Charles Edward Butterworth (July 26, 1896 – June 14, 1946) was an American actor specializing in comedic roles, often in musicals. Butterworth's distinctive voice was the inspiration for the

Cap'n Crunch Cap'n Crunch is a corn and oat breakfast cereal manufactured by Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo since 2001. After introducing the original cereal in 1963, marketed simply as ''Cap'n Crunch'', Quaker Oats has since introduced numer ...

commercials from the

Jay Ward Joseph Ward Cohen Jr. (September 20, 1920 – October 12, 1989), also known as Jay Ward, was an American creator and producer of animated TV cartoon shows. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bu ...

studio: voice actor

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry H ...

based Cap'n Crunch on the voice of Butterworth.

Early life

Butterworth was the son of a physician in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

. He graduated from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

in 1924 with a law degree.

Career

After graduating, Butterworth became a newspaper reporter at the South Bend News-Times and subsequently Chicago. One of Butterworth's more memorable film roles was in the

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

musical ''

This Is the Army ''This Is the Army'' is a 1943 American wartime musical comedy film produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, adapted from a wartime stage musical with the same name, designed to boost morale in the U.S. duri ...

'' (1943) as the bugle-playing Private Eddie Dibble. He generally was a supporting actor, though he had top billing in '' We Went to College'' (1936), played the title role in ''

Baby Face Harrington ''Baby Face Harrington'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Nunnally Johnson, Edwin H. Knopf and Charles Lederer. The film stars Charles Butterworth, Una Merkel, Harvey Stephens, Eugene Pallette and Nat Pendl ...

'' (1935), and shared top billing (as the Sultan) with

Ann Corio Ann Corio (born Ann Coiro; November 29, 1909 – March 1, 1999) was a prominent American burlesque stripper and actress. Her original surname was Coiro, changing it to Corio for stage purposes and because some family members did not approve ...

in ''The Sultan's Daughter'' (1944). In his obituary, he is described as "characterizing the man who could not make up his mind". He is credited with the quip "Why don't you slip out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini?" from ''Every Day's a Holiday''. In ''Forsaking All Others'', when

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

, quoting

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

, said, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," Butterworth replied, "Ever take a good look at a milkman?"

Death

Butterworth had a home in Palm Springs, California. He was killed in an automobile accident on June 13, 1946, when he lost control of his car on

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

in Los Angeles. He died en route to the hospital.

Legacy

For his contributions to the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, p ...

, Butterworth was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 with a motion pictures star located at 7036

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

Partial filmography

* ''Vital Subjects'' (1929, Short) * ''

Ladies of Leisure ''Ladies of Leisure'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ralph Graves. The screenplay by Jo Swerling is based on the 1924 play ''Ladies of the Evening'' by Milton Herber ...

'' (1930) – Party Guest (uncredited) * '' The Life of the Party'' (1930) – Colonel Joy * '' Illicit'' (1931) – Georgie Evans * '' The Bargain'' (1931) – Geoffrey * ''

Side Show In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers ...

'' (1931) – Sidney * ''

The Mad Genius ''The Mad Genius'' (1931) is an American pre-Code drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Michael Curtiz. The film stars John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Cook, Charles Butterworth, and in small roles, Boris K ...

'' (1931) – Karimsky * ''

Manhattan Parade ''Manhattan Parade '' is a 1931 American pre-Code musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was originally intended to be released, in the United States, early in 1931, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. De ...

'' (1931) – Herbert T. Herbert * '' Beauty and the Boss'' (1932) – Ludwig Pfeffer Jr. * ''

Love Me Tonight ''Love Me Tonight'' is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy film produced and directed by Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princ ...

'' (1932) – Count de Savignac * '' The Nuisance'' (1933) – Floppy Phil Montague * ''

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

'' (1933) – Layton * '' My Weakness'' (1933) – Gerald Gregory * '' The Cat and the Fiddle'' (1934) – Charles * '' Hollywood Party'' (1934) – Harvey Clemp * '' Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back'' (1934) – Algy 'Mousey' Longworth * '' Student Tour'' (1934) – Ethelred Lippincott – Professor of Philosophy * ''

Forsaking All Others ''Forsaking All Others'' is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and starring Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. The screenplay was written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which was based upon a 1933 ...

'' (1934) – Shemp * ''

The Night Is Young ''The Night Is Young'' is a 1935 American romantic musical film starring Ramon Novarro and Evelyn Laye. The film is based on a story written by Vicki Baum and directed by Dudley Murphy. Plot When ballerina Fanni learns that the Vienese archduk ...

'' (1935) – Willy Fitch * ''

'' (1935) – Willie * ''

Orchids to You ''Orchids to You'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring John Boles (actor), John Boles, Jean Muir (actress), Jean Muir and Charles Butterworth (actor), Charles Butterworth.Solomon p.379 The screenplay concerns ...

'' (1935) – Teddy Stuyvesant * ''

Magnificent Obsession ''Magnificent Obsession'' is a 1929 novel by American author Lloyd C. Douglas. It was one of four of his books that were eventually made into blockbuster motion pictures, the other three being '' The Robe'', '' White Banners'' and ''The Big Fisher ...

'' (1935) – Tommy Masterson * ''

The Moon's Our Home ''The Moon's Our Home'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by William A. Seiter. It was adapted from a novel of the same name written by Faith Baldwin and first published in serial form in ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine. Plot summary A comedy a ...

'' (1936) – Horace Van Steedan * ''

Half Angel Half Angel may refer to: * Half Angel (1951 film), a Technicolor comedy film * Half Angel (1936 film), an American comedy film {{dab ...

'' (1936) – Doc Felix * '' We Went to College'' (1936) – Glenn Harvey * '' Rainbow on the River'' (1936) – Barrett * '' Swing High, Swing Low'' (1937) – Harry * '' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1937) – Larmadou Graves * ''

Thanks for the Memory "Thanks for the Memory" (1938) is a popular song composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and recorded by Shep Fields and His Orchestr ...

'' (1938) – Biney * '' Let Freedom Ring'' (1939) – The Mackerel * ''

The Boys from Syracuse ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play ''The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporar ...

'' (1940) – Duke of Ephesus * ''

Second Chorus ''Second Chorus'' is a 1940 Hollywood musical comedy film starring Paulette Goddard and Fred Astaire and featuring Artie Shaw, Burgess Meredith and Charles Butterworth, with music by Artie Shaw, Bernie Hanighen and Hal Borne, and lyrics by ...

'' (1940) – Mr. Chisholm * ''There's Nothing to It'' (1941) * ''

Blonde Inspiration ''Blonde Inspiration'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Busby Berkeley and written by Marion Parsonnet. The film stars John Shelton, Virginia Grey, Albert Dekker, Charles Butterworth, and Donald Meek. The film was released on February ...

'' (1941) – 'Bittsy' Conway * '' Road Show'' (1941) – Harry Whitman * '' Sis Hopkins'' (1941) – Horace Hopkins * '' What's Cookin'?'' (1942) – J. P. Courtney * '' Night in New Orleans'' (1942) – Edward Wallace * ''

Give Out, Sisters ''Give Out, Sisters'' is a 1942 American film starring The Andrews Sisters. The film co-stars Dan Dailey and the teenage couple of the time, Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. Dailey and O'Connor went on to be in the 1954 film '' There's No Busin ...

'' (1942) – Prof. Woof * ''

'' (1943) – Eddie Dibble * '' Always a Bridesmaid'' (1943) – Col. Thaddeus Winchester * '' The Sultan's Daughter'' (1944) – Sultan of Araband * '' Follow the Boys'' (1944) – Louie Fairweather * ''

Bermuda Mystery ''Bermuda Mystery'' is a 1944 American mystery film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Scott Darling. The film stars Preston Foster, Ann Rutherford, Charles Butterworth, Helene Reynolds, Jean Howard and Richard Lane. The film was rel ...

'' (1944) – Dr. Randolph Tilford * '' Dixie Jamboree'' (1944) – Professor (final film role)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butterworth, Charles 1896 births 1946 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors Male actors from Indiana Male actors from Palm Springs, California Road incident deaths in California 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Notre Dame Law School alumni Actors from South Bend, Indiana