Margaret Louise Hines (October 15, 1909 – December 23, 1985), also known as Marjorie Hines or Margie Hines, was an American voice actress.
She was known for her work at Fleischer Studios, where she was the original voice of Betty Boop. Hines served from 1930 until 1932 and again from 1938 until 1939, before voicing Olive Oyl and Swee' Pea in the Popeye the Sailor cartoons from 1938 to 1944.Milestone column Time (March 20, 1939) She also provided 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, whilst she was touring vaudeville she was heard by vocalist Billy Murray, an employee at Fleischer studio who suggested she was the right choice for the voice of the character who debuted in the cartoon short Dizzy Dishes in 1930. Studio head Max Fleischer hired Hines, as she was a Helen Kane sound-alike, and Kane was the basis for the character. Hines and several other actresses 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 had 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, left show business in 1938 to start a family. It was that year when Margie Hines was recalled as Questel's replacement. She moved with the Fleischer Studios staff when they left New York City for Miami. As a result, Hines assumed the roles done by Questel in both the Betty Boop and Popeye series. 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 (1943) was Hines' final short as the voice of Olive, with Mae Questel returning to the role in 1944 in The Anvil Chorus Girl.
Personal life Hines was born in Glendale, Queens, New York City, on October 15th, 1909, as Margaret Louise Hines."Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V65G-ZPK : July 12, 2019), Winfield B Jack Mercer and Margaret Louise Hines, March 3, 1939; citing Marriage, Broward, Florida, United States, citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida; FHL microfilm 2,241,554.
On March 3, 1939, Hines married her 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."Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK7F-LKK : December 25, 2014), Jack W Mercer and Marjorie Mercer, 1950; from "Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Dade, Florida, certificate 11372, volume 517, Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville. Hines married for a second time in 1951, to Raymond Brenneis (1922–1981), in Greenwich, Connecticut. However, the couple divorced in 1954. In 1956, Hines married Jesse William Heidtmann (1918–1997) in Southold, New York.
Under the name Marjorie L. Heidtmann, Hines died on December 23, 1985 in Seaford, New York, at age 76.Ancestry: Jesse William Heidtmann in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007
Filmography +YearTitleRole1930Dizzy Dishes Betty Boop1932The Wild Goose ChaseGirl Cat1932Pencil ManiaTomtato / Flapper1933Magic MummyThe Mummy1933The FarmeretteFarmerette1933Tight Rope TricksAcrobat1933Silvery MoonCountess1935Dancing on the MoonVarious roles1938Bulldozing the BullOlive Oyl1938All's Fair at the FairMirandy1938Sally SwingBetty Boop1938On with the New1938Thrills and Chills1938Cops Is Always RightOlive Oyl1939My Friend the MonkeyBetty Boop1939Customers WantedOlive Oyl1939Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp1939Musical MountaineersBetty Boop1939The Scared Crows1939Ghosks is the Bunk1939Rhythm on the Reservation1939It's the Natural Thing to DoOlive Oyl1939Never Sock a BabySwee' Pea1940Shakespearean SpinachOlive Oyl1940Females Is Fickle1940Me Feelins Is Hurt1940Wimmin Hadn't Oughta Drive1940Puttin' on the Act1941All's WellBaby1941Child PsykolojikySwee' Pea1941Mr. Bug Goes to TownMrs. Ladybug1941Nix on HypnotricksOlive Oyl / Telephone Operator / Bird1942Olive Oyl and Water Don't MixOlive Oyl1942Baby Wants a Bottleship1942Alona on the Sarong Seas1943Cartoons Ain't Human1943The Marry-Go-Round
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