Jack Clifford (né John Clifford Cooley;"Jack 'Rube' Cifford". LordHeath.com. December 25, 1888 – October 1974),"United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V9T2-C6J : 11 January 2021), Jack Clifford, Oct 1974; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing). See also: also known as Jack "Rube" Clifford, was an American character actor and singer in vaudeville, theater, film, and radio, who became known for portraying rustic, unsophisticated characters (as were sometimes labeled rubes, hence the later-adopted stage name), whose radio work—or, more specifically, whose vaudeville character "The Sheriff" (originated onstage in the 1920's and subsequently popularized on radio)—has, in the 21st century, come to be regarded by at least some radio historians as the original inspiration for Robert McKimson's and Mel Blanc's anthropomorphic cartoon rooster, Foghorn Leghorn.Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, 1930-70; Vol. One: The Pioneers of Animation Acting. Orlando, FL: BearManor Media.
Early life and career Born in Elmira, New York, Clifford spent his formative years in Atlanta, Georgia. He later attended the University of Washington and eventually settled in San Jose, California.
Of the rustic character portraits at which he excelled, perhaps the most acclaimed was his portrayal of the character, Anderson Crow, created by novelist George Barr McCutcheon."Foyer and Box Office". The Argonaut. November 5, 1921. p. 299. Retrieved July 15, 2023. Reviewing Clifford's performance on April 16, 1923 at the Palace Theatre in New York, Billboard deemed it "as fine a characterization of an old rube detective as may be boasted of either on the vaudeville or the legitimate stage. It would seem as if Anderson Crow, in the book of that name [...], had actually stepped from the pages of the author. Clifford is an artist de lux and knows how to plant his laughs and to time them with an uncanny sense of audience psychology. His vocal imitations, the banjo, steel guitar and the phonograph, registered exceedingly well. [...] The act stopped the show absolutely and Clifford was forced to respond with a speech of thanks. Perhaps the best act Clifford has ever presented in vaudeville and a characterization that will long remain as a classic."
Long before this, however (and before making "Rube" part of his stage name), Clifford had teamed with his first wife, Miriam Wills, between 1916 and 1921, in an act billed simply as Clifford and Wills, best known for the original skit, "At Jasper Junction."F.D.H. (January 8, 1916). "Three Acts Register Hit at Modesto Theater". Modesto Morning Herald. p. 8. Retrieved July 18, 2023.Cline, William H. (April 1, 1921). "Orpheum Breezes From Los Angeles". The Vaudeville News. p. 5. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
The fact that there was another, already well established vaudeville artist named Jack Clifford—namely, the dance partner and soon-to-be husband of Evelyn Nesbit—was not lost on the press. In particular, the presence of both Clifford-Nesbit and Clifford-Wills on the same bill at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre in June 1917 was promptly noted by The San Francisco Examiner's Thomas Nunan, who jokingly proposed avoiding further confusion by referring to Miss Wills' partner as Jasper from that point forward.Nunan, Thomas (June 18, 1917). "Orpheum Bill Has 'Punch'; Actors of Same Name Vie". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 7. Retrieved July 20, 2023. The following month, perhaps in response to this story, a mock do-over wedding of Clifford and Wills was conducted (or at least reported), wherein the other Clifford acted as best man, and Nesbit as matron of honor.St. George, George (July 6, 1917). "St. George's Patter About Professionals". Los Angeles Evening Express. p. 15. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
In the months following the couple's 1921 divorce, Clifford himself became a headliner in the Orpheum Circuit, with the newly unveiled stage name "Jack 'Rube' Clifford" serving to pre-empt any further confusion as to his identity."Home Folk Hear Star; Footlight Favorite in City; Jack 'Rube' Clifford, Long Beach Young Man, Loaned By Orpheum for Short Stay at the State Theater in Long Beach". The Long Beach Press. September 5, 1923. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
The following year, Clifford landed a leading role in the musical comedy, Glory, written by the same playwright-lyricist-composer tandem responsible for the hit show, Irene, three years earlier. Of Clifford's performance as Hiram Dexter, the New York Times wrote: Jack Clifford, as the town miser, furnished a considerable part of the comedy, and his 'repentance,' when he gives away some of his wealth in the final scene, was a very pretty piece of very quiet comedy, unusual in this kind of play.
