Eddie Hodges

• Name — Eddie Hodges • Born — 5 March 1947 • Birthplace — Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. • Occupation — Actor, singer, mental health counselor • Years Active — 1953–1969 • Children — 2

Hodges was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, and traveled to New York City with his family in 1952. This began a long career in show business for Hodges in films, on stage, and in popular recordings.

At the age of ten, Hodges made his professional acting debut on stage in Meredith Willson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man, in which he originated the character of Winthrop Paroo, and introduced the song "Gary, Indiana", with Robert Preston and Pert Kelton.

On October 4, 1957, the day the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 satellite, Hodges made a memorable appearance on the game show Name That Tune. He partnered with Major John Glenn, the future astronaut and U.S. senator, in an event later dramatized in the 1983 motion picture The Right Stuff. (In the film, Hodges is played by child actor Erik Bergmann.) On August 2, 1959, Hodges was the celebrity mystery guest on the popular TV panel show What's My Line? He also made guest appearances on shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show (1964, "The Lady and the Babysitter" S4 E3), Bonanza (1965, "A Natural Wizard" S7 E13), Gunsmoke (1967, “Mail Drop” S12 E19), Family Affair, and Cimarron Strip. In 1963, Hodges played a supporting role as Billy Jones opposite fellow child actor Kevin Corcoran in Johnny Shiloh, which originally aired as two episodes of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. In the early 1990s, the adult Hodges appeared live on a talk show on Swedish TV, where he played guitar and sang "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door".

Hodges was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s but remained in the U.S. in a non-combat assignment. After he was discharged, he returned to Hollywood and became disillusioned with show business. He decided to return to his native Mississippi and entered the University of Southern Mississippi, where he received his B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Counseling. He became a mental health counselor and eventually retired from practice after a long career in the field. He converted to Catholicism in 1998. Hodges is divorced and the father of two grown children and grandfather of six. He occasionally gets in touch with his old show business friends and still writes songs, although he is no longer able to play guitar due to spinal nerve injuries. Hodges survived the passage of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged coastal areas of Mississippi and Louisiana in August 2005; he informed his fans that he was fine after being without water, electricity and telephone/internet contact for 19 days until local utilities were finally restored.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1959 — A Hole in the Head — Ally Manetta • 1960 — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — Huckleberry Finn • 1962 — Advise and Consent — Johnny Leffingwell • 1963 — Summer Magic — Gilly Carey • 1967 — C'mon, Let's Live a Little — Eddie Stewart • 1967 — The Happiest Millionaire — Livingston • 1968 — Live a Little, Love a Little — Delivery Boy

• Year — Single — US Hot 100 — Canada — UK • 1961 — "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" — 12 — 1 — 37 • 1962 — "Bandit of My Dreams" — 65 — - — - • "(Girls, Girls, Girls) Made to Love" — 14 — 1 — 37 • 1965 — "New Orleans" — 44 — 22 — -

Eddie Hodges is recorded as musician, actor and singer.