Rod Brasfield | |
|---|---|
 Brasfieldc. 1950 | |
| Born | Rodney Leon Brasfield (1910-08-22)August 22, 1910 Smithville, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | September 12, 1958(1958-09-12) (aged 48) Martin, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Years active | 1947–1958 |
| Known for | Grand Ole Opry Member |
Rodney Leon Brasfield (August 22, 1910[1] – September 12, 1958)[2] was an American comedian who was prominently featured on theGrand Ole Opry from 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame.
Brasfield was born inSmithville, Mississippi, United States.[2] He began his career in the late 1920s with Bisbee's Dramatic Shows, a touring tentrepertory troupe, serving as astraight man for his older brother, actor and comedianBoob Brasfield.[2] In 1931, he married Eleanor Humphrey, aHohenwald, Tennessee school teacher.
Brasfield was recruited byGeorge D. Hay for theGrand Ole Opry in 1944.[2] With his trademark baggy suit, battered hat and rubbery face, he could make audiences laugh before he spoke a word. He soon became the primary comic onThePrince Albert Show, the Opry'sNBC Radio broadcast, playing off the show’s host,Red Foley. Assuming the role of a hapless hayseed, he often poked fun at country life—always with good humor.
He formed a double act in 1948 withMinnie Pearl, playing what she referred to as "double comedy", in which each of them delivered alternating punch lines and neither played the straight man.[2] Some of these routines were broadcast on the Opry's liveABC television network show from 1955–56. He lived in Hohenwald, called himself the Hohenwald Flash, and often mentioned the local restaurant (which he once owned), the Snip-Snap-and-Bite, in his routines. Brasfield sometimes didventriloquist routines with a dummy named Bocephus, after whomHank Williams Sr. nicknamed his then-infant sonHank Williams Jr.; and also did comedy withJune Carter.
In March 1956, Brasfield appeared withElvis Presley at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. InA Face in the Crowd (1957) he playedAndy Griffith's ex-con sidekick, and appeared inCountry Music Holiday (1958).Heart failure combined with an ongoing problem with alcohol abuse, led to his death at age 48 in 1958 inMartin, Tennessee.[2] He is buried in Smithville.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | A Face in the Crowd | Beanie | |
| 1958 | Country Music Holiday | Pappy Brand | (final film role) |
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