Ann L. Rothschild (born March 1, 1902 – October 22, 1981)[1][2] credits variously as Little Ann Little, Annabel Little and Ann Little Werner, was an American vaudevillian, voice actress and singer who gained fame in the 1930s as the voice of Betty Boop, taking over the voice from original portrayer Margie Hines. From 1931 to 1933, Little Ann Little made recordings for the "Betty Boop" cartoons and tour[6] and appeared in variety shows throughout the country.
Little Ann Little | |
|---|---|
 Pauline Comanor (left) and Ann Little | |
| Born | March 1, 1902 [1][2] |
| Died | October 22, 1981 (aged 79)[3][4] |
| Other names | Annie Rothschild, Annabel Little, Ann Little Werner[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, voice artist, singer |
| Years active | 1920s-1946[5] |
| Spouses |
|
Rothschild got the job as the voice of Betty Boop as the result of a contest held by Paramount Pictures for a girl with a squeaky voice. She was also well suited for the role physically, being only four-foot-ten and weighing 100 pounds.
Little went on the road with the Fleischer Studios artist Pauline Comanor. Ann would pose while Pauline drew her as Betty Boop. They both finished the act with a "boop-boop-a-doop."
Little had started in show business in 1925 as a member of the pony chorus with the Greenwich Village Follies. She was also an RKO discovery and at one time had her own program on the NBC network as singer Little Ann Little.
Personal life
editAfter her show business career was finished, Little moved to St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband, who was a retired employee of Consolidated Edison. In the late 1940s, she was an instructor at the Pauline Buhner School of Dance there, where she taught acting, singing and dancing.
Her most famous pupil was Carroll Baker, who she taught for three years. She closed her class in 1951.[5]
Little studied the Bible, with the goal of becoming an ordained minister and to preach the Gospel.[7] From 1954, Little was ordained as minister in the Unity Church of Christianity.
Little died at the age of 79 in Fort Myers, Florida on October 22, 1981.[3][4]
Filmography
edit| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Barnacle Bill (short) (voice, uncredited) | 1930 |
| My Wife'e Gone to the Country (short, Betty Boopish flappers) | 1931 |
| The Herring Murder Case (Herrings Wife) | 1931 |
| Little Annie Rooney Annie Rooney (short) (voice, uncredited) | 1931 |
| Kitty from Kansas City (short) (Kitty) | 1931 |
| Mask-a-Raid (short) (Betty Boop, voice uncredited) | 1931 |
| Jack and the Beanstalk (short) (voice uncredited) | 1931 |
| Dizzy Red Riding Hood (short) (Betty Boop, voice uncredited) | 1931 |
| Any Rags (short) (voice, uncredited) | 1932 |
| Boop-Oop-A-Doop (short) (Aloysius, voice) | 1932 |
| Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (short) (Betty Boop "as voice of") | 1932 |
| Swim or Sink (S.O.S) (short) (Betty Boop as voice uncredited) | 1932 |
| A Hunting We Will Go (short) (Betty Boop, voice) | 1932 |
| Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee (short) (Betty Boop, voice uncredited) | 1932 |
| I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You | 1932 |
| Betty Boop's May Party (short) (voice as Little Ann Little) | 1933 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Margie Hines: Betty's First Voice!".
- ^ a b "Louis Herbert Werner (1880-1948)", ancestors.familysearch.org. Accessed August 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Betty Boop Dead at 71" Gadsden Times (October 25, 1981)
- ^ a b "Ann Rothschild, entertainer, dies" Rome News-Tribune (October 25, 1981)
- ^ a b "Betty Boop' Is A Minister Now". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. 1971-07-12. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "Betty Boop Studying for the Ministry" Evening Independent (October 2, 1948)