Pat Buttram

Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram (June 19, 1915 – January 8, 1994) was an American character actor. He was known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series Green Acres. He is primarily remembered for his distinctive voice, which "has been described as sounding like a handful of gravel thrown in a Mix-Master."

Early life Buttram was born on June 19, 1915, in Addison, Alabama, to Wilson McDaniel Buttram, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Mary Emmett Maxwell. He had an older brother, Augustus McDaniel Buttram, and five other elder siblings. When young "Pat", as he was called, was a year old, his father was transferred to Nauvoo, Alabama. Buttram graduated from Mortimer Jordan High School, then located in Morris, Alabama, and entered Birmingham–Southern College to study for the Methodist ministry.Wilson, Claire M. "Pat Buttram" on the Encyclopedia of Alabama website. Accessed July 14, 2023.

Career Buttram performed in college plays and on a local radio station, then became a regular on the National Barn Dance broadcast on WLS (AM) in Chicago. He also had his own program on CBS.

Buttram went to Hollywood in the 1940s and became a sidekick to Roy Rogers. However, because Rogers already had two regulars, Buttram was dropped.

He was then picked by Gene Autry, recently returned from his World War II service in the United States Army Air Corps. Buttram co-starred with Autry in more than 40 films and in over 100 episodes of his television show. Buttram's first Autry film was The Strawberry Roan in 1948.

In the late 1940s, Buttram joined Autry on his radio show Melody Ranch and then on television with The Gene Autry Show. During the first television season, Buttram went by Pat or Patrick, with a variety of last names. From the second season forward, he used his own name.

Buttram also played Mr. Eustace Haney in the 1965–1971 television comedy Green Acres. He did voice work for several Disney animated features, playing Napoleon (hound dog) in The Aristocats, the Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf) in Robin Hood, Luke (muskrat) in The Rescuers, Chief (hunting dog) in The Fox and the Hound, and one of the Toon bullets in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He had a recurring role as the voice of Cactus Jake on Garfield and Friends. One of his later roles was an appearance in Back to the Future Part III. His final voice-over was A Goofy Movie, released a year after his death. Buttram is credited as one of the writers on the Hee Haw television show for two episodes in 1969 and 1970."Hee Haw: Writers" on TV.com

Buttram made the oft-quoted observation about the 1971 "rural purge," in which CBS canceled many programs with a rural theme or setting: "CBS canceled everything with a tree in it – including Lassie," referring to the cancellations of Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.Quotation taken from amazon.com preview of book, accessed March 23, 2009.

In 1987, Buttram returned to television with Gene Autry on Melody Ranch Theater on The Nashville Network. It featured Gene Autry's classic Western movies, cut down for television, with original opening and closing segments of America's first singing cowboy and his comedic sidekick reminiscing about the making of the movies and events in the industry at the time.

Personal life In 1936, Buttram married Dorothy McFadden. The couple adopted a daughter but divorced in 1946. In 1952, he married actress Sheila Ryan; they were together until her death in 1975. They had a daughter named Kathrine (nicknamed Kerry), born in 1954.

Buttram retired from acting in 1980 and made his home in his native Winston County, Alabama. However, he returned to California, where he made frequent personal appearances.

Buttram was a staunch Republican who helped Ronald Reagan spice up his speeches with political quips. In 1993, Buttram expressed surprise that with the inauguration of Bill Clinton and Al Gore as president of the United States and vice president of the United States, respectively, so many Hollywood actors were "taken with that whole country-boy image they tried to project". According to his niece Mary Buttram Young, "Uncle Pat would always say 'I'm from Alabama – I can see right through that'."

Death and legacy Buttram died from kidney failure at the UCLA Medical Center on January 8, 1994, at the age of 78. He is interred at the cemetery at the Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church in the Pebble community near Haleyville, Alabama.

In 1988, Buttram was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and one on the Alabama Stars of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1944 The National Barn Dance Himself 1948 The Strawberry Roan Hank 1949 Riders in the Sky Chuckwalla 1950 Mule Train Smokey Argyle Beyond the Purple Hills Mike Rawley Indian Territory Shadrach Jones The Blazing Sun Mike 1951 Gene Autry and the Mounties Scat Russell Texans Never Cry Ranger Pecos Bates Silver Canyon Pat Claggett The Hills of Utah Dusty Cosgrove Valley of Fire Breezie 1952 The Old West Panhandle Gibbs Night Stage to Galveston Himself Apache Country Himself Barbed Wire "Buckeye" Buttram Wagon Team Deputy Pat Buttram Blue Canadian Rockies Rawhide 1961 Wild in the Country Mr. Longstreet, the Mechanic uncredited 1963 Twilight of Honor Cole Clinton 1964 Roustabout Harry Carver The Hanged Man Otis Honeywell TV film 1966 Sergeant Deadhead The President 1968 The Sweet Ride Texas Gambler 1969 I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew Blodgett 1970 Napoleon voiceanimated film 1971 Tin Pot 1972 Evil Roy Slade Narrator TV filmuncredited 1973 Robin Hood Sheriff of Nottingham voiceanimated film 1976 Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch Narrator 1977 Luke, Swamp Inhabitant voiceanimated film 1979 Angels Brigade Used Car SalesmanThe New Misadventures of Ichabod CraneWashington the HorsevoiceTV movie 1981 Chief, Hunting Dog voiceanimated film Choices Pops1988 The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound Red Eye the Bartender voiceTV film Who Framed Roger Rabbit A Toon Bullet No. 3 voicelive action / animated film 1990 Back to the Future: Part III Jeb, Saloon Old Timer No. 3 1995 A Goofy Movie Possum Park Emcee voice (posthumous release)animated film

