Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

Huckleberry Hound Huckleberry "Huck" Hound is a fictional cartoon character, a blue anthropomorphic coonhound that speaks with a North Carolina Southern drawl. He first appeared in the series ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. The cartoon was one of six TV shows to ...

Snagglepuss Snagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character who debuted in prototype form in 1959 and established as a studio regular by 1961. A light pink anthropomorphic cougar sporting an upturned collar, shirt cuffs, and bow tie, Snagglepuss enjoys the ...

, Auggie Doggie,

Loopy De Loop ''Loopy De Loop'' is a theatrical cartoon short series produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera after leaving MGM and opening their new studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions. Loopy De Loop Profile 48 cartoons were produced between 19 ...

Wally Gator Wally may refer to: Music * Wally (band), British prog rock band ** ''Wally'' (album), a 1974 album by Wally * ''La Wally'', an opera by Alfredo Catalani Other uses *Wally (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *WALLY, a propose ...

Quick Draw McGraw Quick Draw McGraw is a fictional anthropomorphic horse and the protagonist and title character of ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show''. He is a white horse, wearing a red Stetson cowboy hat, a red holster belt, a light blue bandana, and occasion ...

and

Baba Looey Baba Looey is a fictional Mexican donkey that appeared in ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show''. He is the deputy and familiar to Sheriff Quick Draw McGraw. He speaks Spanish with a Mexican accent. He was originally voiced by Daws Butler. Character Bab ...

Snooper and Blabber ''Snooper and Blabber'' is one of the three segments from '' The Quick Draw McGraw Show''. This show was produced by Hanna-Barbera between September 19, 1959 and October 20, 1962, and consists of 45 episodes. History Snooper and Blabber form a p ...

Hokey Wolf ''Hokey Wolf'' is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon about the adventures of a con-artist wolf who is always trying to cheat his way into the simple life. He is often accompanied alongside by his young, diminutive, sidekick son Ding-A-Ling Wolf, both of who ...

, Elroy Jetson,

Peter Potamus Peter Potamus is a purple animated hippopotamus that first appeared in the 1964–1966 animated television series ''The Peter Potamus Show'', produced by Hanna-Barbera and first broadcast on September 16, 1964. ''The Peter Potamus Show'' was divi ...

The Funky Phantom ''The Funky Phantom'' is an animated television series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, in association with Australian production company Air Programs International for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The show was a clone of Hanna- ...

and Hair Bear.

Early life and career

Butler was born on November 16, 1916, in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, the only child of Charles Allen Butler and Ruth Butler. The family later moved from Ohio to Oak Park, Illinois, where Butler became interested in impersonating people.Daws Butler: A Personal Portrait of my Mentor
/ref> In 1935, the future voice master started as an

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, entering multiple amateur contests and winning most of them. He had entered them not with the intention of showing his talent, but as a personal challenge to overcome his shyness (with success). Nonetheless, Butler won professional engagements at vaudeville theaters. Later, he teamed up with fellow performers Jack Lavin and Willard Ovitz to form the comedy trio The Three Short Waves. The team played in theaters, on radio, and in nightclubs, generating positive reviews from regional critics and audiences. They dissolved their act in 1941 when Daws Butler joined the U.S. Navy as America entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Some time after, he met his wife Myrtis during a wartime function near Washington, D.C. His first voice work for an animated character came in the animated short ''Short Snorts on Sports'' (1948), which was produced by

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...

. At the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to a ...

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...

hired Butler to provide the voice of a British wolf on ''

Little Rural Riding Hood ''Little Rural Riding Hood'' is a 1949 MGM animated cartoon short subject directed by Tex Avery, conceived as a follow-up to his 1943 cartoon ''Red Hot Riding Hood''. In 1994, the cartoon was ranked in 23rd place of The 50 Greatest Cartoons. It is ...

'' (1949) and also to narrate several of his cartoons. Throughout the late 1940s and mid-1950s, he had roles in many Avery-directed cartoons; the Fox in ''Out-Foxed'', the narrator/cat in ''The Cuckoo Clock'', the Cobbler in ''The Peachy Cobbler'', Mr. Theeves and

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

(one line) in ''

Droopy's Double Trouble ''Droopy's Double Trouble'' is the 11th animated short featuring Droopy. It was the first short to introduce one of Droopy's relatives. Plot Droopy is presented here as a manservant working for an unseen master, who is going away for a few days w ...

