The voice actors for The Rescuers and The Fox and the Hound have considerable overlap with voice actors so it kind of makes sense that I do the films together in this post. Although I have done some of them who’ve appeared in previous films as well. Nonetheless, The Rescuers is based on 2 books by Margery Sharp published in 1959 and 1962 to considerable success that Walt Disney optioned by Walt Disney back in the early 1960s with a development of an animated film adaptation underway. There were several treatments to the story with some versions that included penguins, bears, a singing bullfrog, bringing back Cruella DeVil, and such. Eventually settling with an orphan girl getting kidnapped by two greedy lowlifes who use her to find treasure in the bayous of Louisiana. While mice Bernard and Bianca come to rescue her. Also, they based Madam Medusa on an animator’s ex-wife who also happened to be Lillian Disney’s niece. Still, it only took 4 years and $7.5 million to make The Rescuers. Its 1977 success raked $48 million at the box office as the highest grossing animated film at that point and would become the first Disney movie to have a sequel. It also received rave reviews as well as holds a 79% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

              Loosely based on the story by Daniel P. Mannix, The Fox and the Hound would be the last movie to have any involvement with any of Disney’s Nine Old Men. Although animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston had involvement in this movie’s early development, their retirements handed it over to a new generation that included future directors Tim Burton, Brad Bird, and John Lasseter. During the production, its release was delayed for 6 months following the abrupt departure of Don Bluth and 11 of his fellow animators, which constituted over 15% of the animation department, mostly over training and the atmosphere. They also started their own company Don Bluth Productions which produced many movies that are now Disney property. Especially if they were made under 20^th Century Fox. Also, Chief was originally supposed to die like he did in the book. But apparently, Disney wasn’t able to do this to a main character that’s not really a villain. Despite that they did this to Bambi’s mother along with the oysters in Alice and Wonderland and Rusty in Lady and the Tramp. They will do it again to Mufasa (which made my parents have second thoughts taking 4-year-old me to watch this in the movies). Upon its 1981 release, The Fox and the Hound grossed $39.9 million at the box office and opened to mixed reviews. With Vincent Canby of The New York Times claiming the film “breaks no new ground whatsoever”, while describing it as “a pretty, relentlessly cheery, old-fashioned sort of Disney cartoon feature, chock-full of bouncy songs of an upbeatness that is stickier than Krazy Glue and played by animals more anthropomorphic than the humans that occasionally appear.” Further noting that it “is rather overstuffed with whimsy and folksy dialogue. It also possesses a climax that could very well scare the daylights out of the smaller tykes in the audience, though all ends well. Parents who don’t relish chaperoning their tykes to see the movie, but find they must anyway, can take heart in the knowledge that the running time is 83 minutes. That’s about as short as you can get these days.” Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times praised the film stating, “For all of its familiar qualities, this movie marks something of a departure for the Disney studio, and its movement is in an interesting direction. The Fox and the Hound is one of those relatively rare Disney animated features that contains a useful lesson for its younger audiences. It’s not just cute animals and frightening adventures and a happy ending; it’s also a rather thoughtful meditation on how society determines our behavior.” Nowadays, it’s viewed in a more positive light with a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and TV Guide giving it 4 out of 5 stars. While Ebert’s view of the movie has gone more mainstream. In this post, you’ll meet the voices behind Madam Medusa, Mr. Snoops, Orville, Ellie Mae (and Widow Tweed), Rufus (and Mr. Digger), Mr. Chairman, Gramps, Digger the Mole, Big Mama, and Amos Slade.

