Joseph Tapley Dougherty (November 4, 1898 – April 19, 1978)[1] was an American actor, who provided the original voice of the Warner Bros. animation character, Porky Pig, starting with the character's debut in I Haven't Got a Hat in 1935 through Porky's Romance in 1937. Treg Brown changed his voice for Porky. Due to Dougherty's stutter, Count Cutelli was brought for additional lines due to the length of the audio and budgetary issues.

Joe Dougherty
Born
Joseph Tapley Dougherty

(1898-11-04)November 4, 1898
Missouri, U.S.
DiedApril 19, 1978(1978-04-19) (aged 79)
OccupationActor
Years active1927–1967

After that, Mel Blanc took over the role and voiced Porky for 52 years. Dougherty spoke with a natural stutter that became one of the character's trademarks; Dougherty's inability to control his stutter was a factor in the part being recast.[2][3][4][5] According to Friz Freleng, the director of I Haven't Got a Hat, Dougherty would get nervous every time they said cut. Freleng also called the casting for someone who stuttered and they landed on Dougherty.[6][7]

Early life and career

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Dougherty was born in Missouri. Before becoming an actor, Dougherty attended medical school at the University of Nebraska, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. When Friz Freleng needed someone who had stuttering issues do the role of Porky Pig, the casting director hired Dougherty. Dougherty would continue voicing the character from 1935 until 1937 where Mel Blanc took over the role of the character presumably because Dougherty could not control his stuttering issues.[8]

Before he was fired, Count Cutelli was bought in to provide the additional lines for Porky. His last role ever was in the TV program Pistols 'n' Petticoats, where he played the role of Floyd Sullivan in one episode before officially retiring.

Death

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Dougherty died on April 19, 1978, in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack. He was 79 years old.[1]

Partial filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1935 I Haven't Got a Hat Porky Pig
Gold Diggers of '49
1936 Boom Boom
Westward Whoa
Plane Dippy
Fish Tales
Porky's Pet
Porky's Poultry Plant
Milk and Money
Little Beau Porky
Porky in the North Woods
1937 Porky's Romance
1938 Berth Quakes Voices
1949 Knock on Any Door Man (uncredited) on-screen role
1950 Shakedown Man
Storm Warning Townsman
1954 A Star Is Born Makeup Man #3 (uncredited)
1955 East of Eden Townsman at Carnival
1956 Around the World in 80 Days Extra (uncredited)
1966 The Loner Townsman (uncredited) episode: "A Little Scroll to the End of the Line", also on-screen role
1967 Pistols 'n' Petticoats Floyd Sullivan on-screen role; episode: "Harold's Double"

References

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  1. ^ a b "All California, Death Index, 1940-1997 results for Joe Dougherty". Ancestry.com.
  2. ^ "Mel Blanc: From Anonymity To Offscreen Superstar (The advent of on-screen voice credits)". Cartoon Research. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  3. ^ Korkis, Jim (2019-05-31). "Who Was Count Cutelli?". Cartoon Research. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  4. ^ Shell, Mark (2005). Stutter. Harvard University. pp. 86–87. ISBN 9780674019379.
  5. ^ Blanc, Mel (1989). That's Not All Folks!. Warner Books. p. 66. ISBN 9780446512442.
  6. ^ Friz Freleng at Reg Hartt's Cineforum, Toronto, Canada, 1980. 12:27-13:11
  7. ^ Friz on Film
  8. ^ Shell, Marc (2006). Stutter. Harvard University Press. pp. 86–87. ISBN 9780674043534.
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