'', Mysto the Magician in ''

Magical Maestro ''Magical Maestro'' is a 1952 American animated short comedy film directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It features the Great Poochini (played by Butch Dog), a canine opera singer who spurns a magician. The ...

'', John the Cab and John the B-29 Bomber in ''

One Cab's Family ''One Cab's Family'' is a 1952 Metro Goldwyn Mayer cartoon short directed by Tex Avery about the arrival of a yellow taxi cab "child". The title is a play on the radio soap opera program ''One Man's Family''. Synopsis A yellow taxi named John (voi ...

'' and ''

Little Johnny Jet ''Little Johnny Jet'' is a 1953 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio cartoon short directed by Tex Avery about a "family" of airplanes. The title is a play on ''Little Johnny Jones''. The screenplay was written by Heck Allen. The film score was compos ...

'', and Charlie in ''

The Legend of Rockabye Point ''The Legend of Rockabye Point'' is a 1955 Chilly Willy cartoon directed by Tex Avery and produced by Walter Lantz. The short was repurposed in episode 3 of The New Woody Woodpecker Show as "A Classic Chilly Cartoon". Plot An old fisherman tell ...

''. Beginning with ''The Three Little Pups'', Butler provided the voice for a nameless wolf that spoke in a Southern accent and whistled all the time (the tune was Henry C. Work's "

Kingdom Coming "Kingdom Coming", also known as "The Year of Jubilo", is an American Civil War song, written and composed by Henry C. Work in 1862, prior to the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The song is pro- Unioni ...

"). This character also appeared in ''Sheep Wrecked'', ''Billy Boy'' and many more cartoons. While at MGM, Avery wanted Butler to try to do the voice of

Droopy Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Go ...

, at a time when Bill Thompson had been unavailable due to radio engagements. Butler did a few lines, then recommended

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

, another actor and Butler's lifelong friend, who could imitate Thompson. Thus, Messick voiced Droopy in several shorts. In 1949, Butler landed a role in a televised puppet show created by former Warner Bros. Cartoons animation director

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...

called ''

Time for Beany ''Time For Beany'' is an American children's television series, with puppets for characters, which was broadcast locally in Los Angeles starting on February 28, 1949 and nationally (by kinescope) by the improvised Paramount Television Network fro ...

''. Butler was teamed with

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

, and together they did all the voices of the puppets. Butler voiced Beany Boy and Captain Huffenpuff. Freberg voiced Cecil and Dishonest John. An entire stable of recurring characters were seen. The show's writers were Charles Shows and Lloyd Turner, whose dependably funny dialog was still always at the mercy of Butler's and Freberg's

ad lib In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The ...

s. ''Time for Beany'' ran from 1949 to 1954, and won several

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s.The Official Daws Butler Website- CARTOONS
/ref> In 1952, he starred in the live-action short ''Nice Try, Virgil''. Butler briefly turned his attention to writing and voicing several TV commercials. In the 1950s, Stan Freberg asked him to help him write comedy skits for his

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

albums. Their first collaboration, " St. George and the Dragonet" (based on '' Dragnet''), was the first comedy record to sell over a million copies. Freberg was more of a satirist who did song parodies, but the bulk of his dialogue routines were co-written by and co-starred Butler.A Conversation with Stan Freberg
/ref> Butler teamed again with Freberg and actress

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...

in a CBS radio series, ''

The Stan Freberg Show ''The Stan Freberg Show'' was a weekly radio comedy show that ran on the CBS Radio Network for fifteen episodes in 1957 from July 14 through October 20. The show, starring comedian Stan Freberg and featuring the vocal talents of Daws Butler, June ...

'', which ran from July to October 1957 as a summer replacement for Jack Benny's program. Freberg's box set, ''Tip of the Freberg'' (

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was original ...

, 1999), chronicles every aspect of Freberg's career except the cartoon voice-over work, and it showcases his career with Daws Butler. In '' Mr. Magoo'', the UPA theatrical animated short series for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, Butler played Magoo's nephew Waldo (also voiced by

Jerry Hausner James Bernard Hausner (May 20, 1909 – April 1, 1993),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 122-123. known professionally as Jerry ...

at various times). In Freberg's " Green Chri$tma$" in 1958, a scathing indictment of the over-commercialization of the holiday, Butler soberly hoped instead that we'd remember " Whose birthday we're celebrating". Butler provided the voices of many nameless

Walter Lantz Productions Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios. The studio was originally formed as Universal Cartoon Studios on the initiative o ...

' characters for theatrical shorts later seen on the ''

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by Lan ...

'' program. His characters included the penguin

Chilly Willy Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive penguin. He was created by director Paul Smith for the Walter Lantz studio in 1953, and developed further by Tex Avery in the two subsequent films following Smith's debut entry. The character ...

and his best friend Smedley, a southern-speaking dog (the same voice used for Tex Avery's laid-back wolf character and for

). In 1957, after MGM had closed their animation unit, producers

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the ani ...

and

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian im ...

quickly formed their own company, and Daws Butler and Don Messick were on hand to provide voices. The first, ''

The Ruff and Reddy Show ''The Ruff and Reddy Show'' (also known as ''Ruff and Reddy'') is an American NBC Saturday morning animated television series, is one of the earliest Saturday morning cartoons, and the first series made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series fo ...

'', with Butler voicing Reddy, set the formula for the rest of the series of cartoons that the two helmed until the mid-1960s. He played the title roles in ''

The Huckleberry Hound Show ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the second series produced by the studio following ''The Ruff and Reddy Show''. The show first aired in syndication on September 2 ...

'', ''

The Quick Draw McGraw Show ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and their third television series overall after ''The Ruff and Reddy Show'' and ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Voice actor Daws But ...

'', and ''

The Yogi Bear Show ''The Yogi Bear Show'' is an American comedy animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that centers on the misadventures of forest-dwelling bear Yogi in Jellystone Park. The show debuted in syndication on January 30, 1961 ...

'', as well as a variety of other characters.

Characters

Some of the characters with voices by Butler from 1948 to 1978 included: * Aesop's Son (in the "Aesop and Son" segment of ''

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the American Broadca ...

'') * Alfy Gator (of ''

Yakky Doodle Yakky Doodle is a cartoon duck created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the 1961 series ''The Yogi Bear Show''. Yakky's name is a spoof of "Yankee Doodle". History Yakky Doodle (voiced by Jimmy Weldon using the same buccal speech technique used ...

'') * Albert (''Albert in Blunderland/To Be an Ant'') * Ali Gator (in two Lantz theatrical shorts) *

Augie Doggie Augie (sometimes spelled Auggie) is a nickname for variations of the name August, which derives from the Latin name Augustus. It may refer to: People *Augie Auer (1940–2007), meteorologist *Augie Galan (1912–1993), Major League Baseball play ...

(from ''

'') *

Barney Rubble Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next d ...

(from ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'') (1959–1961; The Flagstones pilot and season two episodes 1, 2, 5, 6, and 9 only) * Big Gruesome * Bingo (of ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...

'') * "Bring 'Em Back Alive" Clive * Brutus the Lion (of ''

The Roman Holidays ''The Roman Holidays'' is a half-hour Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 9 to December 2, 1972. It ran for 13 episodes before being cancelled, and reruns were later shown on t ...

'') * Cap'n Crunch

* Captain Skyhook (of '' The Space Kidettes'') *

* Cogswell * Colonel Pot Shot * Dixie Mouse (of ''

Pixie and Dixie A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

'') *

(1955; ''Deputy Droopy'') * Elroy Jetson * Fibber Fox (of ''

'') *

Fred Flintstone Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintsto ...

