VERNA FELTON

July 20, 1890

Verna Felton (1890-1966) made her professional stage debut at the age of 10 as ‘Little Verna Felton,’ working extensively on stage. 

Felton was one of the most successful performers in radio, and soon went on to television. 

She played the persistent Mrs. Day (mother of Dennis) on “The Jack Benny Show” (1955-62). 

She received two Emmy nominations for her role in the Desilu series “December Bride,” playing Hilda Crocker from 1955 to 1959 opposite Spring Byington as Lily. In one episode, producer Desi Arnaz guest-starred as himself. 

Felton played the character again on “Pete and Gladys” a spin-off of “December Bride” starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams, doing 26 episodes from 1960 to 1961. 

Desilu also produced “The Ann Sothern Show” (Desi Arnaz, Executive Producer) on which Felton did an appearance in 1960. A year earlier, Lucille Ball played Lucy Ricardo on the show, which was a reformatted version of “Private Secretary”.  Lucille Ball and Ann Sothern were friends and frequent co-stars after an early rivalry at RKO. 

On “I Love Lucy” Felton portrayed Mrs. Porter, the no-nonsense housekeeper in “Lucy Hires a Maid” (ILL S2;E23).

Felton was also featured in “Sales Resistance” (ILL S2;E17), playing Mrs. Simpson, a housewife to whom Lucy tries to sell a Handy Dandy vacuum cleaner – only to find out that she has no electricity! 

For Walt Disney, Felton voiced three elephants: Elephant Matriarch and Mrs. Jumbo in Dumbo (1941), as well as Winifred in The Jungle Book (1967).

She played two Queens: The Queen of Hearts in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Queen Leah in Sleeping Beauty (1959).

Her more human characters included Aunt Sarah in Lady and the Tramp (1955) and – a rare non-Disney female – Pearl Slaghoople, Wilma’s mother, on “The Flintstones”.

She also voiced two wand-wavers: Flora in Sleeping Beauty and – perhaps most famously – The Fairy Godmother in Disney’s Cinderella (1950), where she introduced the song “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” to the world.

Felton was married to radio actor Lee Millar for six years when when they appeared together on Broadway in Appearances, a few months before the crash of ‘29. 

 They had one child together, Lee Millar Jr., who made four appearances on “I Love Lucy,” most notably as Chip Jackson, the emcee who introduces the acts in “Lucy and the Dummy” (ILL S5;E3).  

Verna Felton died on December 14, 1966 at age 76.