Chill Wills

Known For: Acting
Born: July 18, 1902
Place of Birth: Seagoville, Texas, USA
Died: December 15, 1978

Chill Wills

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Chill Theodore Wills (July 18, 1902 – December 15, 1978) was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s. After appearing in a few westerns he disbanded the group in 1938, and struck out on a solo acting career. One of his more memorable roles was that of the distinctive voice of Francis the Mule in a series of popular films. Wills' deep, rough voice, with its Western twang, was matched to the personality of the cynical, sardonic mule. As was customary at the time, Wills was given no billing for his vocal work, though he was featured prominently on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry, Francis Joins the WACS. He provided the deep voice for Stan Laurel's performance of "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" in W…

Filmography

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

2004 · Self (archive footage)

Drive-In Movie Memories

2001

That's Entertainment! III

1994 · (archive footage)

John Wayne's 'The Alamo'

John Wayne's 'The Alamo'

1992 · Beekeeper

Stubby Pringle's Christmas

1978 · The Janitor

Poco… Little Dog Lost

1977 · Big Burt

Mr. Billion

1977 · Col. Clayton T. Winkle

It's Showtime

1976 · Self (archive footage)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

1973 · Lemuel

Guns of a Stranger

1973 · Tom Duncan

The Steagle

1971 · Tall Guy McCoy

Alias Smith and Jones

1971

Night Gallery

1970 · Heppelwhite (segment "The Little Black Bag")

The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again

1970 · Gentleman George Agnew

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

1970 · Mr. Ike

The Over the Hill Gang

1969 · Gentleman George Agnew

Big Daddy

1969

Judd, for the Defense

1967

Tarzan

1966

The Rounders

1966

Fireball 500

1966 · Big Jaw

The Rounders

1965 · Jim Ed Love

The Cardinal

1963 · Monsignor

The Wheeler Dealers

1963 · Jay Ray Spinelby

McLintock!

1963 · Drago

Burke's Law

1963 · Harry Riggs, Stanton Custer, General Hector Harder

Young Guns of Texas

1962 · Preacher Sam Shelby

The Merv Griffin Show

1962 · Self

Frontier Circus

1961 · Colonel Casey Thompson /Col. Casey Thompson

The Deadly Companions

1961 · Turk

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

1961 · Major Buford

Gold of the Seven Saints

1961 · Doc Wilson Gates, M.D.

Where the Boys Are

1960 · Police Captain

The Alamo

1960 · Beekeeper

Route 66

1960

Disneyland '59

1959 · Self

The Sad Horse

1959 · Capt. Connors

Rawhide

1959 · Sheriff Asa Tanner

The Texan

1958

The Western: A Lost TV Special

1958 · Self

From Hell to Texas

1958 · Amos Bradley

Trackdown

1957

Gun Glory

1957 · Preacher

Gun for a Coward

1956 · Loving

Giant

1956 · Uncle Bawley

New York Premiere Telecast 'Giant'

1956 · Host

Santiago

1956 · Captain 'Sidewheel' Jones

Kentucky Rifle

1956 · Tobias Taylor

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955 · Mr. Kilmer

Gunsmoke

1955 · Abe Blocker, Elihu Gorman, Red Conniston

Francis in the Navy

1955 · Francis (voice) (uncredited)

Timberjack

1955 · Steve Riika

Hell's Outpost

1954 · Kevin Russell

Ricochet Romance

1954 · Tom Williams

Francis Joins the WACS

1954 · Francis (voice) (uncredited)

Tumbleweed

1953 · Sheriff Murchoree

The Man from the Alamo

1953 · John Gage

City That Never Sleeps

1953 · Sgt. Joe, the 'Voice of Chicago'

Francis Covers the Big Town

1953 · Francis (voice) (uncredited)

Small Town Girl

1953 · Happy

Ride the Man Down

1952 · Ike Adams

Francis Goes to West Point

1952 · Francis (voice) (uncredited)

Bronco Buster

1952 · Dan Bream

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951 · The Janitor

The Sea Hornet

1951 · Swede

Cattle Drive

1951 · Dallas

Francis Goes to the Races

1951 · Francis (voice) (uncredited)

Oh! Susanna

1951 · Sgt. Barhydt

Rio Grande

1950 · Dr. Wilkins

High Lonesome

1950 · Boatwhistle

Stella

1950 · Chief Clark

Rock Island Trail

1950 · Hogger McCoy

Francis

1950 · Francis the Talking Mule (voice)

The Sundowners

1950 · Sam Beers

The Grass Is Always Greener

1950 · Windy

Red Canyon

1949 · Marshal G.T. Brackton

Tulsa

1949 · Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)

Loaded Pistols

1948 · Sheriff Cramer

Family Honeymoon

1948 · Fred

That Wonderful Urge

1948 · Homer Beggs

The Saxon Charm

1948 · Captain Chatham

Northwest Stampede

1948 · Mileaway

The Sainted Sisters

1948 · Will Twitchell

Heartaches

1947 · 'Breezie' Mann

High Barbaree

1947 · Lars (uncredited)

The Yearling

1946 · Buck Forrester

Gallant Bess

1946 · Chief Petty Officer

The Harvey Girls

1946 · H.H. Hartsey

Leave Her to Heaven

1945 · Leick Thome

What Next, Corporal Hargrove?

1945 · Sgt. Cramp

I'll Be Seeing You

1944 · Swanson

Sunday Dinner for a Soldier

1944 · Mr. York

Meet Me in St. Louis

1944 · Mr. Neely

Barbary Coast Gent

1944 · Sheriff Hightower

The Immortal Blacksmith

1944 · Tom Davenport

See Here, Private Hargrove

1944 · First Sgt. Cramp

Best Foot Forward

1943 · Chester Short

A Stranger in Town

1943 · Charles Craig

Stand by for Action

1942 · Mate Jenks, Chef-Bootsmann

Apache Trail

1942 · 'Pike' Skelton

The Omaha Trail

1942 · Henry Hawkins

Her Cardboard Lover

1942 · Judge

Mr. Gardenia Jones

1942 · Hotel Employee

Tarzan's New York Adventure

1942 · Manchester Montford

The Bugle Sounds

1942 · Sgt. Larry Dillon

Honky Tonk

1941 · The Sniper

Belle Starr

1941 · Blue Duck

Billy the Kid

1941 · Tom Patterson

The Bad Man

1941 · 'Red' Giddings

Western Union

1941 · Homer Kettle

Tugboat Annie Sails Again

1940 · Shiftless

Sky Murder

1940 · Sheriff Beckwith

The Westerner

1940 · Southeast

Wyoming

1940 · Lafe

Boom Town

1940 · Harmony Jones

Allegheny Uprising

1939 · M'Cammon

The Day the Bookies Wept

1939 · Man on Bus (uncredited)

Timber Stampede

1939 · Whopper Hatch

Racketeers of the Range

1939 · Whopper Hatch

Sorority House

1939 · Mr. Johnson

Trouble in Sundown

1939 · Whopper

Arizona Legion

1939 · Whopper Hatch

Lawless Valley

1938 · Deputy Speedy McGow

Nobody's Baby

1937 · Amateur Hour Quartet Singer

Way Out West

1937 · Lead Singer of the Avalon Boys / Stan's Bass Singing (uncredited)

Hideaway Girl

1936 · Lead Singer of Avalon Boys

At Sea Ashore

1936 · Leader of The Avalon Four (uncredited)

Call of the Prairie

1936 · Singing Cowhand

Anything Goes

1936 · Quartette Member

Bar 20 Rides Again

1935 · Henchman

Chill Wills · Virelixia