(1959; The Flagstones pilot only) * Gabby Gator (of ''

'') * Gooney the "Gooney Bird" Albatross * Hair Bear (of '' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch'') * Henry Orbit *

* Hustle (of '' The CB Bears'') *

J. Wellington Wimpy J. Wellington Wimpy, generally referred to as Wimpy, is one of the characters in the comic strip '' Popeye'', created by E. C. Segar and originally called ''Thimble Theatre'', and in the ''Popeye'' cartoons based upon the strip. Wimpy debuted ...

in ''

The All New Popeye Hour ''The All New Popeye Hour'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King Features Entertainment. Starring the comic strip character Popeye, the series aired from 1978 to 1983 Saturday mornings on CBS. De ...

'' * Jonathan Wellington "Mudsy" Muddlemore (of ''

'') * Karlos K. Krinkelbein (from the 1971 animated TV special version of ''

The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow ...

'') * Lambsy (of "It's the Wolf" on ''

Cattanooga Cats ''Cattanooga Cats'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired on ABC from September 6, 1969, to September 4, 1971. The show was a package program similar to the Hanna-Barbera/NBC show ''The Banana Splits ...

'') *

Lippy the Lion ''Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har'' is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired as part of the 1962 series '' The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series'' starring the titular anthropomorphic lion and hyena duo in a series of ...

* Louie (from ''

The Dogfather The Dogfather was a series of 17 cartoons produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released between 1974 and 1976. It is the final theatrical cartoon series made by DePatie–Freleng. This cartoon ''The Dogfather'' is the same most of next '' ...

'') * Maxie the Polar Bear *

Mr. Jinks ''Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks'' is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series that featured as a regular segment of the television series ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' from 1958 to 1961. Plot The cartoon series stars two mice, the bow-tied P ...

(of ''

Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks ''Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks'' is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series that featured as a regular segment of the television series ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' from 1958 to 1961. Plot The cartoon series stars two mice, the bow-tied Pix ...

'') * Peter Perfect, Red Max, Rock Slag, Rufus Ruffcut, and Sgt. Blast (from ''

Wacky Races Eccentricity (also called quirkiness) is an unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive. Eccentricity is contrasted with norm ...

'') *

* Pug (from ''

''; first episode only) *

Quisp Quisp is a sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal from the Quaker Oats Company. It was introduced in 1965 and continued as a mass-market grocery item until the late 1970s. Subsequently, the Quaker Oats Company marketed Quisp sporadically, and with the ...

* Raggedy Andy (in '' The Great Santa Claus Caper'' (1978) and '' The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile'' (1979)) * Reddy the dog (from ''

The Ruff & Reddy Show ''The Ruff and Reddy Show'' (also known as ''Ruff and Reddy'') is an American NBC Saturday morning animated television series, is one of the earliest Saturday morning cartoons, and the first series made by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series fo ...

'') * Smedley the Dog (from the ''Chilly Willy'' cartoons) *

Snap, Crackle and Pop Snap, Crackle and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Rice Krispies, a brand of breakfast cereal marketed by Kellogg's. History The gnome characters were originally designed by illustrator Vernon Grant in the early 1930s. The names are onomatopoeia ...

(of ''

Rice Krispies Rice Krispies (known as Rice Bubbles in Australia and New Zealand) is a breakfast cereal, marketed by Kellogg's in 1927 and released to the public in 1928. Rice Krispies are made of crisped rice (rice and sugar paste that is formed into rice ...

'') * Super Snooper and Blabber Mouse * Spike the Bulldog (of ''

Spike and Tyke ''Spike and Tyke'' is a short-lived theatrical animated short subject series, based upon the American bulldog father-and-son team from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons. The characters first appeared in the ''Tom and Jerry'' seri ...

'') (1949–1957) * Stick and Duke (of '' Posse Impossible'') *

* The Whether Man, The Senses Taker, The Terrible Trivium, and the Gelatinous Giant from ''

The Phantom Tollbooth ''The Phantom Tollbooth'' is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster, with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, first published in 1961. The story follows a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollb ...

'' * Undercover Elephant *

* Wolf (from the ''

'' cartoons) * Yahooey (from ''

Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey ''Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey'' is a Hanna-Barbera Animated series, animated television series that premiered September 16, 1964. It was presented as a segment of ''Peter Potamus, The Peter Potamus Show'', along with ''Breezly and Sneezly'' and ''Pe ...

