Biography for
Doodles Weaver More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

11 May 1911, Los Angeles, California, USA

Date of Death

17 January 1983, Los Angeles, California, USA (suicide)

Birth Name

Winstead Sheffield Weaver

Mini Biography

Well remembered at Stanford for his many pranks and practical jokes. Was occasional guest on Rudy Vallee radio program and Kraft Music Hall in the late 1930s and early 40s. Performed in clubs nationwide. He specialized in manic comic sports narrations, often using his friends' names as characters. Narrated Disney cartoon "Hocky Homicide" and others. Joined Spike Jones' troup in 1946, recording his horse and auto race routines ("William Tell Overture" and "Dance of the Hours." Developed a spoonerizing character for the Spike Jones Radio Show ("Professor Feitlebaum"), 1947-1949 borrowing heavily from 1930s comic "Joe Twerp". Toured with Jones' stage revue until 1951. Returned to Jones for various record and television projects thru 1964. Was early TV guest in 1940s. Also made many "Day with Doodles" silent comedy shorts for color TV in the early 1960s. Was very dogmatic that his famous horse character was Feitlebaum (not Beetlebaum). Was very approachable in later years, and loved to chat with his fans, even listing his home phone number in the Los Angeles directory.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Reita Green

(1957 - 1968) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

Brother of NBC-TV executive Sylvester L. Weaver Jr. ("Pat" Weaver).

Uncle of Sigourney Weaver

Mr.Weaver hosted his own daily kids TV show in The Los Angeles, California viewing area in the early 1950s. He also performed on a series of color silent film comedies for nationally syndicated TV, entitled "A Day With Doodles Weaver".

He (Doodles) told about being an undergraduate student at Stanford. He and some friends painted footprints up the side of the campanile and into a window at the top. The University was aghast, and immediately dispatched the cleanup crew, who had to rent a giant cherry-picker to do the paint removal job. Next morning, there were footprints leading down from the window to the ground.

Father was a well-to-do industrialist who founded the tourist-promoting All-Year Club in Los Angeles.

Because of his freckles and large ears, Doodles' mother nicknamed him "Doodlebug."

Once had designs on being a school athletic director.

His biggest break as a comedian did not occur until his "Professor Feedelbaum" character caught on with the Spike Jones band on radio in 1948.

Was given his own summer series by NBC after he was seen in an Ajax commercial on the Colgate Comedy Hour sharing the screen with a live pig.

His local Los Angeles children's show "Doodles Club House" ran a couple of years in the late 1950s. He also hosted a kiddie show in San Francisco for one season.

His four marriages ended in three divorces and an annulment. Two of his brides were 21; the other two were 19.

Later life was marred by chronic alcoholism.

Suffered from major illnesses in his later years (from 1977 on), including a triple-bypass heart operation.

Son of Sylvester Laflin Weaver and wife Annabel Dixon.

Personal Quotes

"Nothing means anything when you're in pain. I have a nice house and an income but not a thing to live for." DW, in a 1981 interview

"I don't miss being a star. I don't miss anything because I live in the now." DW, in a 1972 interview

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