| Don Messick | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Messick September 7, 1926 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 1997 (aged 71) Salinas, California |
Donald "Don" Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was one of the most prolific voice actors of the second half of the 20th century. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Buffalo (ˈbʌfəloʊ is the second largest city in New York State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Salinas is the County seat and largest municipality of Monterey County in the U Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar
Messick, a Jewish native of Buffalo, New York, voiced several characters, such as Hanna-Barbera characters, including Scooby-Doo, Ranger Smith, Boo Boo Bear, Muttley, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Astro, Zorak, Godzooky and Dr. Benton Quest. Buffalo (ˈbʌfəloʊ is the second largest city in New York State. Scooby-Doo is a long-running American animated series produced for Saturday morning television in several different versions from 1969 to the Ranger John Francis Smith (originally voiced by Don Messick) is a Fictional character in the Yogi Bear cartoon series Boo Boo Bear is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character an Anthropomorphic Bear cub in a Bow tie, who is Yogi Bear 's best friend and often Muttley is a Hanna-Barbera animated Fictional character created by Iwao Takamoto and originally voiced by Don Messick (who also voiced Scooby-Doo Bamm-Bamm the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the long-running Animated series Astro is a canine character on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Jetsons. For the town in Armenia see Dzorak. Zorak is a cartoon former Supervillain who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Godzilla Power Hour was a 60-minute Saturday morning animated series co-produced between Hanna-Barbera Productions and Toho in 1978 Jonny Quest (often referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest) is a Science fiction / Adventure animated television series
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Early career
Messick first wanted to be a ventriloquist, and even for a time supported himself as one. His big break came in the mid-1940s. At MGM, Tex Avery was doing the Droopy Dog cartoons. Droopy is an Animated Cartoon character, an Anthropomorphic Dog (supposedly a Basset hound) with a droopy face hence the name The regular voice actor, radio actor Bill Thompson, was not available. Bill Thompson ( July 8, 1913, Terre Haute Indiana – July 15, 1971, Culver City, California) was an American Daws Butler, who voiced characters for MGM, suggested that Avery seek out Messick. Daws Butler ( Charles Dawson Butler; November 16, 1916 – May 18, 1988) was a Voice actor born in Toledo, And so, Messick was called on to voice Droopy. Later, in the mid-1950s, when Bill Thompson parted ways with MGM, Messick took over the role of Droopy.
Messick and Butler became a voice acting team for the Hanna-Barbera unit in 1957 with the arrival of Ruff and Reddy. The Ruff & Reddy Show is a Hanna-Barbera animated series starring Ruff a Cat voiced by Don Messick, and Reddy a Dog voiced Don was Ruff the cat and the Droopy-sounding Professor Gizmo. Butler was the southern-speaking dog, Reddy. Messick also narrated the show, which played out like an animated soap opera.
From 1957 to 1965, Butler and Messick gave voice to a staggering number of characters. Always the side-kick, Messick’s characters were not headliners. His notable roles in this era were Boo Boo Bear, Ranger Smith, Major Minor, Pixie Mouse, and Astro. Boo Boo Bear is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character an Anthropomorphic Bear cub in a Bow tie, who is Yogi Bear 's best friend and often Ranger John Francis Smith (originally voiced by Don Messick) is a Fictional character in the Yogi Bear cartoon series Snagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character created in 1959 a pink Anthropomorphic mountain lion voiced by Daws Butler. Pixie and Dixie and Mr Jinks is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that featured as a regular segment of the television series The Huckleberry Hound Show Astro is a canine character on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Jetsons.
