Margie Hines
Margaret Louise Hines (born October 15, 1909),[nb 1] also known as Marjorie Hines or Margie Hines, was an American voice actress. She was known for her work as a voice artist at Fleischer Studios, where she was the original voice of Betty Boop from 1930 until 1932 and again from 1938 until 1939, before voicing Olive Oyl and Swee' Pea in the Popeye the Sailor cartoons from 1939 to 1944.[8] She also provided the voices for Fleischer's animated films Gulliver's Travels and Mr Bug Goes to Town.[9]
Margie Hines | |
---|---|
Hines in 1933 Vitaphone short, Harry Warren: America's Foremost Composer | |
Born | Margaret Louise Hines[1] October 15, 1909 Glendale, Queens, New York |
Occupation | Voice actress |
Years active | 1930–1944 |
Known for | Betty Boop, Olive Oyl |
Spouse(s) |
Career
Hines was the original voice actress for Fleischer's cartoon character Betty Boop, who debuted in the cartoon short Dizzy Dishes in 1930. Max Fleischer hired Hines, as she was a Helen Kane sound-alike, and Kane was the basis for the character, who in turn based her act on Baby Esther. Hines and several other actress voiced Betty until Mae Questel took over the role in 1931.
Beginning in 1932, Hines also did vocals for Aesop's Film Fables and Tom and Jerry produced by Van Beuren Studios. Her Van Beuren credits were erroneously attributed to Bonnie Poe, another actress who'd worked for Fleischer on Betty Boop cartoons.
Mae Questel, who was Fleischer's voice for Betty Boop and Popeye characters Olive Oyl and Swee'Pea during the mid-1930s, was unable to move with the Fleischer Studios staff when they left New York City for Miami. As a result, Hines was hired to replace Questel in both the Betty Boop and Popeye series, beginning in 1938. Hines voiced Betty Boop through her final series entries in 1939, and continued to voice Olive until 1943, when the studio, by then taken over by Paramount Pictures and renamed Famous Studios, returned to New York.[10] The Marry-Go-Round (1943) was Hines' final short as the voice of Olive, with Mae Questel returning to the role in 1944.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1930 | Dizzy Dishes | Betty Boop |
1930 | Mysterious Mose | Betty Boop |
1932 | Aesop's Film Fables | Various |
1932 | Tom and Jerry | Various |
1943 | The Marry-Go-Round | Olive Oyl |
Personal life
Hines was born in Glendale, Queens, New York as Margaret Louise Hines.[11]
On March 3, 1939, at the purported age of 21, Hines married her 29 year old co-star Winfield B. "Jack" Mercer, who provided the voice of Popeye.[11][12] At the time of her marriage, her mother lived on Long Island and had the two remarry at a New York church.[12] The two later divorced in 1950.[13]
Notes
- Some sources suggest she was aged 21, or alternatively 24, when she married in 1939. However, the New York Birth Index shows Margaret L Hines as born in Queens, New York on October 15, 1909.[2] The 1910 US Federal Census has Margaret L Hines aged 6 months, living with parents Andrew T and Cecilia M Hines at 7 Van Horn St, Queens.[3] The 1915 New York Census has her, aged 5, with the same parents at 7 Delta Place, Queens.[4] The 1920 Federal Census has Margaret Hines, aged 10, living with Cecile Hines, still at 7 Delta Place.[5] The 1930 Federal Census has Margaret L. Hines aged 20, "singer", living with Cecilia M Hines at 6164 Ralph Ave., Queens.[6] The 1940 Federal Census has Marjorie R (?) Mercer aged 30, "artist", born in Queens, living with Winfield B Mercer, at 3130 Gifford Lane, Miami, Florida.[7] All these records are public records which can be accessed via websites such as Ancestry.com.
References
- "Clipped From The Sun and the Erie County Independent". The Sun and the Erie County Independent. 17 April 1941. p. 2. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- New York Birth Index, 1909
- US Federal Census, 1910
- New York State Census, 1915
- US Federal Census, 1920
- US Federal Census, 1930
- US Federal Census, 1940
- Milestone column Time (March 20, 1939)(subscription required)
- "MARGIE HINES".
- Grandinetti, Fred M. (2004). Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 60. ISBN 0-7864-2687-X.
- "Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V65G-ZPK : 12 July 2019), Winfield B Jack Mercer and Margaret Louise Hines, 3 Mar 1939; citing Marriage, Broward, Florida, United States, citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida; FHL microfilm 2,241,554.
- Stout, Wesley W. (22 April 1957). "The Beachcomber: You may know or maybe not". Fort Lauderdale News. p. 6. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK7F-LKK : 25 December 2014), 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.
External links
- Margie Hines at IMDb