Rufus Eldon Davidson, professionally known as Rufe Davis, was a talented individual with a long and varied career in show business. Born on December 2, 1908, in Vinson, Oklahoma, he was one of twelve children. As a young boy, he began imitating animal sounds and proved himself to be a natural mimic, claiming to be able to imitate over 200 different sounds.
Davis taught himself some basic guitar chords and won $5 in a local talent contest, which inspired him to leave his farm work in Oklahoma and pursue a career in show business. He adopted the stage name Rufe Davis and toured with various vaudeville groups, eventually landing in New York, where he performed with Xavier Cugat and at numerous theaters and nightclubs.
He made his big-screen debut in the Warner Brothers' short film "The City's Slicker" in 1936 and went on to sign with Paramount in 1937, appearing in eight films over the next three years. Davis then signed with Republic in 1940 and played the role of Lullaby Joslin in their "Three Mesquiteers" series, appearing in a total of fourteen films.
During World War II, Davis toured with the USO and met Gene Autry, who invited him to appear in his touring company. He recorded several songs, including "The Sow Song," "I'm The Sound Effects Man," and "Mama Don't Allow It." Davis continued to make films throughout the 1940s and also maintained an ambitious schedule of live performances, which included music, imitations, and down-home country humor.
In 1963, Davis reunited with his old friend Smiley Burnette on the popular sitcom "Petticoat Junction," playing the role of Floyd Smoot, fireman and conductor of the Hooterville Cannonball. The show often featured Davis's mimicry and musical skills, and he also released a single with Smiley Burnette, "Steam, Cinders, and Smoke," in 1964.
After "Petticoat Junction," Davis continued to tour and perform, eventually returning to the show twice in 1970. He married former ballerina Hermoine Hawkinson from 1940 to 1956 and had four children, and later married Nettie Jane Scott, the wardrobe mistress on "Petticoat Junction," in 1969.
