Man, it’s been a lousy couple of days for animation fans.
First came the news that — this past Friday morning — that we’d lost Marie Johnston. Ollie Johnston’s wife of 62 years, a former Disney ink & paint gal as well as the woman who shared a name with the “Marie E.” (You Know. That steam train that I wrote about last week.)
Then on Saturday we lost Henry Corden. The multi-talented gentleman who’s been “Yabba Dabba Doo” -ing for Fred Flintstone ever since Alan Reed passed away in 1977.
As if this wasn’t already bad enough, on that same day Howie Morris slipped away. A comedy legend (Who — in spite of his diminutive size — stood toe-to-toe, talent-wise, with Sid Caesar) as well as a veteran voice artist.
And then — on Sunday — Thurl Ravenscroft passed away.
And — for some odd reason — it’s Thurl’s death that’s really got me blue today.
Why For? Well, maybe it’s because one of the records that I used to play constantly when I was a kid was “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” on which Ravencroft sings this amazing version of “The Headless Horseman.” Or maybe it’s because my favorite souvenir from my first trip to Disneyland was that “Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion” LP that Thurl does such a masterful job of narrating. Maybe that’s why — to this day — I can still hear Ravenscroft’s distinctive bass voice reverberating inside my head.
Of course, it is kind of hard to get away from Thurl Ravenscroft. I mean, you hear the man every time Tony the Tiger appears on the tube and shouts “They’re g-r-r-r-eat!”
But these past two days — as I’ve been trying to work my way through all six discs of Randy Thornton’s excellent “A Musical History of Disneyland” CD set — it’s been particularly hard for me not to think about Thurl. By that I mean: I’d forgotten how many attractions at the Anaheim theme park Ravenscroft did voicework for. He is:
- One of the singing busts in “The Haunted Mansion.”
- Buff the Buffalo in all three versions of the “Country Bears” show
- The voice of the conductor on the Disneyland Railroad’s pre-recorded narration.
- The voice of the captain on the original version of Disneyland’s “Submarine Voyage.”
- Fritz the Parrot in “The Enchanted Tiki Room.”
- A singing pirate in “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
- One of the playing cards who’s “painting the roses red” in the “Alice in Wonderland” dark ride.
The list goes on and on.
But — you know — that’s the nice thing about recordings like “A Musical History of Disneyland.” Now that these Ravenscroft performances have been preserved on CD, they’re not going to slip away and disappear. Like most of the vocal work that Thurl did over in his 70+ year career.
So I guess — if you’re looking for some solace at this sad, sad time — it’s important to remember that Marie, Henry, Howie and Thurl all worked in animation. Which means that as long as those Silly Symphonies that Mrs. Johnston helped to ink survive, as long as “The Flintstones” & “The Jetsons” continue to air in reruns, as long as Chuck Jones’ version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” remains a holiday favorite … These four aren’t really gone.
All long as their work survives, Marie Johnston, Henry Corden, Howie Morris and Thurl Ravenscroft will still be with us. And — given that these four did some great, great work over the years, entertaining millions with their wit & their artistry — no one’s going to forget these folks anytime soon.
The entire JHM family extends its condolences to the friends & families of Marie Johnston, Henry Corden, Howie Morris and Thurl Ravenscroft in their time of sorrow.