Mae Questel (Betty Boop) as Aunt Bluebell for Scott Towels

[Kent Broyhill]

Does anyone remember Mae Questel's Scott Towels commercials in which she played Aunt Bluebell? IIRC, these ads ran roughly from the late 1960s until the early 1980s (not sure of the exact years) If you have seen one of her Scott Towels ads before, you can really tell she was Betty Boop just by her voice! In fact, she even looked a little like Betty, especially her wide, bright eyes!

Aunt Bluebell was just one of the memorable TV commercial icons from the classic TV era, along with Mr. Whipple (Charmin), Josephine the Plumber (played by former child star Jane Whiters), Rosey (Bounty; played by Nancy Walker), Madge (Pamolive), and many others! Not too surprisingly, Mae Questel's Aunt Bluebell should be especially memorable for us cartoon fans! :bosko:

[Sogturtle]

Originally posted by Kent Broyhill
Does anyone remember Mae Questel's Scott Towels commercials in which she played Aunt Bluebell? IIRC, these ads ran roughly from the late 1960s until the early 1980s (not sure of the exact years) If you have seen one of her Scott Towels ads before, you can really tell she was Betty Boop just by her voice! In fact, she even looked a little like Betty, especially her wide, bright eyes!

Aunt Bluebell was just one of the memorable TV commercial icons from the classic TV era, along with Mr. Whipple (Charmin), Josephine the Plumber (played by former child star Jane Withers), Rosey (Bounty; played by Nancy Walker), Madge (Pamolive), and many others! Not too surprisingly, Mae Questel's Aunt Bluebell should be especially memorable for us cartoon fans! :bosko:

I seem to remember them, has been a lonnnnnng time though... She was still in good enough voice and health even in the late Eighties to do la Boop in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".

Your mentioning "Josephine the Plumber" (played by former child star Jane Withers) is even more pertinent to this board... Because cartoon-great Ub Iwerks hired little Jane Withers in 1933 to be the voice of his new cartoon character "Willie Whopper". So we had a little girl doing the voice of a little boy! But since "Willie Whopper" was a teller of tall tales it all somehow seems apropos ;). (And maybe that's why Mae Questel felt at ease enough to briefly provide Popeye's voice during WWII...) :bosko: :wakko:

[Kent Broyhill]

Originally posted by Sogturtle


I seem to remember them, has been a lonnnnnng time though... She was still in good enough voice and health even in the late Eighties to do la Boop in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".

Your mentioning "Josephine the Plumber" (played by former child star Jane Withers) is even more pertinent to this board... Because cartoon-great Ub Iwerks hired little Jane Withers in 1933 to be the voice of his new cartoon character "Willie Whopper". So we had a little girl doing the voice of a little boy! But since "Willie Whopper" was a teller of tall tales it all somehow seems apropos ;). (And maybe that's why Mae Questel felt at ease enough to briefly provide Popeye's voice during WWII...) :bosko: :wakko:

It was great to hear her reprise her role as Betty Boop in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (one of my all-time favorite movies, BTW) Also, she played Aunt Bethany in the next year's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). With her voice and health still good enough into the late 1980s, it's a shame that her Aunt Bluebell character was retired so soon. Scott Towels commercials just aren't the same without her! In fact, whenever a Scott Towels ad pops on TV, I still have this feeling that she's lurking around somewhere!!! :D

BTW, that information about Jane Withers as Willie Whopper was interesting! Where did you find this info?

Doesn't look like to many people around here remember Mae Questel's Scott Towels ads. If anyone has any information or memories about the commercials or her Aunt Bluebell character, please post! :bosko:

[J Lee]

One of Mae Questel's final roles was also as a giant talking head over the skyline of Manhattan (talk about cartoony!) as Woody Allen's mother in his segment of a three part movie which IIRC was called "Tales of Manhattan."

Mae played your typical Jewish mother (Aunt Bluebell only without the paper towel rant) who tells everyone she knows everything she knows about her son, much to Woody's dismay. He wishes she would just go away and one day when he takes her to a magic show -- she does! Much to his relief, until she suddenly turns up as the floating head over the city telling all of New York about her son.

A short, funny segnent during Allen's very serious pseudo-Ingmar Bergman period. It's not "Sleeper" but it was a good late role for Mae.

[Bobby B]

Originally posted by J Lee
One of Mae Questel's final roles was also as a giant talking head over the skyline of Manhattan (talk about cartoony!) as Woody Allen's mother in his segment of a three part movie which IIRC was called "Tales of Manhattan."

Mae played your typical Jewish mother (Aunt Bluebell only without the paper towel rant) who tells everyone she knows everything she knows about her son, much to Woody's dismay. He wishes she would just go away and one day when he takes her to a magic show -- she does! Much to his relief, until she suddenly turns up as the floating head over the city telling all of New York about her son.

A short, funny segnent during Allen's very serious pseudo-Ingmar Bergman period. It's not "Sleeper" but it was a good late role for Mae.



The name of the movie was "New York Stories". Julie "Marge Simpson" Kavner was also in it as the phony medium who tries to help Woody.