111. Geraldine Page

Dates: 1924-1987

Early Life and Career: Born in Kirksville, Missouri. Father was a professor at a medical school that’s now part of A.T. Still University. At 5, her family moved to Chicago. A member of Englewood Methodist Church, she was an active member within its theater group. Had aspirations of becoming a pianist or visual artist but decided to pursue acting after appearing in her first amateur theater production at 17. After graduating from Chicago’s Englewood Technical Prep Academy, Page attended the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now DePaul University). After graduating from there, Page studied acting at the Herbert Berghof School and the American Theatre Wing in New York City where she studied with Uta Hagen for 7 years and later at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg. During this time, she’d return to Chicago in the summers to perform in a summer repertory theatre in Lake Zurich, Illinois, where she and several fellow actors established their own independent theater company. Also spent 2 critically successful years performing with a winter stock company called the Woodstock Players who mostly performed at the Woodstock Opera House. There, she was singled out by The Chicago Tribune’s Claudia Cassidy as destined to be a star to bear watching. Also during that time, she worked some odd jobs such as hat check girl, theater usher, lingerie model, and factory worker. Was also called, “the lady of a thousand faces” for her ability to change her looks and actions to an extent that her most devoted fans were unable to recognize her. Made her New York Stage debut in 1945 and her film debut in 1953. Unfortunately, Page’s association with Hagen got her blacklisted in Hollywood not long after and didn’t work in film for 10 years. But she did work on Broadway and TV.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977)

Characters: Madame Medusa

Also Known For: Actress whose career spanned 4 decades across stage, screen, and television. Films include Hondo, Summer and Smoke, Sweet Bird of Youth, Toys in the Attic, Dear Heart, The Three Sisters, The Happiest Millionaire, What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?, The Beguiled (1971), Happy as the Grass Was Green, Pete ‘n’ Tillie, The Day of the Locust, Nasty Habits, Harry’s War, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Bride, White Nights, The Trip to Bountiful, and Native Son. TV appearances include Lux Video Theatre, Studio One, Robert Montgomery Presents, The Philco Television Playhouse, Omnibus, Windows, Matinee Theatre, The United States Steel Hour, Kraft Television Theatre, General Electric Theater, Playhouse 90, NBC Sunday Showcase, ABC Stage 67, NBC Children’s Theatre, Ghost Story, Night Gallery, The Snoop Sisters, Kojak, Hawaii Five-O, The Blue and the Gray, Loving, The Dollmaker, The Hitchhiker, and American Playhouse. Stage appearances include Summer and Smoke, The Immortalist, The Rainmaker, Separate Tables, Sweet Bird of Youth, Strange Interlude, The Three Sisters, A Streetcar Named Desire, Agnes of God, Paradise Lost, Inheritors, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and Blithe Spirit.

Personal Life: Married twice. First husband was violinist Alexander Schneider from 1954 to their divorce in 1957. Second husband was actor Rip Torn in Pinal Arizona in 1963. Had twin sons named Anthony “Tony” and Jonathan “Jon” and a daughter named Angelica who became an actress under her mother’s name. Although they remained married and reasonably “close” until her death, they lived separately from the early 1980s on. He had an affair with actress Amy Wright with whom Page had starred with under Torn’s direction. In 1983, Torn fathered a child with Wright. When asked about her marriage by columnist Cindy Adams, Page replied, “Of course Rip and I are still married. We’ve been married for years. We’re staying married. What’s the big fuss?” Ironically, Torn would later play Zeus in Disney’s Hercules (hey, I know Disney portrayed him as a loving family man but I’m talking about the god who’s unable to keep it in his pants here). Was friends with James Dean during the 1954 production of The Immortalist and until his untimely death. She also kept several mementos from the play, including several drawings by him. However, in 2006, Page’s daughter Angelica revealed that her mother and Dean had an affair during The Immortalist’s production. She stated, “According to my mother, their affair went on for three-and-a-half months. In many ways my mother never really got over Jimmy. It was not unusual for me to go to her dressing room through the years, obviously many years after Dean was gone, and find pictures of him taped up on her mirror. My mother never forgot about Jimmy — never. I believe they were artistic soul mates.”

Later Life: On June 13, 1987, Page was supposed to arrive at the Neil Simon Theatre for afternoon and evening performances of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, which had begun its run in March. But she failed to show up. At the end of the evening’s performance, the play’s producer announced that Page had been found dead in her lower Manhattan townhouse at 62. Cause of death was determined as a heart attack. Fans and colleagues such as Sissy Spacek, James Earl Jones, Amanda Plummer, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, and husband Rip Torn attended her memorial service at the Neil Simon Theatre. Rip Torn called her “Mi corazón, mi alma, mi esposa” (“My heart, my soul, my wife”) and said that they “never stopped being lovers, and … never will.”

