Verna Felton

Verna Felton

Felton in 1954.
Born Verna Felton
(1890-07-20)July 20, 1890
Salinas, California, U.S.
Died December 14, 1966(1966-12-14) (aged 76)
North Hollywood, California, U.S.
Cause of death Stroke
Resting place Grand View Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1917–1966
Spouse(s) Lee Carson Millar, Sr.
(m. 1923–1941; his death)
Children Lee Carson Millar, Jr. (1924–80)

Verna Felton (July 20, 1890 – December 14, 1966) was an American character actress who was best known for providing many female voices in numerous Disney animated films, as well as voicing Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law Pearl Slaghoople for Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones.

She also had roles in live-action films, however, she was most active in radio programs. She was known for her husky voice and no-nonsense attitude. Two of her most famous roles were as Mrs. Day, the protective and domineering mother, who was always looking after her son Dennis Day and trying to boss around Jack Benny on The Jack Benny Program and as Hilda Crocker on the sitcom December Bride.

Early years

Felton was born in Salinas, California. Her father, a doctor, died when she was seven years old. When going over his accounts after his death, Felton's mother discovered that though her husband had a large medical practice in San Jose, there were no records of his patients' payments for treatment and no cash in the office. Shortly before her father's death, Felton had performed in a local benefit for victims of the Galveston Flood. Her singing and dancing attracted the attention of a manager of a road show company that was playing in San Jose at the time. The manager spoke to Felton's mother, offering to give Felton a job with his company. Since the family was experiencing difficult financial times with the loss of Felton's father, her mother contacted the road show manager. Felton quickly joined the cast of the show, growing up in the theater.[1]

Radio and television

Raleigh Cigarettes Program 1948 cast: Standing: Pat McGeehan, The Four Knights, David Rose (orchestra leader). Seated: Verna Felton ("Grandma" to Skelton's "Junior" character), Rod O'Connor (announcer), Lurene Tuttle ("Mother" to Skelton's 'Junior' character). Front: Red Skelton.

She also worked extensively in radio, notably playing The Mom in The Cinnamon Bear, Junior the Mean Widdle Kid's grandmother on Red Skelton's radio series, Hattie Hirsch on Point Sublime, and Dennis Day's mother on The Jack Benny Program. In addition, she performed on radio as a regular on The Abbott and Costello Show and The Great Gildersleeve.

Felton appeared in a recurring role as the mother of Ruth Farley, a young woman played by Gloria Winters in the 1953–55 ABC sitcom with a variety show theme, Where's Raymond?, renamed The Ray Bolger Show. The series starred Ray Bolger as Raymond Wallace, a song-and-dance man who was repeatedly barely on time for his performances.[2]

Though some sitcom aficionados might assume that her guest appearances on I Love Lucy led to a regular supporting role as Hilda Crocker on the CBS sitcom December Bride, Felton had played that same character on the radio version two years prior to the television production. December Bride also starred Spring Byington, Dean Miller, Frances Rafferty, and Harry Morgan. Felton continued her Hilda Crocker role on the December Bride spin-off, Pete and Gladys, with Harry Morgan and Cara Williams. For her performance on December Bride, Felton was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1958 and in 1959.[3]

She was the original voice of Pearl Slaghoople (Wilma Flintstone's mother), voicing the character as a semi-regular on Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones from 1961–63. In 1963, in the series finale of CBS's Dennis the Menace sitcom, Felton played character John Wilson's aunt in the episode entitled "Aunt Emma Visits the Wilsons". In the story line, Mr. Wilson (Gale Gordon) tries to convince Aunt Emma to leave her estate to him and his wife, Eloise (Sara Seegar). Wilson becomes suspicious when Emma begins spending time with Dennis Mitchell (Jay North).[4]

Live-action films

During the 1940s and the early 1950s, she was in demand as a character actress on films, with roles in If I Had My Way (1940), Girls of the Big House (1945), The Fuller Brush Man (1948), Buccaneer's Girl (1950), Belles on Their Toes (1952), Don't Bother to Knock (1952) and her memorable role as Mrs. Potts in the film of William Inge's Picnic (1955).

Disney and MGM

Felton was a popular actress at the Walt Disney Studios and MGM Studios, lending her voice to several animated features, including:

Personal life and death

Felton was married to radio actor Lee Millar (1888–41), who also did animation voices (notably for Disney's Pluto). Their son, Lee Carson Millar, Jr. (1924–80), appeared as an actor on a variety of television series between 1952 and 1967.

