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Verna Arline Felton (July 20, 1890December 14, 1966) was an American actress known for voicing characters in several classic Disney animated films, including the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (1950), the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Flora in Sleeping Beauty (1959).
She also provided the voice for Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople in Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones (1962–63) and had roles in live-action films. However, she was most active in radio programs, where her characters were known for their husky voices and no-nonsense attitudes. Two of her most famous roles were as Dennis Day's mother, Mrs. Day on both radio and television versions of The Jack Benny Program (1939–62) and as Hilda Crocker on December Bride (1952–59).
Felton's television appearances included The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, I Love Lucy, Where's Raymond?, Pete and Gladys and Dennis the Menace.
Shortly before her father's death, Felton had performed in a local benefit for victims of the Galveston Flood. Her singing and dancing attracted the attention of a manager of a road show company that was playing in San Jose at the time. The manager spoke to Felton's mother, offering to give Felton a job with his company. Since the family was experiencing difficult financial times with the loss of Felton's father, her mother contacted the road show manager. Felton quickly joined the cast of the show, growing up in the theater.
She acted in stage plays at the Empress Theatre in Vancouver in the late 1920s, playing the lead role in Goldfish, Stella Dallas, and The Second Mrs. Tanqueray. Future husband Lee Millar (1888–1941) directed the band for these plays.
Felton's first television appearance was in a 1951 episode of The Amos 'n Andy Show as a nurse. She appeared in a recurring role as the mother of Ruth Farley, a young woman played by Gloria Winters in the 1953–55 ABC sitcom with a variety show theme, Where's Raymond?, renamed The Ray Bolger Show. Though some sitcom aficionados might assume that her guest appearances on I Love Lucy led to a regular supporting role as Hilda Crocker on the CBS sitcom December Bride, Felton had played that same character on the radio version two years prior to the television production. Felton continued her Hilda Crocker role on the December Bride spin-off, Pete and Gladys, with Harry Morgan and Cara Williams. For her performance on December Bride, Felton was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1958 and 1959.
Felton was the original voice of Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople, voicing the character as a semi-regular in seasons two and three of Hanna-Barbera's landmark TV series The Flintstones. Fred's mother-in-law was not named during Felton's run; the "Slaghoople" name was mentioned in season four when Janet Waldo debuted in the role. In 1963, in the series finale of CBS's Dennis the Menace sitcom, Felton played John Wilson's aunt in the episode entitled "Aunt Emma Visits the Wilsons". In the story line, Mr. Wilson (Gale Gordon) tries to convince Aunt Emma to leave her estate to him and his wife, Eloise (Sara Seegar). Wilson becomes suspicious when Emma begins spending time with Dennis Mitchell (Jay North). Felton's son Lee Millar Jr. played Tommy Anderson's father on the same sitcom.
Felton was a popular actress at the Walt Disney Studios, lending her voice to the animated features:
According to the Los Angeles Times, Felton served as Honorary Mayor of North Hollywood for several years.
| 1937 | The Cinnamon Bear | Mother | |
| 1938–1939 | Candid Lady | Aunt Julia | |
| 1939 | Fibber McGee and Molly | Mrs. Homer Gildersleeve | |
| 1939–1942 | The Great Gildersleeve | Miss Fitch, Mrs. Godwin | |
| 1939–1955 | The Jack Benny Program | Mrs. Day (Dennis's mother) | |
| 1940–1944 1947–1948 | Point Sublime | Hattie Hirsch | |
| 1942 | Lux Radio Theatre | Madame Therese DeFarge | "A Tale of Two Cities" |
