Candy Candido

Jonathan Joseph "Candy" Candido (December 25, 1913 – May 19, 1999) was an American radio performer, actor, and pioneering voice artist whose career spanned more than six decades. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on Christmas Day, Candido grew up in a musically inclined family and became a close childhood friend of the future jazz legend Louis Prima, joining Prima’s band as early as 1924 and later playing bass and providing vocals for Ted Fio‑Rito’s big‑band orchestra, an appearance captured in the 1930s Soundie “Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me.” In 1933 he married Anita Bivona, and the couple would raise four children while Candido cultivated a reputation for a four‑octave speaking range that could swing from a high, squeaky soprano to a deep, gruff bass on a single line. His most famous catch‑phrase, “I’m feeling mighty low,” originated on Jimmy Durante’s radio program and quickly entered the national lexicon, even inspiring a recorded novelty song with Durante and a cameo in the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon “Homeless Hare.” Candido’s distinctive vocal talent led him to Hollywood, where he supplied animal and creature sounds for dozens of classic films, beginning with the angry apple tree in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and continuing with roles such as the Indian Chief in Walt Disney’s Peter Pan (1953), a goon for Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959), the Captain of the Guard in Robin Hood (1973), and the peg‑legged bat Fidget in The Great Mouse Detective (1986). He also contributed to the beloved Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) as a skeletal voice and later teamed with Bud Abbott during the comedian’s 1960 comeback attempt. Beyond animation, Candido appeared on‑screen as a bassist in early Paramount releases such as Sadie McKee (1934) and Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and he recorded children’s 78 rpm records for Capitol in the early 1950s. Throughout his long career, which officially ran from 1934 to 1995, Candido remained a versatile entertainer, admired by peers for his uncanny ability to embody both human and non‑human characters with a single, instantly recognizable voice. He died peacefully in his Burbank home on May 19, 1999, leaving behind his wife Anita, four children, and a legacy of vocal performances that continue to delight audiences across generations.