Felton died of a stroke on the evening of December 14, 1966, the day before Walt Disney died. She is interred at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Radio

Original Air Date Program Role Notes
1937 The Cinnamon Bear Mother
1938–39 Candid Lady Aunt Julia
1939 Fibber McGee and Molly Mrs. Homer Gildersleeve
1939–42 The Great Gildersleeve Miss Fitch, Mrs. Goddwin
1939–55 The Jack Benny Program Dennis's Mother Mrs. Day
1940–44
1947–48		 Point Sublime Hattie Hirsch
1942 Lux Radio Theatre Madame Therese DeFarge "A Tale of Two Cities"
1942–43 Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou Mrs. MacIntyre
1942–49 The Abbott and Costello Show Multiple characters
1943–47 The Joan Davis Show Blossom Blimp Also known as The Sealtest Village Store
1944 Command Performance Saleswoman "Christmas"
1944–52 The Judy Canova Show Aunt Agatha
1945 The Old Gold Comedy Theater Nick's Mother "My Favorite Wife"
Also known as The Harold Lloyd Theater
1946–51 A Day in the Life of Dennis Day Dennis Day's Mother
1946–53 The Red Skelton Show Junior's Grandmother
1948 Suspense Ada "The Man Who Though He Was Edward G. Robinson"
1950 Young Love Janet's Mother Mrs. Shaw "Visit by Janet's Mom and Jimmy's Dad"
1950 Screen Directors Playhouse The Fairy Godmother "Cinderella"
1952–53 December Bride Hilda Crocker Radio version
1952–55 My Little Margie Mrs. Odetts Radio version

Films

Year Film Role Notes
1917 The Chosen Prince, or the Friendship of David and Jonathan Michal
1939 Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President Neighbor Uncredited
1940 Northwest Passage Mrs. Jill Towne Uncredited
1940 If I Had My Way Mrs. Abigail DeLacey Uncredited
1941 Dumbo Elephant Matriarch / Mrs. Jumbo Voice, Uncredited
1945 Girls of the Big House Agnes
1946 She Wrote the Book Mrs. Lauren Kilgour Uncredited
1948 The Fuller Brush Man Junior's Grandmother Uncredited
1950 Cinderella The Fairy Godmother Voice
1950 Buccaneer's Girl Dowager
1950 The Gunfighter Mrs. August Pennyfeather
1951 New Mexico Mrs. Fenway
1951 Alice in Wonderland Queen of Hearts Voice
1951 Little Egypt Mrs. Samantha Doane
1952 Belles on Their Toes Cousin Leora
1952 Don't Bother To Knock Mrs. Alex Ballew
1955 Lady and the Tramp Aunt Sarah Voice
1955 Picnic Mrs. Dennise Potts
1957 The Oklahoman Mrs. Stephanie Waynebrook
1957 Taming Sutton's Gal Aunty Sutton
1959 Sleeping Beauty Flora / Queen Leah Voice
1960 Goliath II Eloise Voice
1960 Guns of the Timberland Aunt Sarah
1965 The Man from Button Willow Mrs. Tiffany Pomeroy, Mother, Lady on Trolley Voice
1967 The Jungle Book Winifred, The Elephant Voice, Released Posthumously

Television

Year Program Role Notes
1951 The Amos 'n Andy Show Nurse "Kingfish Has a Baby"
Uncredited
1952 The Ezio Pinza Show Mrs. Day
1952–53 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Emily Marsh, Mrs. Rodney, Maggie, Mrs. Evans 4 episodes
1952–54 The Dennis Day Show Dennis' Mother Mrs. Day
1953 I Love Lucy Mrs. Simpson, Mrs. Porter "Sales Resistance"
"Lucy Hires a Maid"
1953–55 Where's Raymond? Ruth Farley's Mother
1954–59 December Bride Hilda Crocker 155 episodes
1955–62 The Jack Benny Program Dennis' Mother Mrs. Day 5 episodes
1957 Climax! Nurse "The Disappearance of Amanda Hale"
1959 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis Mrs. Lapping "Deck the Halls"
1960 The Real McCoys Naomi Vesper "Cousin Naomi"
1960–61 Pete and Gladys Hilda Crocker 30 episodes
Spin-off of December Bride
1961 Miami Undercover Aramintha "Cukie Dog"
1962 Wagon Train Gran Jennings "The Lonnie Fallon Story"
1962 Henry Fonda and the Family TV miniseries
1962–63 The Flintstones Pearl Slaghoople Voice role
4 episodes
1963 Dennis the Menace Aunt Emma "Aunt Emma Visits the Wilsons"

Notes

  1. ↑ Felton, Verna (January 1948). Love That Red-Head. Radio Mirror. pp. 46, 81, 82. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Where's Raymond?/ The Ray Bolger Show". ctva.biz. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  3. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19590418&id=m6YoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DcoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1979,3137261
  4. ↑ ""Aunt Emma Visits the Wilsons", July 7, 1963". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved February 9, 2013.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.