How many of the great voice-over guys are left?

[bpatrick]

The postings about the old CBS color logos
and the mention of ABC's "IN COLOR" intros
caused me to make two postings on Hank
Simms, the voice of the Quinn Martin shows.
Also, I noted the other day that Bob LeMond,
the announcer on "Leave It To Beaver," died
recently. So how many voiceover guys from
the '50s, '60s, and '70s are left, whether they
are still working or not?

Don Pardo certainly is, as are Ed McMahon,
Charlie O'Donnell, and Johnny Gilbert. Don
Morrow has his voice school and still does
commercials. Bern Bennett retired a few years
ago, but I think he's still with us; likewise,
Dick Tufeld and the "other" voice (besides George
Fenneman) on the '60s "Dragnet": John Stephenson.
Bill Nimmo, "Bill the Bartender" on the Wednesday-
night fights in the '50s and host of two late-'50s
game shows, "Keep It In The Family" and "For Love
Or Money" (and announcer on "Who Do You Trust?"
in 1957-58 and 1962-63), was doing a big-band show
Saturday nights on the NPR station in Cincinnati
last I heard. I also think Fred Foy is still with us, as
well as Lawrence Welk's announcer, Bob Warren and
the announcer on numerous game shows, John Harlan.

Can anybody think of others, or correct me on these?

 

[easttxtv]

Last I heard, Bill Wolff (Another World, some NBC voicing during end credits) is still around. Would be great to look him up and interview him before he's called up to the announcer's balcony with Hal Simms and the rest.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

The only name I can think of to add would be Gary Owens, although the son of one of the guys who has passed on will be busy come Oscar night...Paul Thomas Anderson, director of the Best Picture nominee "There Will Be Blood" and the son of the late Ernie Anderson.

 

[MACK184]

Williard Scott was an NBC staff announcer for years..he's still with us.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Hugh Downs, the announcer for the Jack Paar Tonight Show, is still alive. He'll be 87 this Thursday (February 14). Hugh did other announcing on NBC-TV, like "Home" (with Arlene Francis) and was in radio for many years before that.

 

[bpatrick]

One I'm curious about is Allan Berns, a CBS staff
announcer starting in 1959. He was the announcer
on "GE College Bowl" when it was on CBS and original
announcer Don Morrow had left to do "Camouflage"
on ABC. From the '70s to the '90s he was the announcer
on "Guiding Light," did news promos, and was often heard
saying "This is CBS." I also think he did newscasts on
WCBS radio. Does anyone know his whereabouts?

 

[bpatrick]

Hugh Downs, the announcer for the Jack Paar Tonight Show, is still alive. He'll be 87 this Thursday (February 14). Hugh did other announcing on NBC-TV, like "Home" (with Arlene Francis) and was in radio for many years before that.

I still see him doing infomercials. He looks good for his age.
And while I really want to confine this to announcers, let's
not forget that he hosted "Concentration," the "Today" show,
and "20/20," and at one point in the '70s co-hosted "Not For
Women Only" with Barbara Walters.

 

[LKellerIII]

"Hugh Downs, the announcer for the Jack Paar Tonight Show, is still alive. He'll be 87 this Thursday (February 14). Hugh did other announcing on NBC-TV, like "Home" (with Arlene Francis) and was in radio for many years before that....I still see him doing infomercials. He looks good for his age. And while I really want to confine this to announcers, let's not forget that he hosted "Concentration," the "Today" show, and "20/20," and at one point in the '70s co-hosted "Not For Women Only" with Barbara Walters."

And Hugh traveled north to San Francisco in the 80s to co-host "Over Easy," , a light-hearted but informational show about senior citizens' issues and events. His co-host was Mary Martin, of Peter Pan and Larry's Hagman's Mother fame. It was produced by KQED in SF, but ran on many PBS stations. Though I was young at the time, I watched it frequently.

Now back to voice-over announcers...

 

[Ultimajock]

...Casey Kasem, NBC's West Coast guy in the late '70s, is still around, too, but his voice has really deteriorated in the last couple of decades. He does contemporary liners for the XM and Premiere syndicated reruns of "American Top 40" (as well as the occasional commercial within the Premiere version) and his voice isn't even a shadow of what it was on the '70s originals...

 

[LKellerIII]

"Casey's) voice isn't even a shadow of what it was on the '70s originals..."

Yes, I heard The Caser recently and it was kind of shocking. He's probably in his mid 70s now. It's interesting how some of these guys like Pardo still have a strong voice into their 90s, and others deteriorate.

I know this thread is about great VO guys that are "still with us" - but somebody mentioned the late Ernie Anderson, so I have to put in a plug for the great Paul Frees who did tons of voiceover work from the 50s through the 80s until his death. He did cartoon voice work, and would often loop voices in live-action movies. It was clearly his voice as the warden in the original In Cold Blood, though he was not the actor mouthing the words. Frees did thousands of commercials and voiceovers for local TV - especially news programs in the SF Bay Area (where he lived), and Los Angeles.

