Disney Voice Actors Discussions- Eleanor Audley

[UmbrellaFish]

<center>Eleanor Audley (1905-1991)

</center>

Biography
Eleanor Audley was born in New York City and began her acting career on the Broadway stage. Eventually, she moved into the realm of radio, where she most notably performed in My Favorite Husband, also featuring Lucille Ball, which would give way to the popular television show, I Love Lucy, on which Audley would guest-star on in the future. For the most part, though, Eleanor took bit parts in film and television, unaccredited, usually in the roll of a snobby upper-crust lady.

By the 1970’s Eleanor found her work slowing, appearing at the end of her career in her best known live action role as Oliver Wendell Douglas’s mother on Green Acres. She died in 1991. Due to her efforts, however, Audley is best remembered for playing not one, but two of Disney’s greatest animated villains, the Evil Stepmother in 1950’s Cinderella and the terrifying fairy Maleficent in 1959’s Sleeping Beauty.

Filmography-
Parole Board Member in The Story of Molly X, 1949
Lady Tremaine in Cinderella, 1950
Wife in No Way Out, 1950
Miss Brindel in Pretty Baby, 1950
Warden in Three Secrets, 1950
Mrs. Livingston in Gambling House, 1950
Mrs. Louise William in Starlift, 1951
Actress in Prince of Players, 1955
Lady Vernon in Untamed, 1955
Blanche in Cell 2455 Death Row, 1955
Mrs. Humphrey in All That Heavens Allows, 1955
Woman in The Toy Tiger, 1956
Secretary in The Unguarded Moment, 1956
Mrs. Jameson in Full of Life, 1956
Mrs. Walters in Spoilers of the Forest, 1957
Speaker in Voice in the Mirror, 1958
Miss Brighton in Step Down to Terror, 1958
Mrs. Hathaway in Home Before Dark, 1958
Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, 1959
Mrs. Harrington in A Summer Place, 1959
Mrs. King in The FBI Story, 1959
Mrs. Cartwright in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, 1964
Principal Osgood in Kisses For My President, 1964
Mrs. Dow in I’ll Take Sweden, 1965
Matron in Never a Dull Moment, 1968
Mrs. Durham in Hook, Line, and Sinker, 1969

<center>
Eleanor voiced Lady Tremaine in Cinderella, 1950


Eleanor voiced Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, 1959 </center>

Radio (Selected)-
??? in Suspense, 1942
??? in Escape, 1947
Mrs. Cooper in My Favorite Husband, 1948
Stepmother in The Six Shooters, 1953
Neighbor in Father Knows Best, 1954

<center>
Besides providing the voice of her characters, Eleanor also provided action reference as well. Here she is depicted in full garb as Maleficent. </center>

Television (Selected)-
Miss Hunt in Studio 57, 1954
Edith Landow in The Loretta Young Show, 1954-1958
Various in The G.E. True Theater, 1954-1959
Carlotta Vance in Front Row Center, 1955
Various in The Ford Television Theatre, 1955-1957
Mrs. Pryor in Our Miss Brooks, 1956
Moderator in The People’s Choice, 1956
Various in The 20th-Century Fox Hour, 1956
Saleslady in Father Knows Best, 1956
Miss Peabody in The Adventures of Jim Bowie, 1956
Gertrude Van Dyne in How to Marry a Millionaire, 1957
Eleanor Spaulding in I Love Lucy, 1957
Mrs. Emily Trumbull in Jane Wyman Presents Fireside Theatre, 1958
Headmistress Lorimer in Perry Mason, 1958-1960
Various in Wagon Train, 1958-1963
Dr. Kirkwood in The Real McCoy, 1959
Mrs. Videau in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, 1960
Mrs. Whitney in The Twilight Zone, 1960
Mrs. Phunphun in Dennis the Menace, 1960
Mrs. Collingwood in Shirley Temple Theatre, 1960
Various in The Joey Bishop Show, 1961-1962
Various in Have Gun- Will Travel, 1961-1963
Mrs. Brenner in Peter and Gladys, 1961-1962
Mrs. Billings in The Dick Van Dyke Show, 1961-1963
Aunt Martha in Mister Ed, 1961-1965
Various in Hazel, 1961-1965
Mrs. Millicent Schuyler-Potts in The Beverly Hillbillies, 1962-1963
Mildred in The Farmer’s Daughter, 1964-1965
Miss Marsh in Peyton Place, 1965
Mother Eunice Douglas in Green Acres, 1965-1969
Mrs. Teasley in Pistols and Petticoats, 1966-1967
Mrs. Vincent in My Three Sons, 1969-1970

