Gloria Wood
Gloria Wood (September 8, 1923 – March 4, 1995) was a singer and cartoon voice actress. Her rare voice was in the four-octave range. She was able to imitate other voices.
Cartoon voices
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (on records)
- Various Loony Tunes cartoon characters
- Tinker Bell on Peter Pan peanut butter TV commercials
- Minnie Mouse (Disney)
- Susie Sparrow (Disney)
- Nelly the Singing Giraffe (Warner Brothers)
- Cartoon characters in A Symposium on Popular Songs (Disney)
History & Discography
- 1941: Gloria's mother, a pop singer on Boston radio in the mid-'20s, sent Gloria into big band singing from high school.
- 1940s: Gloria Wood sings with band leader Kay Kyser.
- 1948: On a Slow Boat to China - Kay Kyser, Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood
- 1948: She first sings The Woody Woodpecker Song in Wet Blanket Policy cartoon.
- 1948: So Dear to My Heart (Disney Live Action/Animated Film) (chorus)
- 1949: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ("The Headless Horseman" chorus)(Disney Animated Film)
- 1950: She is the uncredited singing voice of Adele Jergens in the comedy film Blues Busters. She sings Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, and Better Be Lookin' Out for Love.
- 1951: Alice in Wonderland (Disney Animated Film) (chorus)
- 1953: Peter Pan (Disney Animated Film) (chorus)
- 1953: Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (Disney Animated Short) Susie Sparrow
- 1953: 'Hey Bellboy' is one of her most popular songs. It sold 1 million copies.
- 1953: The Band Wagon
- 1953: Singer in 'That's Entertainment' Sequence (uncredited)
- 1954: She is the dubbed singing voice for Marilyn Monroe in the movie River of No Return.
- 1954: She is an dubbed singing voice for Vera-Ellen in the movie White Christmas.
- mid-1950s: She sings an LP of romantic ballads for Columbia.
- 1955 to 1958: In only three years, Gloria sang in more than 2,000 singing commercials.
- 1956: Gaby - Singer at the Bottle Club and performer in "Where Or When" - uncredited
- 1957: She is the Singing Bride in The Jack Benny Program (TV series) and in Goodwin Knight/George Jessel Show.
- 1957: Zorro (Live Action Series) Singing barmaid in "Death Stacks the Deck"
- 1957: The Woody Woodpecker Show (Animated Series) Singer "Spook-a-Nanny"
- late 1950s: She sings on a record with Ricky Nelson.
- late 1950s: She heads up a choir in Disney record/s.
- late 1950s: Along with Stan Freberg, she plays cartoon voices in TV commercials, including the Rice-A-Roni TV commercial jingle.
- late 1950s: She plays cartoon voices in cartoons and record albums.
- "Ching Ching" Gloria Wood And The Afterbeats Bob Sherman, Dick Sherman Buena Vista USA 1960
- 1961: She voices and sings as Nelly the Singing Giraffe in Nelly's Folly, a short cartoon for Warner Bros.
- 1962: She sings in A Symposium on Popular Songs, a short cartoon for Disney: "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Man", "Rock, Rumble and Roar", "Charleston Charlie"
- 1966: The Super 6 cartoon
- 1966: Batman (Live Action Series) (theme song chorus)
- 1969: A Boy Named Charlie Brown (Animated Film) (singer)
- 1973: Walt Disney presents Christmas Adventure in Disneyland album - Disneyland Records.
- 1978: Yogi's Space Race by Hanna-Barbera
- 1996: The Bugs n' Daffy Show cartoon TV series.
- 1995: She voices various cartoon characters in That's Warner Bros.! TV series.
Press
On May 26, 1958, Time Magazine wrote:
- "The most pervasive voice in radio or television belongs neither to Bing Crosby nor Perry Como, but to a pretty, twinkly, auburn-haired girl named Gloria Wood. Blessed with a four-octave range and a gift for mimicry, Gloria can sing high or low, squeaky or sweet, on demand and to order. And the demand for such special talents is tremendous. ... One firm planned a commercial featuring an eight-year-old boy, a nine-year-old girl, their mother and grandmother. Gloria did all four characters. ... With her four-octave range, which she claims matches the eerie range of Peruvian Vocal Acrobat Yma Sumac, she can take off from low C below middle C and soar to C above high C. But this endowment also drives Gloria to despair: nobody wants to hear her sing straight... Gloria did solid hitches with Horace Heidt and Kay Kyser... The movies have called on her to provide the voice of many a nonsinging star. She sang for Marilyn Monroe in "River of No Return", for Vera-Ellen in "White Christmas". ..."I like making money", she admits. "But I'd like to be known for all the things I've done." Nobody knows Gloria Wood."