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Paul Frees

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Paul Frees
Frees in a rare onscreen appearance in Suddenly (1954)
Born
Solomon Hersh Frees

(1920-06-22)June 22, 1920
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 2, 1986(1986-11-02) (aged 66)
Tiburon, California, U.S.
Other names
  • The Man of a Thousand Voices
  • Solomon Hersh Frees
  • Solomon Frees
  • Paul Hersh Frees
  • Buddy Green
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • impressionist
  • vaudevillian
Years active1942–1986
Spouses
  • Anelle McCloud
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1943; died 1945)​
  • Kleda June Hansen
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1947; div. 1950)​
  • Joyce Schultz
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1951, divorced)​
  • Jeri J. Cole
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1967; div. 1969)​
  • Beverly T. Marlow
    ​
    (m. 1971)​
Children2

Solomon Hersh Frees (June 22, 1920 – November 2, 1986), better known as Paul Frees, was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during the Golden Age of Animation, and for providing the voice of Boris Badenov in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.[1] Frees was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", though the appellation was more commonly bestowed on Mel Blanc.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Solomon Hersh Frees was born to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 1920. He grew up in the Albany Park neighborhood and attended Von Steuben Junior High School.[3][4]

Career

[edit]

In the 1930s, Frees first appeared in vaudeville as an impressionist, under the name Buddy Green. He began his career on radio in 1942 and remained active for more than 40 years.[5] During that time, he was involved in more than 250 films, cartoons, and TV appearances; as was the case for many voice actors of the time, his appearances were often uncredited.[5]

Frees's early radio career was cut short when he was drafted into the United States Army during World War II, where he fought at Normandy, France, on D-Day.[6] He was wounded in action and was returned to the United States for a year of recuperation. He attended the Chouinard Art Institute under the G.I. Bill. When his first wife's health failed, he decided to drop out and return to radio work.[7]

He appeared frequently on Hollywood radio series, including Escape, playing lead roles and alternating with William Conrad as the opening announcer. He announced the dramatic signature on Suspense in the late 1940s, and parts on Gunsmoke (filling in for Howard McNear as Doc Adams in the episode "The Cast"), and Crime Classics. One of his few starring roles in this medium was as Jethro Dumont/Green Lama in the 1949 series The Green Lama, as well as a syndicated anthology series The Player, in which Frees narrated and played all the parts.

In movies, he often did dubbing for live-action films. Examples include Midway, dubbing Toshiro Mifune's performances as Admiral Yamamoto;[8][self-published source?] and Some Like It Hot, in which Frees provides the voice of funeral director Mozzarella as well as much of the falsetto voice for Tony Curtis' female character Josephine.[citation needed] Frees dubbed the entire role of Eddie in the Disney film The Ugly Dachshund, replacing actor Dick Wessel, who had died of a sudden heart attack after completion of principal photography.[citation needed] Frees also dubbed some of Humphrey Bogart’s lines in his final film The Harder They Fall.[9][citation needed] Bogart was suffering at the time from what was later diagnosed as esophageal cancer, thus could barely be heard in some takes, hence the need for Frees to dub in his voice. [9][citation needed]

Unlike many voice actors who did most of their work for one studio, Frees worked extensively with at least nine of the major animation production companies of the 20th century: Walt Disney Productions, Warner Bros. Cartoons, Walter Lantz Productions, UPA, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Filmation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, Jay Ward Productions, Rankin/Bass, and Ruby-Spears.

Disney

[edit]

Some of Frees' most memorable voices were for various Disney projects. Frees voiced Disney's Professor Ludwig Von Drake in 18 episodes of the Disney anthology television series,[10] beginning with the first episode of the newly renamed Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on September 24, 1961. The character also appeared on many Disneyland Records. Von Drake's introductory cartoon, An Adventure in Color, featured "The Spectrum Song", sung by Frees as Von Drake. A different Frees recording of this song appeared on a children's record, and was later reissued on CD.[11]

In addition to voicing characters, Frees narrated a number of Disney cartoons, including the Disney educational short film Donald in Mathmagic Land. This short originally aired in the same television episode as Von Drake's first appearance.

