Pinto Colvig’s Lost Memoir

Pinto Colvig’s Lost Memoir

by Todd James Pierce

A few years ago, while doing some archival work, I came across a full memoir written by Pinto Colvig, an early animator, film actor, and voice actor whose work goes back to the 1920s: he worked with Mack Sennett, Walt Disney, MGM, etc. More specifically, he worked on the Keystone Cops; he animated early black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons; he was the voice of two of the seven dwarfs; he was one musical voice for the Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz; and he was the original voice of Goofy. The book is, very likely, the earliest full-length memoir written by an animator or voice actor: Colvig wrote it in the early 1940s, yet it was never published. For the past year or so, I’ve worked with the SOHS to bring it into print. I penned a lengthy introduction about Colvig’s early life, drawing on his personal letters and other materials, as the book, itself, only covers his experience in Hollywood. Thanks to Theme Park Press for doing such a beautiful job with it.  It’s now available on Amazon…as a book…or for the kindle.