Billy Bletcher

William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979)[1] was an American actor and voice actor. He is mostly well known for his role as the voice of Pete in the Mickey Mouse short films from 1932 to 1954.[2]

Billy Bletcher
Billy Bletcher (left) and Bobby Vernon in Short and Snappy (1921)
Born
William Bletcher

(1894-09-24)September 24, 1894
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 1979(1979-01-05) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, voice actor
Years active1914–1971
Spouse(s)
Arlyn H. Roberts
​
(m. 1915)​
Children1

Career

Bletcher appeared on-screen in films and later television from the 1910s to the 1970s,[3] including appearances in several Our Gang and The Three Stooges comedies.

He was most active as a voice actor. His voice was a deep, strong and booming baritone. Bletcher provided the voices of various characters for Walt Disney Animation Studios (Black Pete, Short Ghost and the Big Bad Wolf in Three Little Pigs and its spin-offs).[4] He auditioned to play one of the dwarfs in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). However, Walt Disney disapproved for fear that people would recognize Bletcher from the studio's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck short subjects.[4]

His booming voice can also be heard as "Don Del Oro" the Yacqi Indian god in the 1939 Republic serial, Zorro's Fighting Legion. He also provided voice work for Ub Iwerks as the Pincushion man in the 1935 animated short Balloon Land, as well as Owl Jolson's disciplinarian violinist father in the 1936 Warner Bros. short subject based on the song I Love to Singa and the menacing spider in Bingo Crosbyana.

In 1939, Billy Bletcher and Pinto Colvig were hired to perform ADR work for the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz.[4] In MGM films, he voiced Spike the Bulldog and on some occasions even Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse, in Tom and Jerry, and in Warner Bros. many characters, most notably the Papa Bear of Chuck Jones' The Three Bears. He portrayed the villainous wolf in Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944).

Bletcher did voice acting for the 1944 Private Snafu World War II training film "Gas", where Bletcher plays the villainous Gas Cloud. Bletcher also played The Captain in Captain and the Kids with MGM cartoons.

In 1950, he played several characters on The Lone Ranger radio program as well as appearing in episode 27 of the TV series.

In 1971, Bletcher played one of his final roles, Pappy Yokum in a television adaptation of Lil Abner. In 1978, he was originally hired to voice the Weed on The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, but had to drop out due to illness.[5]

Personal life

Bletcher married actress Arlyn H. Roberts in 1915; together they have a daughter, Barbra.[6] They remained married until Bletcher's death in 1979.[6]

Death

Bletcher died at the age of 84 on January 5, 1979 in Los Angeles, California. He was survived by his wife Arlyn and their daughter Barbra.[6] Bletcher's wife Arlyn died thirteen years later on July 3, 1992 at the age of 99.

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Billy Bletcher". Behind The Voice Actors. 1979-01-05. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  2. "Billy Bletcher". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  3. Buz, Box Office. "Billy Bletcher". Box Office Buz. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  4. "Interview with Billy Bletcher, by Michael Barrier and Milton Gray". Funnyworld. 1978. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  5. "Today's Video Link" by Mark Evanier. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  6. Katchmer, George A. (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Western Actors and Actresses. Cary. ISBN 9780786486946.
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