Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram (June 19, 1915 – January 8, 1994) was an American character actor. Buttram was known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice that, in his own words, "never quite made it through puberty."
Pat Buttram | |
|---|---|
 Buttram in 1970 | |
| Born | Maxwell Emmett Buttram June 19, 1915 Addison, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 1994 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Maxwell Chapel, United Methodist Church, Haleyville, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Birmingham-Southern College |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 1944–1994 |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 (1 adopted) |
Early life
editButtram was born on June 19, 1915, in Addison, Alabama, to Wilson McDaniel Buttram, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Mary Emmett Maxwell. He had an older brother, Augustus McDaniel Buttram, and five other elder siblings. When young "Pat", as he was called, was a year old, his father was transferred to Nauvoo, Alabama. Buttram graduated from Mortimer Jordan High School, then located in Morris, Alabama, and entered Birmingham–Southern College to study for the Methodist ministry.[2]
Career
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
Buttram performed in college plays and on a local radio station, then became a regular on the National Barn Dance broadcast on WLS (AM) in Chicago. He also had his own program on CBS.[3]
Buttram went to Hollywood in the 1940s and became a sidekick to Roy Rogers. However, because Rogers already had two regulars, Buttram was dropped.
He was then picked by Gene Autry, recently returned from his World War II service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Buttram co-starred with Autry in more than 40 films and in over 100 episodes of his television show. Buttram's first Autry film was The Strawberry Roan in 1948.
In the late 1940s, Buttram joined Autry on his radio show Melody Ranch and then on television with The Gene Autry Show. During the first television season, Buttram went by Pat or Patrick, with a variety of last names. From the second season forward, he used his own name.
Buttram also played Mr. Eustace Haney in the 1965–1971 television comedy Green Acres. He did voice work for several Disney animated features, playing Napoleon (hound dog) in The Aristocats, the Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf) in Robin Hood, Luke (muskrat) in The Rescuers, Chief (hunting dog) in The Fox and the Hound, and one of the Toon bullets in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He had a recurring role as the voice of Cactus Jake on Garfield and Friends. One of his later roles was a cameo in Back to the Future Part III. His final voice-over was A Goofy Movie, released a year after his death. Buttram is credited as one of the writers on the Hee Haw television show for two episodes in 1969 and 1970.[4]
Buttram made the oft-quoted observation about the 1971 "rural purge," in which CBS canceled many programs with a rural theme or setting: "CBS canceled everything with a tree in it – including Lassie," referring to the cancellations of Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.[5]
In 1987, Buttram returned to television with Gene Autry on Melody Ranch Theater on The Nashville Network. It featured Gene Autry's classic Western movies, cut down for television, with original opening and closing segments of America's first singing cowboy and his comedic sidekick reminiscing about the making of the movies and events in the industry at the time.[6]
Personal life
editIn 1936, Buttram married Dorothy McFadden. The couple adopted a daughter but divorced in 1946. In 1952, he married actress Sheila Ryan; they were together until her death in 1975. They had a daughter named Kathrine (nicknamed Kerry), born in 1954.
Buttram retired from acting in 1980 and made his home in his native Winston County, Alabama. However, he returned to California, where he made frequent personal appearances.
