Purv Pullen

A. Purves "Purv" Pullen (February 2, 1909 – October 18, 1992), later known by the stage name Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath[1] (or simply Dr. Birdbath), was a voice actor for radio, film, television, and records. He was known for mimicking the sounds of animals and birds.[2]

Purv Pullen
Born(1909-02-02)February 2, 1909
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
DiedOctober 18, 1992(1992-10-18) (aged 83)
OccupationVoice actor
Known forAnimal and bird sounds

Early life

A. Purves Pullen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1909.[3] Growing up on a farm, he began imitating bird-calls.[3] He incorporated bird-calls into his first job as a disc jockey in Akron, Ohio and at other radio stations.[3]

Career

He began performing as a voice actor in films in the 1930s. He was the voice of Cheetah in Tarzan films and produced the bird sounds in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).[3][4] Pullen's vocal contributions appear in many cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, and Popeye. Pullen was also the voice of the howling coyote in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Crusaders", and the squawks and jungle sounds for Martin Denny's "Quiet Village".[5]

In 1945, Pullen began a collaboration with Spike Jones, providing sound effects and other comic gimmicks on many of the classic Jones recordings.[6] Jones gave Pullen the stage name "Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath."[2]

Pullen was the voice of Pierre the Parrot in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and Disneyworld.[2] He was also heard in the San Francisco Bay Area as the voice of Roscoe the Dog on the Dr. Don Rose show on KFRC.[7]

Pullen also appeared in nightclubs as a ventriloquist with a dummy named Johnny.[3]

Personal life

Pullen was a longtime resident of Vacaville, California, where he performed puppet shows at the Nut Tree in the 1970s and 1980s and where he appeared with "Roscoe the Dog," a supposedly invisible dog puppeted by means of a stiffened dog leash.[5]

Filmography
TitleDateRoleCredited AsDetailsNotes
The Bird Store1932Birds[8]
Birds in the Spring1933Birds[8]
Who Killed Cock Robin?1935Whistling[8]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs1937Birds (Voice)Uncredited[9]
Cinderella1950Birds (voice)Uncredited
Bedtime for Bonzo1951Minor Role (voice)Uncredited[2]
Bonzo Goes to College1952Minor Role (Voice)Uncredited[2]
What's My Line?1958ContestantHimselfDorothy Lamour – 2nd appearance as mystery guest[10]
Sleeping Beauty1959Birds (voice)Uncredited

References
  1. Dunning, J. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 626. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  2. "Mimic loves animals". The Crescent News. October 4, 1980. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  3. Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-6271-1. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  4. Lennick, David (2005). "SPIKE JONES Vol. 2 'Spiking the Classics' Original 1945–1950 Recordings". Naxos. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  5. "'Doc Birdbath' is a one-man menagerie". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. September 23, 1977. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  6. "Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath". Slacker Radio. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  7. "Dr. Don Rose Feeds Roscoe 1986 610 KFRC" (Audio file). Soundcloud. 610 KFRC. 1986. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  8. Merritt, Russell; Kaufman, J.B. (2016). Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series. Disney Editions. ISBN 978-1-4847-5132-9.
  9. Hischak, T.S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-8694-6. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  10. "WML-Birdbath". YouTube. 1958.
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