Charles Edward Butterworth (July 26, 1896 – June 14, 1946) was an American actor specializing in comedic roles, often in musicals. His distinctive voice was the inspiration for the Cap'n Crunch commercials created by the Jay Ward studio: voice actor

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...

Early life

Butterworth was the son of a physician in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. He graduated from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

in 1924 with a law degree.

Career

After graduating, Butterworth became a newspaper reporter at the South Bend News-Times and subsequently Chicago. One of Butterworth's more memorable film roles was in the

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

musical ''

This Is the Army ''This Is the Army'' is a 1943 American wartime musical film, musical comedy film produced by Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis and directed by Michael Curtiz, adapted from This Is the Army (musical), the wartime stage musical of the same name, d ...

'' (1943) as bugle-playing Private Eddie Dibble. He was generally a supporting actor, though he had top billing in '' We Went to College'' (1936) and the title role in '' Baby Face Harrington'' (1935), and shared top billing (as the Sultan) with Ann Corio in ''The Sultan's Daughter'' (1944). In his obituary, he was described as "characterizing the man who could not make up his mind". He is credited with the quip "Why don't you slip out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini?" from ''Every Day's a Holiday''. In ''Forsaking All Others'', when

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

, quoting

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, said, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," Butterworth replied, "Ever take a good look at a milkman?"

Death

Butterworth had a home in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

. He was killed in an automobile accident on June 13, 1946, when he lost control of his car on

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

in Los Angeles. He died en route to the hospital.

Legacy

For his contributions to the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre- ...

, Butterworth was posthumously inducted into the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

in 1960 with a motion pictures star at 7036

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

Partial filmography

* ''Vital Subjects'' (1929, Short) * '' Ladies of Leisure'' (1930) – Party Guest (uncredited) * '' The Life of the Party'' (1930) – Colonel Joy * '' Illicit'' (1931) – Georgie Evans * '' The Bargain'' (1931) – Geoffrey * '' Side Show'' (1931) – Sidney * '' The Mad Genius'' (1931) – Karimsky * ''

Manhattan Parade ''Manhattan Parade '' is a 1931 American pre-Code musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was originally intended to be released, in the United States, early in 1931, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. ...

'' (1931) – Herbert T. Herbert * '' Beauty and the Boss'' (1932) – Ludwig Pfeffer Jr. * ''

Love Me Tonight ''Love Me Tonight'' is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy film produced and directed by Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princ ...

'' (1932) – Count de Savignac * '' The Nuisance'' (1933) – Floppy Phil Montague * '' Penthouse'' (1933) – Layton * '' My Weakness'' (1933) – Gerald Gregory * '' The Cat and the Fiddle'' (1934) – Charles * '' Hollywood Party'' (1934) – Harvey Clemp * '' Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back'' (1934) – Algy 'Mousey' Longworth * '' Student Tour'' (1934) – Ethelred Lippincott – Professor of Philosophy * '' Forsaking All Others'' (1934) – Shemp * '' The Night Is Young'' (1935) – Willy Fitch * '' Baby Face Harrington'' (1935) – Willie * '' Orchids to You'' (1935) – Teddy Stuyvesant * '' Magnificent Obsession'' (1935) – Tommy Masterson * '' The Moon's Our Home'' (1936) – Horace Van Steedan * '' Half Angel'' (1936) – Doc Felix * '' We Went to College'' (1936) – Glenn Harvey * '' Rainbow on the River'' (1936) – Barrett * '' Swing High, Swing Low'' (1937) – Harry * '' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1937) – Larmadou Graves * '' Thanks for the Memory'' (1938) – Biney * '' Let Freedom Ring'' (1939) – The Mackerel * ''

The Boys from Syracuse ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play '' The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemp ...

'' (1940) – Duke of Ephesus * ''

Second Chorus ''Second Chorus'' is a 1940 Hollywood musical film, musical comedy film starring Paulette Goddard and Fred Astaire and featuring Artie Shaw, Burgess Meredith and Charles Butterworth (actor), Charles Butterworth, with music by Artie Shaw, Bernie H ...

'' (1940) – Mr. Chisholm * ''There's Nothing to It'' (1941) * '' Blonde Inspiration'' (1941) – 'Bittsy' Conway * '' Road Show'' (1941) – Harry Whitman * '' Sis Hopkins'' (1941) – Horace Hopkins * '' What's Cookin'?'' (1942) – J. P. Courtney * '' Night in New Orleans'' (1942) – Edward Wallace * '' Give Out, Sisters'' (1942) – Prof. Woof * ''

'' (1943) – Eddie Dibble * '' Always a Bridesmaid'' (1943) – Col. Thaddeus Winchester * ''

The Sultan's Daughter ''The Sultan's Daughter'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Arthur Dreifuss Arthur Dreifuss (sometimes credited as Dreyfuss; March 25, 1908 – December 31, 1993)

'' (1944) – Sultan of Araband * '' Follow the Boys'' (1944) – Louie Fairweather * '' Bermuda Mystery'' (1944) – Dr. Randolph Tilford * '' Dixie Jamboree'' (1944) – Professor (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butterworth, Charles 1896 births 1946 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors Male actors from Indiana Male actors from Palm Springs, California Road incident deaths in California 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Notre Dame Law School alumni Actors from South Bend, Indiana