Buttram was a staunch Republican who helped Ronald Reagan spice up his speeches with political quips.[1] In 1993, Buttram expressed surprise that with the inauguration of Bill Clinton and Al Gore as president of the United States and vice president of the United States, respectively, so many Hollywood actors were "taken with that whole country-boy image they tried to project".[1] According to his niece Mary Buttram Young, "Uncle Pat would always say 'I'm from Alabama – I can see right through that'."[1]
Death
editButtram died in 1994 at the age of 78 of kidney failure at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.[7] He is interred at the cemetery at the Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church in the Pebble community near Haleyville, Alabama.[8][9]
In 1988, Buttram was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and one on the "Alabama Stars of Fame" in Birmingham, Alabama.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | The National Barn Dance | Himself | |
| 1948 | The Strawberry Roan | Hank | |
| 1949 | Riders in the Sky | Chuckwalla | |
| 1950 | Mule Train | Smokey Argyle | |
| 1950 | Beyond the Purple Hills | Mike Rawley | |
| 1950 | Indian Territory | Shadrach Jones | |
| 1950 | The Blazing Sun | Mike | |
| 1951 | Gene Autry and the Mounties | Scat Russell | |
| 1951 | Texans Never Cry | Ranger Pecos Bates | |
| 1951 | Silver Canyon | Pat | |
| 1951 | The Hills of Utah | Dusty Cosgrove | |
| 1951 | Valley of Fire | Breezie | |
| 1951 | Susie the Little Blue Coupe | Junkyard Owner | voice animated short |
| 1952 | The Old West | Panhandle Gibbs | |
| 1952 | Night Stage to Galveston | Himself | |
| 1952 | Apache Country | Himself | |
| 1952 | Barbed Wire | "Buckeye" Buttram | |
| 1952 | Wagon Team | Deputy Pat Buttram | |
| 1952 | Blue Canadian Rockies | Rawhide | |
| 1961 | Wild in the Country | Mr. Longstreet, the Mechanic | uncredited |
| 1963 | Twilight of Honor | Cole Clinton | |
| 1964 | Roustabout | Harry Carver | |
| 1964 | The Hanged Man | Otis Honeywell | TV film |
| 1966 | Sergeant Deadhead | The President | |
| 1968 | The Sweet Ride | Texas Gambler | |
| 1968 | I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew | Blodgett | |
| 1970 | The Aristocats | Napoleon | voice animated film |
| 1971 | The Gatling Gun | Tin Pot | |
| 1972 | Evil Roy Slade | Narrator | TV film uncredited |
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Sheriff of Nottingham | voice animated film |
| 1976 | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | Narrator | |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Luke, Swamp Inhabitant | voice animated film |
| 1979 | Angels Brigade | Used Car Salesman | |
| The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane | Washington the Horse | voice TV movie | |
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound | Chief, Hunting Dog | voice animated film |
| 1981 | Choices | Pops | |
| 1988 | The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound | Red Eye the Bartender | voice TV film |
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit | A Toon Bullet #3 | voice live action / animated film | |
| 1990 | Back to the Future: Part III | Jeb, Saloon Old Timer #3 | |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Possum Park Emcee | voice (posthumous release) animated film |
Partial television credits
edit| Year(s) | Series | Role | Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | The Gene Autry Show | Pat Jensen / himself / Patrick Smith / Deputy Pat / Hap Wallace / Sheriff Pat | 83 episodes |
| 1961–1963 | The Real McCoys | (1) and (2) Cousin Carl (3) and (4) Pat Clemens |
(1) Season 4 Episode 30: "Back to West Virginny" (1961) (2) Season 4 Episode 31: "Fly Away Home" (1961) (3) Season 6 Episode 13: "Luke the Reporter" (1962) (4) Season 6 Episode 35: "The Partners" (1963) |
| 1962-1967 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Himself | 8 episodes |
| 1963 | The Danny Thomas Show | Harvey Bullock | Season 11 Episode 3: "Here's the $50 Back" |
| 1964 | The Tycoon | Brian | Season 1 Episode 2: "The Shotgun Meyer" |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | (1) Charlie Hill (2) Emory |
(1) Season 2 Episode 17: "The Jar" (2) Season 3 Episode 6: "Lonely Place" |