Trivia: Won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for The Trip to Bountiful. Also won 2 Golden Globes, 2 Primetime Emmys, and a BAFTA Award. Inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1979. Received the Sarah Siddons Award in 1959 for Sweet Bird of Youth. Was portrayed by her own daughter, Angelica in a stage production of Turning Page in 2016 and 2017.

112. Joe Flynn

Dates: 1924-1974

Early Life and Career: Born in Youngstown, Ohio. Father was a physician. Graduated from the Rayen School and attended Northwestern University. During World War II, he served in the Army Special Services where he entertained the troops before moving west to pursue acting and complete his education. Majored in political science at the University of Southern California. Had an interest in theater before leaving northeastern Ohio. Established himself early as a ventriloquist and a radio DJ. He also gained local celebrity as a director by guiding the Canfield Players in such productions as Harvey, Antigone, and Pursuit of Happiness. Broke into television during the pre-network days in Los Angeles by starring in his own sitcom in 1948 at the city’s KTLA station. After appearing in some stage plays, Flynn returned to Youngstown, where in 1950, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for a seat in the Ohio Senate as a Republican. After his electoral defeat, Flynn pursued his acting career and appeared in nearly 30 films. He later recalled watching an audience’s reaction to his performance in the 1956 horror film The Indestructible Man. Despite playing a serious role in the movie, people laughed, convincing Flynn that comedy was his calling.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977) as well as a two-part episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.

Characters: Mr. Snoops

Also Known For: Best known for playing Captain Wallace Binghampton in McHale’s Navy series, film, and its spin-off McHale’s Navy Joins the Air Force. Was also a frequent guest on 1960s TV shows and appeared in several Walt Disney live-action comedies. Specialized in playing bespectacled, irascible authority types. Films include The Babe Ruth Story, The Seven Little Foys, The Desperate Hours, Highway Patrol, The Steel Jungle, The Indestructible Man, The Boss, Portland Expose, Panama Sal, Cry for Happy, The Last Time I Saw Archie, Lover Come Back, Son of Flubber, Divorce American Style, The Love Bug, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, How to Frame a Figg, The Barefoot Executive, The Million Dollar Duck, and Superdad. TV appearances include Highway Patrol, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, I Dream of Jeannie, That Girl, and Match Game.

Personal Life: Married to Shirley Haskin in 1955 until his death. Had 2 children with her. Son-in-law of director Byron Haskin.

Later Life: Maintained a strong connection to his hometown throughout his life. From 1969-1974, Flynn was involved in Northeastern Ohio’s Kenley Players. Often visited Youngstown to see family. In the early 1970s, Flynn spearheaded a movement on behalf of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for more equitable distribution of TV residual payments. In 1974, he was discovered dead in his swimming pool of his Beverly Hills home at 49. Cause of death was a heart attack while swimming. Interred in Culver City’s Holy Cross Cemetery. His taping of The Merv Griffin Show had been announced for broadcast that very day, proving to be Flynn’s final appearance.

Trivia: Recipient of the Ohio Association of Broadcasters Award.

113. Jeannette Nolan

Dates: 1911-1998

Early Life and Career: Born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. Began her career at the Pasadena Playhouse while a student at Los Angeles City College. Made her radio in 1932 on Omar Khayyam, the first transcontinental broadcast from KHJ. Made her film debut in 1948.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977) and The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Characters: Ellie Mae and Widow Tweed

Also Known For: Character actress with a prolific acting career lasting from the 1930s to the 1990s. Appeared in more than 300 TV shows. Films include Macbeth (1948), Words and Music, Abandoned, No Sad Songs for Me, Kim (1950), Hangman’s Knot, The Big Heat, A Lawless Street, 7^th Cavalry, The Guns at Fort Petticoat, April Love, The Deep Six, Wild Heritage, The Rabbit Trap, Psycho (1960), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Twilight of Honor, My Blood Runs Cold, Chamber of Horrors, The Sky’s the Limit, Manitou, Goliath Awaits, Cloak and Dagger, True Confessions, Street Justice, and The Horse Whisperer. TV appearances include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Have Gun – Will Travel, Perry Mason, The Restless Gun, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, My Three Sons, The Richard Boone Show, The Virginian, Charlie’s Angels, Hawaii Five-O, Columbo, The Streets of San Francisco, The Incredible Hulk, Night Court, and The Golden Girls.

