Margie Hines


Margaret Louise Hines, also known as Marjorie Hines or Margie Hines, was an American voice actress. She was known for her work as a voice artist at Fleischer Studios, where she was the original voice of Betty Boop from 1930 until 1932 and again from 1938 until 1939, before voicing Olive Oyl and Swee' Pea in the Popeye the Sailor cartoons from 1939 to 1944. She also provided the voices for Fleischer's animated films Gulliver's Travels and Mr Bug Goes to Town

Career

Hines was the original voice actress for Fleischer's cartoon character Betty Boop, who debuted in the cartoon short Dizzy Dishes in 1930. Max Fleischer hired Hines, as she was a Helen Kane sound-alike, and Kane was the basis for the character, who in turn based her act on Baby Esther. Hines and several other actress voiced Betty until Mae Questel took over the role in 1931.
Beginning in 1932, Hines also did vocals for Aesop's Film Fables and Tom and Jerry produced by Van Beuren Studios. Her Van Beuren credits were erroneously attributed to Bonnie Poe, another actress who'd worked for Fleischer on Betty Boop cartoons.
Mae Questel, who was Fleischer's voice for Betty Boop and Popeye characters Olive Oyl and Swee'Pea during the mid-1930s, was unable to move with the Fleischer Studios staff when they left New York City for Miami. As a result, Hines was hired to replace Questel in both the Betty Boop and Popeye series, beginning in 1938. Hines voiced Betty Boop through her final series entries in 1939, and continued to voice Olive until 1943, when the studio, by then taken over by Paramount Pictures and renamed Famous Studios, returned to New York. The Marry-Go-Round was Hines' final short as the voice of Olive, with Mae Questel returning to the role in 1944.

Filmography

YearTitleRole
1930Dizzy DishesBetty Boop
1930Mysterious MoseBetty Boop
1932Aesop's Film FablesVarious
1932Tom and JerryVarious
1943The Marry-Go-RoundOlive Oyl

Personal life

Hines was born in Glendale, Queens, New York as Margaret Louise Hines.
On March 3, 1939, at the purported age of 21, Hines married her 29 year old co-star Winfield B. "Jack" Mercer, who provided the voice of Popeye. At the time of her marriage, her mother lived on Long Island and had the two remarry at a New York church. The two later divorced in 1950.