Billy Gilbert

The sneezing expert

Billy Gilbert was one of the most recognizable performers in the cast of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. By the time the film was released, he already enjoyed a steady career on both screen and stage and was a familiar presence in films featuring Laurel and Hardy. Some of his roles were substantial enough to earn screen credit, but even when they were not, audiences remembered his highly distinctive presence.

For Walt Disney, he also recorded the role of Willie the Giant in Fun and Fancy Free. Because the project was developed over several years, he had to return to the studio to re-record lines long after his initial sessions. During this time, he met Homer Brightman, who later recounted in his memoirs what Gilbert told him about his experience recording the sneezes for Sneezy.

“I heard they had some characters in mind for those Snow White dwarfs. I went over and met Walt and he liked my sneeze. Then, they called me in over a long period of time to record sessions of sneezing. They had a big paper pasted up in front of the mike and I had to sneeze to each square on the paper, which represented a frame of film. One day, I had been sneezing about eight hours. It was terrible. Each sneeze right to the beat, but somehow I couldn’t please that sonofabitch in charge. I can’t remember his name now, and I’m glad I can’t. Nothing pleased him. I’d sneezed until I was getting hysterical, on the verge of collapse. Everything was wrong. I was shaking all over, but this guy insisted I do a lot of retakes.. Finally, I went over to the mike and said, ‘HAVE YOU GOT PLENTY OF VOLUME IN THERE? ALL CHANNELS OPEN?’ He called back, said he was all set, and I yelled ‘Fuck you!’ and took my coat and went home. They called me on the phone, trying to get me back, but I’d had enough. They rang up again and again, but I told them they had enough assorted sneezes to do ten pictures and I never went back.”