Personal Life: Married to actor John McIntire from 1935 until his death in 1991. Had 2 children: character actor Tim McIntire and photographer Holly Wright. Also did several projects together.

Later Life: Died of a stroke in 1998 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at 86. Buried in Eureka, Montana’s Tobacco Valley Cemetery.

Trivia: Nominated for 4 Emmy Awards.

114. John McIntire

Dates: 1907-1991

Early Life and Career: Born in Spokane, Washington but primarily grew up around ranchers in Eureka, Montana. Later lived in Santa Monica, California. Studied at the University of California for 2 years before dropping out. Began acting in radio and wand was active in theater during the 1930s. Made first film in 1947.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977) and The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Characters: Rufus and Mr. Digger

Also Known For: Character actor who appeared in 65 films and many TV series. Best known for replacing Ward Bond in Wagon Train after Bond’s sudden death in 1960 and for replacing Charles Bickford in The Virginian after Bickford’s death in 1967. Often played police figures, judges, doctors, eccentric loners, and other western characters. Film appearances include The Hucksters, Call Northside 777, Black Bart, The Street with No Name, Red Canyon, Command Decision, Ambush, The Asphalt Jungle, No Sad Songs for Me, Shadow on the Wall, Winchester ’73, Westward the Women, The World in His Arms, Sally and Saint Anne, Horizons West, The Mississippi Gambler, The President’s Lady, War Arrow, Apache, The Far Country, The Kentuckian, To Hell and Back, Backlash, The Tin Star, The Gunfight at Dodge City, Psycho, Elmer Gantry, Two Rode Together, Summer and Smoke, Herbie Rides Again, Rooster Cogburn, Goliath Awaits, Cloak & Dagger, and Turner & Hooch. TV appearances include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Daniel Boone, The Incredible Hulk, and Diff’rent Strokes.

Personal Life: Married to actor Jeannette Nolan from 1935 until his death. Had 2 children: character actor Tim and photographer Holly Wright. Also did several projects together.

Later Life: Died of emphysema and lung cancer at St. Luke’s Hospital in Pasadena, California at 83. Buried in Eureka, Montana’s Tobacco Valley Cemetery.

Trivia: None.

115. Jim Jordan

Dates: 1896-1988

Early Life and Career: Born James Edward Jordan on a farm near Peoria, Illinois. Attended the city’s St. John’s Church where he sang in the choir and met his future wife. Family eventually sold the farm and moved into Peoria. Went on vaudeville until 1924 either with his first wife Marian or as a solo act at various times. Served in the US Army during World War I and was stationed in France. In 1923, the couple went entirely broke that their parents had to wire money to them so they can return to Peoria from Lincoln, Illinois. He and his wife got their first radio break in Chicago in 1924. It’s said that Jordan proclaimed that he could sing better than the singers they’d been listening to on the radio. While Byron bet $10 claiming otherwise. By the end of the evening, the Jordans had their first radio contract at $10 per show for 26 weeks as The O’Henry Twins!, sponsored by Oh Henry! candy. From 1931-1935, the Jordans called Smackout where they played most of the characters. But in 1935, they teamed up with head writer Don Quinn to make Fibber McGee and Molly that ran until 1953 due to the shift from radio to television and the fact Marian’s health began to fail.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977)

Characters: Orville

Also Known For: Actor and radio personality best known for playing Fibber McGee in Fibber McGee and Molly, which was one of the most popular radio shows ever. He and his wife even branched out to movies during the 1940s. Although it was adapted to television, the Jordans and their writers didn’t transition into the series because Marian was too ill to continue. Other appearances include an episode of Chico and the Man and a PSA for AARP  that he did after his first wife died.

Personal Life: Married twice. First wife was actress and radio personality Marian Driscoll whom he met while at choir practice during his early life in Peoria. They married in 1918 and remained together until her death in 1961. They had 2 children named Kathryn and James as well as worked as a double act for most of their careers. Jordan would play the comic foil while Driscoll would play the stooge. Second wife was Gretchen Stewart, widow of radio comic Henry Stewart. They married in 1962 and remained together until his death.

