Goofy's Voice

[Nick]

How many times was Goofy's voice performed by Pinto Colvig? Did Colvig still do his voice even in cartoons where he doesn't have a 'goofy' voice (eg. "Tomorrow We Diet", "Motor Mania", "Cold War") or was it someone else?

I also know that Colvig left Disney in 1939 to work for Max Fleischer but later
came back in 1942, so who voiced Goofy during that period?

I asked this on the old forum but didn't get any replies. :p :goof:

[AngryBeavers]

I think Hal Smith did the voice when Pinto left.

-Yours Truly, Norbert Beaver

[howie]

I don't know if Hal Smith did the voice during the classic era (just in Mickey's Christmas Carol). Though, someone named "George Johnson" voiced Goofy in at least one cartoon during Colvig's absence.

After '42, Colvig returned to voicing the Goof, but apparently not full-time. Just look at all the post-'42 Goofy shorts without Pinto! I guess he was too busy juggling other jobs, like being Bozo the Clown..

As for those cartoons that feature characters that look like Goofy, but don't sound like him, I doubt that was Pinto Colvig. It sounds to me like Paul Frees voiced the characters in those early 50's shorts. But I'm just making an edumicated guess here-- might wanna get a second opinion.

[Speedy Boris]

Bill Farmer has provided Goofy's voice ever since Goof Troop in 1992. I'm a bit rusty on how the old school Goofy voice sounds- how close is Farmer's to the old VA jobs?

[howie]

Oh, Bill Farmer comes quite close to the original - I'd compare it to how Joe Alaskey recreates Daffy Duck's voice.

Some Differences:

Farmer's Goofy sometimes sounds more excited than the original usually did. Pinto Colvig's had a somewhat deeper, older-sounding voice. Also, Farmer does the laugh slightly different.

[Javeman]

Oh, Bill Farmer comes quite close to the original - I'd compare it to how Joe Alaskey recreates Daffy Duck's voice.I agree. Farmer does a pretty good Goofy, so is Alaskey as Daffy. We still need a good Bugs, and a good Elmer, specially.

To me, the best actor on recreating a classic character is Tony Anselmo.

[Cartman]

I agree. Farmer does a pretty good Goofy, so is Alaskey as Daffy. We still need a good Bugs, and a good Elmer, specially.

To me, the best actor on recreating a classic character is Tony Anselmo.

I always found Tony Anselmo's Donald voice to be more nasal sounding.

[Sogturtle]

How many times was Goofy's voice performed by Pinto Colvig? Did Colvig still do his voice even in cartoons where he doesn't have a 'goofy' voice (eg. "Tomorrow We Diet", "Motor Mania", "Cold War") or was it someone else?

I also know that Colvig left Disney in 1939 to work for Max Fleischer but later
came back in 1942, so who voiced Goofy during that period?

Nick~

It seems I wrote a long post or three on Pinto Colvig on our old board)... Pinto quit Disney in the late Summer of 1937, the last cartoon that the Disney archives SHOW him voicing on is "Goofy And Wilbur". Buuuuuuut Colvig evidently left the studio just as that cartoon was starting, as it is George Johnson doing most all of the voice. (During Pinto's absence Goofy's voice was provided by Johnson and two other voice artists, as well as "sampling" Colvig's Goofy voice for the "How To..." series of toons.
Pinto (true to his Goofy heritage:D ) SEEMS to have jumped between MGM, Schlesinger's and Fleischer's with his pal Charlie Thorson. With the demise of Fleischer control of their studio Colvig headed back out west in 1941, and immediately started providing voices at Schlesinger's, Lantz, Columbia, MGM, and DISNEY. For whatever reason(s) Pinto Colvig was NOT rehired at Walt's as a storyman but ONLY as Goofy's voice, and that purely on a FREELANCE basis from his return in 1941 till his death in 1967.

[Bobby Bickert]

Goofy's final lines in "Mickey's Trailer" sound different to me, though the rest of the cartoon sounds like Pinto.

[Nick]

What about in "Aquamania" and "Freewayphobia"? Did Colvig voice Goofy in those cartoons? :goof:

[mbaker]

Bill Farmer has provided Goofy's voice ever since Goof Troop in 1992. I'm a bit rusty on how the old school Goofy voice sounds- how close is Farmer's to the old VA jobs?
Actually, Bill Farmer started doing Goofy's voice in "The Prince & The Pauper". Predating "Goof Troop" by at least two years. Before Farmer, the late Tony Pope (Who sounds almost identical to Farmer) did Goofy's voice in such projects as "Soccermania", and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". I wonder if Tony Pope did Goofy's voice in the Disney records like "Mousercise", and "Splashdance"? Anyway, "Mickey's Christmas Carol" was the only time Hal Smith ever did Goofy's voice.

[J. B. Warner]

Bill Farmer isn't half-bad as Goofy, but nobody should ever try to recreate Colvig's classic Goofy yell. Nobody did it like him.

