Purv Pullen
Born
Almy Purves Pullen[1]

(1909-02-02)February 2, 1909
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1992(1992-10-18) (aged 83)
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
OccupationVoice actor
Known forAnimal vocal effects

Almy Purves "Purv" Pullen (February 2, 1909 – October 18, 1992), later known by the stage name Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath[2] (or simply Dr. Birdbath), was an American voice actor. He was known for mimicking the sounds of animals and birds.[3]

Early life

Pullen was born on February 2, 1909, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4] Growing up on a farm, he began imitating bird-calls.[4] He incorporated bird-calls into his first job as a disc jockey in Akron, Ohio, and at other radio stations.[4]

Career

Pullen began performing as a voice actor in films in the 1930s. He was the voice of Cheetah in Tarzan films and produced the bird sounds in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).[4][5] Pullen's vocal contributions appear in many cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, and Popeye. Pullen was also the voice of the howling coyote in Cecil B. DeMille's 1935 film The Crusades, and the squawks and jungle sounds for Martin Denny's 1951 pop instrumental "Quiet Village".[6]

In 1945, Pullen began a collaboration with Spike Jones, providing sound effects and other comic gimmicks on many of the classic Jones recordings.[7] Jones gave Pullen the stage name "Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath."[3]

Pullen provided background bird vocals in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.[3] He was also heard in the San Francisco Bay Area as the voice of Roscoe the Dog on the Dr. Don Rose show on KFRC.[8]

Pullen also appeared in nightclubs as a ventriloquist with a dummy named Johnny.[4] He appeared on a 1958 episode of What's My Line? as the mystery guest.[9]

Personal life

Pullen was a longtime resident of Vacaville, California, where he performed puppet shows at the Nut Tree in the 1970s and 1980s and where he appeared with "Roscoe the Dog," a supposedly invisible dog puppeted by means of a stiffened dog leash.[6]

Filmography

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (September 2022)
Title Date Role Credited As Details Notes
The Bird Store 1932 Birds [10]
Birds in the Spring 1933 Birds [10]
Who Killed Cock Robin? 1935 Cock Robin's Whistling [10]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 Birds (voice) Uncredited [11]
Cinderella 1950 Birds (voice) Uncredited
Bedtime for Bonzo 1951 Minor Role (voice) Uncredited [3]
Bonzo Goes to College 1952 Minor Role (voice) Uncredited [3]
Sleeping Beauty 1959 Birds (voice) Uncredited
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room 1963 Birds (voice)

References

  1. ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. October 1940. Retrieved September 12, 2022 – via fold3.com.
  2. ^ Dunning, J. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 626. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Mimic loves animals". The Crescent News. October 4, 1980. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-6271-1. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  5. ^ Lennick, David (2005). "SPIKE JONES Vol. 2 'Spiking the Classics' Original 1945–1950 Recordings". Naxos. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "'Doc Birdbath' is a one-man menagerie". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. September 23, 1977. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath". Slacker Radio. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  8. ^ "Dr. Don Rose Feeds Roscoe 1986 610 KFRC" (Audio file). Soundcloud. 610 KFRC. 1986. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  9. ^ "WML-Birdbath". YouTube. 1958.
  10. ^ a b c Merritt, Russell; Kaufman, J.B. (2016). Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series. Disney Editions. ISBN 978-1-4847-5132-9.
  11. ^ Hischak, T.S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-8694-6. Retrieved November 30, 2018.

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