Partial television credits Year(s) Series Role Episode(s) 1950–1955 Pat Jensen / himself / Patrick Smith / Deputy Pat / Hap Wallace / Sheriff Pat 83 episodes 1961–1963 The Real McCoys (1) and (2) Cousin Carl(3) and (4) Pat Clemens (1) Season 4 Episode 30: "Back to West Virginny" (1961)(2) Season 4 Episode 31: "Fly Away Home" (1961)(3) Season 6 Episode 13: "Luke the Reporter" (1962)(4) Season 6 Episode 35: "The Partners" (1963) 1962–1967 The Ed Sullivan Show Himself 8 episodes 1963 The Danny Thomas Show Harvey Bullock Season 11 Episode 3: "Here's the $50 Back" 1964 The Tycoon Brian Season 1 Episode 2: "The Shotgun Meyer" The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1) Charlie Hill(2) Emory (1) Season 2 Episode 17: "The Jar"(2) Season 3 Episode 6: "Lonely Place" 1965 The Munsters Pop Mallory Season 1 Episode 17: "All-Star Munster" The Cara Williams Show Charlie Paradise (1) "Paradise Lost and Found" (1965)(2) "Paradise Freezes Over" (1965) 1965–1971 Green Acres Mr. Haney 147 episodes 1966–1967 Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1) Pa Turner(2) Jake Turner (1) Season 1 Episode 1: "A Crooked Line" (1966)(2) Season 1 Episode 22: "The Golden Fleece" 1966–1969 Petticoat Junction Mr. Haney (1) Season 3 Episode 21: "The County Fair" (1966)(2) Season 7 Episode 3: "The Other Woman" (1969)(3) Season 7 Episode 9: "A Most Momentous Occasion" (1969) 1967 The Hollywood Squares Himself 5 episodes 1968–1973 The Dean Martin Comedy Hour Himself 3 episodes 1970 The Merv Griffin Show Himself episode dated June 25, 1970 1971 The Jimmy Stewart Show Oscar Pettywhistle Season 1 Episode 13: "Luther's Last Love" 1972 Alias Smith and Jones First Sheriff Season 2 Episode 23: "Bad Night in Big Butte" The Mouse Factory Himself "Bullfighting to Bullfrogs" 1973 Adam-12 Drunk Man Season 5 Episode 23: "Keeping Tabs" 1974 Emergency! Hermit Season 3 Episode 20: "Floor Brigade" 1977 Chico and the Man Jeb Gibson Season 3 Episode 19: "Gregory Peck Is a Rooster" 1979 The Sacketts Tuthill the Bank Teller Miniseries(1) Season 1 Episode 1: Part I"(2) Season 1 Episode 2: Part II" The Dukes of Hazzard Sam Season 2 Episode 1: "Days of Shine and Roses" 1982 Simon & Simon Jonathan Evans Season 2 Episode 6: "Rough Rider Rides Again" 1983 The Love Boat The Chef (1) Season 6 Episode 27: "Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu & Kenny (Country Music Jamboree): Part 1"(2) Season 6 Episode 28: "Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu & Kenny (Country Music Jamboree): Part 2" 1984 Family Feud Himself 1986 Knight Rider Buck Season 4 Episode 20: "Fright Knight" 1989–1991 Garfield and Friends Cactus Jake (10 episodes), Cactus Josh (1), Cactus Jimmy (1), Cactus Joe (1) (voice) 10 episodes; animated series 1990 Gravedale High Inspector Nitpicker (voice) Season 1 Episode 3: "Save Our School" 1990–1991 Who's the Boss Chappy (1) Season 7 Episode 13: "Broadcast Blues" (1990)(2) Season 7 Episode 24: "The Road to Washington: Part 1" (1991)(3) Season 7 Episode 25: "The Road to Washington: Part 2" (1991) 1991 Tiny Toon Adventures Bicycle Bob (voice) Season 1 Episode 56: "Son of the Wacko World of Sports" Rugrats Eddie (voice) Season 1 Episode 13: "Graham Canyon" (1991); animated series

Pat Buttram

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