Robie Lester

Robie Lester was an American actress, voice artist, and record producer from Megargel, Texas. She was the singing voice for Duchess in the musical comedy "The Aristocats" (1970) and for the adventurer Miss Bianca in "The Rescuers" (1977). Eva Gabor provided the regular voice for both characters. Lester's other prominent voice role was the schoolteacher Miss Jessica in the television special "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (1970). Her character was depicted as a love interest for Santa Claus. Lester served as the original "Disneyland Story Reader" for Walt Disney Records read-alongs. In 1925, Lester was born in Megargel, Texas. The small town was established in 1910, when the Gulf, Texas and Western Railroad extended its services to Archer County, Texas. It was named after the railroad executive Roy C. Megargel. Lester was primarily raised in northern Ontario, Canada. During the 1940s, Lester served in the United States Army Air Corps (1926-1947). Following her military service, Lester studied at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. She majored in music. She subsequently worked in Hollywood, singing demos for songwriters. She worked for (among others) Henry Mancini and Herb Alpert. She provided vocals in recordings by Liberty Records, Warner Brothers, A&M Records. She sang in Spanish for a 1966 recording of "Guantanamera" by the Sandpipers. During the early 1960s, Disney songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman recommended Lester to Disney's in-house record label. Lester served as both the narrator and a singer on dozens of Disney's children's records, such as "The Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion" and "Peter Cottontail and Other Funny Bunnies". In 1965, Lester became the first "Disneyland Story Reader" in a series of narrative records. She read aloud the stories, acted out all the parts, and reminded the child listeners to "turn the page" in their accompanying booklet. She typically reused the phrase: "...when Tinker Bell rings her little bells like this (wind chimes)...turn the page". Her voice was familiar to an entire generation of young listeners. Also during the 1960s, Lester voiced several characters in animated commercials for breakfast cereals by Kellogg's. She voiced both of the nephews of Toucan Sam in commercials for Froot Loops, while Sam himself was voiced by Mel Blanc from 1963 to 1970. Lester also voiced one of the two battling Smackin' Brothers in commercials for Sugar Smacks. The characters were two cartoon boys who loved to roughhouse. As a record producer, Lester formed the labels Mary Music, Funco Publishing, and Golden Key for record production and distribution. She also worked as a producer for the labels Bonanza and Musikon. Later in life, Lester became a published author. She wrote the novels "The Twenty Dollar Christmas" (1996) and "Heaven's Gift" (1999). During her old age, she campaigned in favor of animal rights. In June 2005, Lester died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California at the age of 80. She was suffering from cancer. She was survived by her daughter Mindy Eccleston and three grandchildren. In 2006, Lester's autobiography was published posthumously. It was titled "Lingerie For Hookers In The Snow: An Audiography Of A Voice Artist".