Billy Bletcher

William "Billy" Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979)^[3] was an American actor. He was best known for providing the voice of Pete for the Disney franchise in the 1930s to the 1950s.

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.
Died	January 5, 1979(1979-01-05) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1914–1971
Known for	Original voice of Pete
Spouse	Arline Roberts[1]
Children	1[2]

Career

Bletcher was born on 24 September 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.^[4] At age 19 he was a vaudeville performer.^[5] He started his movie career in 1913 at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, New York.^[5] In 1917, he moved to California and became a comedian for Mack Sennett.^[5] He later starred in several Hal Roach two reelers.

During his acting career he starred in a number of comedies.^[1] Bletcher also acted in Westerns and action movies.^[1] He directed two feature movies in the 1920s.^[1] Bletcher was the voice of the Lone Ranger in the 1937 movie serial.^[6] He was a veteran voice actor from the Disney animated movie The Three Little Pigs (1933).^[6] Later he did voice-overs for television. His last movie appearance was in 1969.^[5]

Personal life

Bletcher was married once, to actress Arline Roberts.^[1] She was a vaudevillian and a Ziegfeld Girl. When they moved to California she worked as a "bathing beauty".^[7] She acted in silent comic two-reelers and feature movies but never gained the prominence her husband did.^[7] They had a daughter, Barbara Bletcher.^[7]

Filmography

• A Sticky Affair (1916)
• One Too Many (1916)
• The Serenade (1916)
• The Battle Royal (1916)
• The Brave Ones (1916)
• Aunt Bill (1916)
• Turn To The Right (1922)
• Cornered (1924)
• The Bar-C Mystery (1926)
• The Terrible People (1928)
• The Texas Ranger (1931)
• Branded Men (1931)
• Bridge Wives (1932)
• The Dentist (1932)
• The Midnight Patrol (1933)
• Bedtime Worries (1933)
• The First Round-Up (1934)
• Punch Drunks (1934)
• Babes in Toyland (1934)
• Service With a Smile (1934)
• The Dognapper (1934) - Pete
• The Lost City (1935)
• Balloon Land (1935)
• I Haven't Got a Hat (1935)
• Divot Diggers (1936)
• Pigs Is Pigs (1937)
• Can This Be Dixie? (1937)
• Egghead Rides Again (1937)
• The Case of the Stuttering Pig (1937)
• Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
• The Lone Ranger (1938) - voice of The Lone Ranger
• Hide and Shriek (1938)
• The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939) - voice of The Lone Ranger
• The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Mayor/Lollipop Guild (voice) (uncredited)
• The Autograph Hound - Security Guard
• Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip (1940) - Pete
• Dumbo (1941)
• Dog Trouble (1942) - Spike
• Little Gravel Voice (1942) - Wolf (uncredited)
• Who Killed Who? - Police Officer (1943)
• The Bodyguard (1944) - Spike
• Puttin' on the Dog (1944) - Spike (uncredited)
• Tee for Two (1945) - Tom (uncredited)
• Quiet Please! (1945) - Spike
• Bowery Bugs - Steve Brodie (1949)
• Houdini (1953) - Italian Basso (uncredited)
• Smarty Cat (1955) - Tom (uncredited)
• Surf-Bored Cat (1967) - Shark (uncredited)
• Get a Horse! (2013) - Peg-Leg Pete (archival audio)

References

1. George A. Katchmer, A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses (Jefferson, NC; London: McFarland, 2009), p. 29
2. "Billy Bletcher". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
3. "Billy Bletcher". Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. DBA Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
4. "Billy Bletcher". Voice Chasers/Dekiru Productions. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
5. "Billy Bletcher Biography". Flixster/Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 September 2015.^{[permanent dead link]}
6. Clayton Moore; Frank Thompson, I Was That Masked Man (Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub. Co., 1998), p. xxi
7. "Arline Bletcher". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 September 2015.

Other websites

• The Voices of Billy Bletcher