Later Life: After his wife Marian died in 1961, Jordan remained in semi-retirement other than for some brief appearances during the 1970s. In March 1988, Jordan fell down at his home and suffered a major stroke. Left comatose for a week, he never regained consciousness and died that April in Beverly Hills. His death came at shortly before voice actor selection for The Rescuers Down Under. Acknowledging Jordan’s death, Roy E. Disney wrote Orville out of the script with John Candy playing his brother instead. Buried alongside his first wife in the Saint Ann section of Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, right next to the plot of Sharon Tate.

Trivia: He and his wife have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as Fibber McGee and Molly.

116. Bernard Fox

Dates:1927-2016

Early Life and Career: Born Bernard Lawson in Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales. Parents were stage actors and he was the fifth generation of his family to enter show business. Began his film career at 18 months and was an apprentice assistant manager of a theater at 14. After serving in the Royal Navy in World War II and the Korean War, Fox resumed his acting career.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990) as well as the series Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.

Characters: Mr. Chairman and Doctor

Also Known For: British actor known for his roles as Dr. Bombay from Bewitched, Colonel Crittendon in Hogan’s Heroes, Malcolm Merriweather in The Andy Griffith Show, and Archibald Gracie IV in Titanic. Film appearances include Soho Incident, Home and Away, Blue Murder at St. Trinian’s, A Night to Remember, The Longest Day, The List of Adrian Messenger, Honeymoon Hotel, Strange Bedfellows, Big Jake, The Million Dollar Duck, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Yellowbeard, and The Mummy (1999). TV appearances include Sixpenny Corner, ITV Television Playhouse, ITV Play of the Week, Armchair Theatre, Ensign O’Toole, The Great Adventure, McHale’s Navy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Perry Mason, F Troop, The Flintstones, I Spy, I Dream of Jeannie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Monkees, Daniel Boone, Night Gallery, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Columbo, Emergency!, Soap, M*A*S*H, What’s Happening!!, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, Lou Grant, The Love Boat, Hart to Hart, The Jeffersons, Knight Rider, Murder, She Wrote, Punky Brewster, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Passions, Dharma & Greg, and Time Squad.

Personal Life: Nephew of British actor Wilfrid Lawson. Married to a woman named Jacqueline in 1962 until his death. Had 2 daughters named Amanda and Valerie.

Later Life: Retired in 2004. Died of heart failure in 2016 at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, California at 89.

Trivia: Was one of the last surviving adult cast members on Bewitched. Was said to be an expert theater historian, a keen gardener, a landscape painter, and a devotee of performing magic.

117. Larry Clemmons

Dates: 1906-1988

Early Life and Career: Born in Chicago, Illinois. Graduated with an architecture degree from the University of Michigan but couldn’t find work due to the effects of the Great Depression. Desperate for work in any area he could find it, Clemmons accepted an offer from Walt Disney to work at his Hyperion Studios in 1930. After several years at Hyperion, he became assistant animator in the Mickey Mouse film series. When World War II broke out, Clemmons left the studio and decamped to the Midwest where he wrote technical manuals for wartime manufacturing plants. He then freelanced in radio and landed a job on

Bing Crosby’s prime-time network where he spent 9 years writing scripts for Crosby and assorted guest stars. Returned to Disney as a writer and segment on The Mickey Mouse Club and other productions.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977)

Characters: Gramps

Also Known For: Animator, screenwriter, and voice actor who wrote for Bing Crosby on his various radio programs and one of the original animators for The Walt Disney Company. Worked as a writer on The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), The Rescuers (1977), and The Fox and the Hound (1981) as well as various shorts. Also wrote for Walt Disney Presents and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Animation work for Disney mostly consisted of shorts from the 1930s and 1940s.

Personal Life: Married to Carletta Clarinda Hatch and had 2 children with her.

Later Life: Retired in 1978. Died in Friday Harbor, Washington in 1988 at 81.

Trivia: None.