'') *

Butler voiced most of these characters for decades, in both TV shows and in some commercials. The breakfast cereal mascot

Cap'n Crunch Cap'n Crunch is a maize, 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 n ...

became an icon of sorts on Saturday morning TV through many commercials produced by

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 & Bul ...

. Butler played Cap'n from the 1960s to the 1980s. He based the voice on that of character actor Charles Butterworth. In 1961, while

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...

was recovering from a road accident, Daws Butler substituted for him to voice

in five episodes of ''

'' (''The Hit Songwriter'', ''Droop-Along Flintstone'', ''Fred Flintstone Woos Again'', ''The Rock Quarry Story'', ''The Little White Lie''). Butler had previously voiced the characters of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble in the 90 second pilot for the series (when it was called The Flagstones). In 1964, Butler was featured as

on a 45rpm record, "Bingo, Ringo", a comedic story combining

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' drummer

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

and

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Ada ...

's hit record " Ringo". In ''

'', Butler provided the voices for a number of the racers, Rock Slag, Big Gruesome, the Red Max, Sgt. Blast, Peter Perfect, and Rufus Ruffcut. He voiced a penguin and a turtle in the movie ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'', his only known work for Disney. Along with

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

and

, Butler also provided voices for children's records featuring recreations of several successful Disney cartoons and films.

Inspirations

Butler based some of his voices on popular celebrities of the day. Yogi Bear began as an

Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best known for his role as Ed ...

impression; Butler had done a similar voice in several of

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePa ...

's films at Warner Brothers and Stan Freberg's comedy record "The Honey-Earthers". However, Butler soon changed Yogi's voice, making it much deeper and more sing-songy. Hokey Wolf began as an impression of

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

, and Snagglepuss as

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American actor. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the MGM adaptation of ...

. When Snagglepuss began appearing in commercials for

Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...

Cocoa Krispies Cocoa Krispies (also known as Choco Krispis, Choco Krispies, Coco Pops, Choco Pops depending on region) is a breakfast cereal produced by Kellogg's, coming both as a boxed cereal and as a snack bar with a 'dried milk' covered bottom. It is a c ...

in 1961, Lahr threatened to sue Butler for "stealing" his voice. As part of the settlement, the disclaimer "Snagglepuss voice by Daws Butler" was required to appear on each commercial, making him the only voice actor ever to receive one in an animated TV commercial. Huckleberry Hound was inspired by a North Carolina neighbor of Daws's wife's family, and he previously used that voice for Avery's laid-back wolf and Lantz's Smedley.

Later life

In the 1970s, he was the voice of "Hair Bear" on '' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!'' and a few characters in minor cartoons such as ''C.B. Bears''. On ''

Laff-a-Lympics ''Laff-A-Lympics'' is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', on ABC in 1977. The show is a spoof ...

'', Butler was virtually the entire "Yogi Yahooey" team. He also played the title character in ''

'', as well as Louie and Pug on ''

The Pink Panther Show ''The Pink Panther Show'' is a showcase of animated shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1978, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was prod ...

''. In 1977, he guest-starred as Captain Numo and his lackey Schultz on the '' What's New, Mr. Magoo?'' episode "Secret Agent Magoo". Butler remained somewhat low-key in the 1970s and 1980s until a revival of ''

The Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...

'' and Hanna-Barbera's crossover series ''

Yogi's Treasure Hunt ''Yogi's Treasure Hunt'' (originally titled ''The Funtastic Treasure Hunt'') is an American animated television series and the fifth entry in the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, featuring Yogi Bear and various other ...

'', both in 1985. Also in 1983, he voiced the title character,

Wacky WallWalker The Wacky WallWalker was a toy molded out of a sticky elastomer. It was shaped similar to a spider, and when thrown against a wall would "walk" its way down. It was a hugely popular toy in the early 1980s. Before its introduction in the United Sta ...

in ''

Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls ''Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls'' is an American television Christmas special that aired on NBC on December 11, 1983. The special is inspired by the Wacky WallWalker toys that were imported from Japan and merchandised by Ken Hakuta in 1982. The ...

