Growing Up in a House Full of Cartoon Characters: Questions and Answers with Tim Messick

 We all love the work of Don Messick, one of Hanna-Barbera's top vocal talents. He was undoubtedly one of Hanna-Barbera's best voice actors, and one of the best classic animation voice actors, too. He voiced so many beloved characters for the studio, including Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Boo Boo, Ranger Smith, Dr. Benton Quest, Bandit, Astro, and many, many more. But as much as we love him, few can say they knew the man behind the voices, and only one can say he knew him as a father. That individual is Timothy Messick, the only child of Donald Messick, despite what Wikipedia and other such sites might tell you. Within the last month, I was able to get into contact with Tim, who was nothing but cordial and delightful in my conversations with him. Today, I am elated to share a question and answer session between Messick and myself, shedding some much-needed light on Don Messick, both as a man and as an artist.

Before I get into the Q&A itself, I'd like to put out a small disclaimer. Though Messick agreed to this interview, he has made it clear to me that he is not interested in becoming part of the larger animation research community. I will not include Messick's contact information in this post, and I will not respond to any inquiries asking for said info. I also ask you to respect Messick's request for privacy, and not hound him for additional questions. I have faith you all won't do this,, but I'd like to make this crystal clear. With that out of the way, please welcome Timothy Messick to The Exposure Sheet in this amazing interview!

Noah Bell: When and how did you learn that your father was a voice-over artist?

Woody DeForest and Don Messick circa 1970

Tim Messick: I think I can remember from as early as age 6, watching "his" cartoons on TV and knowing it was his voice coming from some of the characters. He would also read stories and especially newspaper comic strips to me, with voices, at bedtime. He also had a ventriloquist dummy, Woody DeForest, that he had used in his early days as an entertainer. He and Woody would chat with me or sing a song sometimes. One favorite was a comic version of "Yankee Doodle." Woody now resides at "Vent Haven Museum" in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky (www.venthaven.org)—a sort of retirement home for vent dummies who have outlasted their human partners.

NB: Many are familiar with Don Messick's body of work, but few can say they knew Don Messick as a person. What was he like to be around?

TM: I think he was a pretty regular guy in many ways, valuing family and friendships, and appreciating his good fortune at being able to do work he enjoyed. He also enjoyed cigars, bourbon-and-soda with a lemon twist, big speakers in the living room, and his cars (many different kinds over the years) for his long commutes to Hollywood. He had a very active and generally dry sense of humor. Although necessarily outgoing as a performer, he considered himself an introvert, and I would agree. He was never loud and boisterous except when playing a character that required it.

His work was also his hobby. There was always a recording studio in the house, with several reel-to-reel tape recorders, turntables, other equipment, a special tape machine dedicated to splicing and editing, etc. In Carmel (up to about 1967), the "Studio" was in a converted garage located between two sections of the house. In Santa Barbara (after about 1967) the Studio was in what was originally a guest house, separated from the main house by a long corridor between the rear patio and carport. 

Don Messick at an event for the Cartoon Network, 1993

He wrote and recorded "spots"—short radio commercials—for local businesses that aired on local radio stations, especially KDON in Monterey, KDB in Santa Barbara, and probably others as well. He did this for a bit of extra income, but more importantly for creative fun. Some of these he did entirely on his own (with character voices and/or straight narration), mixing in music and sound effects; others were collaborations with friends providing either technical help or additional voices. His sense of humor found full vent in these spots—many were hilarious! Another memorable product of his Studio was a performance of the radio play "They Fly through the Air," written in 1939 by Norman Corwin, with a cast of radio and actor friends from Santa Barbara. I don't know if this home studio version was ever broadcast.¹

During my high school years (in Santa Barbara) I had my darkroom in a corner of the Studio that happened to have a sink. Over the course of three years, I spent many hours there, developing and printing photos I had taken for my school's yearbook, and some other early creative efforts. I'm sure he would have preferred not to be sharing his Studio space with my darkroom (generally incompatible activities), but I don't recall it ever becoming a problem or source of friction. He was very supportive of my interest in photography.

NB: Your father voiced tons and tons of characters for Hanna-Barbera over the course of nearly forty years. Who would you say is your favorite, and why? 

Publicity still featuring Messick and his animated friends

TM: I think my favorites align closely with his favorites, which included Boo Boo Bear (Yogi's younger sidekick), Bamm Bamm (on The Flintstones), and Mutley (the snickering dog). One has to include Scooby Doo, of course, because of his great success as a long-running character and series.

Another of my favorites, less well known, appeared first (I think) as a robot from the planet Muni-Mula in the Ruff and Reddy series, and much later as George Jetson's computer, "R.U.D.I." This voice showcased his remarkable ability to flutter his tongue against his palate while speaking, for a truly alien sound.

NB: You mentioned you frequented the Hanna-Barbera studio during your summer vacations in the 1960s. Can you recall what the place was like at that time?

TM: Yes, I was very fortunate to be able to sit in on quite a few recording sessions during some of my summer vacations in the 1960s. When we lived in Carmel, he would often commute to Hollywood for a few days at a time, flying from Monterey on Pacific Airlines and staying a few nights at the Hollywood Travelodge. Later, from Santa Barbara, he would drive to studios for the day, as needed, for a recording session or two.