118. Dub Taylor

Dates: 1907-1994

Early Life and Career: Born in Richmond, Virginia as the middle of 5 children. Mother was a native of Pennsylvania. Father was a cotton broker from North Carolina. Family moved to Augusta, Georgia in 1912 when he was 5 and lived there until he was 13. Got his nickname when his friends began calling him “W” then shortened it further to “Dub.” Performed on vaudeville. Made film debut in 1938.

Movies and Cartoons: The Rescuers (1977)

Characters: Digger the Mole

Also Known For: Character actor who worked extensively in film and television from the 1940s until the 1990s, often in westerns and comedies. Originated the comedic sidekick character Cannonball, a role that he played in 50 films within the span of 10 years. Did commercials for Hubba Bubba gum. Film appearances include You Can’t Take It with you, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Return of Wild Bill, Prairie Schooners, Hands across the Rockies, The Lone Prairie, Minesweeper, Cowboy in the Clouds, Cowboy Canteen, Saddle Leather Law, Cowboy Cavalier, Cyclone Prairie Rangers, Both Barrels Blazing, Rustlers of the Badlands, Song of the Drifter, Silver Trails, Across the Rio Grande, The Story of Will Rogers, Riding High, Lure of the Wilderness, Woman of the North Country, The Charge at Feather River, Crime Wave, Riding Shotgun, Them!, Dragnet, A Star Is Born (1954), Tall Man Riding, I Died a Thousand Times, The Fastest Gun Alive, Tension at Table Rock, No Time for Sergeants, Auntie Mame, A Hole in the Head, Sweet Bird of Youth, Black Gold, Major Dundee, The Hallelujah Trail, The Cincinnati Kid, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, Bonnie and Clyde, Death of a Gunfighter, The Wild Bunch, The Learning Tree, The Undefeated, A Man Called Horse, Support Your Local Gunfighter, Evel Knievel, The Getaway, Tom Sawyer, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Fortune, Flash and the Firecat, Burnt Offerings, Treasure of Matecumbe, Pony Express Rider, Gator, The Winds of Autumn, Moonshine County Express, 1941, Back to the Future: Part III, Falling from Grace, and Maverick. TV appearances include I Love Lucy, Casey Jones, The Twilight Zone, Dennis the Menace, Laramie, The Andy Griffith Show, The Wild Wild West, The Monkees, Partridge Family, Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, The Cosby Show, and Designing Women.

Personal Life: Married to Florence Gertrude Hefferman from 1930 until her death in 1987. Had 2 children including painter Buck Taylor.

Later Life: Died of a heart attack in 1994 in Los Angeles at 87. Was cremated and ashes were scattered near Westlake Village, California.

Trivia: None.

119. Pearl Bailey

Dates: 1918-1990

Early Life and Career: Born in Newport News, Virginia. Family moved to Washington D.C. when she was young. When her parents divorced, she moved to Philadelphia with her mother. Made her stage-singing debut at 15 at the suggestion of her brother Bill that she enter an amateur contest at the Pearl Theatre. She won and received an offer to appear there for $35 a week for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, the theater closed during her engagement and she wasn’t paid. However, Bailey later won another contest at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theatre and decided to pursue a career in entertainment. She was also known to perform in the church choir at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Brooklyn at Msgr Bernard O’Quinn’s behest. Began her career by singing and dancing in Philadelphia’s black night clubs during the 1930s and soon started performing in other parts of the East Coast. When World War II broke out 1941, Bailey toured the country with the USO, performing for American troops. After her tour, she settled in New York where her solo successes in nightclubs were followed by acts with Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Mader her Broadway debut in 1946 in St. Louis Woman, for which she received a Donaldson Award for Best Broadway Newcomer. Continued to tour and record albums along with her stage and screen performances.

Movies and Cartoons: The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Characters: Big Mama

Also Known For: Actress, comedian, singer, and author. Had her own variety show on ABC in 1971. Was a spokeswoman for Duncan Hines, Jell-O, Westinghouse, and Paramount Chicken. Film appearances include Carmen Jones, St. Louis Blues, Porgy and Bess, All the Fine Young Cannibals, The Landlord, and Tubby the Tuba. TV appearances include The Andy Williams Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Love Boat, The Muppet Show, and As the World Turns.