Frees also provided voices for numerous characters at Disney parks. He voiced the unseen "Ghost Host" at Haunted Mansion Attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. For the Pirates of the Caribbean, Frees recorded the ghost voice saying the iconic "dead men tell no tales" used in the ride, as well as lending his voice to several audio-animatronic characters, including the Auctioneer, Magistrate Carlos, and the "Pooped Pirate" in the ride.[12] Disney eventually issued limited edition compact discs commemorating The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, featuring some outtakes and unused audio tracks by Frees and others. Frees also provided narration for the Tomorrowland attraction Adventure Thru Inner Space (1967–1985, later replaced by Star Tours) and the original Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Audio clips from the attractions in Frees's distinctive voice have been included in fireworks shows at Disneyland.

An animated singing bust in Frees's likeness appeared in the 2003 film The Haunted Mansion as a tribute. Similarly, audio recordings of Frees from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction can be heard in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in an homage to the ride.

Frees also had a small on-camera role for Disney in the 1959 film The Shaggy Dog, playing Dr. Galvin, a police psychiatrist who attempts to understand why Mr. Daniels believes a shaggy dog can uncover a spy ring. He also spoke the film's opening narration.

His other Disney credits, most of them narration for segments of the Disney anthology television series, include:

For his contributions to the Disney legacy, Frees was honored posthumously as a Disney Legend on October 9, 2006.[13]

Jay Ward Productions

[edit]

Frees was a regular presence in Jay Ward cartoons, providing the voices of Boris Badenov (from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show), Inspector Fenwick (from Dudley Do-Right, impersonating Eric Blore), Ape (impersonating Ronald Colman), District Commissioner Alistair and Weevil Plumtree in George of the Jungle, Baron Otto Matic in Tom Slick, Fred in Super Chicken, and the Hoppity Hooper narrator, among numerous others.

Rankin/Bass

[edit]

Frees is well-remembered for providing the voices for many characters in Rankin/Bass cartoons and stop-motion animated TV specials, most notably for a number of holiday-themed specials. In 1968, he appeared as Captain Jones in the Thanksgiving special The Mouse on the Mayflower, and that Christmas he appeared as the father of the Drummer Boy, Ali, and as the three Wise Men in The Little Drummer Boy. He was also Hocus Pocus, the traffic cop, the ticket-taker, and Santa Claus in Frosty the Snowman in 1969 and played the central villain, Burgermeister Meisterburger, and his assistant Grimsley in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town in 1970. He provided several voices, including Aeon the Terrible, for Rudolph's Shiny New Year in 1976.

Frees also voiced King Haggard's wizard Mabruk and the Cat in The Last Unicorn and provided several voices for the Jackson Five cartoon series between 1971 and 1973. He provided the voices for several J. R. R. Tolkien characters (most notably the dwarf Bombur) in Rankin/Bass animated versions of The Hobbit and The Return of the King.

Rankin/Bass TV specials or films featuring Paul Frees:

George Pal

[edit]

Frees portrayed the Orson Welles sound-alike radio reporter in George Pal's film The War of the Worlds (1953), where he is seen dictating into a tape recorder as the military prepares the atomic bomb for use against the invading Martians. Memorably, his character says the recording is being made "for future history ... if any". Frees also provided the film's dramatic opening narration, prior to Sir Cedric Hardwicke's voice-over tour of the solar system.

Frees subsequently provided the apocalyptic voice for the "talking rings" in Pal's later film The Time Machine (1960), in which he explains the ultimate fate of humanity from which the time traveler realizes the origin of the Morlocks and Eloi.

Producer Pal later put Frees to work again in his fantasy film Atlantis, the Lost Continent (also 1960) and doing the opening voice-over narration for Pal's Doc Savage (1975) film.

Frees did the narration for the George Pal documentary The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (1985), written, produced, and directed by Arnold Leibovit. Two years later, Frees provided the voice for Arnie the Dinosaur and the Pillsbury Doughboy in The Puppetoon Movie (1987), also produced and directed by Leibovit.

Other voice work

[edit]

The versatile actor voiced several characters, including three of the main characters in the US versions of Belvision's Hergé's Adventures of Tintin cartoons, based on the books by Hergé.

He had also done work for Hanna-Barbera in their Tom and Jerry shorts at MGM. In the 1956 Cinemascope Tom and Jerry cartoon, Blue Cat Blues, he was Jerry's voice who narrated the short; he voiced Jerry's cousin Muscles in Jerry's Cousin five years earlier and the cannibals in His Mouse Friday where he said the lines "Mmmmm, barbecued cat!" and "Mmmmm, barbecued mouse!"