''. In 1975, Butler began an acting workshop which spawned such talents as

Nancy Cartwright Nancy Cartwright (born October 25, 1957) is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Perform ...

Corey Burton Corey Gregg Weinberg (born August 3, 1955), known professionally as Corey Burton, is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake, Dale and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transforme ...

Joe Bevilacqua Joseph K. Bevilacqua (born January 2, 1959) is an American actor, producer, director, author, dramatist, humorist, cartoonist, and documentarian. Biography Early life Bevilacqua was born on January 2, 1959, in Newark, New Jersey, the son of ...

Bill Farmer Bill Farmer (born November 14, 1952) is an American voice actor, comedian and impressionist. He has performed the voice of the Disney character Goofy since 1987, and has also been the voice of Pluto and Horace Horsecollar since 1990. Early li ...

Pat Parris Patricia Parris (also professionally credited as Pat Parris, Patty Parris, Patti Parris and Patricia E. Parris) is an American actress who provided voice-overs for several animated television series for such studios as Hanna-Barbera, The Walt ...

Tony Pope Anthony J. Pope (March 22, 1947 – February 11, 2004), also known as "Anthony Mozdy", was an American voice actor. He is best remembered for voicing Goofy for eleven years. He also worked on the first two DVDs of LeapFrog Enterprises, LeapFrog, ...

Linda Gary Linda Gary (born Linda Gary Dewoskin, November 4, 1944 – October 5, 1995) was an American actress. Career Live-action appearances Gary worked as a voice-over artist in animation and also appeared in two live-action films, 1977's ''Joyride T ...

Bob Bergen Robert Bergen (born March 8, 1964) is an American voice actor. He voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He formerly hosted the children's game show '' Jep!'', ...

Greg Berg Greg Berg (born November 26, 1960) is an American voice actor, best known for his work in cartoons, video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input de ...

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained ...

Mona Marshall Mona Marshall is an American voice actress, known for her work in a number of cartoons, anime shows, films and video games. Her major credits include ''South Park'', where she voices many of the female characters on the show; '' Fraggle Rock: The ...

Sherry Lynn Sherry Lynn is an American voice actress who has played roles in anime, animated television series and video games. She portrayed Sasami Jurai in the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' franchise. In January 2010, in terms of total film gross, she was the Highest ...

Joey Camen Joey Camen (born January 16, 1957) is an American voice actor, comedian and writer who has performed voice over work in various movies, TV shows and video games. Early life Camen is of Russian and Romanian Jewish ancestry. His father, Hyman C ...

, Keith Scott,

Sonny Melendrez Sonny Melendrez (born 1946) is an American radio and TV personality, motivational speaker and author. Biography Melendrez was born in Silver City, New Mexico. Twice named ''Billboard'' Magazine's "Radio Personality of the Year", he is include ...

Charles Howerton Charles Howerton (born June 24, 1938) is an American actor. He is best known for such films and television series as ''The Black Gestapo'', ''Eat My Dust'', ''Up from the Depths'', ''Smokey Bites the Dust'', ''Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype'', and ''As ...

Hal Rayle Hal Rayle (born January 4, 1955) is an American voice actor. He has done many roles for both animated series and live action movies. Career Rayle has had a number of voice acting jobs over his career. Rayle's animated series roles include Miss Pi ...

, writer Earl Kress, and many more. In the year of his death, ''

The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound ''The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound'' is a 1988 animated Western television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the ''Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10'' series. The film parodies various Western films (in a manner akin to ...

'' was released, featuring most of his early characters.

Personal life

Daws met and married Myrtis Martin in 1943 while he was in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

. They had four sons, David, Don, Paul and Charles, and remained married until his death in 1988.

Death

Butler died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on May 18, 1988 at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

at the age of 71. A few months before he died, he had contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and also suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

a few months before."Charles 'Daws' Butler, Voice Of Yogi Bear, Many Others"
''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'', May 20, 1988.Folkart, Burt A
"Obituaries: Daws Butler; Voice of Well-Known Cartoon Characters"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' (May 20, 1988) The television special '' Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration'' was dedicated to him. Many of his roles were assumed by

, who had been personally trained by Butler until his death. Myrtis Mayfield Martin Butler (born January 13, 1917,

Stanly County, North Carolina Stanly County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,504. Its county seat is Albemarle. Stanly County comprises the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included i ...

