Don Messick: A Man of Many Voices

 Just like how everyone has their favorite Hanna-Barbera characters, everyone has their favorite Hanna-Barbera voice actors. From Daws Butler to Frank Welker, the number of talented voice artists the studio employed is truly staggering. But for me personally, my favorite actor has to be Don Messick, which is why I'm somewhat ashamed I've seldom mentioned him until today!

For the uninitiated, Don Messick was essentially Daws Butler's "partner in crime." In the early HB cartoons, almost all of the voices featured belong to these two men. In regards to the characters he played, Messick did vocals for Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm, Boo Boo, Ranger Smith, Dr. Quest, Astro, and many, many more. He was one of the first actors the studio employed, and he remained with them all the way until 1996, when a stroke forced him to retire.

Sadly, Messick passed away just a year later from another stroke at the age of 71. Despite his passing, however, he lives on through the characters he voiced, and through the memories of his family, friends, and colleagues. From what I've heard, Messick was as sweet of a man as there ever was. To celebrate his legacy, I'll share with you this article from the Los Angeles Times, dated September 11th, 1983. Here, he discusses his early days in radio, and the necessary traits that a voice actor should have to succeed in the field. 

MESSICK: MAN OF MANY VOICES

By James Brown

    If the name Don Messick doesn't ring a bell with most of you, his voice certainly will. Or, rather, his voices...Messick is indeed a man of many voices—ranging from Boo Boo Bear to Papa Smurf to Ricochet Rabbitt, among many other cartoon incarnations. There have been several dozen more commercial voiceover appearances for the likes of Kelloggs, Quaker Oats, Hasbro Toys and Jeno's Frozen Pizza. In all, there have been more than 200 TV series and specials featuring the voices of Don Messick, not to mention 3,000 cartoons. Yet he can walk down the streets of his Santa Barbara hometown virtually unrecognized.

    "Oh, there are a few cartoon freaks who sometimes recognize my straight voice if they hear it," Messick says, smiling, "but most of the time they haven't a clue. I guess that's because I rarely get an opportunity to use my own voice."

    Not that Messick is complaining. On the contrary. He and a select few others make their livings as voiceover artists. And it's a very good living. Voiceover work is a business which many aspire to yet few succeed at—possibly because the field is so populated by such dependable pros as Daws Butler, Casey Kasem, Joan Gerber, Gary Owens, Danny Dark and maybe a half-dozen others...including Don Messick.

    And Messick, like all of the above, got his start in radio—working on some of the popular dramas and comedies of the 1940s and '50s, including "The Raggedy Ann Show." Messick was Raggedy Andy.

    "I think people with radio backgrounds have an advantage," he said. "There's the ability to be a quick study, to grasp a character immediately and then get right to it. Time is of the essence on both cartoon and commercial work. So it helps to be fast."

    Messick got his broadcasting start at age 15 when he boldly walked into a local radio station, auditioned for the staff announcer's job and, to his surprise, got it. A short time later, Messick was given his own program. He was still in high school at the time.

    "I more or less taught myself radio technique," he said. "And in those days, that came mostly through listening to other shows. I really enjoyed the sitcoms. And not just the stars, either. I had more an affinity for the character actors. Even then, I was a character actor."

    Of course, with cartoon work the character actors often get the flashiest parts, sometimes several within the same program.

    "In my early days in TV, I'd sometimes do three or four characters a show," Messick says. "There was one program, 'Ruff 'n' Ready' in 1957, where Daws Butler and I did all of the voices. And I think that versatility pays off in the long run."

    Don Messick considers himself an actor and believes the mistake most would-be voiceover artists make is to downplay that ability.

    "A lot of young people are intrigued by this business," he said, "yet it never crosses their mind that the people who're successful at it are good actors first. You have to learn those skills first before you go into a session and try to create a character. I've had hundreds of tapes sent to me over the years and most of the voices I get are voices and characters we already have. The trick is to create something unique. That's where the creativity comes in. And that's also where the acting skills come in."

    Messick usually commutes to Los Angeles three days a week from his Santa Barbara home, working his various sessions at the Hanna-Barbera studios (where he has spent 25 years) and auditioning for other jobs as well. Yes, even Don Messick still has to audition.

    "I'm one of those fortunate people whose profession is also a hobby," he said. "I love to play with tape-recorders. I have a terrific time. So how can I possibly complain?"

If you'd like to know more about Messick, I highly recommend checking out Yowp's blog. I particularly recommend this post, which features Don reflecting on many of his most celebrated voices for Hanna-Barbera.