Pat Carroll is a classic. It is a bit ironic that her most famous role came in the 80’s, when her career in television went all the way back to the early 1950’s. Among those early parts, she could be seen in the recurring role of Bunny Halper in 12 episodes of The Danny Thomas Show, as well as parts in The Red Skelton Hour, and appearances in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley, My Three Sons, Too Close for Comfort, and in voiceover in the 1988 Superman animated series.
But when I met her on February 11, 2012, at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, I was mostly interested in the fact that she had provided the voice of the evil sea sorceress Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. For being such a sweet lady in real life, it’s amazing that the voice she employed in the film so perfectly fit the disgusting tentacled witch who gave Ariel such a hard time. It was amazing that the creators of the character had a myriad of other actresses (including Charlotte Rae, Bea Arthur, and Roseanne Barr) chosen to voice the character before Pat would eventually get the part.
I was thrilled to meet Pat Carroll, who although she was moving very slow as the fans waited for her to sign, spent ample time talking to us and posing for free photos. It was another great catch to my animated Disney autograph collection. And thankfully she only asked for $20 for her signature and didn’t demand my voice.
In another cool twist of fate, I’d first catch the new dark ride The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney’s California Adventure the next day – which naturally featured Ursula as voice by Pat Carroll.
Celebrities of the Winter 2012 Hollywood Show will continue…
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