At the MGM Animation studio, he also did multiple voice roles for Tex Avery's short films, notably playing every role in Cellbound in 1955.

Frees worked with Spike Jones on his 1960 album Omnibust, heard as announcer "Billy Playtex" and several other characters on "The Late Late Late Late Movies, Part I and II".

From October 1961 through September 1962, Paul Frees provided the voice for the shady lawyer named Judge Oliver Wendell Clutch, a weasel on the animated program Calvin and the Colonel starring the voices of Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. The series was an animated television remake of their radio series Amos 'n Andy.

For the 1962 Christmas special Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, produced by UPA, Paul Frees voiced several characters, including Fezziwig, the Charity Man, and two of the opportunists who steal from the dead Scrooge (Eyepatch Man and Tall Tophat Man)[14] and Mister Magoo's Broadway theatre director. He subsequently provided numerous voices for the follow up series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo.

Frees provided the voices of both John Lennon and George Harrison in the 1965 The Beatles cartoon series, the narrator, Big D and Fluid Man in the 1966 cartoon series, Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles, and The Thing in the 1967 series Fantastic Four, as well as President James Norcross in the 1967 cartoon series Super President. He played several roles – narrator, Chef of State, the judges and the bailiff – in the George Lucas / John Korty animated film, Twice Upon a Time.

Frees provided the voice-over for the trailer to the 1971 Clint Eastwood thriller, Play Misty for Me.

In television commercials, he was the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy, the 7-Up bird Fresh-Up Freddie, Froot Loops spokesbird Toucan Sam (previously voiced by Mel Blanc, later voiced by Maurice LaMarche), Boo-Berry in the series of monster cereal commercials, and The Farmer who helps The Little Green Sprout, (voiced by Ike Eisenmann), who called out to the Jolly Green Giant, "So what's new besides ho-ho-ho, Green Giant?" He also played a British detective in a 1971 non-animated television commercial for Taster's Choice coffee.[15][16][17][18]

Frees narrated many live action films and television series, including Naked City (1958–1963). Frees also provided the voice of the eccentric billionaire John Beresford Tipton, always seated in his chair with his back to the viewer while talking to his employee Michael Anthony (fellow voice-artist Marvin Miller), on the dramatic series The Millionaire.

He was the narrator at the beginning of the film The Disorderly Orderly starring Jerry Lewis. He also looped an actor's voice in the film The Ladies Man, also starring Jerry Lewis.

In 1980, Frees was hired by Program Director Hy Lit to be the voice of radio station WKXW (Kicks 101 1/2).

Frees had a wide range of other roles, usually heard but not seen, and frequently without screen credit. The resonance of his natural voice was similar to that of Orson Welles, and he performed a Welles impression several times. Some highlights of his voice work:

Other credits

[edit]

Although Frees was primarily known for his voice work (like Mel Blanc, he was known in the industry as "The Man of a Thousand Voices"), he was also a songwriter and screenwriter. His most notable screenwriting work was the little-seen 1960 film The Beatniks, a screed against the then-rising Beat counterculture in the vein of Reefer Madness. In 1992, the film was mocked on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

On rare occasions, Frees appeared on-camera, usually in minor roles. In 1954, he appeared in the film noir classic Suddenly starring Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden. He played a scientist in The Thing from Another World, a death-row priest in A Place in the Sun, and French fur trader McMasters in The Big Sky. In 1955, he appeared as an irate husband suing his wife (played by Ann Doran) for alimony in an episode of CBS's sitcom The Ray Milland Show; and, in 1957, in an uncredited role as a helicopter pilot in the 1957 science-fiction movie, Beginning of the End.

In Jet Pilot, Frees plays a menacing Soviet officer whose job is to watchdog pilot Janet Leigh, but instead manages to eject himself from a parked jet, enabling Leigh to rescue John Wayne and fly back to the West. He is also credited with narrating the opening of the 1958-1959 series Rescue 8 starring Jim Davis and Lang Jefferies. In the 1970 film Patton, Frees provided the voices of a war correspondent interviewing Patton while Patton rides his horse, and of a member of Patton's staff, as well as voice-overs for several other actors, including the Moroccan official hosting a troop review for Patton. Frees is also heard in Tora! Tora! Tora! as the English-language voice of the Japanese ambassador to the United States. He also does the final narration in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the first sequel to Planet of the Apes.

