Eddie Hodges

Samuel "Eddie" Hodges (born March 5, 1947) is an American former child actor and recording artist. His 1961 cover of the Isley Brothers' single "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door" reached number 1 in Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia, and rose to number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. When Hodges became an adult, he made the decision to leave show business.

Early life Hodges was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, and introduced the song "Gary, Indiana", with Robert Preston and Pert Kelton.

Film Hodges made his film debut in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head with Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson, in which Hodges and Sinatra performed the Oscar-winning song "High Hopes".

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".

Recording Hodges issued his first single in 1958, a duet with Julia Meade called "What Would It Be Like in Heaven?" In 1959 at age 12, Hodges became Mississippi's first Grammy Award winner for his contribution to the original Broadway cast album of The Music Man, on which he sang a solo ("The Wells Fargo Wagon") and was credited as lead singer on the song "Gary, Indiana". It was the first year the Grammys were awarded.

In 1961, at age 14, Hodges recorded his biggest hit for Cadence Records, "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door". 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.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1959 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

Discography Charting singles 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 -