Wonderful Smith
Actor, Film actor
1911 – 2008
Who was Wonderful Smith?
Wonderful Smith was an African-American comedian from Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He was most notable for his routine, "Hello, Mr. President" which was an imaginary conversation with American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that lampooned the New Deal and World War II preparations. The routine appeared in Duke Ellington's satirical revue "Jump for Joy". No complete copy of the routine exists, although most of the routine appeared in the 1941 movie Top Sergeant Mulligan, performed by Smith, and was later re-released on the Smithsonian's Jump for Joy LP in 1988. Smith also made numerous appearances as an extra in various movies, such as a stage hand in the cavernous backstage scene in This is Spinal Tap. He also was a member of Red Skelton's radio show in the early and mid 1940s. Others in the cast during this time were Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. When Smith returned from his World War II service, he found that his role in the show had been changed, along with the program's format. Smith attempted to claim racial and veterans' discrimination. The radio show's sponsor pointed out that his contract had been honored and that while his role in the show was smaller than it had been previously, he was not written out with his contract paid off.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Wonderful Smith." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/wonderful-smith/m/04n3hj2>.
Discuss this Wonderful Smith biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In