Messick was used primarily for his narration skills, which were heard on all of those cartoons in which Daws Butler starred. The off-camera voice telling us about the latest fiasco Quick Draw McGraw got himself into was Don Messick. Quick Draw McGraw is the anthropomorphic cartoon horse starring in The Quick Draw McGraw Show, the third cartoon television production created by Hanna-Barbera following Butler was Quick Draw and his Mexican side-kick, Baba Looey. Quick Draw McGraw is the anthropomorphic cartoon horse starring in The Quick Draw McGraw Show, the third cartoon television production created by Hanna-Barbera following Messick would eventually star in a cartoon series: Ricochet Rabbit. Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long was a segment of Hanna-Barbera 's The Magilla Gorilla Show, and later appeared on Peter Potamus This character was paired with the slow-poke Deputy Droop-a-Long (Mel Blanc voiced the deputy). Melvin "Mel" Jerome Blanc ( May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and Comedian
The outer space cartoons were where Messick really shone. His unique gift at creating noises and sounds for weird space creatures and aliens really helped the space cartoons in a big way. His “Ranger Smith” voice was often heard as space villains. His narrator voice was given to Vapor Man, Dr. Benton Quest, and Multi Man. Jonny Quest (often referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest) is a Science fiction / Adventure animated television series The Impossibles was a series of animated cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1966 and aired on American television by CBS. His narrating voice was also heard on Hong Kong Phooey and Laff-A-Lympics. Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode (31 shorts Hanna-Barbera Animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from September Laff-A-Lympics was the co-headlining segment with Scooby-Doo, of the package Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics
Scooby Doo and later roles
In 1969, he was cast as the cowardly canine Scooby-Doo on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. Scoobert "Scooby"-Doo is a fictional dog and the Eponymous character of the popular television series Scooby-Doo. Scooby-Doo Where Are You! is the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. This role would remain Messick’s biggest and best-known. He voiced the Great Dane through all of the various versions of Scooby-Doo: on TV in numerous formats from 1969 to 1985, four telefilms, and a number of commercials as well. Messick was still voicing the role when A Pup Named Scooby-Doo came along from 1988 to 1991.
In the 1980s his biggest role was Papa Smurf on the Smurfs series from 1981 to 1990. Papa Smurf is a male Fictional character from the Smurfs. He is the third oldest of the Smurfs (after Grandpa and Nanny and their leader The Smurfs is a American Cartoon series that aired on NBC from 1981 to 1989 The year 1981 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1981. The year 1990 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1990. He also voiced Ratchet (the Autobot doctor), Gears, and Constructicon Scavenger on The Transformers. Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. The Autobot, a faction of Sentient Robots from the planet Cybertron are the main Protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, Gears is the name of a Fictional character from the various Transformers universes. The Constructicons (known as Buildrons in Japan) are a group of fictional characters from the Transformers universe Scavenger is the name of several Fictional characters in the Transformers universes. This page is a master list of the assorted Animated television series based on the Transformers toyline.
In the mid-1980s, new episodes of The Jetsons were produced. The Jetsons is a prime-time animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Messick was back as Astro, RUDI, and new voice Uniblab, a pesky robot that worked for Mr. Spacely (voice of Mel Blanc). The Jetsons is a prime-time animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Cosmo G Spacely is a Fictional character in the Animated series The Jetsons. Melvin "Mel" Jerome Blanc ( May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and Comedian
In the 1990s, he voiced Hamton J. Pig in FOX’s Tiny Toon Adventures and its spin-offs from 1991 to 1995. Hamton Joseph Pig (usually just called Hamton) is a Cartoon character from the Warner Bros Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (also known as Tiny Toon Adventures or Tiny Toons) is an American FOX also had Messick return to his Droopy character for Droopy: Master Detective in 1993.
Death
In 1996, Messick suffered a stroke while inside a cartoon studio recording voices. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain It has been said that Messick turned pale, looked over at the director and said, "I can’t do this anymore," then stumbled out to his car and drove home. A week later, Messick’s agent sent word that he had retired. [1]
On October 24, 1997, Messick suffered a second stroke and died of complications shortly afterward. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar He was cremated. His ashes were scattered at the Point Lobos State Reserve in California. Point Lobos State Reserve commonly referred to as simply Point Lobos is a sea side state reserve south of Monterey California, north of Big Sur. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.
References
External links
- Don Messick Tribute Short biography of Don Messick
- Don Messick at the Internet Movie Database
- Brett Rogers's article on Don Messick
| Preceded by None |
Voice Of Scooby-Doo September 1969 — September 1997 |
Succeeded by Scott Innes |
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