Voting Station

Jerry Colonna

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Comedian

The Resume

    (September 17, 1904-November 21, 1986)
    Born in Boston, Massachusetts
    Fixture on Bob Hope's radio programs (NBC)
    Film credits include ‘Road to Singapore,’ ‘Road to Rio,’ ‘Road to Hong Kong' (cameo), 'It's in the Bag!' and ‘Make Mine Music’
    Voice of the March Hare in Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and narrator for ‘Casey at the Bat' (Disney short)
    Hosted 'The Jerry Colonna Show' (1951)
    Guest appearances on The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Gale Storm Show, Shirley Temple’s Storybook, McHale’s Navy (as himself), and The Monkees
    LPs include ‘Music for Screaming!? Jerry Colonna at His Best’ (78 RPM)

Why he might be annoying:

    Look at that bushy walrus handlebar!
    He had a five-alarm voice (‘embassy? Great Scott, I thought you said NBC!’).
    A Christmas-themed Hope episode in which his character of Santa Claus was shot to death became a huge sore spot with listeners and sponsors alike.
    Following his Monkees guest appearance, he suffered a stroke that forced him into retirement but for a few cameos.
    A heart attack in 1979 left him permanently hospitalized.
    And yes, he did have the signature giant Italian snout.
    He shares his name with a New York City-based financier.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a trombone player for various groups, notably the CBS Radio house orchestra.
    Man, could this guy stretch a syllable (‘aaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllll’) or what?
    Though he had him fired for business reasons – and replaced with Doris Day after ten seasons – Hope made sure to keep him around for USO tours well into the Vietnam War.
    He was featured in one of the oldest surviving kinescopes of a live TV broadcast (1947).
    He died still married (for 56 years!) to his one and only wife.
    You might have heard one of his catch phrases at the end of a Bugs Bunny short: ‘I don’t ask questions; I just have fun!’
    His great-great-niece Sarah lists him as a comedic inspiration.

Credit: Cool It All Right?


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 24 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 161 Votes: 47.20% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 194 Votes: 52.58% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 97 Votes: 50.52% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 660 Votes: 51.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 124 Votes: 62.10% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 477 Votes: 50.10% Annoying