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Don Messick
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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.
Messick, a native of Buffalo, New York, voiced several classic cartoon characters, including Scooby-Doo, Ranger Smith and Boo Boo Bear, Muttley, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Astro, Zorak, Godzooky, Dr. Benton Quest, and Papa Smurf.
ick first wanted to be a ventriloquist, and even supported himself as one for a time.
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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.
Messick, a native of Buffalo, New York, voiced several classic cartoon characters, including Scooby-Doo, Ranger Smith and Boo Boo Bear, Muttley, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Astro, Zorak, Godzooky, Dr. Benton Quest, and Papa Smurf.
Early career
Messick first wanted to be a ventriloquist, and even supported himself as one for a time. His big break came in the mid-1940s. At MGM, Tex Avery was producing the Droopy Dog cartoons. The regular voice actor, radio actor Bill Thompson, was not available. Daws Butler, who voiced characters for MGM, suggested that Avery seek out Messick, and so, Messick was hired 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. 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 large 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, Astro and Muttley.
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. Butler was Quick Draw and his Mexican companion, Baba Looey. Messick would eventually star in a cartoon series: Ricochet Rabbit. This character was paired with the slow-poke Deputy Droop-a-Long, voiced by Mel Blanc.
Messick really shone in outer-space cartoons. His unique gift at creating noises and sounds for weird space creatures and aliens helped the space cartoons in a big way. His “Ranger Smith” voice was often heard as various space villains. His narrator voice was given to Vapor Man, Dr. Benton Quest, and Multi Man. His narrating voice was also heard on Hong Kong Phooey and 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!. 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 television 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. He also voiced Ratchet (the Autobot doctor), Gears, and Constructicon Scavenger on The Transformers.
In the mid-1980s, new episodes of The Jetsons were produced. Messick returned as Astro, RUDI, and new voice Uniblab, a pesky robot that worked for Mr. Spacely (voice of Mel Blanc).
Messick also appeared in a rare, on-camera role on the MTM Enterprises sitcom Duck Factory, playing a cartoon voice artist named Wally Wooster. In one episode, frequent collaborator Frank Welker guest-starred as a rival voice artist angling for his job.
In the 1990s, he voiced Hamton J. Pig in FOX's Tiny Toon Adventures and its spin-offs from 1990 to 1995. FOX also had Messick return to his Droopy character for Droopy, Master Detective in 1993.
At a charity speaking engagement in London, shortly before his death, Messick performed as many of his characters, except Scooby Doo. He claimed that giving up smoking had robbed him of the rasp in the voice that he needed.
Death
In 1996, Messick suffered a stroke while recording voices at a cartoon studio. 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.
Messick suffered a second stroke and died on October 24, 1997. He was cremated. His ashes were scattered at the Point Lobos State Reserve in California.
External links
- Short biography of Don Messick
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