Jackie Gleason

Jackie Gleason is interred in the Our Lady Of Mercy Cemetery, Miami Beach, Florida. Hayes died in Burbank, California in 1969. There was even a report that Richard Nixon took Gleason to view the remains of aliens killed in the crash of a flying saucer, but as this particular report first appeared in the pages of the National Enquirer, it is dubious at best. When the series ended he retired from show business. Gleason apparently believed in UFOs, and claimed to have seen them himself. The western film genre declined in the late 1940's and Hayes made his last film appearance in The Cariboo Trail (1950). He moved to television and hosted The Gabby Hayes Show, a children's western series, from 1950 to 1954. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit series of fims. Hayes was a popular performer and consistently appeared among the ten favorite actors in polls taken of movie-goers of the period.

Later in life, Jackie Gleason gained fame for his portrayal of Sheriff Buford T. Hayes also was cast as a sidekick to western icons Randolph Scott and John Wayne. In his early life he was known for his fatness, but later he slimmed down. As Gabby Whitaker, Hayes appeared in over forty pictures between 1939 and 1946, usually with Roy Rogers but also with Gene Autry or Bill Elliot. His trademark phrase was "How sweet it is!" during the applause when he first opened his comedy act. Paramount held the rights to the name Windy Halliday, so a new nickname was created for Hayes' character; Gabby. In the 1960s he had his own show entitled The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1939, Hayes left Paramount in a dispute over his salary and moved to Republic Pictures.

Later it was recast. Hayes played the part of Windy Halliday, the sidekick to Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd), from 1935 to 1939. In the late 1940s he played Chester Riley in the The Life of Riley situation comedy in its first incarnation. Hayes, in real life an intelligent, well groomed, and articulate man, was cast as a grizzled codger who uttered phrases like "consarn it", "yer durn tootin", "durn persnickety female", and "young whipper snapper". Ralph, his buddy Ed Norton, and their wives Alice Kramden and Trixie Norton were later transplanted into the stone age as The Flintstones, the entire show being a transparent tribute to The Honeymooners. Ironically, Hayes would admit he had never been a big fan of westerns. Herbert John (Jackie) Gleason The Great One-(February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was a Brooklyn-born comedian famous for brash humor and fast ad-libs who immortalized his Brooklyn neighborhood in The Honeymooners, playing bus driver Ralph Kramden. He fortunately found a niche in the growing genre of western films, many of which were series with reoccurring characters.

Hayes briefly retired in the 1920's but lost most of his money in the 1929 stock market crash and had to return to acting. In his early career, Hayes was cast in a variety of roles, including villains, and occasionally played two roles in a single film. Hayes' film career began in 1923 with his appearance in the silent movie Why Women Marry. The couple had no children.

They remained together until Dorothy's death in 1957. Hayes married Olive Dorothy Ireland in 1914. Hayes' early show business career including working in the circus, in vaudeville, on stage, and playing semi-professional baseball. In fact, he did not know how to ride a horse until he was in his forties and had to learn for movie roles.

Hayes was born in Wellsville, New York and did not come from a cowboy background. He was best known for his numerous appearances in western movies as the colorful sidekick to the leading man. George Francis 'Gabby' Hayes (May 7, 1885–February 9, 1969) was an American actor.