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Meet the woman behind Betty Boop, Olive Oyl, and more!
Oh Popeye! Boop-boop-a-doop!
It's time for another voice actor profile and this one is all about the late, great Mae Questel! An iconic voice, formed by years as a mimic act in vaudeville, Questel's voice formed the first generation of cartoon characters. Her voice acting career began in 1931 in Disney's Mother Goose Melodies and that same year she would be discovered by Max Fleischer who cast her most iconic roles. Let's take a look into Questel's over 60 year career and the iconic characters she contributed to.
Little Audrey
Sometimes spelled as "Li'l Audrey", Questel was the first voice actor for this character - kind of. Paramount Studios decided not to renew "Little Lulu", another cartoon series based on Marjorie Henderson Buell's comic strip. The studio needed an original character that still fit the little girl demographic but was entirely different from Lulu. So, animators drew Audrey as a little messier and less refined than Lulu and Questel was tasked with creating a voice that gave Little Audrey her defining spark, playfulness, and troublemaking attitude. Questel also voiced Audrey's mother.
Olive Oyl
Popeye the Sailor began as a theatrical Betty Boop short that segued into Popeye having his own theater series. While Questel did not originate the role of Olive Oyl, she was the longest serving Olive Oyl. From 1933 to 1964, Questel voiced Olive Oyl in more than 450 cartoons and greatly contributed to the character, basing Olive Oyl's voice and mannerisms off of character actress Zasu Pitts.
Little Swee'Pea
Questel also voiced Swee'Pea on Popeye. It remains unclear what Swee'Pea's relationship is to Popeye and Olive Oyl: sometimes he's an orphan that Popeye and Olive Oyl adopted, other times he is a cousin or nephew. Basically, whenever the show needed a baby, Swee'Pea was there - and Questel was there to provide the baby's cries and giggles.
Popeye
Yes! Mae Questel voiced Popeye in a few shorts! Jack Mercer, the voice of Popeye, left the show to serve in World War 2; so the remaining voice actors at Fleischer Studios, including Questel, filled in as Popeye. In particular, Questel voiced Popeye in Shape Ahoy.
Aunt Bethany
While this isn't a cartoon role, it is one of Questel's funniest roles ever. Questel had a number of on-screen roles and one she is well-remembered for is the scene-stealing Aunt Bethany from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Whether she accidentally wrapped a cat or recited the Pledge of Allegiance, Questel brought a lighthearted, goofy sense of humor to the film.
Casper
Over twenty voice actors have voiced Casper over the years, including Mae Questel. She portrayed him in a few early theatrical releases and most notably in the 1962 Golden Records Series Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Wendy
On Casper the Friendly Ghost and its theatrical counterparts, Questel often provided "additional voices" and portrayed supporting characters like Billy, Alfred, Skunky, and Wendy.
Pudgy
Similarly to her work on Casper and Popeye, Questel voiced any character that needed one in the Betty Boop shorts. The recurring character she voiced the most was Pudgy: Betty Boop's sassy little dog.
Betty Boop
Boop-boop-a-doop! Like her role with Olive Oyl, Questel wasn't the first voice actress for Betty Boop. She was the fourth, but sometimes fourth time's the charm because Questel voiced Betty Boop from 1931 to 1939 in over 80 theatrical shorts and then even reprised the role in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.