Legacy

[edit]

Since Frees's death, voice actor Corey Burton has provided voices for some of Frees's characters.[citation needed] Burton, who met Frees in the late 1970s, has often re-recorded dialogue for some Disneyland attractions originally recorded by Frees.[22] In some cases, Frees's original, pre-digital recordings had simply deteriorated over time,[citation needed] and in others the dialogue had been rewritten to reflect plot changes or introduce new characters, such as the "Stuffed Pirate" replacing Frees's "Pooped Pirate" in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in 1997.[23] Dialogue that was slightly rewritten to reflect newer safety standards is performed by actors Joe Leahy (English)[24][25] and Fabio Rodriguez (Spanish).[26] In 2001, Burton provided a Paul Frees impression for the new "Ghost Host" of Haunted Mansion Holiday, a seasonal, holiday-themed overlay for the Haunted Mansion attraction.[27] Burton also recorded Frees's Ghost Host lines for Walt Disney Pictures' 2003 film adaptation of the ride.

Voice actor Jim Kirk has also done several impressions of the "Ghost Host" at Disney's Haunted Mansion on Instagram and TikTok.[28]

Personal life

[edit]

Frees was married five times. His first marriage was to Anelle McCloud, from 1943 until her death in 1945. He then married Kleda June Hansen in 1947, but they divorced three years later in 1950. His third wife was Joyce Schultz. They married in 1951 and had two children before eventually divorcing.[5] His fourth marriage was to Jeri J. Cole in 1967, but they divorced after just two years, in 1969. Beverly T. Marlow was Frees's fifth wife. They married in 1971 but were estranged at the time of his death fifteen years later.[29]

Death

[edit]

For the last two years of his life, Frees suffered from multiple ailments, including arthritis, diabetes, and loss of vision, and had mentioned to friends that he was in near constant pain. Frees died at his home in Tiburon, California, on November 2, 1986, at the age of 66, from a self-administered overdose of pain medication. Despite his death being considered a suicide, his agent issued a press release stating that he died from heart failure.[30][5]

Frees was survived by his son and daughter, and by Marlow, who had moved to Mesa, Arizona.[5][29] His body was cremated and his ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean.[5]

Filmography

[edit]

Live-action

[edit]

Film

[edit]
List of acting performances in feature films
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1949 The Adventures of Sir Galahad The Black Knight (voice) Uncredited
1950 Hunt the Man Down Packard 'Packy' Collins uncredited
1951 A Place in the Sun Reverend Morrison
The Thing from Another World Dr. Vorhees
His Kind of Woman Corley
1952 The Star Richard Stanley
The Las Vegas Story District Attorney Uncredited
1953 The War of the Worlds Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer
1954 Suddenly Benny
1956 The Harder They Fall Priest
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers Alien (voice) Uncredited
Francis in the Haunted House Francis (voice)
1957 The 27th Day Ward Mason / Newscaster
Jet Pilot Lieutenant Tiompkin
The Cyclops Cyclops (voice)
Beginning of the End Helicopter pilot Uncredited
1958 Space Master X-7 Dr. Charles T. Pommer
1959 The Shaggy Dog Narrator / J. W. Galvin Uncredited
Some Like It Hot Tony Curtis as Josephine
1960 Spartacus Caius (voice)
The Beatniks Various voices
Tormented Frank Hubbard (voice)
1961 The Absent-Minded Professor Loudspeaker Voice / Air Force Dispatcher (voices)
Snow White and the Three Stooges Narrator / Magic Mirror (voice)
1962 Gay Purr-ee Meowrice (voice)
The Magic Sword Sir Ulrich of Germany (voice) Uncredited
The World's Greatest Sinner Narrator / The Snake (voices)
The Manchurian Candidate Narrator (voice) Uncredited
1964 The Incredible Mr. Limpet Crusty (voice)
Robin and the 7 Hoods Radio News Announcer
The Disorderly Orderly Narrator (voice) Uncredited
The Carpetbaggers Narrator (voice)
The Brass Bottle Lawyer Jennings (voice)
Mary Poppins Barnyard Horse (voice)
1965 The Outlaws Is Coming Narrator / The Magic Talking Mirror (voices)
1967 In Cold Blood Radio Announcer (voice) / Policeman
King Kong Escapes Dr. Hu (voice) Uncredited
English dub
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre Narrator (voice) Uncredited
1969 Hell in the Pacific Narrator (voice) Voiceover for Toshiro Mifune as Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda
1970 Tora! Tora! Tora! Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburō Nomura (voice) Uncredited
Beneath the Planet of the Apes Ending Voiceover (voice)
Patton War Correspondent / Member of the Staff of Patton / Sheik (voices)
1975 Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze Narrator (voice)
1976 Midway Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (voice)
The Milpitas Monster Narrator (voice) Creature Feature top 10 movie

