Daws Butler - Characters Actor

by Ben Ohmart & Joe Bevilacqua

His voice can be heard in countless classic animated cartoons, still seen on TV around the world daily. He was Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Baba Looey, Super Snooper, Blabbermouse, Snagglepuss, Augie Doggy, Mr. Jinks, Wally Gator, Elroy Jetson, Cap'n Crunch and hundreds of others. He worked with nearly every major animation director, including Messers Hanna and Barbera, Jay Ward, Walter Lantz, Chuck Jones, and Tex Avery. He worked puppets for Bob Clampett ("Beany and Cecil"). Fans included Groucho, Harpo, Lionel Barrymore and even Albert Einstein. His collaborations with satirist Stan Freberg sold millions of records. Yet you have probably never heard of him. His name was Daws Butler.

Now, for the first time, Daws Butler - Characters Actor brings you up close and personal into the life of the man who many consider to be the greatest voice actor of the 20th Century. From his early days in radio in the 1940s to his five years as puppeteer on "Time for Beany," from his astonishingly creative days at Hanna-Barbera in the 1950s and '60s to his enduring legacy as mentor to the likes of such up-and-coming actors as Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson) in the 1970s and '80s until his death in 1987, this authorized biography includes detailed eye-witness accounts and personal reminisces by his colleagues, including Joe Barbera, Bill Hanna, Doug Young (Doggy Daddy), Don Messick (Boo Boo, Ranger Smith), June Foray (Rocky the Flying Squirrel) and Stan Freberg, as well as Daws's friends and family. Best of all, the book includes the words of Daws Butler himself telling his own story, through never-before published interviews, letters and personal phone conversations. In addition, Nancy Cartwright pays loving tribute to her mentor in the book's foreword.

The official biography of the voice of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and all things Hanna-Barbera. This first book on master voice actor Daws Butler has been assembled through personal scrapbooks, letters and intimate interviews with family and co-workers. Foreword by Daws' most famous student, Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson).