (1950)
• Vagabond Loafers (1949)
• Who Done It? (1949)
• Hold That Lion! (1947)
• Pardon My Terror (1946)
• The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944)
• A Gem of a Jam (1943)
• They Stooge to Conga (1943)
• Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942)
• The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
• A Plumbing We Will Go (1940)
• From Nurse to Worse (1940)
• At the Circus (1939)
• The Adventures of Jane Arden (1939)
• A Day at the Races (1937)
• Spooky Hooky (1936)

References

External links

• Dudley Dickerson at the Internet Movie Database