Television

[edit]
List of acting performances in television shows
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1952 Dangerous Assignment Dr. Friedrich Season 1 Episode 5
Episode: "The Manager Story"
1953 The Jack Benny Program Narrator (voice) Episode: "The Honolulu Trip"
1955 Meet Mr. McNutley Husband Live Action Episode
Episode: "Jury Duty"
1955–1956 The Bob Cummings Show Television announcer
1955–1960 The Millionaire John Beresford Tipton (heard, but always unseen)
1956 Jane Wyman Presents Emcee Episode: "Ten Percent"
1957 The Adventures of Jim Bowie Etienne Episode: "German George"
1958-1960 Rescue 8 Narrator (voice)
1961-1962 The Alvin Show Additional Voices
1962–1964 Fractured Flickers Narrator / Various 26 episodes
1966 Get Smart Greenstreet Character / Lorre Character Episode: "Casablanca"
1971, 1972 Hawaii Five-O Steve McGarrett Imposter, Goro Shibata (voice) Episodes: "Odd Man In", "The Ninety-Second War: Part I"
1972 Alias Smith and Jones Hannibal Heyes Episode: "The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg"
1975 Wonder Woman Prologue Narrator / Franklin D. Roosevelt Episode: "The New Original Wonder Woman"
1984 Knight Rider KARR (voice) "K.I.T.T. VS K.A.R.R."

Voice roles

[edit]

Film

[edit]
List of voice performances in animated feature films
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1950 Primitive Pluto Primo Pluto Short
1951 Jerry's Cousin Cousin Muscles, Leader of gang cat's thugs
1951 Sleepy-Time Tom Tom Cat (snoring) / Lightning Cat
1951 His Mouse Friday Jerry / Cannibals Uncredited
1952 Magical Maestro Butch (singing "Everything I Have is Yours")[31] Uncredited
1952 Cruise Cat Ship's Captain
1952 Busybody Bear Barney Bear
1953 Life with Tom Radio Announcer
1953 The Missing Mouse Radio Announcer
1953 Wee Willy Wildcat Barney Bear
1953 T.V. of Tomorrow Narrator
1954 Homesteader Droopy Narrator
1954 The Farm of Tomorrow Narrator
1955 Cellbound Prisoner / Warden / Little Wife
1956 Down Beat Bear First Radio Announcer
1956 Blue Cat Blues Jerry Mouse
1957 The Snow Queen Ol Dreamy / the Raven English Voice
Uncredited
1959 Donald in Mathmagic Land The True Spirit of Adventure / Pi creature
1959 Noah's Ark Noah / God
1960 Loopy De Loop Watchdog "Tale of a Wolf"
1960 Goliath II Goliath I / Mouse
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians Dirty Dawson Uncredited
1961 Clash and Carry Wally Walrus Wally Walrus Short
1962–1972 The Beary Family Charlie Beary / Junior Beary
1962 A Symposium on Popular Songs Ludwig Von Drake / Al Jolson
1963 Stowaway Woody Captain Woody Woodpecker Short
1965 Goofy's Freeway Troubles Narrator Uncredited
Goofy Short
1965 Sink Pink Tex B'wana / Native Bearer Pink Panther Short
1965 Pinkfinger Narrator Pink Panther Short
1965 Pink Panzer Neighbor Harry / The Devil Pink Panther Short
1966-1967 The Inspector The Commissioner / Weft / Wong / Captain Clamity / Crab Louie / Captain DuMont, aka "X" / Chicken Butler / Sailor / Spider Pierre / Hassan the Assassin Fifteen shorts
1966 The Man Called Flintstone Green Goose / Agent Triple X / Mario / Rock Slag / Ali / Bobo
1968 Escalation Lyndon B. Johnson Uncredited[32]
1982 The Flight of Dragons Antiquity Uncredited
1982 The Last Unicorn Mabruk
1983 Twice Upon a Time Narrator / Chef of State / Judges in The Pantry of Pomp / Bailiff
1985 The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal Narrator Documentary about George Pal
1987 The Puppetoon Movie Arnie the Dinosaur / Pillsbury Doughboy Released seven months after Frees's death, the movie itself dedicated to him

