Recently, someone wrote an email to this site asking what we thought of how
Velma was portrayed in the new move, as she was very different then the cartoon
Velma. Huh? Ask four people to describe Velma, and you may get four very
different answers! A lot of this is to do with the fact that four very different
people have played the role over the years. (Actually more, but we will focus on
the primary players.) Depending on when you started watching, your take on
who the "correct" Velma is may vary. This page looks at how the
character came to be, and how Velma evolved through the years. |
The Design |
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When a series is created, specifications are drawn up that produce the
template of how a character is suppose to look and act. It was decided early on
that the Scooby series would be based on four teens and their dog. The first
character developed was Shaggy. He was a free loving, off the wall hippy type
from the 60's
with a heart of gold. Scooby was the next character added. He would be the Dog equivalent
of Shaggy. Take everything you know about a prize winning Great Dane, and draw
the opposite! Now the rest.... Every series is based on interaction
of characters, known as, The Chemistry. To complement Shaggy, a second male
character was added. He would be handsome, intelligent, mature, and basically
all the things Shaggy was not! The other two characters would be girls.
The first concept for Velma was as a complement to Shaggy. Taken from the
sixties, she would also be a hippy type character who was an art student. The
problem occurred when they then tried to create Daphne. Daphne would have
to be the female equivalent of Freddy. Although nowadays, this would be very
acceptable, it wasn't in the 1960's ! Back then, the concept that a girl
could be both beautiful and smart was considered even further out then a talking
dog! (It was a male dominated society.) OK, Take Two! One girl,
Velma, would be the brains, the other would be the beauty! The motivation may
have been all wet, but the result was good. Shaggy and Freddy were opposites,
and Daphne and Velma were as well, but for different reasons! In the refinement
process, Daphne was given a brain, but her focus was looks. Velma was also given
ok looks, but her focus was brain. This brings us to the question, Just what was
Velma suppose to look like? Here are the original specifications: Height - 4
foot 9 inches, Weight - 95 pounds, Hair - brown. Other attributes- has glasses,
likes orange turtle neck sweaters, mini skirt, Mary Jane
shoes. Velma was born!
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Velma #1
Nicole Jaffe |
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The logical flow of a character is as follows: Creator >
Writer > Actor (or Actress.) In real life, there is a backflow
from the actor/actress to the writing teem. Therefore, the character
takes on some aspects of the person playing or voicing them. Thus, the
series started in 1969 with the Nicole Jaffe version of Velma Dinkley.
The original twangy voice, was Nicole's, but it did not stop there.
Although she had appeared in movies with the aid of contact lenses
(which were a real pain back in the 60's), Nicole was as nearsighted as
the character she played, or maybe I should say Velma became as
nearsighted as Nicole was! Here's an old story from a Hanna-Barbara
studio worker: "Nicole was attending a script meeting between the
writers and voice actors. At one point in time, she was rubbing her eyes
and dislodged her glasses which fell to the floor. In her famous squeaky
voice she moaned, "My glasses! I can't see without my
glasses!" The writers attending thought it fit the character
so well, they added it to the script for storyboard work."
Remember, HB also did the Mr. Magoo character, and thus Velma became the
female Mr. Magoo! Her glasses, or loss thereof, became a running
skit in the series. Without her glasses, the almost genius Velma, was
reduced to a bumbling idiot! Nicole also had a sharp sarcastic wit. This
too became part of the Velma character. True Scooby fans point to
the 1969 through 1971 shows as the most pure incarnation of the
characters, therefore, Nicole set the mold for what Velma Dinkley should
be like. Unfortunately, Nicole left in the early 70's to pursue becoming
an agent for other actors. The search was on for a replacement!
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Velma #2 Pat Stevens |
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From 1974 to
1979 Pat Stevens
took over the role of Velma. Pat had her own take on who the character was and
Velma underwent some changes. Gone were the scenes of Velma loosing her
glasses. Pat's Velma was a bit more mature and soft spoken.
She thought about what she would do before doing it. A
"kinder and gentler" Velma. This Velma was drawn as a
tad heavier. Velma had already started to gain weight from her original
specification in the Nicole days. Although the original specifications
did not include freckles, they appeared for no apparent reason, other
then the whim of someone in the art department. (Pat had freckles.) The
major reason Stevens landed the job was because her natural voice
bore such a liking to Nicole's intentional
inflection. She immediately blended into
the ongoing series. She loved
playing the part up until Velma got cut from the show and Scrappy-Doo was added.
Many people who first watched Scooby during the "Pat" years,
liked her better in the role then Nicole. When Pat left the show, she went on
to become a collage professor. She now teaches "Advanced Acting 401" and is
happy to hear that Scooby-Doo lives on! "I never thought it
would have turned into what it is today," she said. Stevens
remains amazed at the overwhelming popularity of the show.
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Velma #3
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More recently, Velma is being played by Betty
Jean Ward. Her cartoon voices include
everything from Betty Rubble
to Judy Jetson. Betty
took over the voice of Velma during the parody "Bravo-Dooby-Doo." This
is an older Velma, who has mellowed out even more. However, this new
Velma is more aggressive than Pat's.
Warner Brothers liked it, and she has remained on for Zombie Island, Witch's Ghost,
and the newer animated films as well. Finally, Velma shed some of the
weight her character had been accumulating. This is due in part to the
fact that one of the original art teem members joined Warner Brothers
and became involved in the projects. Some of the other aspects of
Nicole's Velma have returned. She is once again her highly myopic self.
One thing that has bothered me is that her voice is a bit too soft
spoken for the part.
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Velma #4 Linda Cardellini |
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Everything old is new again! Having just viewed
the film, I think Linda nailed the Nicole Jaffe version of Velma, and
even did one better! To those who remember the old 1969 series, her
voice is a breath of squeaky fresh air! The mellow Velma has been
shuffled off to the "old cartoon folks home" and the
troublesome, "Smarty Pants" Velma is back! Having watched some
of Linda's prior work, I had a feeling she might be perfect for the
role. She was actually not their first choice for the role, Christina
Ricci was. Ricci may actually look better for the part, but I am glad
they chose Linda. There are some nice tributes to the old series,
including Velma searching for her glasses in the true Nicole tradition.
Those who thought Linda was too thin or too pretty to play Velma, have
lost sight of the original specifications for the role. Velma was never
a fat ugly girl with freckles, just a smart brainiac in baggy
sweaters. Linda has provided the perfect continuance of the role,
and turned a cartoon character into a believable human one! |
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Velma #5 Mindy Cohn |
Mindy steps in to voice Velma in the new series "What's
New Scooby Doo?" Some think Mindy's voice may be
even too squeaky to play Velma, a reference to Nicole's version, but I
like it! Old TV fans will remember her from the TV show "The
Facts of Life" and recognize That's her real voice!
"Everything old is new again"
Velma #6
Nicole Jaffe !
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It is unclear to me, and even our insider does not know if Nicole
only came back to do this "Tribute" movie, but it sure is a
blast from the past to see and hear it! Yes, on the 2003 released "Legend
of the Vampire", Nicole Jaffee (Actually, she's
married now.) returns with her "Smarty-pants" voice of
Velma! Click on the picture for a little more information! |