Responding to that same performance, and to a perceived over-valuation of the then visiting Moscow Art Theatre at the expense of American stage actors deserving of equal or greater acclaim,"Jack Clifford Gets New Fame; Son-in-Law of George Denton of Sioux Falls Compared With Russian Artists". Argus-Leader. February 26, 1923. p. 11. Retrieved July 30, 2023. Percy Hammond of the New York Tribune compiled a "baker's dozen" of such actors, including "[David] Warfield and Clifford, [plus] such artists as Miss Helen Menken, Miss Ruth Draper, Miss Haidee Wright, José Ruben, Laurence Hanray and Felix Aylmer.""Jack Clifford, Known Here Since War Days, Draws Praise of New York Dramatic Writer". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 4, 1923. p. 23. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
In December 1923, reviewing his latest vaudeville routine, "Camera Eye Carter," at the Orpheum in Champaign, Illinois, Daily Illini critic Rudolph Kagey ranked Clifford, "without doubt, as one of the best solo comedians that has appeared on the Orph stage this year."Kagey, Rudolph (December 7, 1923). "The Fingerpost to Parnassus; Books :: Music :: Plays :: Art; And At The Orph". The Daily Illini. p. 5. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
For much of 1925, Clifford's sketch, alternately titled "The Idle Hour" and "Moving Picture Shows Twenty Years Ago," a well-received parodic recreation of cinema's early days, was presented as part of Fanchon and Marco's latest "Idea" (as the sister-and-brother team referred to each of its revues).Schwartz, Katherine (March 7, 1925). "Pleasure's Wand; Loew's Warfield". San Francisco Newsletter. p. 7. Retrieved July 31, 2023."Twenty Years Ago in Motion Pictures". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. March 23, 1925. p. 9. Retrieved July 31, 2023."Film Palace of Days Gone By Depicted; 'The Idle Hour' Screamingly Funny; Is Also Realistic". Evening Vanguard. December 8, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved July 31, 2023."Hippodrome Has Made Hit With Vaudeville Fan; New Bookings for Week Win Approval of Audiences". Bakersfield Morning Echo. December 13, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
Returning to the legitimate stage in 1926, Clifford appeared in Garrett Chatfield Pier's The Jeweled Tree, a lavishly produced but poorly received period piece that closed after 37 performances.Abel (October 13, 1926). "Plays on Broadway: The Jeweled Tree". Variety. p. 48. Retrieved August 2, 2023."The Jeweled Tree". IBDb. The following year, helping comprise a company deemed by Daily News critic Burns Mantle "as perfect as casts can be," Clifford appeared in Bartlett Cormack's much more successful The Racket, alongside, most notably, a young Edward G. Robinson (whose performance helped launch his screen career), as well as actor-directors John Cromwell and Norman Foster.Mantle, Burns (November 26, 1927). "Try 'The Racket' As Nerve Stimulant; Honest Drama for the Men, Thrills for the Girls". New York Daily News. p. 21. Retrieved August 2, 2023. See also: Beck, Robert (2008). The Edward G. Robinson Encyclopedia. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 262. . Mantle, Burns; Sherwood, Garrison P., editors (1928). The Best Plays and the Year Book of the Drama in America. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 456.
Film Portraying the father of protagonist Glenn Tryon in the 1926 two-reel comedy Long Pants, Clifford's "great work" is cited by Moving Picture World reviewer Sumner Smith, who writes, "Glenn's film father also gets into the limelight by falling for the girl himself. Crippled by rheumatism, he does quite a lot of low and lofty tumbling."Smith, Sumner (January 30, 1926). The Moving Picture World. p. 473. Retrieved July 2, 2023. The Clifford/Tryon onscreen pairing/rivalry was reprised—with Clifford now cast as Tryon's "Grandpa"—in the 1926 two-reeler 45 Minutes from Hollywood,"Laurel & Hardy - Film 2: Forty Five Minutes From Hollywood (1926)". The Laurel & Hardy Podcast. YouTube. a film now best known as one of the rare instances of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appearing in the same film—albeit independently—prior to the team's official debut in 1927.Calman, Craig (2014). 100 Years of Brodies with Hal Roach: The Jaunty Journeys of a Hollywood . Albany, GA: BearManor Media. .
In July 1925, both Motion Picture News and Moving Picture World reported that Clifford had been assigned "[a]n important role" in The Winner"Jack Clifford in Next Ray Picture". Motion Picture News. July 18, 1925. p. 293. Retrieved August 1, 2023."Jack Clifford Signed; Vaudeville Star Will Play Charles Ray's New Picture". The Moving Picture World. July 18, 1925. p. 313. Retrieved August 2, 2023. (as was titled the Charles Ray vehicle ultimately released as Sweet Adeline), in which Clifford portrays the protagonist's bullying older brother. He also has a significant role as the dog catcher in the 1931 Academy Award-nominated film Skippy,Abramson, Abraham; project mgr. (1970). The New York Times Film Reviews (1913–1931). New York: The New York Times & Arno Press. p. 711. . and plays the sheriff in the 1945 Three Stooges western farce, Rockin' in the Rockies. In addition, Clifford received fourth billing and a good deal of screen time in the 1936 John Wayne western, King of the Pecos, as the gunslinging "chief accomplice" of Wayne's cattle baron nemesis."John Wayne: King of The Pecos (1936)". Western Films. YouTube. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
Regarding Clifford's performance in the 1931 western The Sunrise Trail, The Hollywood Reporter, in an otherwise lukewarm review, writes, "Jack Clifford, as Kansas, is very, very good. It's too bad that his part was not better written, for his acting deserved it." Variety, reviewing the action-packed 1937 oater, One Man Justice, wherein Clifford portrays one of a host of old friends and colleagues summoned by the film's protagonist in order to help "clear up the mess" in his crime-ridden hometown, states that "Clifford is easily the best of the cinematic constables with his dry, smooth delivery and believable performance."
Radio Clifford had recurring roles on KFWB's Hi-Jinks, and on KNX (AM)'s The Gilmore Circus."Clifford drives an Old-Timer; Gilmore's 'Sheriff' Will Attend County Fair". The Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1933. Pt. VI, pg. 5. Retrieved August 3, 2023. See also:
"Gilmore Circus Breaks Records at San Francisco Auto Show". The Napa Valley Register. January 25, 1934. p. 7.
Foghorn Leghorn More than one author has suggested that Clifford's "sheriff"–as heard on radio and/or witnessed in vaudeville reviews–served at least in part as the original inspiration for Warner Brothers' cartoon protagonist, Foghorn Leghorn.Brooker, John (2017). The Happiest Trails. CP Entertainment Books. p. 313. . Voice actor Mel Blanc, speaking with radio historian Ben Ohmart, recalled: