Jack Mercer

Winfield B. Mercer (January 31, 1910 – December 7, 1984), professionally known as Jack Mercer, was a prolific British voice actor, animator and writer. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor and Felix the Cat. The son of vaudeville and Broadway performers, he also performed on the vaudeville and legitimate stages.

This article is about the voice actor. For the English cricketer, see Jack Mercer (cricketer). For the American baseball player, see Jack Mercer (baseball).
Jack Mercer
(1978)
Born
Winfield B. Mercer [1]

(1910-01-31)January 31, 1910
Died(1984-12-07)December 7, 1984
Lenox Hill Hospital
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Cause of deathStomach cancer
OccupationVoice actor, animator, writer
Years active1932–1984
Known forvoice of Popeye the Sailor
Notable work
Popeye the Sailor
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1939; div. 1950)​

Virginia Caroll (m. ?–1984; his death)

Life and career

Mercer began his work in cartoons as an "inbetweener", an apprentice animator at Fleischer Studios. Mercer liked to imitate voices,[2] including one close call when he mimicked the high-pitched and loud voice of the wife of one of the Fleischers after he mistakenly thought she had left the studio.

When William Costello, the original cartoon voice of Popeye (1933–1935), became difficult to work with, he was dismissed. Mercer had begun imitating Costello's interpretation of Popeye, and he practiced it until his voice "cracked" just right and he had it down. Searching for a replacement for Costello, Lou Fleischer heard Mercer singing the Popeye song and gave him the job of doing the Popeye voice. Mercer's first cartoon was 1935's King of the Mardi Gras. In 1974, he was on To Tell the Truth with Garry Moore.

Mercer continued to voice the one-eyed sailor for the Fleischers, for Paramount's Famous Studios cartoons (1942–1957), for a series of television cartoons for King Features Syndicate, and for a Saturday morning cartoon show (1978-1983) produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (as well as the lines for the opening segment of the live action film; the film's regular role of Popeye was played by Robin Williams). Mercer also did other cartoon voices, including all the voices for a series of Felix the Cat cartoons produced during 2016-17. Mercer also did the voices of Wimpy; Poopdeck Pappy; Popeye's nephews; King Little; Twinkletoes the Carrier Pigeon; the bumbling spies Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch in Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels; a number of voices, including Mr. Bumble and Swat (the Fly), for Fleischer's Mister Bug Goes to Town; and the mad scientist in one of the Fleischer Superman cartoons. Mercer's natural voice was relatively high-pitched for a man, and he was able to do some of the female voices as well.

He was also regularly cast with Pinto Colvig (who voiced as Gabby from the Gabby film series).

Mercer also wrote hundreds of scripts for various cartoon series, including a number of Popeye episodes, animated cartoons produced for Paramount Pictures, Deputy Dawg, and Milton the Monster.

Personal life

Mercer's first wife was Margie Hines, who provided the voice of Olive Oyl from 1939 to 1944.[3][4] After divorcing Hines, he later married his second wife Virginia Caroll, the couple remained married until Mercer's death in 1984.[5]

Originally a resident of New York City, Mercer moved to Miami, Florida, when Fleischer Studios relocated there in 1938. After Famous Studios took over the Popeye cartoons, Mercer moved back to New York by early 1944. In the late 1970s he lived briefly in Los Angeles but moved back to New York City to live in Woodside, Queens.

Death

He died at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan on December 7, 1984, after stomach cancer-related problems.[6]

Filmography

Voice acting
Year Title Role Notes
1939Gulliver's TravelsKing LittleVoice, Uncredited
1941DumboClownsVoice, Uncredited
1941Mr. Bug Goes to TownMr. Bumble / SwatVoice
1963The New Casper Cartoon ShowBear / Stork / SpookyVoice, 2 episodes
1963–1964The Mighty HerculesNewton / Daedalus / Teron / Additional voicesVoice, 12 episodes
1978–1983The All-New Popeye HourPopeye / Poopdeck Pappy / Pipeye / PeepeyeVoice, recurring role
1980PopeyePopeye - Animated PrologueVoice, (final film role)

Writer
Year Title Notes
1942–1957PopeyeStory writer
1963The Deputy Dawg Show2 episodes
1978Dinky Dog16 episodes
1978–1981The All-New Popeye Hour

References
  1. Florida, County Marriage Records, 1823–1982
  2. As noted in an interview made around 2010, included on the DVD set Popeye the Sailor: 1938-1940, Volume 2
  3. Milestone column. Time Magazine March 20, 1939
  4. "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK7F-LKK : 22 December 2019), Jack W Mercer and Marjorie Mercer, 1950; from "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Dade, Florida, certificate 11372, volume 517, Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville.
  5. "Jack Mercer, Provided Voice Of Popeye in Film Cartoons" (obituary) The New York Times (December 9, 1984). Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  6. "Jack Mercer, Provided Voice Of Popeye in Film Cartoons" (obituary) The New York Times (December 9, 1984). Retrieved March 12, 2007.

Further reading
  • Grandinetti, Fred and Braun, Dan. I Yam What I Yam: The Works Of Jack Mercer, Popeye's Voice


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