Charles Butterworth, Professional Silly Ass

[missdupont]

I write about comedian Charles Butterworth, who the Los Angeles Times called a "professional silly ass" in 1934. He was an erudite man with a way with words.
http://ladailymirror.com/2013/02/04/mar ... silly-ass/" target="_blank

[JFK]

Butler gave voice to the Cap'n from the 1960s to the 1980s.
He based the voice on that of character actor Charles Butterworth.

Butler based some of his voices on popular celebrities of the day. Yogi Bear began as an Art Carney impression; Butler had done a similar voice in several of Robert McKimson's films at Warner Brothers and Stan Freberg's comedy record "The Honey-Earthers." However, Butler soon changed Yogi's voice, making it much deeper and more sing-songy, thus making it a more original voice. Hokey Wolf began as an impression of Phil Silvers, and Snagglepuss as Bert Lahr. In fact, when Snagglepuss began appearing in commercials for Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies in 1961, Lahr threatened to sue Butler for "stealing" his voice. As part of the settlement, the disclaimer "Snagglepuss voice by Daws Butler" was required to appear on each commercial, making him the only voice actor ever to receive one in an animated TV commercial.

[Hermann Bing]

Thank you for the article which I quite enjoyed and benefitted from. These days, Butterworth's dry sense of humour and a sense of the absurd is sadly out of fashion. I love these American movies and two-reelers from the infancy of cinema until into the 40's before a form of loud, vulgar idiocy took root (now...Root...why does this cause a nasty buzzing in my brain?) with its canned laughter mentality in cinema and on TV.

[Marr&Colton]

Thanks for the very well-written article.

As a fan of ALMOST everything from the 1930s through the 1950s, there remain many personalities from both radio and films that I place on my "MOST ANNOYING" list. Times do change, and I agree even the most annoying of yester-years' personalities are far better to what we see and hear on TV and films today.

Charles Butterworth was on rare occasion a "plus" to a movie, but his confused sophistication usually annoyed me--especially in HOLLYWOOD PARTY (1934).

[entredeuxguerres]

Charles Butterworth was on rare occasion a "plus" to a movie, but his confused sophistication usually annoyed me--especially in HOLLYWOOD PARTY (1934).

Rare, indeed; so rare, in fact, that such occasions have apparently escaped my notice. To me, he seems somewhat more tolerable in such an incoate mess as H.P. than in a marvelous masterpiece like Love Me Tonight, where his "confused sophistication" (the sophistication also escaped my notice) is a gratuitous irritation.

[bobfells]

A very fine article, Mary. I've always like Butterworth but he is one of those comedians where a little bit of him goes a long way. I think he was at his best when speaking sensibly but in that droll manner of his. In LOVE ME TONIGHT, he is no friend of Chevalier, so when Charlie Ruggles tells Butterworth that they are trying to persuade Maurice to stay with them, CB's droll, "ARE we?" speaks volumes.

I have a radio broadcast of Paul Whiteman's Chesterfield show in 1938 where Butterworth does a routine about his trip to Europe. The routine depends more on dumb jokes than on his dead-pan humor and he's really not very funny. Two of his unsung film performances are in THE MAD GENIUS (1931) with John Barrymore, and THE NIGHT IS YOUNG (1935), a neglected musical gem with Ramon Novarro, Evelyn Laye, Rosalind Russell, Una Merkel, and Edward Everett Horton. Butterworth gets to sing in that one.

[odinthor]

I'm of the "like him, but a little of him goes a long way" group concerning Butterworth. 1934's The Cat and the Fiddle, again with Novarro, has Butterworth in just about the right dosage.

[entredeuxguerres]

In LOVE ME TONIGHT, he is no friend of Chevalier, so when Charlie Ruggles tells Butterworth that they are trying to persuade Maurice to stay with them, CB's droll, "ARE we?" speaks volumes.

Commendable...I'll admit that, without reseverations; but does it compensate for his tiresome balcony scene?

[bobfells]

In LOVE ME TONIGHT, he is no friend of Chevalier, so when Charlie Ruggles tells Butterworth that they are trying to persuade Maurice to stay with them, CB's droll, "ARE we?" speaks volumes.

Commendable...I'll admit that, without reseverations; but does it compensate for his tiresome balcony scene?

Probably not, but then few actors besides Butterworth could capture the nuances of, "I fell flat on my flute."

[FrankFay]

I'm of the "like him, but a little of him goes a long way" group concerning Butterworth. 1934's The Cat and the Fiddle, again with Novarro, has Butterworth in just about the right dosage.

He's brilliant in that one, I love when he blindly reaches through the curtain to grab the flowers from a woman's dress - and his plans to bring a harp to a party "I plan to get a little drunk too"