National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, released in 1989, brought down the curtain on the career of actress Mae Questel, after six decades in show business. For those of you who check in on the Griswolds each year around this time, no doubt remember her as Clark’s senile Aunt Bethany, who recites the Pledge of Allegiance instead of saying grace and accidentally wraps her cat up as a Christmas gift. Here’s a little highlight reel if you need a refresher:
Mae Questel wasn’t just some obscure character actress from back in the day who got thrown in there, though. If you’ve ever wondered why her voice sounds strangely familiar, there’s a good reason for that—and it has nothing to do with the fact that you’ve watched Christmas Vacation every single year of your life up to this point. Take a look at this clip right here, and it’ll start making a lot more sense:
Yeah, Aunt Bethany was played by the same actress who voiced Betty Boop. Questel was the first person to voice the character once she was given a name in the 1931 cartoon Silly Scandals. She had the longest run as Betty Boop, playing the part more than 80 times in her career. Questel even reprised the role in 1988 for the character’s appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
You also might know Questel as Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons; she provided the voice for the character over 100 times. Questel took on more live-action roles later in her career, notably playing Woody Allen’s mother in a segment of the 1989 film New York Stories. Playing Bethany in Christmas Vacation would prove to be her final onscreen appearance, however. Questel died in 1998 at the age of 89.
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