With sadness, we note the passing of the unique voice actor
Dick Beals at the age of 85.
Mark Evanier has the DETAILS.
In animation, commercials, and even radio, Mr. Beals was
everything from an anthropomorphized Alka-Seltzer tablet, to little boys of
every stripe: daydreaming (Ralph Phillips), obnoxious (Arthur Spacely, Reggie Van Dough), and
patriotic flyers (Roger Ramjet’s American Eagles) … heck he was even a
Junior Woodchuck on DuckTales!
Remarkably, unlike Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, Don Messick, Frank Welker and others, he did it ALL with just ONE VOICE! (...You all KNOW what that "one voice" is! Everyone does!)
Remarkably, unlike Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, Don Messick, Frank Welker and others, he did it ALL with just ONE VOICE! (...You all KNOW what that "one voice" is! Everyone does!)
And, in one of my most favorite pieces of holiday animation,
1964’s “Christmas Flintstone”, he was one of my most fondly remembered members
of Santa’s elves! (…He’s the one on the
right!)
Join the Junior Woodchucks in saluting one of their own.
UPDATE: In the Comments
Section, our friend “Anonymous” reminds us that Dick Beals was also the voice
of Boy Hero and Franky’s Pal “Buzz Conroy”, on “Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles”
(1966)! My bad for omitting that!
And I might add that, although it would have seemed like a lock
for him, he was NOT any of the titular characters of Hanna-Barbera’s “The Space
Kiddettes” of that same year! I was
certain he was “Scooter” (the lead Kiddette) but, seeing the series recently on DVD, I've learned that was Chris Allen (Hoppity
Hooper) instead. 
4 comments:
I confess that the name Dick Beals was not familiar to me. But that voice sure was. Gumby, Davey, Buzzer Bell, Buzz Conroy, the daydreaming kid in Looney Tunes, and a bazillion other little boys in various cartoons over the years.
Oh, MAN! Buzz Conroy! How did I ever forget that!
Thank you! I’ll update the post!
It is amazing how Beals' Gumby/kid voice didn't change with age - Daws Butler's Elroy/Augie Doggie voice got a bit "throaty" toward the end.
I’ve never listened that closely, back-to-back-to-back, but it sure seemed as if his ‘50s voice differed little from his ‘60s voice, to his ‘80s voice. Mel Blanc sure couldn’t make that claim.
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