Television

[edit]
List of voice performances in television shows
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Radio Announcer (uncredited) Season 1 Episode 39: "Momentum"
1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mary's Father (uncredited) Season 2 Episode 2: "Fog Closing In"
1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Swanson (uncredited) Season 2 Episode 3: "De Mortuis"
1957 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Train Station Announcer (uncredited) Season 2 Episode 18: "The Manacled"
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Off-Screen Announcer (uncredited) Season 4 Episode 4: "The Crooked Road"
1957–1968, 1976 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Ludwig Von Drake / Narrator / Donald Duck (1 episode) / Moby Duck 18 episodes
1957–1961 The Woody Woodpecker Show Wally Walrus / Charlie / Doc / Various
1958–1959 Steve Canyon Narrator 34 episodes
1959–1964 The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show Boris Badenov / Inspector Fenwick / Captain Peter "Wrong Way" Peachfuzz / Additional Voices 163 episodes / 326 Segments
1960 Mister Magoo Various 13 episodes
1960–1962 The Flintstones Mr. Granite / Rockenschpeel / TV Announcer / Ed Bedrock Episodes: "The Babysitters", "The Happy Household"
1961 Top Cat Tony / Additional voices Episodes: "The Maharajah of Pookajee", "All That Jazz", "The $1,000,000 Derby", "The Con Men", "Dibble's Double"
1961 The Dick Tracy Show Go-Go Gomez Uncredited
1961–1962 Calvin and the Colonel Judge Oliver Wendell Clutch
1961–1962 The Alvin Show Additional voices
1962 Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol Stage Director / Charity Man / Fezziwig / Old Joe / Undertaker TV special
1963 Krazy Kat Ignatz Mouse
1964–1965 The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo Sherlock Holmes / Various 5 episodes
1961, 1963–1967 Hoppity Hooper Narrator / Additional voices 52 episodes / 104 Segments
1965 The New Three Stooges Sarge / Von Vonce / Bomb Maker Episode: "That Little Old Bomb Maker"
1965 I Dream of Jeannie Narrator Episodes: "My Hero?", "Guess What Happened on the Way to the Moon?"
1965–1966 The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show Squiddly Diddly / Morocco Mole / Double-Q / Yellow Pinkie / Claude Hopper 26 episodes
1965–1967 The Beatles John Lennon / George Harrison / Brian Epstein / Additional voices
1966 The Impossibles Fluid-Man / Professor Stretch / Captain Kid / Puzzler / Infamous Mr. Instant / Artful Archer / Dr. Futuro 26 episodes
1966 Laurel and Hardy Additional voices
1966–1967 The Super 6 Dispatcher "Super Chief" / Brother Matzoriley #1 and #3 / Captain Whammo
1966–1968 Space Ghost Brago / Zeron 20 episodes
1967 Cricket on the Hearth Sea Captain / Caw / Others TV special
1967–1970 George of the Jungle Ape / Weevil / Baron Otto Matic / Various 17 episodes
1967 Shazzan Various 6 episodes
1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure Kobarah / Evil Star Episodes: "Hawkman: Peril from Pluto", "Green Lantern: Evil Is as Evil Does"
1967–1968 Super President James Norcross / Narrator
1967–1968 The Fantastic 4 Ben Grimm / The Thing 20 episodes
1968 The Mouse on the Mayflower Captain Christopher Jones TV special
1968 Arabian Knights Vangore 18 episodes
1968 The Little Drummer Boy Ali / Aaron's Father / The Three Wise Men / Meshaw / Jamilie / Various other Male roles TV special
1969-1970 The Pink Panther Show Man Talking to the Pink Panther / Texan Hunter / The Pink Panther / The Commissioner (1 Episode)
1969 The Banana Splits Adventure Hour Evil Vangore / Sazoom 8 episodes
1969 Frosty the Snowman Santa Claus / Traffic Cop TV special
1969–1970 The Dudley Do-Right Show Inspector Fenwick / Narrator / Additional Voices 26 episodes
1970 The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians W. C. Fields / Zeppo Marx / Harpo Marx / Traffic Cop TV special
1970 Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Burgermeister Meisterburger / Newsreel Announcer / Grimsley / Topper / Additional Voices / Ebenezer Scrooge / Ringle, Dingle, Zingle, Tingle, & Wingle / Kringle TV special
1971 Here Comes Peter Cottontail Santa Claus / Man at Thanksgiving Table / Colonel Bunny's assistant / Fireman / Ben the Rooster TV special
1971 The Point! Oblio's Father / Pointed Man's Right Head / King / Leaf Man / Villagers TV Animated feature; based on the Harry Nilsson album
1971–1972 The Jackson 5ive The J5's Producer / Additional voices
1972 The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie Iguana "Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid"
1972–1973 The Osmonds Additional voices
1974–1976 Run, Joe, Run Narrator 26 episodes
1976 The First Easter Rabbit Santa Claus / Zero / Spats TV special
1976 Frosty's Winter Wonderland Jack Frost / Traffic Cop TV special
1976 Rudolph's Shiny New Year Aeon the Terrible / Santa Claus / General Ticker / Humpty Dumpty TV special
1976 The Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Additional voices
1977 The Hobbit Bombur / Troll #1 TV movie
1977 Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey Olaf / Donkey Dealer TV special
1977 Fantastic Animation Festival Opening Narrator TV special
Uncredited
1978 The Stingiest Man in Town Ghost of Christmas Past / Ghost of Christmas Present TV special
1979 Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July Jack Frost / Officer Kelly / Winterbolt / Genie of the Ice Scepter / Keeper of the Cave of Lost Rejections TV movie
1979 Jack Frost Father Winter / Kubla Kraus TV special
1980 The Return of the King Elrond / Orc / Uruk-hai / Goblin TV movie
1986 DTV Valentine Ludwig Von Drake / Announcer TV movie
1987 The Wind in the Willows Wayfarer Released eight months after Frees's death, although the film was completed in 1983, 3 years before his death.

