El Brendel

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El Brendel, Circa 1930.

El Brendel (b. March 25, 1890, - d. April 9, 1964) was a vaudeville comedian later turned movie star, best remembered for his schtick as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in Fox Pictures' 1930 sci-fi musical, Just Imagine.

Born in Philadelphia, PA to German immigrants, Elmer Goodfellow Brendle was anything but Swedish. The character he portrayed on stage and in films, often called "Oley", "Ole", or "Ollie", developed from his entering vaudeville around 1910, where he developed the character. During the 1910s and early 1920s, he appeared with his wife Sophie Flo Bert, doing a married couple routine. It was during this period that he coined his trademark line, "Yumpin' yimminy!"

In 1926, he signed a contract at Fox Studios and appeared in almost every major production there for the next few years, most memorably as the Swedish comic relief in the first Academy Award winning best picture, Wings with Clara Bow and Buddy Rogers.

Four years later, Brendel's star had risen at the studio, largely in part due to the advent of sound, expanding his routine to those of his stage days. After finishing production of Sunny Side Up with Janet Gaynor, Brendel continued star comic parts in The New Movietone Follies of 1930, The Big Trail with John Wayne, and most importantly to his career, Just Imagine, directed by David Butler.

After the poor reception of Just Imagine at the box office, Brendel was sent back to doing B-pictures and short subjects at the studio. In 1933, he left Fox and had a brief tenure at Warner Bros. Studios, and for the next few years, was a free lance artist. In 1941, he made his debut at Columbia Pictures in his first short subject comedy there, Yumpin' Yimminy! Brendel was a popular attraction of the studio's short subject series, and was paired up with a number of well known comedians, including Harry Langdon and Shemp Howard.

When his contract at Columbia ran out in 1945, Brendel turned back to stage and some screen work. During the 1950s, he shared a brief revival with his wife on television variety shows, including You Asked For It with Art Baker. His last film was The She Creature in 1956, in which he played a Swedish butler. His wife co-starred as well, aptly playing the maid which he works with.

El Brendel died on April 9, 1964 in Hollywood, California from a heart attack. He is interred next to his wife, Flo, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.