| 1965 | The Munsters | Pop Mallory | Season 1 Episode 17: "All-Star Munster" |
| 1965 | The Cara Williams Show | Charlie Paradise | (1) "Paradise Lost and Found" (1965) (2) "Paradise Freezes Over" (1965) |
| 1965-1971 | Green Acres | Mr. Haney | 147 episodes |
| 1966-1967 | Pistols 'n' Petticoats | (1) Pa Turner (2) Jake Turner |
(1) Season 1 Episode 1: "A Crooked Line" (1966) (2) Season 1 Episode 22: "The Golden Fleece" |
| 1966-1969 | Petticoat Junction | Mr. Haney | (1) Season 3 Episode 21: "The County Fair" (1966) (2) Season 7 Episode 3: "The Other Woman" (1969) (3) Season 7 Episode 9: "A Most Momentous Occasion" (1969) |
| 1967 | The Hollywood Squares | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 1968–1973 | The Dean Martin Comedy Hour | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 1970 | The Merv Griffin Show | Himself | episode dated June 25, 1970 |
| 1971 | The Jimmy Stewart Show | Oscar Pettywhistle | Season 1 Episode 13: "Luther's Last Love" |
| 1972 | Alias Smith and Jones | First Sheriff | Season 2 Episode 23: "Bad Night in Big Butte" |
| 1972 | The Mouse Factory | Himself | "Bullfighting to Bullfrogs" |
| 1973 | Adam-12 | Drunk Man | Season 5 Episode 23: "Keeping Tabs" |
| 1974 | Emergency! | Hermit | Season 3 Episode 20: "Floor Brigade" |
| 1977 | Chico and the Man | Jeb Gibson | Season 3 Episode 19: "Gregory Peck Is a Rooster" |
| 1979 | The Sacketts | Tuthill the Bank Teller | Miniseries (1) Season 1 Episode 1: Part I" (2) Season 1 Episode 2: Part II" |
| 1979 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Sam | Season 2 Episode 1: "Days of Shine and Roses" |
| 1982 | Simon and Simon | Jonathan Evans | Season 2 Episode 6: "Rough Rider Rides Again" |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | The Chef | (1) Season 6 Episode 27: "Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu & Kenny (Country Music Jamboree): Part 1" (2) Season 6 Episode 28: "Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu & Kenny (Country Music Jamboree): Part 2" |
| 1984 | Family Feud | Himself | |
| 1986 | Knight Rider | Buck | Season 4 Episode 20: "Fright Knight" |
| 1989-1991 | Garfield and Friends | Cactus Jake (10 episodes), Cactus Josh (1), Cactus Jimmy (1), Cactus Joe (1) (voice) | 10 episodes; animated series |
| 1990 | Gravedale High | Inspector Nitpicker (voice) | Season 1 Episode 3: "Save Our School" |
| 1990–1991 | Who's the Boss | Chappy | (1) Season 7 Episode 13: "Broadcast Blues" (1990) (2) Season 7 Episode 24: "The Road to Washington: Part 1" (1991) (3) Season 7 Episode 25: "The Road to Washington: Part 2" (1991) |
| 1991 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Bicycle Bob (voice) | Season 1 Episode 56: "Son of the Wacko World of Sports" |
| 1991 | Rugrats | Eddie (voice) | Season 1 Episode 13: "Graham Canyon" (1991); animated series |
See also
edit
References
editNotes
- ^ a b c d "Terry Pace, "Pat Buttram: Homespun humorist, character actor, cowboy sidekick"". Times Daily (Florence, Ala.). March 1, 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Claire M. "Pat Buttram" Archived 2012-03-07 at the Wayback Machine on the Encyclopedia of Alabama website. Accessed July 14, 2023.
- ^ "KFLW (radio listing)". Herald and News. Herald and News. January 11, 1959. p. 51. Retrieved April 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hee Haw: Writers"[permanent dead link] on TV.com
- ^ Quotation taken from amazon.com preview of book, accessed March 23, 2009. Harkins, Anthony (2005). Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon. Oxford University Press US. p. 203. ISBN 0-19-518950-7.
- ^ "TNN Gene Autry Melody Ranch Theatre segments, c. 1987 (Home in Wyomin)".
- ^ "Pat Buttram, 78, Actor In 'Green Acres' Series (Published 1994)". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1994-01-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ Colurso, Mary (22 May 2021). "Graves of Famous People". AL.com. Advance Local Media, LLC. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
- ^ Wilson, Claire. "Pat Buttram". Encyclopedia of Alabama. The Encyclopedia of Alabama / Auburn University Outreach. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
Further reading
- Grabman, Sandra. Pat Buttram, the Rocking Chair Humorist. Boalsburg: BearManor Media, 2006. ISBN 1-59393-067-4.