Pat Walshe

At 91 years old, Pat Walshe has this physical status:

Patrick Walshe (July 26, 1900 – December 11, 1991) was an American dwarf character actor and circus performer who specialized in animal portrayal (animal impersonation).

In The Wizard of Oz, he is best known for his role in Nikko, the leader of the Winged Monkeys.

As the majority of his time was in theater, vaudeville, and circus, he appeared in just a few films.

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Life and career

Patrick Walshe was born in New York City on July 26, 1900. Walshe's early years in Brooklyn had a pattern of restricted growth, and as a result, no one ever grew to be taller than 3'11".

At a young age, Walshe began appearing in vaindeville shows and circuses. He appeared in Lew Fields' production "The Girl Behind the Counter" in 1908, where he appeared on "Thompkins" as part of a group of comical waiters. He performed in The Midnight Sons alongside little actor Irwin Emmer in 1909. Emmer and Walshe appeared as a pair of birds, making this one of Walshe's first appearances as an animal. He appeared in the Ringling Brothers Circus, which was run by the respected Ringling Brothers just short of being born. He appeared on 'The Rising Generation,' a vaudeville family act starring a young Eddie Quillan.

Walshe appeared in the cabaret revue Hell at the Follies-Bergère, and later reunited with Lew Fields for Bunty, Bulls, and Strings, where he played "Mr MacGregor," a Scottish farmer. In 1912, he appeared as a clown with the Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Gardens. Walshe heard that the American Play Company was producing Within the Act, a complete cast of dwarf actors, and he pleaded for a part. He appeared in the Broadway production A Good Little Devil, starring Mary Pickford, where he played the roles of a gnome and a squirrel. Walshe appeared in Winthrop Ames' production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs once more, with Irwin Emmer. He continued to work with the Frank A. Robbins Circus, and the following year, he appeared alongside Irwin Emmer and several other dwarf actors at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition's 'Toyland' exhibit.

Walshe made his motion picture debut in 1915, Lew Fields' comedy Old Dutch. He recalled his appearance from The Girl Behind the Counter five years ago. The waiters' quartet had been well-received by audiences, so Fields reunited them all for his World Films comedy film.

Several of Walshe's shows featured animals, especially monkeys and apes. He eventually began to specialize in monkeys. This brought him to prominence on the vainville circuit, where he appeared in performances including Lew Fields' and Joe Weber's Reunion exhibitions. Walshe made a name for himself for his appearances and was dubbed 'the Monkey Man' by many television shows. His performances were known for their meticulous attention to detail. He made many trips to zoos to study primate behaviour and how they could faithfully imitate their physical appearance and sounds. A zookeeper he befriended allowed him to visit the apes' cages to spend time closer to them. His appearance was so realistic that he was reportedly able to convince a particular chimp that he was an ape, frightening it.

Walshe had a costumer make a special fur coat for him rather than sticking fur to his body. Walshe, on the other hand, dealt with the makeover himself. He transformed himself into a monkey by using grey paint, shadows, protruding false teeth, and a wig. Walshe used to work directly with apes, which was risky due to the creatures' unpredictable nature. Walshe, who appeared to have an in-depth knowledge of ape psychology and was therefore comfortable around them in order to minimize risk.

Walshe, rather than simply observing their movements, performed with them. Walshe performed well with the simulated chimp Baldy, of whom Walshe was custodian of for many years. They appeared in several shows and did stunts, including riding a two-seated bicycle together. The two girls spent weeks inside Baldy's cage to help her with the performance, as well as simply reviewing her behavior. Walshe had a close relationship with Baldy and was known to have a snapshot of her carrying him in his pocket. She has been dubbed "the most astute of all performers of the animal kingdom," the narrator said.

Walshe made a name for himself in the 1920s because of his appearance. He started as a businessman, but being a young one made it impossible. His company was unsuccessful, and after a period of sickness, he suspended his business operations and returned to work. When he and Irwin Emmer first played monkeys in As You Were in 1920, he was reunited with him.

Walshe appeared in Rain or Shine, at George M. Cohan's Theatre, starring Joe Cook in 1928. He appeared in the Broadway musical, which centered on a circus, with fellow circus artists Fred Gregory (a noted acrobat for Barnum and Bailey) and Dave Chasen (later well known for his Chasen's restaurant). Unlike the majority of the cast members, all three of the actors had extensive circus and carnival experience, as well as an act with various acrobatics and stunts. Walshe portrayed marmoset, and one point was repelled from the end of a pole. Despite being prominent in the show, neither Gregory nor Walshe were credited in the scheme, but they did get billing on posters and were quoted in press releases. The performance toured North America throughout 1929 after opening on Broadway.

Walshe continued to perform in vain, variety shows, circuses, and several Broadway plays, as well as occasional television appearances. William Demarest appeared in Harold Beaudine's short film Seeing Things in 1930. He appeared on stage in Fine and Dandy with Joe Cook, with whom he had appeared in 1928 in Rain or Shine. Walshe appeared alongside Hermon Ergotti, a German who stands 3'8" on a dwarf stage. They portrayed "The Colt" on the radio, with Walshe doubling as "J. Newton Wheer." Walshe appeared in Topsy Turvy Revue in 1936, being billed as the'midget Tarzan' again with Joe Cook.

Later career, retirement

Walshe appeared with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Al Dean's Circus, at the Court Square Theatre, and with the Cole Bros. from 1945 to 1946. The circus is an annual event that takes place in the United States. In addition to acting as a stunt double, he appeared in several other film appearances, including minor roles in Pinky and Roseanna McCoy. Pat was one of his few on-screen speaking appearances in Panic in the Streets (1950), where he played a newspaper peddler named Pat (after himself). Walshe did eventually have to work due to physical limitations, but he was also remembered for his appearance in The Wizard of Oz.

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