He often sounded very similar to Orson Welles - same tone and inflections. I remember wondering why Welles' lawyers didn't serve him with a cease and desist order, like many imitated celebreties have done. I guess Orson must have been OK with it.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I know this thread is about great VO guys that are "still with us" - but somebody mentioned the late Ernie Anderson, so I have to put in a plug for the great Paul Frees who did tons of voiceover work from the 50s through the 80s until his death. He did cartoon voice work, and would often loop voices in live-action movies. It was clearly his voice as the warden in the original In Cold Blood, though he was not the actor mouthing the words. Frees did thousands of commercials and voiceovers for local TV - especially news programs in the SF Bay Area (where he lived), and Los Angeles.
Wasn't he the voice of one of the reporters firing questions at George C. Scott near the end of "Patton"? (The scene where Patton's riding his horse, and gets in trouble for saying the US should enlist Germany to take care of Russia.)

 

[Ultimajock]

[Paul Frees] often sounded very similar to Orson Welles - same tone and inflections. I remember wondering why Welles' lawyers didn't serve him with a cease and desist order, like many imitated celebreties have done. I guess Orson must have been OK with it.

...I can assure you, Welles was mildly annoyed by it, but didn't take any action against Frees because he had admired Stan Freberg's records, and Frees was occasionally used by Freberg (like on Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America, Volume One. Frees did actually do an on-camera spoof of Welles on an episode of Michael Nesmith's short-lived NBC series "Television Parts" in 1985. What REALLY angered Welles, though, was when Raymond Burr started growing and shaping a beard specifically to look like Welles and thereby boost *his* commercial career. Welles thought that, after "Perry Mason" and "Ironside," Burr was so well established that it was completely unnecessary (and downright petty) for Burr to ape him for a few extra bucks (bucks that Orson, of course, didn't get)...

 

[Ultimajock]

Wasn't [Paul Frees] the voice of one of the reporters firing questions at George C. Scott near the end of "Patton"? (The scene where Patton's riding his horse, and gets in trouble for saying the US should enlist Germany to take care of Russia.)

...indeed, he was. He also played the radio news reporter in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS that wonders aloud if there will be a future...

 

[anotherguyTN]

...Casey Kasem, NBC's West Coast guy in the late '70s, is still around, too, but his voice has really deteriorated in the last couple of decades. He does contemporary liners for the XM and Premiere syndicated reruns of "American Top 40" (as well as the occasional commercial within the Premiere version) and his voice isn't even a shadow of what it was on the '70s originals...

So has he still been doing the voice of Shaggy in recent Scooby Doo efforts, including the recent DirecTV ad?

 

[LKellerIII]

"So has he still been doing the voice of Shaggy in recent Scooby Doo efforts, including the recent DirecTV ad?"

Yes - I think that sounds like Casey. My memory is that somebody else did Shaggy's voice a few years ago - once or twice, but that Casey has been doing it again most recently.

Kasem's inspiration for Shaggy's voice was the Walter Denton character on the early 50s sit-com Our Miss Brooks played by Richard Crenna, of course. Casey has told the story about Crenna coming up to him some years ago to demand royalties (jokingly).

 

[kirkiefan]

Jeff Straub,though not an "old school" announcer has the sound that can voice promos for NBC...He can easily join the ranks with Don Pardo and the others.

Don Pardo still rocks after all these years even in his advanced age...but how much longer can he go on? Would NBC hire Don Pardo imitators? Pardo is an irreplaceable legend and is an inspiration to many.

 

[bpatrick]

Note about Paul Frees: he'll probably be
best remembered as the voices of Boris
Badenov in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons;
and of John Beresford Tipton on "The Millionaire,"
where he worked with another great VO specialist,
Marvin Miller (the voice of Robby the Robot in
"Forbidden Planet," the narrator on "The FBI," and
who knows how much else). Unfortunately, Miller
is no longer with us, either; he passed away in 1985.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

"So has he still been doing the voice of Shaggy in recent Scooby Doo efforts, including the recent DirecTV ad?"

Yes - I think that sounds like Casey. My memory is that somebody else did Shaggy's voice a few years ago - once or twice, but that Casey has been doing it again most recently.
"Like, zoinks! It's the cable guy!" He does sound a little rough there. Anyone ever see Rob Lowe play Shaggy on "SNL"? He nailed the voice, IMO. (He also did a spot-on Robert Wagner in the second Austin Powers movie.)

 

[ShawnHill1]

Jeff Straub,though not an "old school" announcer has the sound that can voice promos for NBC...He can easily join the ranks with Don Pardo and the others.

Don Pardo still rocks after all these years even in his advanced age...but how much longer can he go on? Would NBC hire Don Pardo imitators? Pardo is an irreplaceable legend and is an inspiration to many.

There was one episode of SNL about five years ago or so, where Darrell Hammond did, what I thought, was a spot-on impression of Don Pardo If they can get away with it, Hammond is the guy.

 

[ixnay]

Getting back to Kasem, back in the mid-'80s when I was a loyal listener to AT40, I always fantasized about Casey doing a whole 4-hour AT40 in his Shaggy voice.

ixnay