Name: Billie Hayes
Date of Birth: 1932
Best known for her wacky, delightfully screechy portrayal of "Witchie-poo" on "H.R. Pufnstuf" (1969) for Sid and Mary Krofft. She later played Weenie the Genie on "Lidsville" (1971), another Krofft production.
Billie was the first choice to play Mammy Yokum in "Li'l Abner" on Broadway when it first opened, but she was too busy stealing the show in "New Faces of 1956" and the producers of that show wouldn't let her out of her contract. Actress Charlotte Rae ("The Facts of Life") got the part. To her delight, Billie later replaced Charlotte in the role and went on to play the part in the 1959 film version and in the 1971 television version as well.
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