On the topic of Colvig's stints at other studios, how long did he work at Warner Bros.? I know he provided Conrad Cat's voice in "Conrad the Sailor" from 1942, but did he do anything else?

[Sogturtle]

Bill Farmer isn't half-bad as Goofy, but nobody should ever try to recreate Colvig's classic Goofy yell. Nobody did it like him.

On the topic of Colvig's stints at other studios, how long did he work at Warner Bros.? I know he provided Conrad Cat's voice in "Conrad the Sailor" from 1942, but did he do anything else?

J.B. Warner~

Pinto was at Schlesinger's not once but twice! The first time he appears to have followed his best friend Charlie Thorson there (1938/39). He can definitely be heard in Hobo Gadget Band and Snowman's Land. Some believe he's heard in three other cartoons in that same period (author Graham Webb doesn't believe that and thus fails to list him on those several toons, but it is distinctly possible).
On his second go round in 1941-42 he's most assuredly present in four cartoons... Aloha Hooey, Conrad the Sailor, Ding Dog Daddy, and Hop And Go. He's quite recognizable in these by the way. These were released at the same time he was voicing at other studios.

[Cartman]

Actually, Bill Farmer started doing Goofy's voice in "The Prince & The Pauper". Predating "Goof Troop" by at least two years. Before Farmer, the late Tony Pope (Who sounds almost identical to Farmer) did Goofy's voice in such projects as "Soccermania", and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". I wonder if Tony Pope did Goofy's voice in the Disney records like "Mousercise", and "Splashdance"? Anyway, "Mickey's Christmas Carol" was the only time Hal Smith ever did Goofy's voice.
On the Complete Goofy DVD, didn't Farmer say in Maltin's interview that he started working for Disney in the late 80's?

[Nick]

Bill Farmer isn't half-bad as Goofy, but nobody should ever try to recreate Colvig's classic Goofy yell. Nobody did it like him. Actually, the Goofy yell wasn't done by Pinto Colvig. It was done by a yodeller that Disney hired to create the yodelling heard in the opening titles of "The Art Of Skiing" (the same cartoon is the first time Goofy does his yell). It was used as a sound effect, which explains why Donald Duck did it a couple of times and why it is heard in the film, "Cinderella". I agree with you that Farmer doesn't do a good yell, like Joe Alaskey can't do a good woo hoo noise for Daffy Duck.

:goof:

[JDWeil]

J.B. Warner~

Pinto was at Schlesinger's not once but twice! The first time he appears to have followed his best friend Charlie Thorson there (1938/39). He can definitely be heard in Hobo Gadget Band and Snowman's Land. Some believe he's heard in three other cartoons in that same period (author Graham Webb doesn't believe that and thus fails to list him on those several toons, but it is distinctly possible).
On his second go round in 1941-42 he's most assuredly present in four cartoons... Aloha Hooey, Conrad the Sailor, Ding Dog Daddy, and Hop And Go. He's quite recognizable in these by the way. These were released at the same time he was voicing at other studios.

Colvig also voiced the rowdy in Shake Your Powder Puff.

[JDWeil]

At MGM, Covig's Goofy voice could be heard as the country wolf in Rural Red Riding Hood and he was the original Bozo the Clown for Capitol Records.

[frogboxer]

Tony Pope (Who sounds almost identical to Farmer) did Goofy's voice in such projects as ... "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". Goofy had lines in that movie?

[mbaker]

Goofy had lines in that movie?
Yes. It's near the end when all the toons rush to see the remains of Judge Doom.

:mickey: Gosh, i wonder who he really was?

:bugs1: I'll tell ya one thing, doc. He weren't no rabbit.

:daffy: Or a duck.

:goof: Or a dog. (Ahyuk)

[laugh4me]

I'm pretty sure I read once that Bob Jackman also voiced :goof: Goofy some (maybe during the 1950's?).

[Sogturtle]

I'm pretty sure I read once that Bob Jackman also voiced :goof: Goofy some (maybe during the 1950's?).

Laugh4me~

Yes you're right! For a rather brief period in the very early 1950's Bob Jackman does turn up as the voice of Goofy. This coincided pretty much with Pinto's being busy on the live-action TV version of Bozo...

[Matt the Y]

Laugh4me~

Yes you're right! For a rather brief period in the very early 1950's Bob Jackman does turn up as the voice of Goofy. This coincided pretty much with Pinto's being busy on the live-action TV version of Bozo...


Actually, I believe Jackman did the voice of Goofy in the handful of 1950's shorts in which Goofy (or G.G. Geef as the case may be) actually has a HUMAN voice rather than his "Gawrsh, hyuk" type of voice. These would be "Cold War", "Tomorrow We Diet", "Get Rich Quick", and "Fathers are People".

