Little Ann Little
Little Ann Little | |
|---|---|
 Pauline Comanor (left) and Ann Little | |
| Born | Ann L. Rothschild c.1909/1910[1][2] |
| Died | October 22, 1981 (aged 71)[1][2] |
| Other names | Annie Rothschild, Annabel Little, Ann Little Werner[3] |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, voice artist, singer |
| Years active | 1920s-1940s |
| Spouse | Louis Werner |
Little Ann Little (born Ann L. Rothschild, c. 1909/1910 – October 22, 1981[1][2]) 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[4] and appeared in variety shows throughout the country. 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
After 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.
Little studied the Bible, with the goal of becoming an ordained minister and to preach the Gospel.[5] From 1954, Little was ordained as minister in the Unity Church of Christianity.
Little died at the age of 71 in Fort Myers, Florida on October 22, 1981.[1][2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Betty Boop Dead at 71" Gadsden Times (October 25, 1981)
- ^ a b c d "Ann Rothschild, entertainer, dies" Rome News-Tribune (October 25, 1981)
- ^ "Margie Hines: Betty's First Voice!".
- ^ 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)