Joseph Tapley Dougherty (November 4, 1898 – April 19, 1978) was an American actor, who provided the original voice of the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

animation character, Porky Pig, starting with the character's debut in ''

I Haven't Got a Hat ''I Haven't Got a Hat'' is a 1935 animated short film, directed by Isadore Freleng for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of the ''Merrie Melodies'' series. Released on March 2, 1935, the short is notable for featuring the first appearance of sev ...

'' in 1935 through ''

Porky's Romance ''Porky's Romance'' is a 1937 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin. The short was released on April 3, 1937, and stars Porky Pig and Petunia Pig, in her debut appearance. Plot The cartoon opens with an introduction o ...

'' in 1937.

Treg Brown Tregoweth Edmond "Treg" Brown (November 4, 1899 – April 28, 1984) was an American motion picture sound editor who was responsible for the sound effects in Warner Bros.' ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons from 1936 to 1963. ...

changed his voice for Porky. Due to his stutter, Count Cutelli was brought for additional lines due to the length of the audio and budgetary issues. After that, Mel Blanc took over the role and voiced Porky for 52 years. Dougherty spoke with a natural stutter which became one of the character's trademarks; Dougherty's inability to control his stutter was a factor in the part being recast. According to Friz Freleng, the director of ''I Haven't Got a Hat'', Dougherty would get nervous every time they said cut. Freleng also called the casting for someone who stuttered and they landed on Dougherty.Friz on Film
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Early life and career

Dougherty was born in

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. Before becoming an actor, Dougherty attended medical school at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. When Friz Freleng needed someone who had stuttering issues do the role of Porky Pig, the casting director hired Dougherty. Dougherty would continue voicing the character from 1935 until 1937 where Mel Blanc took over the role of the character because Dougherty could not control his stuttering issues. Before he was fired, Count Cutelli was bought in to provide the additional lines for Porky.

Death

Dougherty died on April 19, 1978, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

from 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 ma ...

. He was 79 years old.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* 1898 births 1978 deaths People from Missouri American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors People with speech impediment Warner Bros. Cartoons voice actors {{US-voice-actor-stub