While Jonny Quest may have been the first character Tim Matheson voiced for Hanna-Barbera, he wasn't the last. Matheson carved out a nice niche as the studio's main actor for teenage heroes, and the most notable example after Quest himself is Space Ghost's Jace. He wasn't the initial choice for the character (newspapers from the summer of 1966 indicate Jay North was initially intended for the role), but it's hard to imagine anyone else playing him. Alongside fellow Space Ghost sidekick Jan, the duo gave the show's core demographic characters to latch onto. After all, as cool as Space Ghost is, he's not exactly the most relatable guy to a kid. Jan and Jace are, and part of that is thanks to their excellent vocal performances. Just as he did for Quest, Matheson gave Jace the perfect combination of heart and heroism.
For those who want to know more about Matheson's time at Hanna-Barbera, I cannot recommend Kevin Scott Collier's Jonny Quest Speaks: Jonny, Sinbad Jr. and Me enough. The book is exactly what you'd want with a title like that, and it's a great read if you're a fan of any of the shows he starred in. You're probably more than familiar with it if you follow Cartoon Research, but in case you've never heard of it, definitely check it out. Below is a short preview of the book, containing a portion of an interview with Matheson describing his time on Jonny Quest and the show's legacy.
While Jonny Quest had a colorful cast of heroes and villains, there were two characters in particular that the main age demographic identified with. Those were the main character Jonny Quest and his best friend, Hadji. Unlike most Hanna-Barbera kid characters like Elroy Jetson, they were both voiced by actual child actors. Quest was portrayed by Tim Matheson, while Hadji was Danny Bravo.
Nowadays, Matheson is well known for his acting and directing credits, but Jonny Quest was his first leading role. He worked with Hanna-Barbera on a few more adventure series before moving on to bigger projects, but he continues to credit Quest for kickstarting his career. Matheson still does the occasional voice role, too, and has even lent his voice to some of the later Jonny Quest projects. Today, I share a piece that ran in the September 13th, 1969 edition of the Quad-City Times focusing on Matheson and his many talents in the entertainment industry. It's not focused on his animation work, but it does contain some interesting tidbits about that period of his career along the way.
Tim Matheson Is A Double Threat
By Marilyn Lane Entertainment Editor
An engaging young man—both in smile and personality—visited the Quad-Cities to introduce a new character to TV this fall. Tim Matheson will play the continuing role of 19-year-old Jim Horn beginning Wednesday on "The Virginian" on Ch. 6. "I play a partner of an older sidekick who likes to roam around. We stop by Shiloh Ranch and I decide to stay. I guess it's because of the good cooking," Matheson said as a grin easily engulfed his entire face creating deep "laugh creases." Matheson didn't exactly look like a cowboy. Light gray, wide wale corduroy slacks were topped by a brown and gold striped sweater and grey-green jacket distributed over his 6 '1 1/2' frame. Matheson is only 21, but his entry into what he calls a "great business" began at age 13, and then in a writing capacity. He supplied scripts to Hanna-Barbera for cartoons and also served as cartoon voice. He was involved with "Jonny Quest," "Sinbad Jr.," "Young Sampson," "Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines," and worked on "Space Ghost" with Gary Owens of "Laugh-In" fame.
The Burbank native wrote two novels as a youngster but they didn't get published. He is now working on a script for the "Virginian" which he hopes will be purchased. The show is his first regular series work and has cut into his writing time so he has given up most of the cartoon work. Matheson thinks of series work as a great opportunity for honing his craft. "I'm pleased to be on the series. We've done 10 shows and you learn so fast. You get a couple of years training in a season." Matheson spent a year at San Fernando College and is now taking voice lessons. But some things have to be learned the hard way. He had riding lessons as a child, but in one scene during filming of the "Virginian" he sat on a rein. He didn't want to make the obvious correction on camera, but he couldn't control the direction of the horse which proceeded to knock over some fake shrubbery. Obviously, the scene had to be reshot. Married a year this month, the couple have just purchased an old English cottage in Hollywood. His wife is actress Jennifer Leak whom he met while both were making the movie "Yours, Mine and Ours." The 5 '7" redhead from Wales has interested her husband in antique collecting and one of their weekend leisure activities includes attending antique auctions.
With Jonny discussed, let's take a look at his best friend, Hadji, who I'd argue was the most groundbreaking character in the entire series. He was perhaps the first recurring person of color character in an animated series, and while there are elements to his character that are undoubtedly stereotypical, this is something that should not be overlooked when discussing the series. Hadji was every bit as smart and as skillful as Quest, making him a good equal to the character, rather than a mere sidekick. He was portrayed by child actor Danny Bravo. Bravo was frequently featured in Latino roles, and was great at utilizing accents, which likely led to his role as Hadji. He continued to act for a few years after Quest's cancellation, with his final role being an uncredited voice on an episode of The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1969. He subsequently retired from the industry.
This is where I'd share an interview with Bravo, but unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on him. Because of this, I thought I'd instead share this short clip of Bravo in an on-camera role. This is from the 1966 film For Pete's Sake, which was also Bravo's final movie role. It's a brief scene, but for many of you, it may very well be the first time you've seen Bravo. Enjoy!
While the majority of us think of their many cartoon voiceover roles when we think of the actors Hanna-Barbera routinely used throughout their shows, that was far from the only thing the majority of them did. Many of them had backgrounds in radio, theater, and several credits across live-action film and TV. However, what most people forget is that several of their voice actors also were featured in many TV commercials over the years. So how about I spotlight a few of them? Today, in what I plan to be the first in an ongoing series, I'll share three commercials and highlight the actors who starred in them!
First up is Jean Vander Pyl. She voiced many characters for Hanna-Barbera over the course of thirty years, but she's best remembered for voicing both Wilma and Pebbles in The Flintstones. The same year that show premiered, Miss Vander Pyl starred in a commercial for Joy Dishwashing Liquid. Kind of reminds me of the season two Flintstones episode "A Star is Almost Born", where Wilma was scouted for a lotion commercial.
Next up is Jonny Quest himself, Tim Matheson. Matheson has had arguably one of the most diverse careers of any Hanna-Barbera actors, and that includes commercials. Here he is in a 1992 ad for Ford.
Last but certainly not least is the voice actress for everybody from Judy Jetson to Penelope Pitstop, Janet Waldo. Waldo was featured in several commercials back in the fifties and sixties, but the most well-known of these would have to be this one for Anacin in 1964.
That, of course, is only scratching the surface. There are plenty of other commercials out there with these voice actors, and I plan on covering as many as I can across this series. If you have any you're aware of and would want to see covered here, why not drop a comment on this post? I'd love to see if there's any I haven't found prior.
