Joaquin Garay


Joaquin Garay was a Mexican-American actor and singer known for voicing Panchito Pistoles in the 1944 Walt Disney film The Three Caballeros.
Born in El Oro, Mexico, Garay came to America at eleven months. He was a well-known radio performer in the 1940s, and opened the popular Copacabana nightclub in September 1941, which was frequented by visiting Hollywood celebrities. He hosted shows in the nightclub and performed in vaudeville, and recorded an album in the mid-40s, "A Night at Joaquin Garay's Copacabana".
Garay voiced the Mexican rooster Panchito in 1944, teaming up with Clarence Nash as Donald Duck and José Oliveira as José Carioca to sing The Three Caballeros' title song. However, after recording, Garay's speaking voice as Panchito was found to be wanting:
Cutting hired a Mexican actor, Felipe Turich, to be Garay's vocal coach, but for the Spanish-language version of the film, Cutting decided to simply use Turich as Panchito's speaking voice, with Garay singing. Garay also voiced Panchito in the Italian-language version of the film, but only for the speaking parts, as Panchito's singing is taken from the Spanish dub.
However, Garay returned to Disney in 1953 to voice the Narrator and other characters in a Goofy short, For Whom the Bulls Toil.
In the 1950s, Garay appeared in the films Crisis Saddle Tramp, Fast Company and Latin Lovers. He also had a small part in an episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,"Lucy Goes to Mexico", in 1958. He later moved to Los Angeles.
In the 1970s, Garay appeared on television in the TV-movies Red Sky at Morning and The Gun, and in the shows Sanford and Son and Mannix.
Garay's son, Joaquin Garay III, also appeared in a Disney film, 1980's Herbie Goes Bananas.