Personal Life: Sister of tap dancer Bill Bailey. Married about 4 or 5 times. Third or fourth husband was a man named John Randolph Pinkett from 1948 to their divorce 1952, in which she cited physical abuse as grounds. Last husband was white jazz drummer who was 6 years her junior named Louie Bellson whom she wed in London in 1952. Bellson’s father was naturally opposed to the marriage and interracial couples were rare at the time. Adopted a son named Tony during the mid-1950s and had a daughter named Dee Dee in 1960. Bailey and Bellson remained together until Bailey’s death.

Later Life: Suffered from heart problems for over 30 years. Died at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia in 1990 at 72. Autopsy confirmed cause of death was the narrowing of a coronary artery. Buried at Rolling Green Memorial Park in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Trivia: First African American receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. Received a Special Tony Award for an all-black production of Hello Dolly!. Won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1986. Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988. Was a passionate fan of the New York Mets and once sang the national anthem at Shea Stadium during the World Series in 1969. Earned a degree in theology in 1985 at 67. Was appointed by Richard Nixon as the US “Ambassador of Love.” Was appointed as a special ambassador to the United Nations by Gerald R. Ford and held that position under 3 presidents. In 1976, she won a Coretta Scott King Award for Duey’s Tale. Was awarded New York City’s Bronze Medallion in 1986. Friends with Joan Crawford and Gypsy Rose Lee. Referred to Crawford as a sister and sang at her funeral. Was USO’s Woman of the Year in 1969. Has a library named after her in Newport News, Virginia. Also has a dress in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Received the Women’s International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1989. Added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

120. Jack Albertson

Dates: 1907-1981

Early Life and Career: Born Harold Albertson in Malden, Massachusetts and the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. Father abandoned family before he was born. Mother was a stock actress and worked in a shoe factory. Stepfather was a barber. Although he was bright, he was a poor student and acted more like the disruptive class clown. Dropped out of high school after a single year. Worked in several different job such as at a General Electric factory, a shoe factory, and as a rack boy at some pool halls that provided him opportunities to learn some tap dance routines. Although his sister Mabel taught some steps and he picked up additional routines from watching vaudeville acts. At 18, Albertson began being paid in prize winning contests and later started a singing with a group called “The Golden Rule Four” that practiced under a railroad bridge. Later, he joined a vaudeville road troupe called the Dancing Verselle Sisters then worked in burlesque as a hoofer and straight man to Phil Silvers on the Minsky’s Burlesque Circuit. In addition, he appeared in many Broadway plays and musicals as well as radio.

Movies and Cartoons: The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Characters: Amos Slade

Also Known For: Actor, singer, and dancer. Best known for playing Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure, and Ed Brown in Chico and the Man. Film appearances include Miracle on 34^th Street, The Harder They Fall, The Unguarded Moment, Man of a Thousand Faces, Don’t Go Near the Water, Teacher’s Pet, The Shaggy Dog, Lover Come Back, Days of Wine and Roses, A Tiger Walks, The Patsy, How to Murder Your Wife, Changes, Rabbit Run, and Dead & Buried. TV shows include Burns and Allen, I Love Lucy, Have Gun – Will Travel, The People’s Choice, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Jack Benny Program, Klondike, Riverboat, The Twilight Zone, Mister Ed, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Death Valley Days, Ironside, Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Daniel Boone, Nanny and the Professor, Night Gallery, The Streets of San Francisco, Cher, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Donny & Marie, and Charlie’s Angels.

Personal Life: Younger brother of Mabel Albertson and uncle of George Englund. Married to June Wallace Thomson from 1952 until his death. Had a daughter named Maura Dhu.

Later Life: Resided for many years in West Hollywood, California. Was diagnosed with colorectal cancer but kept this information private and continued to act. Died in his Los Angeles home in the Hollywood Hills at 74 from colon cancer in 1981. Was cremated with his sister Mabel who died 10 months later and their ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

Trivia: Has won a Tony and Academy Award for his performance in The Subject Was Roses in 1964 and 1968. Also won 2 Emmys during the 1970s. Has the “Triple Crown of Acting.” Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6253 Hollywood Boulevard. Won a 1973 Drama Desk Award for The Sunshine Boys.