In Remembrance: Sid Raymond

     Sid Raymond, the character actor who supplied the voices of Famous Studios Katnip Kat and Baby Huey, has passed away on December 1, 2006 in Aventura, FL. He was 97.

     Born Raymond Silverstein on January 21 1909 in Manhattan, Raymond attended New York University before dropping out to work as a recreational director at a Catskills Resort. He went on to host the talent show radio series Major Bowess Original Amateur Hour. During World War II, Raymond served in a small entertainment troupe which performed for soldiers on the front lines, sometimes while under fire.

     Raymond got his start voicing characters for Paramount’s Famous Studios cartoon division in 1947 playing Katnip Kat in the short Naughty But Mice. In 1951 he added the character of obese duckling Baby Huey to his repertoire with the cartoon One Quack Mind. He would eventually be featured in 50 cartoons between the two characters in addition to supplying voices for a handful of other Famous Studios animated shorts. In addition to his cartoon work, Raymond played the part of bartender Finnegan on the Duffy’s Tavern radio series starting in 1950.

     But Raymond did not confine himself to remain unseen, supplying voices from office screen. After a couple of television appearances on series like The Honeymooners and Goodyear Television Playhouse, he made his on-screen big screen debut in a small role in the 1956 horror film Fright. He made numerous appearances in small roles in such films as The Hustler (1961), Easy Money (1983), Let It Ride (1989) and My Father The Hero (1994). He also appeared on numerous television shows and commercials.

     In 2002 Raymond was the subject of the short documentary Sid At 90 by director Howard Weinberg.

     Raymond’s final theatrical short was 1959’s Katnip’s Big Day and his final big screen appearance was in 2002’s Big Trouble.