Mini Tribute: Billy Gray

Born March 17, 1904 Billy Gray
(and not the one you’re thinking of!)

Most of us are very familiar with Billy Gray, the actor who starred as ‘Bud’ in Father Knows Best — but that’s not who we are celebrating today! Today, we’re paying a ‘mini tribute’ to the ‘other’ Billy Gray, the actor who only appeared in two movies during his film career — as Mr. Jacoby in Two for the Seesaw, and most notably, as Sig Poliakoff in Some Like It Hot! His only other on-screen appearance was as Stanley Zip in a TV episode of That Girl called “Beware of Actors Bearing Gifts”…

And, just an interesting tidbit of info… Gray at one time owned a comedy club previously owned by Lou Costello called The Band Box in Los Angeles. Comedians that performed there included Buddy Hackett, Polly Bergen, Alan King, Don Rickles and Jackie Gleason.

…..

Sig Poliakoff (Billy Gray): You’re the wrong shape. Goodbye!
Joe (Tony Curtis): What are you looking for – hunchbacks or something?
Sig Poliakoff: It’s not the backs that worry me.

…..

Billy Gray with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in Some Like It Hot

Joe (Tony Curtis): What kind of a band is this, anyway?
Sig Poliakoff (Billy Gray): You gotta be under twenty-five.
Jerry (Jack Lemmon): We could pass for that.
Sig Poliakoff: You gotta be blonde.
Jerry: We could dye our hair.
Sig Poliakoff: And you gotta be girls.
Jerry: We could…
Joe: No, we couldn’t!