 Most of these sessions were at Hanna-Barbera in Studio A—the large studio with room enough for a large cast, lots of mikes, a piano, movie screen, and 2 or 3 rows of theater seats below the control room windows. Some sessions were recorded in the much smaller "Studio B" down the hall. The recording studios were in the center of the building, with workstations for the animators all around three outer walls with large windows.

NB: You also told me you met several directors and vocal artists in the recording sessions during these visits. Were there any encounters that have stuck with you from those days?

TM: Most of the recording sessions I attended were directed by Alex Lovy or Lew Marshall, and occasionally Bill Hanna or Joe Barbera. I usually brought a book with me to read, but I rarely got much reading done. I paid attention to the read-throughs of the script, as the director coached the actors on how to express or inflect certain lines, and explained the action in the storyboard (which would not be animated until after the soundtrack was finished). That was always interesting and entertaining, and so was the joking around that regularly occurred among the actors. I have memories of many different performers from that time—regulars on the casts of Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, Jonny Quest, and others—but a few people and instances do stand out.

Mel Blanc was at many of the earlier sessions. He was a pioneering, extremely versatile, and highly respected voice actor. He voiced Barney Rubble, Mr. Spacely, and others for Hanna-Barbera, plus many other famous voices for Warner Brothers.

Daws Butler (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Elroy Jetson, and many others) was a close friend and had a catalyzing role in my father's career, helping him land early roles at MGM and Hanna-Barbera. Daws and Myrtis Butler had 4 sons, the youngest of whom, Charles, was close to my age, and we became good friends. I think I hung out at their home in Beverly Hills a few times while our fathers went to recording sessions. They visited us at least once when we lived in Carmel. Daws would jokingly call me "Time" rather than Tim.

Paul Winchell (Dick Dastardly and others) had, shall we say, a "colorful" sense of humor in the studio, enabling his characters to use language (off-mike) that would never (in those days) have been heard on television or radio.

Gary Owens (Space Ghost) was also on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In at that time, and it was a kick to see someone I currently knew from TV, live in the studio. Sometimes he really did hold his hand over his ear while reading a script, as did his on-screen announcer character on Laugh-In.

Comedian Bud Abbott played himself on the Abbott & Costello series produced in 1966. I remember being in the parking lot at HB when he opened the trunk of his car and gave my father a wax (not vinyl) recording of the famous "Who's on First" skit.

I remember my father came home one day after a session, probably for Episode 3 of The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972. He was telling me about a remarkable young actress of 8 or 9, who could read a script cold, better than many experienced grown-up actors. He greatly admired and enjoyed working with this very professional youngster. Her name was Jodie Foster. 

Don and his most celebrated character, Scooby-Doo

NB: Did you ever find yourself becoming the inspiration for the voice of a character your father portrayed?

TM: I don't think so. I was too quiet, not goofy or mischievous enough. But our dogs most definitely inspired some of the expressiveness he brought to his many canine characterizations, and he acknowledged this.

NB: How does it feel to know that, all these decades later, so many of the characters your father voiced continue to entertain viewers across the world?

TM: It's not something I think about much, since I'm not involved in entertainment myself. But whenever it comes up in conversation with someone who doesn't know of this connection, they are delighted and relate fond memories of their favorite cartoon series and characters, many of whom he voiced. It's wonderful to know he had such a memorable impact on so many young lives, and that these memories persist decades later.

NB: What are some of your best memories of growing up with Don Messick?

TM: I've already mentioned the bedtime reading of comic strips and the opportunity to attend recording sessions. To these I'll add that he and I both loved to travel. He introduced me to Yosemite when I was about 8 years old, and we visited there often. This had a strong influence on my later decision to become a biologist. We visited Canada several times, including Expo '67 in Montreal. Visiting World's Fairs became a thing for a while, and we visited HemisFair '68 in San Antonio and Expo '70 in Osaka. In our years of traveling together, we occasionally had the surreal experience of hearing his voice emerging from a TV somewhere far from home. That happened somewhere in Japan in 1970 (I don't recall any other details). In 1971, during a crossing of Cabot Strait on the car ferry between Sydney, Nova Scotia, and Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, we heard his voice on a TV as we walked past a lounge on the ferry. Later, during the 1980s and '90s, he continued his travels overseas, often entertaining kids during charity events at children's hospitals.

Thank you, Noah, for the opportunity to share these memories with you!

And that concludes my talk with Tim Messick! Like I said, he was fantastic to talk with, and nothing but helpful in conducting this interview. I have to give him a big thanks for being willing to participate in this. I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did putting it together. And for my readers, I'd love to know who your favorite Don Messick-voiced character is? I'm personally a big fan of Muttley, Boo Boo and Atom Ant, but I'm interested in hearing everyone else's!

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1 The original version of Fly Through the Air With the Greatest of Ease was broadcast on April 10th, 1939. For more information on the play, check out its page on RUSC. If anyone knows any information about this late 60s version, we'd love to hear it! ^↩