I just discovered your Walter Tetley website– really great work! I found it while updating some links on my Great Gildersleeve website, http://www.ethomsen.com/gildy/. (I added a link to the Walter Tetley page, under Cast of Characters.)
I always loved the Jay Ward cartoons, but hadn’t heard them in years when I started listening to the Great Gildersleeve programs, and it actually took me a while to make the connection between the two voices. Once I did, of course, I couldn’t believe I had missed it. My appreciation for the Great Gildersleeve program, which is before my time, has had many of these connections with people I know from their later work– for example, another Jay Ward voice actor, Hans Conried, played Oliver Honeywell in the first season.
Anyway, great work!
Elizabeth T
I also saw that Bea Benaderet, who went on to do Betty Rubble on the Flintstones, played Eve Goodwin, on the Great Gildersleeve. I am guessing that she also did Mrs. Twittle (?) or Twitchell (?) on Gildersleeve (that character who always had a nasal sounding voice and sometime a kind of “high society lady voice”).
Yes, I know that Betty Rubble is not from Jay Ward cartoons, but I do pay attention to some of the other cartoons, that are good. Bea also did almost all the female voice on the Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies and Looney Toons cartoons………..that is……….until Warner Bros. discovered the wonderfully, talented June Foray, sometime in 1950s (and thereafter used her—–I kind of preferred June over Bea in those cartoons).
I’m also guessing that Frank Nelson was on a few episodes of Gildersleeve (he used to be on the old Jack Benny Show—-the guy who always squealed WELL!!!! in a high-pitched voice to Benny and also the guy who would scream at Benny, YE-E-E-S!!!, whenever Benny would tap him on the back saying: “Oh Mr…….Oh Mr……..). If you know if I am correct on that, let me know.
I also heard that Gale Gordon, who played Mr. Moony, on The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy, was also on The Great Gildersleeve sometimes (and also on The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show—–another Walter Tetley program; have you heard him in that?).
I’m so happy that you liked the web page. And thanks, so very much, for adding us as a link on your site!
Brian
As a followup to Elizabeth Thomsen’s last email to me (which included the address for her own site, below), I emailed her again, as follows:
http://www.ethomsen.com/gildersleeve
I believe I had stumbled across your website before. It’s very good. I really liked Earle Ross’ Judge Horace Hooker a lot. I also liked the man who played the police chief, in the Jolly Boys Club.
About what I asked you on Frank Nelson. I know that he was never a regular, on Gildersleeve, but it seems to me that there were a couple times when he guest-starred……….Like one time he pretended to be an old college chum of Gildersleeve, and stayed in his home for a few days (he was in fact, an imposter, and he never met Gildersleeve before; he was up to no good). There was another episode, which had to do with Gildy struggling with paying his taxes. It sounded like Frank Nelson played the voice of the Devil (or of Gildy’s Bad Conscience) on that particular show.
As I said before, Frank Nelson was the guy, from the old Jack Benny Show, who always used to torment and torture Benny. He would squeal in a high-pitched voice:
“WELL!!!!” or he would bellow at Benny:
“YE-E-E-ES!!!”, whenever Benny would say, “Oh excuse me, Mr……..”.
He always played such RUDE customer service people, who abused Benny time and time again. Everywhere Benny went, he got terrible customer service, whenever Nelson waited on him.
Brian