Walter Leland Catlett was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. For Disney, He provided the voice of Honest John in Pinocchio and again for the Lux Radio Theatre presentation. He also appeared on-screen as Colonel Plug in Davy Crockett and the River Pirates.
Catlett was born in San Francisco to George C. Catlett and Mary E. Harris. He gained attention for his acts in vaudeville circuits and some opera before making a Broadway debut with shows, like So Long Letty, Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, Follow the Girl, Sally, and Lady, Be Good. He made a few appearance in silent films but gained better traction with the advent of "talkies", where the audience could fully appreciate his comic repertoire. He starred in a number of 'two-reelers', short films, where he often was the lead or part of a duo.
His film credits included The Big Party, The Florodora Girl, The Front Page, Big City Blues, Rain, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Bringing Up Baby, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Here Comes the Groom, His Girl Friday, Friendly Persuasion, Beau James, and as Mayor George Colton in Father Makes Good and two follow-up movies.
Catlett retired in 1957 and died of a stroke in 1960. He was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.
Roles[]
(Davy Crockett and the River Pirates)