[Sogturtle]

Actually, I believe Jackman did the voice of Goofy in the handful of 1950's shorts in which Goofy (or G.G. Geef as the case may be) actually has a HUMAN voice rather than his "Gawrsh, hyuk" type of voice. These would be "Cold War", "Tomorrow We Diet", "Get Rich Quick", and "Fathers are People".

Matt the Y~

Yep Matt, there is truth to that! Annnnd purportedly Jackman turns up in seven other Disney toons as well in the same era, in a couple of which Pinto is there as well!!!

[Sogturtle]

Additionally for your drinking and dancing pleasure I looked up the rot I wrote about Pinto Colvig on our former board and have pasted it in down below (for anybody who's just goofy:goof:for Goofy :goof: (or panting for Pinto) info:D )...


Wellllll since we've brought up Pinto Colvig's several years of non-Disney work (and later post-Disney work) I'll add a few things... Yes indeed, "Hop And Go" is Pinto, and notably it is his last KNOWN work for Schlesinger/Warners.

The next (and this is a painful) point is that in Animato #31 (Winter 1995) Hames Ware speculated that there was a near flawless Goofy-imitator at work in Hollywood in several cartoons of the late Thirties and early Forties, and which he ultimately concluded "tentatively" to be Danny Webb/Dave Weber. Hames failed to divulge the name of the 'pseudo-Colvig' person providing the Goofy in the Disney toons at the end of the Thirties. Annnnnd he flatly disagreed with his friend Graham Webb that Colvig was the Goofy of "Goofy And Wilbur" despite that toon being released only months after Pinto's departure from Disney (and that the Disney Archives say it was Colvig, which probably IMPLIES that he started work on it).

Additionally Hames seemed totally unaware that Pinto followed his best-friend CHARLIE THORSON from Disney to MGM, then to Schlesinger's joint, before moseying on to the Fleischers (and that he ultimately retraced those steps)... He then concluded that the "faux Goofy" found in one Lantz cartoon ("Man's Best Friend") and several MGM toons ("Bats In The Belfry", "One Ham's Family", and "The Early Bird Dood It") of the early Forties was soooooo perfect as to imperil Pinto Colvig's return to Hollywood. The problem with all of this is that Avery's "Aloha Hooey" and Chuck's "Conrad The Sailor" (both with Pinto) were made in 1941 immediately after Colvig returned from Florida. Lantz's "Man's Best Friend" was actually released a couple months earlier, but Graham Webb concluded that the voice in it HAD to be that of Pinto Colvig. For whatever reasons Graham agrees with Hames Ware that the voice in MGM's ("Bats In The Belfry", "One Ham's Family", and "The Early Bird Dood It") is NOT Pinto, but then disagrees that it was Danny Webb/Dave Weber and that instead it was Dick Nelson (ditto for "The Blitz Wolf" and the much later "What Price Fleadom"). At this point I have to interject that Danny Webb's KNOWN career ended in 1942, Graham Webb believes strongly that the voice heard in Metro's "One Stork's Holiday" was his last cartoon performance, and I know writing on it started in June 1942). [I wonder if Keith Scott found studio records to back up either side of the voice question?!?]

While we're wondering and wandering about Pinto's trail, I should probably mention that there is puzzling work gap between Fall 1943 and early 1945 (only one cartoon released in that period)...
And lastly, I did once-upon-a-time inquire of Disney as to Colvig's work history there... Part of the reply was essentially that he returned ONLY as a voice-artist (not a storyman) and very, very importantly, only on a free-lance basis... Intriguingly the date they have down for his free-lance return was... 1941 (the same time as his work at Warners, Lantz, Columbia and MGM...).

[mbaker]

Actually, I believe Jackman did the voice of Goofy in the handful of 1950's shorts in which Goofy (or G.G. Geef as the case may be) actually has a HUMAN voice rather than his "Gawrsh, hyuk" type of voice. These would be "Cold War", "Tomorrow We Diet", "Get Rich Quick", and "Fathers are People".
I often wonder if Goofy, and G.G. Geef are two different characters? Geef can be quite the clutz sometimes, but he isn't the carefree, bucktooth fool that Goofy is known to be.

[Sogturtle]

I often wonder if Goofy, and G.G. Geef are two different characters? Geef can be quite the clutz sometimes, but he isn't the carefree, bucktooth fool that Goofy is known to be.
MBaker~
I've also posted the below response in the thread you've started on this sub-topic...


It's my belief that Geef is just Goofy (in a sort of different role), but that the whole thing was necessitated by the general unavailability of Pinto Colvig whilst he was doing Bozo on TV and everywhere. Sooooo voila! Give him a slightly new look and related name to explain his different voice...

This is more or less analagous to Chuck Jones comments that the Coyote, the speaking Wile E. Coyote, and Ralph Wolf were all the same character (no matter what people thought/think). But that in in his (Chuck's) own mind the actor (the Coyote character) was just playing a different role at times.