Charles Clyde Collins (7 January 1904 – 26 June 1999) was an American singer and actor. He was particularly known for his work within

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, between

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, films and television series.

Biography

Collins made his Broadway debut in 1927 in

Harry Akst Harry Akst (August 15, 1894 – March 31, 1963)
- accessed November 19, 2011 was an American Artists and Models ''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor ...

''. He went on to star in several Broadway productions during the 1930s, including ''

Ripples Ripple may refer to: Science and technology * Capillary wave, commonly known as ripple, a wave traveling along the phase boundary of a fluid ** Ripple, more generally a disturbance, for example of spacetime in gravitational waves * Ripple (electri ...

'' (1930), where he met Dorothy Stone. He married Dorothy in London on 12 September 1931. He starred in ''

Smiling Faces ''Smiling Faces'' is an American musical with music by Harry Revel, lyrics by Mack Gordon, and a musical book by Harry Clarke. Produced by Lee Shubert and Jacob J. Shubert, the production opened on Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre ...

'' (1932), '' Say When'' (1935), '' Conjur Man Dies'' (1936), '' Macbeth'' (1936), and '' Sea Legs'' (1937) (with Dorothy). During this time he also began to appear in Hollywood musical films beginning with '' Shave It with Music'' in 1932 (with Dorothy). His other film roles during this decade included the roles of Baxter in ''

Paree, Paree ''Paree, Paree'' is a 1934 black-and-white Vitaphone musical short starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Stone. Cole Porter wrote the lyrics and music for this musical comedy short.

'' (1934) (with Dorothy Stone and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

), and Jonathan Pride in ''

Dancing Pirate ''Dancing Pirate'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Corrigan. It is the third film shot in the three strip Technicolor process and the first musical in that format. Produced by the makers of ''Becky Sharp'', the film was ...

'' (1936). He also recorded music for the 1934 film ''

Those Were the Days Those Were the Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005) * '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...

''. Collins appeared in two films during the 1940s: '' Syncopation'' (1942) and '' Swing Hostess'' (1944). He recorded the song "Don't Dilly Dally on the Way" for the 1946 film '' London Town''. He returned to Broadway in 1945 to portray Boris Kolenkhov in '' You Can't Take It with You'' (with Dorothy Stone and

Fred Stone Fred Andrew Stone (August 19, 1873 – March 6, 1959) was an American actor. Stone began his career as a performer in circuses and minstrel shows, went on to act in vaudeville, and became a star on Broadway and in feature films, which earned h ...

), and again in 1947 to portray Gaston in ''

The Red Mill ''The Red Mill'' is an operetta written by Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Henry Blossom. The farcical story concerns two American vaudevillians who wreak havoc at an inn in Holland, interfering with two marriages; but all ends well. The musica ...

'' (with Dorothy). In 1951 he made his first television appearance as a guest star on the '' Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' program. He appeared in small parts in three more films during the 1950s, '' Confidence Girl'' (1952), ''

The Steel Trap ''The Steel Trap'' is a 1952 American film noir written and directed by Andrew L. Stone and starring Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright and Jonathan Hale. Plot With a million dollars cash in the vault, Jim Osborne (Joseph Cotten), a long term bank em ...

'' (1952), and ''

A Blueprint for Murder ''A Blueprint for Murder'' is a 1953 American film noir thriller film directed and written by Andrew L. Stone and starring Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters and Gary Merrill. Plot Whitney "Cam" Cameron (Joseph Cotten) arrives at a hospital to be with ...

'' (1953), after which his career considerably slowed down. After an absence from Broadway of more than 25 years, Collins returned to New York in 1973 for his final Broadway appearance in the musical ''

Shelter Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. Shelter may also refer to: Places * Port Shelter, Hong Kong * Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations * Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...

''. He later served as the stage manager for the Broadway musical ''

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Charles 1904 births 1999 deaths People from Frederick, Oklahoma Male actors from Oklahoma American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers