Edward Bernard Collins Jr (1883 - 1940)

Eddie Collins Jr was a Classic Disney cast member.

Biography

Eddie Collins Jr is Notable.

Eddie was an American Film Actor

Eddie Collins was a noted American actor, comedian and singer who is best remembered for having provided the vocal effects for Dopey in Walt Disney's animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as for playing Tylo, the dog-turned-human, alongside Shirley Temple in The Blue Bird.

Birth & Youth

Eddie Collins was born 30 Jan 1883, in Manhattan, New York City, New York. He was the son of Edward Collins and his wife, Margaret (Casserly) Collins. At the time of his birth, his parent were residing at 52 Sherriff Street in Manhattan.^[1]

In 1900, Eddie was sixteen years old and living with his parents and two younger siblings in Jersey City, New Jersey, where his father worked as a tool manufacturer.^[2] In 1905, at age 21, Eddie was still residing at home with his parents and younger siblings at 337 Monmouth Street in Jersey City. He was listed in that year's New Jersey state census as an "actor".^[3]

Theatrical Career

Eddie's big break in show business came in 1903, when he and Eddie Weston were selected to fill in for the Ray brothers in a production of A Hot Old Time at the Camden (NJ) Theater. The duo was said to have thrown their audience into convulsions of laughter, securing the two men the comedic leads for several years.^[4] By 1907, Eddie headed his own company. Known as "The Man with the Funny Face", he was referred to as one of the funniest comedians on the vaudeville stage, holding the record for having played every vaudeville house between New York and San Francisco.^[5]

Marriage and Family

In 1908, Eddie married Sarah Baldwin, in New Jersey.^[6] In 1910, the couple was residing in Jersey City with their one-year-old daughter, Dorothy. At the time, Eddie was working as a bookkeeper for a house mover.^[7] In the New Jersey State Census of 1915, Eddie and Sarah are listed in Jersey City with daughters Dorothy (age 6) and Ethel (age 3). Interesting, Sarah is listed before Eddie as head of household and is also described as an "actor", while Eddie has no occupation. It is unclear whether this was intentionally documented as such or whether husband and wife may have been confused in error.^[8]

On 10 Sep 1918, Eddie registered for the draft in Sacramento, California. Although he listed his permanent home and residence of his wife, Sarah, as Jersey City, he was in Sacramento working as an actor for W.W. Bassett at Joyland Park, an amusement park located in the heart the city's Oak Park neighborhood. Eddie's draft card describes him as being "short" and "stout" ^[9].

In 1919, James Brooks, stage manager of the Casino Theater in Jersey City, sued his wife, actress Florence Willmott for divorce, claiming that she had been having a long-standing affair with her acting co-star, Eddie Collins. Florence Brooks had been an actress in Eddies burlesque troupe. At the couple's divorce hearing, Eddie's wife testified that she was well aware of the affair, but had chosen not to file for divorce as to do so would violate her religious beliefs.^[10] In 1920, Eddie and Sarah were still together, residing at 111 Baldwin Street along with their 8-year-old daughter, Ethel, and Sarah's 70-year-old father, William, a railroad engineer. Sadly, the couple's daughter, Dorothy, had died in 1916, at just six years of age.^[11]

It wasn't long thereafter, however, that the couple did divorce and Eddie married Florence Brooks. In 1930, the couple was residing in Flint, Michigan with their eight year-old daughter, Margaret.^[12]

Hollywood Career

In 1937, after seeing Eddie's performance in a burlesque show, a Disney animator suggested Disney hire him as a live-action reference model for Dopey, in Walt Disney's classic animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Although Dopey was essentially mute, Eddie did provided the vocalization for Dopey's one line, as well as sneezing sounds for the film's chipmunk and squirrel characters. After completing his work for the film, Disney wrote a letter to the casting director of 20th Century-Fox and Eddie was put under contract to the studio.

Although Eddie's Hollywood career lasted less than five years, he did appear in twenty-five films, including Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) and Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). Perhaps Eddie's most-beloved role, however, was that of Tylo, a dog who is magically transformed into a human, in The Blue Bird (1940). Upon being transformed, Tylo follows his mistress, played by Shirley Temple, on a quest to find the famed Bluebird of Happiness. Collins' interpretation of Tylo is that of an easily spooked, but loyal companion who will do anything for those he loves.

Later Years & Death

In 1937, Eddie and Florence were residing at 946 Fairview Avenue, in Arcadia, California.^[13] In 1940, Eddie and Florence were residing at 1117 La Cadena Avenue, in Arcadia, with their 18-year-old daughter, Margaret, and Sarah's widowed sister, Mabel Windham.^[14]

Eddie's final film was The Return of Frank James (1940). On 1 Sep 1940, Eddie died of a heart attack, at his home in Arcadia. He was 57 years old.^[15] According to his obituary in the Hollywood Citizen-News, he was survived by his wife, Florence Evelyn Collins, a daughter, Margaret Collins, and a son, Edward Bernard Collins III, who was living in Alaska and working as a medical assistant in the CCC.^[16] Eddie was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.^[17]

Sources

1. ↑ New York, New York Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909. Ancestry.com (database online) certificate #359049, - Collins (1883).
2. ↑ 1900 U.S. Federal Census. FamilySearch (database online with images). Accessed 17 June 2021. New Jersey, Hudson County, Jersey City, Ward 3, ED 97, sheet 5A, family 83, household of Edward Collins.
3. ↑ 1905 New Jersey State Census. Ancestry.com (database online with images), Hudson County, Jersey City, First District, Ward 5, ED 1, sheet 22A, dwelling 183, family 444, household of Edward B. Collins.
4. ↑ Gossip of the Stage, Courier-Post (Camden, NJ) 30 Jan 1903, p. 4.
5. ↑ Eddie Collins at the Armory, Keyport (NJ) Weekly, 15 Feb 1907, p. 3.
6. ↑ New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016. Ancestry.com (database online with images) Bride Index 1904-1909, state file #5-823, Edward Collins to Sarah Baldwin (1908)
7. ↑ (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKYL-8WK 1910 U.S. Federal Census]. FamilySearch (database online with images). Accessed 17 June 2021. New Jersey, Hudson County, Jersey City, Ward 9, ED 171, sheet 7B, family 154, household of Edward B. Collins, Jr. NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 892; FHL microfilm 1,374,905.
8. ↑ New Jersey State Census, 1915, Family Search (database with images) Accessed 23 Feb 2021, Hudson County, Jersey City, Ward 8, District 18, sheet #9A, household 115, line 2, Edward Collins in household of Sarah Collins {New Jersey State Library, Trenton; FHL microfilm 1,465,534.]
9. ↑ U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Ancestry.com (database online) New Jersey, Jersey City, Local Draft Board 6, Serial No. 3855, Order No. 2828, Edward Bernard Collins, Jr.
10. ↑ Wife Testifies Against Actor, The Times Union (Brooklyn, NY) 25 Mar 1919, p. 2.
11. ↑ (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4RY-JYJ 1920 U.S. Federal Census]. FamilySearch (database online with images). Accessed 2 Feb 2021. New Jersey, Hudson County, Jersey City, Ward 9, ED 220, page 304A (stamped), sheet 11A (penned) dwelling 111, family 129, household of Eden Collen [sic]. NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1046; FHL microfilm 1,821,046.
12. ↑ (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XQYX-VK9 1930 U.S. Federal Census]. FamilySearch (database online with images). Accessed 17 Jun 2021. Michigan, Genesee County, City of Flint, ED 14, sheet 12A, family 308, household of Edward B. Collins. NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 984; FHL microfilm 2,340,719.
13. ↑ U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Ancestry.com (database online). Arcadia, California, City Directory, 1937.
14. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K97B-TCG 1940 U.S. Federal Census]. FamilySearch (database online with images). Accessed 5 Jan 2021. California, Los Angeles County, Monrovia Twp., City of Arcadia, ED 12, sheet 18B, family 486, household of Edward Collins. NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 237.
15. ↑ California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994, FamilySearch (database with images) Accessed 1 Mar 2021, Death Certificate for Edward Bernard Collins (1940).
16. ↑ "Eddie Collins Of Films Dead," Hollywood Citizen-News, 3 Sep 1940, p. 9, col. 8. Digital images accessed 15 Jun 2021, Historical newspapers.
17. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #19452149

See also:

• Wikipedia: Eddie Collins
• Wikidata: Item Q3047248
• IMDB: Eddie Collins
• Disney Wiki: Eddie Collins
• WikiTree: Classic Disney Project

Acknowledgements

On behalf of the Classic Disney Project, a big Thank You! to Jeanne Howell for her great work researching Eddie's ancestors and providing wonderful source documentation.