<center>
Eleanor with the cast of her most popular show, Green Acres. </center>

Theatre-
Hotel Guest in Howdy, King, 1926-1927
Mary Randall in On Call, 1928-1929
Elinore Payne in Pigeons and People, 1933
Ruth Brook in Thunder on the Left, 1933
Millicent in Kill That Story, 1934
Clare Touhey in Ladies’ Money, 1934
Charlotte Marley in Susan and God, 1937
Charlotte Marley in Susan and God, 1943
Claire Dangerfield in In Bed We Cry, 1944

Also Featured in-
The Haunted Mansion Attraction as Madame Leota in Disneyland

<center>
Eleanor provided the voice (but not the face) of Madame Leota in The Haunted Mansion. </center>

Videos-
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcI7RCpjqDI">
Madame Leota</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04O2oVjeOuQ">
Maleficent’s Best Lines</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LFILnxi-RM">
Montage of Lady Tremaine</a>


Sources-
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0041598/">
Eleanor Audley- IMDb </a>
<a href="http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=30347">
Eleanor Audley- IBDb</a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Audley">
Eleanor Audley- Wikipedia</a>

<center>Find Other Disney Voice Actors Discussions Here!

Wave One:
<a href="http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic. ... iscussions">
Wayne Allwine</a>
<a href="http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic. ... iscussions">
Jodi Benson</a>
<a href="http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 915#509915">
Keith David</a>
<a href="http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic. ... iscussions">
Paige O'Hara</a>
</center>

[UmbrellaFish]

This is part one of a series of discussions about Disney voice actors and their careers. I’ve been compiling these list for awhile now, and while it’s been fun, there are missing links and information that I couldn’t find out myself. If you know something else to add, or possibly see something that needs to be corrected, please tell me.

Also, part two should feature:
Barbara Luddy
Sterling Holloway
Verna Felton
Adriana Caselotti
Russi Taylor

So, with no further ado, let’s discuss Eleanor Audley!

[Avaitor]

If Keith David is the MAN, Eleanor Audley is the WOMAN.

I'm not as familiar with her work outside of Disney as I am David's, but she Maleficent as awesome as she was, so she gets plenty of praise from me.

[UmbrellaFish]

There's not very much Eleanor love. That's sad because she brought life to not one but two of Disney's greatest villains. Her voice was incredible.

It's not surprising she did radio work. In fact, one of those radio shows "The Six Shooters" was a Cinderella story and she was the Evil Stepmother. To be honest though, the more I looked through her filmography, the more disappointed I got. Walt must have been the only person who saw her potential because Maleficent and Lady Tremaine are the largest roles she ever got, and she did wonders with them!

[PrincePhillipFan]

I'm kind of sad as well to hear not much discussion for Audley as well. She's up there as one of the definitive voices of Disney for me, along with the great Paul Frees.

Even though most people always remember her as Maleficent and Tremaine, I'm always surprised too at the range she has. I'm a huge fan of classic television, so I'd watched her many times before on Green Acres, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, etc. and she proves that she really excelled at in comedy or drama. There's just something about her presence, whether she plays a sympathetic or nasty character, that immediately makes you call to attention.

And even though it's a brief role, there's some kind of quality that makes her performance as Madame Leota very special and ethereal. The combination of Eleanor's voice with Leota Toombs' face seems to be a perfect match and gives the character the look and voice of a seasoned spiritual medium. I think that's part of the charm of the attraction is that Leota is such a central figure as she's the one who calls the spirits to materialize, but such a mysterious force as well that's she almost unnerving.

I also loved hearing Audley in the recording studios for her dialogue as Madame Leota. In addition she also did some takes as a welcoming hostess, Little Leota, and the raven. I'll have to try and post that audio track sometime.