Theme parks

[edit]
List of voice performances in theme parks
Theme parks
Year Title Role
1967 Adventure Thru Inner Space Narrator
Pirates of the Caribbean Pirate Captain, Bride Auctioneer, Pooped Pirate, Ghostly voices, various pirates
1969 The Haunted Mansion Ghost Host

Radio

[edit]
List of acting performances in radio series
Radio
Original Air Date Program Role Episode
1945 The Lux Radio Theatre Multiple Characters
1945–1947 A Man Named Jordan Digger Slade
1946 Rogue's Gallery
1946 The Whistler
1946 The Alan Young Show
1946–1952 Suspense Announcer / Passerby / Earl White / Frankenstein's Monster / Hubbard
1947 Ellery Queen
1947–1948 Escape Doctor Dubosk / Finnie Morner / John Woolfolk / Sanger Rainsford Episodes: "The Fourth Man", "Snake Doctor", "Wild Oranges", "The Most Dangerous Game"
1948 Your Movietown Radio Theatre Multiple Characters
1948 The First Nighter Program Additional voices
1949 The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
1949 The Green Lama Jethro Dumont / Green Lama
1949 Rocky Jordan
1949 Four Star Playhouse
1951 The Silent Men
1951 Mr. Aladdin Robert Aladdin
1951 Broadway Is My Beat
1951 The Thing from Another World Dr. Voorhees
1952–1953 Gunsmoke Sut Grider / Gallagher / Doc Charles Adams (1 episode) Episodes: "Heat Spell", "The Soldier", "The Cast"
1953 Crime Classics Charles McManus / Charley Ford / Charles Drew Sr. / Pub Man Episodes: "The Axe and the Droot Family – How They Fared"
"The Death of a Picture Hanger"
"The Shrapnelled Body of Charles Drew, Sr."
1953 Mr. President Additional voices
1953 On Stage Chauffeur Episode: "Skin Deep"
1954 Fibber McGee and Molly
1956 Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar Bert Parker Episode: "The Jolly Roger Fraud" (Part 1)
1957 The CBS Radio Workshop Captain Vesey / Ogden the Messenger Episode: "Sweet Cherries in Charleston"
1984 Bradbury 13 Narrator

Commercials

[edit]
List of voice performances in television commercials
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1957–1986 7-Up Fresh-Up Freddie [18]
1965–1986 The Pillsbury Company Pillsbury Doughboy [17]
1970–1986 Froot Loops Toucan Sam [16]
1972-1978 Green Giant Farmer

