This just in from Robert Lughai (who runs the great blog
Filmic Light: A Snow White Sanctum) via Jim Korkis:
[I am currently doing research for a post on the December 26, 1938 Lux Radio Theater presentation of Snow White.
In particular, I am trying to confirm the actual voice actors who reprised their roles from the film. While I'm able to identify a number of them from the audio recording, others are just different enough that it's difficult to be sure.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find much info. Most of the material I've found so far states that "many" of the actors returned, but just who is not specified.
Would you have info on this performance that Walt Disney appeared in? And specifically, do you know if the main characters were played by the original actors?]
Jim answers:
[What a great question!
Here is the information I have in my files. I don't know if I would say "many" of the original voice actors returned. I would probably say "some". I can't guarantee it is a hundred percent correct but I haven't seen any other refutation of this information:
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (12-26-38). Starring Thelma Hubbard (Snow White), James Eagles (Prince), Roy Atwell (Doc), Billy Gilbert (Sneezy), Rolfe Sedan (Happy), Jack Smart (Bashful), Lou Merrill (Sleepy), Moroni Olsen (Mirror), Stuart Buchanan (Grumpy/Huntsman), Paula Winslowe (Queen) and Gloria Gordon (Witch). Of course, there is no voice for Dopey.
Folks like Lou Merrill who did Sleepy were "utility performers" filling in a variety of odd little side voices for a show. He did a lot of this work for LUX RADIO THEATER in the early years.
Thelma Hubbard (1909-1978) later married and became Thelma Boardman which is why on the voices credits for the Disney animated film BAMBI you can find both Thelma Hubbard and Thelma Boardman listed as supplying the voice for the character of Mrs. Quail (as well as two or three other small incidental characters).
I wish I knew more about Thelma who I would call "The Forgotten Snow White". Why was she brought in to do Snow White's voice rather than Adrianna Caselotti who did it in the movie? I assume it is because Thelma had more experience on radio and more experience doing Snow White's voice. For one thing, she did the Spanish dub of Snow White's voice for the original theatrical release. For another, on the MICKEY MOUSE THEATER OF THE AIR radio show earlier in 1938, she not only supplied the voice of Minnie Mouse (and would do the voice for a handful of theatrical shorts in the early Forties) but also did Snow White (in English) for two of the shows.]
Can anyone else help?
