Pat Buttram

Pat Buttram

as "Mr. Haney" on Green Acres
Born Maxwell Emmett Buttram
(1915-06-19)June 19, 1915
Addison, Alabama, U.S.
Died January 8, 1994(1994-01-08) (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death Renal failure
Resting place Maxwell Chapel, United Methodist Church
Haleyville, Alabama, U.S.
Alma mater Birmingham-Southern College
Occupation Actor, writer
Years active 1944–1994
Political party Republican[1]
Religion Methodist
Spouse(s) Dorothy McFadden (m. 1936; div. 1946)
Sheila Ryan (m. 1952; her death 1975)
Children 2

Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram (June 19, 1915 – January 8, 1994) was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "never quite made it through puberty".

Life

Buttram was born in Addison in Winston County, Alabama, to Wilson McDaniel Buttram, a Methodist minister, and his wife Mary Emmett Maxwell. He had an older brother, Augustus McDaniel Buttram, and five other elder siblings. When "Pat" Buttram was a year old, his father was transferred to Nauvoo, Alabama. Buttram graduated from Mortimer Jordan High School, which was then located in Morris, Alabama, then entered Birmingham–Southern College to study for the Methodist ministry.[2]

Radio

Buttram performed in college plays and on a local radio station, before he became a regular on the National Barn Dance in Chicago, Illinois. He also had his own program on CBS.[3]

Film and television career

Buttram in 1944

Buttram went to Hollywood in the 1940s and became a "sidekick" to Roy Rogers. However, since Rogers already had two regulars, Buttram was soon dropped. He was then picked by Gene Autry, recently returned from his World War II service in the Army Air Force, to work with him. Buttram would co-star with Gene Autry in more than 40 films, and in over 100 episodes of Autry's television show.

Buttram's first Autry film was Strawberry Roan in 1948. In the late 1940s, Buttram joined Autry on his radio show, Melody Ranch and then on television with The Gene Autry Show. During the first television season, Buttram went by "Pat" or "Patrick", with a variety of last names. From the second season forward, he used his own name.

Buttram guest starred on three episodes of Walter Brennan's ABC sitcom, The Real McCoys, including the role of Cousin Carl in the episode "Back to West Virginny" (July 27, 1961). In the story line, Amos, Luke, and Kate McCoy return to Smokey Corners, West Virginia, for the 100th birthday gathering of "Grandma McCoy", played by Jane Darwell. Henry Jones guest starred in this segment as Jed McCoy.[4]

Buttram is remembered for his role as Mr. Haney (Eustace Haney) in the 1965–1971 CBS television comedy Green Acres. He did voice work for several Disney animated features, playing Napoleon (hound dog) in The Aristocats, the Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf) in Robin Hood, Luke (swamp inhabitant) in The Rescuers, Chief (hunting dog) in The Fox and the Hound, and one of the Toon bullets in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He had a recurring role as the voice of Cactus Jake on Garfield and Friends. One of his last roles was a cameo in Back to the Future Part III. His final voice-over was A Goofy Movie, released a year after his death.

Buttram made the oft-quoted observation about the 1971 "rural purge", in which CBS cancelled many programs with a rural-related theme or setting: "CBS canceled everything with a tree — including Lassie", referring to the cancellations of Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.[5]

Personal life

In 1936, Buttram married Dorothy McFadden. The couple adopted a daughter but divorced in 1946. In 1952, he married actress Sheila Ryan; the marriage ended with her death in 1975. They had a daughter named Kathrine (nicknamed Kerry) born in 1954. Buttram retired from acting in 1980 and made his home in his native Winston County, Alabama. However, he soon returned to California, where he made frequent personal appearances.

Buttram was a staunch Republican who helped Ronald W. Reagan spice up his speeches with political quips.[1] In 1993, Buttram expressed surprise that with the inauguration of Bill Clinton and Al Gore as US President and Vice President, respectively, so many Hollywood actors were "taken with that whole country-boy image they tried to project."[1] According to his niece, Mary Buttram Young of Sheffield, Alabama, "Uncle Pat would always say, 'I'm from Alabama – I can see right through that'."[1]

Buttram died in 1994 at the age of seventy-eight of renal failure in Los Angeles, California. He is interred at the cemetery at the Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church[6] in the Pebble community near Haleyville, Alabama.

Buttram was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and one on the "Alabama Stars of Fame" in Birmingham.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1944 National Barn Dance Himself Buttram's first film appearance[8]
1948 The Strawberry Roan Hank
1952 Wagon Team Deputy Pat Buttram
1950 Gene Autry Show, TheThe Gene Autry Show Pat Television series
1961 Wild in the Country Mr Longstreet, the mechanic Uncredited
1961–1963 The Real McCoys Cousin Carl

Pat Clemens

episodes: Back to West Virginny, Fly Away Home, Luke the Reporter, & The Partners
1963 Make Room for Daddy Harvey Bullock episode: Here's the $50 Back
1963 Twilight of Honor Cole Clinton
1964 Roustabout Harry Carver
1964 The Hanged Man Otis Honeywell
1964 The Tycoon Brian episode: The Shotgun Meyer
1965 Green Acres Mr. Haney
1965 The Munsters Pop Mallory episode: All-Star Munster
1966 Sergeant Deadhead The President
1968 The Sweet Ride Texas Gambler
1968 I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew Blodgett
1968–1973 The Dean Martin Comedy Hour Himself episodes:

March 14, 1968, Celebrity Roast: Ed McMahon, Celebrity Roast: Bette Davis

1970 Aristocats, TheThe Aristocats Napoleon Voice only
Animated film
1970 The Merv Griffin Show Himself episode: June 25, 1970
1971 The Gatling Gun Tin Pot
1971 The Jimmy Stewart Show Oscar Pettywhistle episode: Luther's Last Love
1972 Alias Smith and Jones First Sheriff episode: Bad Night in Big Butte
1972 The Mouse Factory Himself episode: Bullfighting to Bullfrogs
1972 Evil Roy Slade Narrator
1973 Adam-12 Drunk Man episode: Keeping Tabs
1973 Robin Hood Sheriff of Nottingham, The Wolf Voice
Animated film
1974 Emergency! Hermit episode: Floor Brigade
1976 Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch Narrator
1977 Rescuers, TheThe Rescuers Luke - swamp inhabitant Voice
1979 The Sacketts Tuthill the Bank Teller TV mini series
1979 Angels Brigade Used Car Salesman
1981 Fox and the Hound, TheThe Fox and the Hound Chief - hunting dog Voice
Animated film
1981 Choices Pops
1982 Simon and Simon Jonathan Evans episode: Rough Rider Rides Again
1984 Family Feud Himself episode: Country & Western Singers vs. TV & Film Cowboys
1986 Knight Rider Buck episode: Fright Knight
1988 The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound Red Eye the bartender Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 TV movie
Who Framed Roger Rabbit A toon bullet Voice
Live action/Animated film
Garfield and Friends Cactus Jake (10 epis.)

Cactus Josh (1 epis.) Cactus Jimmy (1 epis.) Cactus Joe (1 epis.)

Voice only
Animated series \ 10 episodes
1990 Back to the Future: Part III Saloon Old Timer #3 Cameo
1990–1991 Who's the Boss Chappy 3 episodes
1991 Tiny Toon Adventures Bicycle Bob episode: Son of the Wacko World of Sports
1992 Rugrats Eddie Voice
Animated series
"Graham Canyon"
1995 A Goofy Movie Possum Park Emcee Voice
Animated film
Dedicated to him

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Terry Pace, "Pat Buttram: Homespun humorist, character actor, cowboy sidekick"". The Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2001. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  2. Wilson, Claire M. "Pat Buttram" on the Encyclopedia of Alabama website
  3. "KFLW (radio listing)". Herald and News. January 11, 1959. p. 51. Retrieved April 27, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  4. ""Back to West Virginny", The Real McCoys, July 27, 1961". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  5. Quotation taken from amazon.com preview of book, accessed March 23, 2009. Harkins, Anthony (2005). Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon. Oxford University Press US. p. 203. ISBN 0-19-518950-7.
  6. "Pat Buttram (1915–1994) – Find A Grave Memorial". findagrave.com.
  7. "Hee HAw: Writers" on TV.co,
  8. Pat Buttram at the Internet Movie Database

Further reading


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