Crew work

[edit]
Year Title Position Notes
1955 The Donald O'Connor Show Writer Writer (1 episode)
Special material (4 episodes)
1960 The Beatniks Director, executive producer, screenwriter Uncredited

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Paul Frees". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 5, 1986. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014.
  2. ^ Reinehr, Robert C.; Swartz, John D. (2008). The A to Z of Old Time Radio. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-8108-7616-3.
  3. ^ "Jewz in the Newz".
  4. ^ Scott, Keith (2002). The Moose That Roared. Macmillan. pp. 84–85. ISBN 9781466867437.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Folkart, Burt A. (November 6, 1986). "From 'The Millionaire' to 'Bullwinkle' : Paul Frees, Man of Many Voices, Dies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  6. ^ I've Heard that Voice Before – Paul Frees. All Ears. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Perimutter, David (2014), America Toons In: A History of Television Animation, McFarland & Company, p. 78, ISBN 978-0-7864-7650-3
  8. ^ Rowan, Terry (2012). World War II Goes to the Movies & Television Guide. Lulu.com. p. 316. ISBN 9781105586026. Retrieved August 6, 2018.[self-published source]
  9. ^ a b Erickson, Hal. The Harder They Fall at AllMovie
  10. ^ Smith, Dave (1998). The Updated Official Encyclopedia: Disney A to Z. New York: Hyperion Books. p. 337. ISBN 0-7868-6391-9.
  11. ^ Fisher, David J. (1992). The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song Collector's Book. Walt Disney Records. pp. 28, 48. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
  12. ^ "Listen to the Amazing Voice of Paul Frees". 365 Days of Magic. May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ "Sir Elton John, Joe Ranft Headline Disney Legends Award". AWN Headline News. October 9, 2006. Archived from the original on September 20, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  14. ^ Howe, Tom (Fall 2002). "Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Scrooge". Featured CED VideoDisc No. 26. CED Magic. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
  15. ^ Bionic Disco, "Taster's Choice Coffee 'Whodunit?' Commercial", YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4RM0fuBwU8
  16. ^ a b "Toucan Sam turns 35". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "How Well Do You Know the Pillsbury Doughboy?". Pillsbury.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Fresh-Up Freddie Archived November 20, 2023, at the Wayback Machine at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved on July 28, 2010. from the original on July 30, 2016.
  19. ^ Gilliland, John. (197X). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #23 – All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  20. ^ Erickson, Glenn (1999). "Some Like It Hot and the Legendary Paul Frees". DVD Savant. Kleinman.com Inc. Retrieved December 25, 2006.
  21. ^ Lampley, Jonathan. Women in the Horror Films of Vincent Price. McFarland, 2010. p. 160. eBook.
  22. ^ "Disney voice-over actors bring theme park rides to life". Los Angeles Times. July 28, 2015.
  23. ^ "Pirates of the Caribbean (1965, Attraction) Voice Cast". Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "DoomBuggies > Explore the history and marvel at the mystery of Disney's Haunted Mansion attractions!".
  25. ^ "Haunted Mansion, the (1969, Attraction) Voice Cast". Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  26. ^ "Disneyland Park Announcements – Official Spanish Voice". YouTube. April 22, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "DoomBuggies > Explore the history and marvel at the mystery of Disney's Haunted Mansion attractions!".
  28. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Staff (November 4, 1986). "Man of a thousand voices dies". United Press International. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  30. ^ Ohmart, Ben (2017). Welcome, Foolish Mortals – The Life & Voices of Paul Frees. Revised 2nd edition (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 159393842X
  31. ^ "AVERY…. Vol. 2??? WELL, IMAGINE THAT! |". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  32. ^ Pierce, Todd (2019). The Life and Times of Ward Kimball: Maverick of Disney Animation. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496820990.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Frees, Paul, The Writings of Paul Frees (2004) (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 1-59393-011-9
  • Frees, Paul, You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To: The Letters of Paul "Buddy" Frees and Annelle Frees (2011) (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 1-59393-646-X.
  • Ohmart, Ben, Welcome ... Foolish Mortals – The Life & Voices of Paul Frees (2004) (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 1-59393-004-6
  • Young, Jordan R. (2005) Spike Jones Off the Record: The Man Who Murdered Music (3rd edition) (2005) (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 1-59393-012-7
[edit]
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