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Kent Rogers

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Kent Rogers
Rogers in All-American Co-Ed (1941)
Born
Kent Byron Rogers

(1923-07-31)July 31, 1923
DiedJuly 9, 1944(1944-07-09) (aged 20)
OccupationActor
Years active1937–1944

Kent Byron Rogers (July 31, 1923 – July 9, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in several live-action features and shorts, and a voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons and Walter Lantz Productions.

Career

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For Warner Bros. Cartoons, Rogers portrayed several Hollywood stars in Hollywood Steps Out, and lent his voice to The Heckling Hare, Porky's Pastry Pirates, Horton Hatches the Egg, The Squawkin' Hawk and Super-Rabbit. Rogers also provided the original voice of Beaky Buzzard in Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid and The Bashful Buzzard. He also provided the voice of Junior Bear in Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears, the initial 1944 entry of Chuck Jones' The Three Bears series. He also appeared occasionally on radio sitcoms, generally doing one-off characters.

In 1941, he had a rare on-camera role as Henry, a boy who had a talent for doing impressions, in the film All-American Co-Ed.

For Walter Lantz Productions he voiced Woody Woodpecker in five theatrical cartoon shorts released from 1942 to 1943.[1]

Death

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Rogers enlisted as an Ensign in the United States Navy in late 1943. He was killed in the crash of a training flight at Pensacola, Florida on July 9, 1944. Stan Freberg, who arrived in Hollywood just as Rogers had died, would be hired to replace Rogers, including in the role of Junior Bear.[2] Mel Blanc took over as the voice of Beaky Buzzard, though that character's appearances were limited after Rogers' death.[3]

Rogers is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1937 Make a Wish Summer Camp Kid Film debut, uncredited
Boy of the Streets Gang Member 'Red' Uncredited
Headin' East Boy in Gym Uncredited
1938 Reformatory Inmate Uncredited
Boys Town Tailor Uncredited
The Storm Boy in Gym Uncredited
1939 Wanted: No Master Justice of the Peace[4] Voice, uncredited
Streets of New York Gang Member Uncredited
1940 Northwest Passage Odiorne Towne Uncredited
Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr. Grasshopper[4] Uncredited
Those Were the Days! Jimmy Skelton Uncredited
The Bookworm Turns Mr. Hyde[4] Voice, uncredited
Military Academy Billings Uncredited
Syncopated Sioux Punchy / Cowboy / Indians[4] Voice, uncredited
1941 Goofy Groceries Henry Gorilla / Crab Voice, uncredited
Farm Frolics Henry Ant[4] Voice, uncredited
Hollywood Steps Out Mickey Rooney / James Cagney / James Stewart / J. Edgar Hoover / Henry Fonda / Cary Grant / Edward G. Robinson / Clark Gable / Bing Crosby / Lewis Stone / Ned Sparks / Peter Lorre / Groucho Marx / Kay Kyser[4] Voice, uncredited
The Heckling Hare Willoughby[4] Voice, uncredited
Life Begins for Andy Hardy Tough Boy Uncredited
Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm Various Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals in the Zoo Monkey / Elephant / Lion / Stork / Fox / Tortoise Voice, uncredited
All-American Co-ed Henry
1942 Porky's Pastry Pirates James Cagney Bee[4] Voice, uncredited
The Hollywood Matador Woody Woodpecker / Oxnard the Terribull / Elevator Hick[4] Voice, uncredited
The Hams That Couldn't Be Cured Algernon Wolf / Pigs / Sheriff[4] Voice, uncredited
Horton Hatches the Egg Horton the Elephant / Peter Lorre Fish / Giraffe / Rosebud[4] Voice, uncredited
Nutty Pine Cabin Beavers[4] Voice, uncredited
Hobby Horse-Laffs Strongfort / Giggleswick / Potts[4] Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals and Their Families Hippo Baby Voice, uncredited
Ace in the Hole Woody Woodpecker / GI Sergeant[4] Voice, uncredited
Wacky Blackout Woodpecker / Baby Bird[4] Voice, uncredited
Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid Beaky Buzzard[4] Voice, uncredited
Pigeon Patrol Homer Pigeon / Carrier Pigeon / Induction Officer[4] Voice, uncredited
The Squawkin' Hawk Henery Hawk[4] Voice, uncredited
Blitz Wolf Devils[4] Voice, uncredited
The Early Bird Dood It! Worm[4] Voice, uncredited
Andy Panda's Victory Garden Caterpillar[4] Voice, uncredited
The Hep Cat Rosebud[4] Voice, uncredited
The Loan Stranger Woody Woodpecker / Hudson C. Dann[4] Voice, uncredited
Road to Morocco Male Camel Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals in South America Spider Monkey / Male Parrot / Monkey #2 / Stork #1 / Condor / Anteater / Barnacle Goose Voice, uncredited
1943 The Screwball Woody Woodpecker / Policeman / "Ouches" / Man in Seat / Vendor / Ballplayer / Batter / Worm / Umpire / Catcher[4] Voice, uncredited
Tortoise Wins by a Hare Dumb Rabbit with Telescope[4] Voice, uncredited
Super-Rabbit Professor Canafrazz[4] Voice, uncredited
Swing Your Partner Homer Pigeon / Hank / Laughter[4] Voice, uncredited
Red Hot Riding Hood Wolf (some lines)[4] Voice, uncredited
The Dizzy Acrobat Woody Woodpecker[4] Voice, uncredited
Who Killed Who? Victim / Red Skeleton / Falling Body / Santa Claus[4] Voice, uncredited
One Ham's Family Narrator / Junior / Wolf[4] Voice, uncredited
What's Buzzin' Buzzard Joe Buzzard / Jimmy Durante Vulture's Stomach / Rabbit[4] Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals Tails of the Border Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals at the Cage Door Carteen Parrot / Polar Bear / Monkey / Moron / Buzzard / Stork / Eagle Voice, uncredited
1944 Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears Junyer Bear[4] Voice, uncredited
Who's Who in Animal Land Fox / Llama / Donkey / Singing Bull Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals as Babies Monkey / Henry Ostrich talking / Baboon Baby / Papa Goat / Goat Kid / Lion Cubs / Cat Father / Giraffe Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals: Monkey Business Monkeys Voice, uncredited
Speaking of Animals in a Harem Tiny Tim Voice, uncredited
1945 The Bashful Buzzard Beaky Buzzard / Farmer[4] Voice, uncredited, released posthumously
Speaking of Animals from A to Zoo Monkey / Fox / Tortoise / Lion / Stork / Buffalo Voice, uncredited, final film role, released posthumously

References

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  1. ^ "The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: Cartune Profiles: Woody Woodpecker". Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Freberg, Stan (1988). It Only Hurts When I Laugh. Times Books. pp. 32–36. ISBN 0812912977.
  3. ^ "Animation Anecdotes #134". cartoonresearch.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
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