| 1942–1943 | Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou | Mrs. MacIntyre | |
| 1942–49 | The Abbott and Costello Show | Multiple characters | |
| 1943–1947 | The Joan Davis Show | Blossom Blimp | Also known as The Sealtest Village Store |
| 1944 | Command Performance | Saleswoman | "Christmas" |
| 1944–1952 | The Judy Canova Show | Aunt Aggie | |
| 1945 | The Old Gold Comedy Theater | Nick's Mother | "My Favorite Wife" Also known as The Harold Lloyd Theater |
| 1946–1953 | The Red Skelton Show | Junior's Grandmother | |
| 1948 | Suspense | Ada | "The Man Who Thought He Was Edward G. Robinson" |
| 1950 | Young Love | Janet's Mother Mrs. Shaw | "Visit by Janet's Mom and Jimmy's Dad" |
| Screen Directors Playhouse | The Fairy Godmother | "Cinderella" | |
| 1951 | Hallmark Playhouse | The Fairy Godmother | '"The Story of Cinderella'" |
| 1952–1953 | December Bride | Hilda Crocker | Radio version |
| 1952–1955 | My Little Margie | Mrs. Odetts |
| 1917 | The Chosen Prince, or the Friendship of David and Jonathan | Michal | |
| 1939 | Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President | Neighbor | Uncredited |
| 1940 | Northwest Passage | Mrs. Jill Towne | |
| If I Had My Way | Mrs. Abigail DeLacey | ||
| 1941 | Dumbo | Elephant Matriarch / Mrs. Jumbo | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1945 | Girls of the Big House | Agnes | |
| 1946 | She Wrote the Book | Mrs. Lauren Kilgour | Uncredited |
| 1948 | The Fuller Brush Man | Junior's Grandmother | |
| 1950 | Cinderella | The Fairy Godmother | Voice |
| Buccaneer's Girl | Dowager | ||
| The Gunfighter | Mrs. August Pennyfeather | ||
| 1951 | New Mexico | Mrs. Fenway | |
| Alice in Wonderland | Queen of Hearts | Voice | |
| Little Egypt | Mrs. Samantha Doane | ||
| 1952 | Belles on Their Toes | Cousin Leora | |
| Don't Bother To Knock | Mrs. Alex Ballew | ||
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Aunt Sarah | Voice |
| Picnic | Mrs. Helen Potts | ||
| 1957 | The Oklahoman | Mrs. Stephanie Waynebrook | |
| Taming Sutton's Gal | Aunty Sutton | ||
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Flora | Voice |
| 1960 | Guns of the Timberland | Aunt Sarah | |
| 1965 | The Man from Button Willow | Mrs. Tiffany Pomeroy, Mother, Lady on Trolley | Voice |
| 1967 | The Jungle Book | Winifred | Voice, Released Posthumously, (final film role) |
| 1951 | The Amos 'n Andy Show | Nurse | "Kingfish Has a Baby" Uncredited |
| 1952 | The Ezio Pinza Show | Mrs. Day | |
| 1952–1953 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | Emily Marsh, Mrs. Rodney, Maggie, Mrs. Evans | 4 episodes |
| 1952–1954 | The Dennis Day Show | Dennis' Mother Mrs. Day | |
| 1953 | I Love Lucy | Mrs. Simpson, Mrs. Porter | "Sales Resistance" & "Lucy Hires a Maid" |
| 1953–1955 | Where's Raymond? | Ruth Farley's Mother | |
| 1954 | Walt Disney's Disneyland | Queen of Hearts (voice, archived) | "Alice in Wonderland" |
| 1954–1959 | December Bride | Hilda Crocker | 155 episodes |
| 1955 | Walt Disney's Disneyland | Mrs. Jumbo / Elephant Matriarch (voice, archived) | "Dumbo" |
| 1955–1962 | The Jack Benny Program | Dennis' Mother Mrs. Day | 5 episodes |
| 1957 | Climax! | Nurse | "The Disappearance of Amanda Hale" |
| 1959 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | Mrs. Lapping | "Deck the Halls" |
| 1960 | The Real McCoys | Naomi Vesper | "Cousin Naomi" |
| 1960–1961 | Pete and Gladys | Hilda Crocker | 30 episodes Spin-off of December Bride |
| 1961 | Miami Undercover | Aramintha | "Cukie Dog" |
| 1962 | Wagon Train | Gran Jennings | "The Lonnie Fallon Story" |
| Henry Fonda and the Family | TV miniseries | ||
| My Three Sons | Mub | "Coincidences" | |
| 1962–1963 | The Flintstones | Pearl Slaghoople | Voice role 4 episodes |
| 1963 | Dennis the Menace | Aunt Emma | "Aunt Emma Visits the Wilsons" |
| 1977 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Flora (voice, archived) | "Sleeping Beauty" |
| 1983 | Walt Disney | ||
| 1998 | The Wonderful World of Disney |
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