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MMD > Archives > March 1998 > 1998.03.22 > 11Prev  Next


Voice of Betty Boop
By Bill Finch

The answer to Karl Ellison's question:  The voice of Betty Boop and
Olive Oyl and many others was May Questal.

In 1966 I participated in a recording session in New York at National
Recording Studios.  We were making a commercial for Fussy Pfeiffers
Finer Salad Dressing.  The male lead was Jonathan Winters and the
female was May Questal.  Halfway through the session we all broke for
lunch at the 6th Avenue Delicatessen.

May was a consummate professional who had been in the business since
the 30's.  She sounded in real life just like her characters.  Jonathan
Winters kept clowning around in the deli but people ignored him.
Everyone was distracted by May's voice.  People kept coming up to her
and asking if she was Olive Oyl.  She was very straight but had a good
sense of humor.

Winters kept departing from the script and breaking her up.  The
session lasted three times as long as it needed to be because everyone
was in stitches.  She is missed by her friends and everyone in the
trade.

Bill Finch


(Message sent Sun 22 Mar 1998, 22:59:39 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.)

Key Words in Subject:  Betty, Boop, Voice

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