You know that voice. It sounds like a handful of gravel spinning in a blender, or maybe a rusty gate hinge that hasn't seen oil since the Eisenhower administration. Pat Buttram once famously said his voice "never quite made it through puberty," and honestly, that’s the best way to describe it.
He was a sidekick. He was a con man. He was a cartoon wolf. But mostly, he was the guy who could steal a scene from a Hollywood legend just by opening his mouth. If you grew up watching Westerns or Disney classics, Pat Buttram movies and TV shows are probably baked into your DNA.
From Alabama Ministry to the "Rural Purge"
Pat wasn't supposed to be an actor. Born Maxwell Emmett Buttram in 1915, he was the son of a circuit-riding Methodist minister in Alabama. He actually went to college to study for the ministry himself. Can you imagine that voice delivering a Sunday sermon?
Fate intervened at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. An announcer interviewed him in the crowd, Pat cracked some jokes, and the audience lost it. That single moment landed him on the National Barn Dance radio show. By the time he hit Hollywood, he was a seasoned pro at the "country boy" persona.
The Gene Autry Years: A Sidekick with a Bite
Most actors would be lucky to have one iconic role. Pat had three distinct "lives" in show business. The first was as Gene Autry's right-hand man.
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Starting in 1948 with The Strawberry Roan, Pat became the permanent replacement for Smiley Burnette. He and Autry were a powerhouse duo. They made over 40 films together and shot more than 100 episodes of The Gene Autry Show. Pat played "Pat"—the bumbling but loyal friend who provided the laughs while Gene did the singing and shooting.
Here’s a quick look at the heavy hitters from that era:
- The Strawberry Roan (1948): This was the kickoff.
- Mule Train (1950): Classic Western vibes.
- Riders in the Sky (1949): High-stakes desert drama.
- Blue Canadian Rockies (1952): Because even cowboys need a change of scenery.
What’s wild is that they weren't just colleagues. They were genuinely close friends until Pat passed away in 1994. Gene once called him a "natural comedian," which is high praise from the Singing Cowboy himself.
Mr. Haney: The Ultimate Hooterville Hustler
If you ask anyone over the age of 50 about Pat Buttram, they won't say "Gene Autry’s sidekick." They’ll scream "Mr. Haney!"
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In 1965, Pat landed the role of Eustace Haney on Green Acres. This guy was a piece of work. He was the quintessential country con artist, always pulling up in a rickety truck to sell Oliver Douglas something he didn't need—usually at a 400% markup.
The charm of Mr. Haney was that he wasn't exactly a villain. He was just a guy with a bottomless inventory of junk and a silver tongue. He appeared in nearly 150 episodes. Even when CBS went through the "Rural Purge" in 1971 and canceled everything with a tree in it (Pat’s words, not mine), Mr. Haney lived on in reruns and spin-offs like Petticoat Junction.
The Disney Renaissance (The Voice Era)
After the live-action roles slowed down, Pat’s voice became his primary paycheck. And man, did Disney love him. If you watch a Disney movie from the 70s or 80s, keep your ears open.
He played Napoleon the hound dog in The Aristocats (1970). Then came his most legendary voice role: the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood (1973). You remember that wolf? The one "collecting taxes" from the poor? That was Pat. He brought a sort of sleazy, hilarious authority to the character that made a wolf actually seem like a tax collector.
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He didn't stop there. He was Luke the muskrat in The Rescuers (1977) and Chief, the grumpy old hunting dog, in The Fox and the Hound (1981). He even voiced one of the "Toon Bullets" in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
His final performance? A posthumous release in A Goofy Movie (1995) as the Possum Park Emcee. It’s a fitting end to a career that spanned from the golden age of radio to the modern animation era.
Why We’re Still Talking About Him
It’s easy to dismiss character actors as "the guy from that thing." But Pat Buttram was different. He represented a specific type of American humor—the dry, observational, slightly cynical country wit.
He was a staunch Republican who helped write jokes for Ronald Reagan. He was a regular on the Hollywood roast circuit because he was faster on his feet than most leading men. When he died, he left a hole in the industry that hasn't really been filled. Nobody sounds like him. Nobody delivers a line with that specific mix of "I'm trying to rob you" and "I'm your best friend."
Tracking Down Pat Buttram Today
If you want to dive into the deep end of the Pat Buttram movies and TV shows catalog, here is how you should actually do it:
- Start with Green Acres. Seriously. It’s on various retro streaming services like MeTV or Tubi. Watch the episode where he tries to sell Oliver a "genuine" antique. It’s a masterclass in comic timing.
- Watch Robin Hood. If you have kids, this is the easiest entry point. The Sheriff of Nottingham is essentially Mr. Haney in fur.
- Check out the Gene Autry Westerns. A lot of these are in the public domain or available on specialized Western channels. They’re a window into a totally different era of filmmaking.
- Look for his cameo in Back to the Future Part III. He plays one of the "Saloon Old Timers." It’s a tiny role, but it’s a great nod to his Western roots.
The reality is that Pat Buttram didn't need to be the leading man. He was the texture. He was the seasoning that made the whole show better. Whether he was riding a horse in the 40s or voicing a muskrat in the 70s, he was always just Pat. And honestly? That was more than enough.