There’s a nip in the air and it’s that time of year when my thoughts turn to things tinsel-y. Lights aglow in the window. Sugarplums dance in my noggin. Yeah, I enjoy the season. So many wonderful memories. Some include classic TV specials. They’re a kind of cultural comfort food.
Collectively, these animated classics feature some of the strongest and most influential voice-over performances of all time.
Many famous voices grace them. Who can forget the Rankin-Bass studio classics Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman–with Mr. Holly-Jolly Burl Ives and the unmistakable Jimmy Durante as narrators, respectively. They also feature voice-over luminaries June Foray and Paul Frees. Even Boris Karloff played the title role in the Seussian masterpiece How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Though the lesser known actors’ performances are no less loved. Theirs are integral roles, such as Billie Mae Richards (credited as the boyish “Billy Richards”) who started her voice-acting career winning us over with Rudolph. And actually left uncredited in the original production of Grinch was that memorable bass voice singing: “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch” – voiceover legend Thurl Ravenscroft (AKA Tony the Tiger), who also is heard singing signs and such to Snoopy and Woodstock in the slightly funky Snoopy Come Home.
Speaking of Peanuts, I have to say A Charlie Brown Christmas has it all, including setting the mood with some of the most recognizable 1960s jazz, courtesy of the great Vince Guaraldi and company. Peter Robbins’ Charlie Brown is hilariously honest, and Christopher Shea portrays Linus Van Pelt with striking naturalness. Peanuts producer Bill Melendez voices Snoopy’s expressive utterances, as he did for decades.
The 1960s well might have been the “golden era” of the voice actor–a time when voice actors were voice actors and movie stars were movie stars and the twain never met for too long.
Maybe the reason all of these productions hold such a dear place to us is not only their eye-candy scenes and exquisite production values, but also the sincerity and genuineness of the voice talent and their characters. This is especially noticeable when they unite. After rummaging through Christmas hype and triumphing over nasty ne’er-do-wells to reveal the true meaning of Christmas, they become a collective voice singing carols of goodwill. That’s what Linus with his blanket on stage and our gleeful hero Rudolph saving the night unassumingly remind us all. As Charlie Brown yells to a dancing cast: “It’s the spirit of the actors that counts…Am I right? I said, AM I RIGHT?!”
So take a break from the holly hustle and the jolly bustle for a stroll down memory lane with a loved one if you catch one of these classics on the tube. Or dial up your favorite.
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! – from The Vox Office.