), died on November 15, 2018, in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

, at the age of 101 and is buried next to Daws in

Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Holy Cross Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Los Angeles Archdiocese. It is partially in the Culver City city limits. Opened in 1939, Holy Cross comprises . It contains—amo ...

. The four aforementioned sons all survive.

Legacy

Daws Butler trained many voice actors including

(the voice of

Bart Simpson Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' ...

(the voice of

Count Dooku Count Dooku of Serenno, also known by his Sith, Sith name Darth Tyranus, or simply as Count Dooku, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Star Wars, ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. One of the main antagonists of the St ...

in several animated

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

series, as well as Dale in ''

Chip 'n' Dale Chip and Dale (also spelled Chip 'n' Dale) is a cartoon duo of anthropomorphic chipmunks created in 1943 by The Walt Disney Company. Concept The characters were first drawn by Bill Justice and introduced in the 1943 Pluto short ''Private P ...

''),

(the current voice of

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...

, and

Horace Horsecollar Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1928 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s ...

(the voice of Porky Pig),

(whom Butler personally taught how to do all his characters),

(the voice of Yogi Bear and Bugs Bunny), and

(the voice of various characters in ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

''). Butler's voice and scripts were a frequent part of Bevilacqua's now-defunct XM show. Bevilacqua also wrote Butler's official biography, published by Bear Manor Media. A new book of cartoon scripts written by Daws Butler and Joe Bevilacqua, ''Uncle Dunkle and Donnie: Fractured Fables'', was scheduled for publication in the fall of 2009. A four-volume, -hour audio set of ''Uncle Dunkle and Donnie'' was to be released simultaneously with Bevilacqua performing all 97 characters in 35 stories. Butler also trained

, who ultimately determined that his best-known character of Doyle Cleverlobe from ''

Galaxy High School is a science fiction animated series that premiered on September 13, 1986 on CBS and ran for 13 episodes until December 6, 1986. The series was created by Chris Columbus and featured music and a theme song composed by Don Felder. The series wa ...

'' should sound like Elroy Jetson after he finished

puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy. ...

In popular culture

* The video ''Daws Butler: Voice Magician'' is a 1987 documentary of Butler's career from his pre-MGM days on up through his teaming with Freberg in 1949 and the teaming with

in 1957. It was originally seen as a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

pledge-drive special. * Former Butler protege

used to host a radio series on XM Satellite Radio's Sonic Theater Channel called ''The Comedy-O-Rama Hour'' which features a regular segment called ''What the Butler Wrote: Scenes from the Daws Butler Workshop'' with rare scripts of Daws performed by his students, including

, and rare recordings of Daws himself. Bevilacqua has also co-authored (with Ben Ohmart) the authorized biography book ''Daws Butler, Characters Actor'', and edited the book ''Scenes for Actors and Voices'' written by Daws Butler, both published by Bear Manor Media. * Butler once appeared as a contestant on

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

's quiz show, ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

'', in 1960. Initially, the studio audience did not recognize him until he began doing Huckleberry Hound's voice. Butler and his partner Marie Gómez split the top prize of $10,000. * In 1985, Daws Butler was interviewed about his career on

Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...

's radio show.

Filmography

Animated films and theatrical shorts

Television

Live-action roles

References

External links

* - NOTE: Domain expired and was purchased by another party (noted 2/1/‘22)
A rare dramatic role by Butler as Toby Dammit in Poe's story Never Bet the Devil Your Head

Comedy-O-Rama and Scenes from the Daws Butler Workshop

A Groucho Marx quiz show episode including Daws Butler
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Daws 1916 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors American impressionists (entertainers) American male radio actors American male voice actors Audiobook narrators Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Era Records artists Hanna-Barbera people Huckleberry Hound Inkpot Award winners Male actors from Toledo, Ohio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio people United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors Walter Lantz Productions people Warner Bros. Cartoons voice actors Yogi Bear