Verna Felton

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

She also had roles on 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 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.

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.

File:Point Sublime Mel Blanc Verna Felton Carlton KaDell Earle Ross Jane Morgan Robert Redd Cliff Arquette.jpg

Point Sublime Cast and Crew
Mel Blanc Verna Felton Carlton KaDell
Earle Ross Jane Morgan Robert Redd
Cliff Arquette

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 1953-1955 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.

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.

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 1961-1963. 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).

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 of 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:

• Dumbo (1941) as the Elephant Matriarch and Mrs. Jumbo, Dumbo's Mother
• Cinderella (1950) as The Fairy Godmother
• Alice in Wonderland (1951) as the Queen of Hearts
• Lady and the Tramp (1955) as Aunt Sarah (her son also played Jim Dear and the dogcatcher)
• Sleeping Beauty (1959) as Flora and Queen Leah
• Goliath II (1960) as Eloise
• The Man from Button Willow as Mrs. Pomeroy, Mother and Lady on Trolley
• The Jungle Book (1967) as Winifred the Elephant (her final role, animated or live-action)

Personal life and death

Felton was married to radio actor Lee Millar (1888–1941), who also did animation voices (notably for Disney's Pluto). Their son, Lee Carson Millar, Jr. (1924–1980), 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
1938-1939	Candid Lady	Aunt Julia
1939	Fibber McGee and Molly	Mrs. Homer Gildersleeve
1939-1942	The Great Gildersleeve	Miss Fitch, Mrs. Goddwin
1939-1955	The Jack Benny Program	Dennis' Mother Mrs. Day
1940-1944 1947-1948	Point Sublime	Hattie Hirsch
1942	Lux Radio Theatre	Madame Therese DeFarge	"A Tale of Two Cities"
1942-1943	Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou	Mrs. MacIntyre
1942-1949	The Abbott and Costello Show	Multiple characters
1943-1947	The Joan Davis Show	Blossom Blimp	Also known as The Sealtest Village Store
1944	Command Performance	Saleswoman	"Christmas"
1944-1952	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
1946-1951	A Day in the Life of Dennis Day	Dennis Day's Mother
1946-1953	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"
1952-1953	December Bride	Hilda Crocker	Radio version
1952-1955	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	If I Had My Way	Mrs. Abigail DeLacey	Uncredited
1940	Northwest Passage	Mrs. Jill Towne	Uncredited
1941	Dumbo	Elephant Matriarch, Mrs. Jumbo	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
1950	Buccaneer's Girl	Dowager
1950	The Gunfighter	Mrs. August Pennyfeather
1950	Cinderella	The Fairy Godmother
1951	Little Egypt	Mrs. Samantha Doane
1951	Alice in Wonderland	Queen of Hearts
1952	Don't Bother To Knock	Mrs. Alex Ballew
1952	Belles on Their Toes	Cousin Leora
1955	Picnic	Mrs. Dennise Potts
1955	Lady and the Tramp	Aunt Sarah
1957	The Oklahoman	Mrs. Stephanie Waynebrook
1959	Sleeping Beauty	Flora, Queen Leah
1960	Goliath II	Eloise
1965	The Man from Button Willow	Mrs. Tiffany Pomeroy, Mother, Lady on Trolley
1967	The Jungle Book	Winifred the Elephant	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
1952-1953	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	Emily Marsh, Mrs. Rodney, Maggie, Mrs. Evans	4 episodes
1952-1954	The Dennis Day Show	Dennis' Mother Mrs. Day
1953	I Love Lucy	Mrs. Simpson, Mrs. Porter	"Sales Resistance" "Lucy Hires a Maid"
1953-1955	Where's Raymond?	Ruth Farley's Mother
1954-1959	December Bride	Hilda Crocker	155 episodes
1955-1962	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"
1960-1961	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
1962-1963	The Flintstones	Pearl Slaghoople	Voice role 4 episodes
1963	Dennis the Menace	Aunt Emma	"Aunt Emma Visits the Wilsons"

References

• Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924–1984. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1999. ISBN 0-7864-0351-9
• Tucker, Fredrick. Verna Felton. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59393-524-5

External links

• Verna Felton at the Internet Movie Database
• Verna Felton at Find a Grave
• portrait gallery(NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection)