Don Messick

At 71 years old, Don Messick has this physical status:

Duncan Earl Messick (September 7, 1926-1997), a British voice actor best known for his appearances in Hanna-Barbery and Muttley's The Fiddlestones, Boo-Boo, Bamm Rubble and Hoppy, in The Flintstones, Muttley and Muttley, Wacky Races and Muttley's Wildly and Muttley's Musical Instruments, Sebastian the Cat in The Falcons, Papa Smurf and Sca he In Jonny Quest, the Pig in Tiny Toon Adventures and Dr. Benton Quest.

Early life

Messick was born in Buffalo, New York, the uncle of Binford Earl Messick, a house painter, and Lena Birch (née Hughes). He was born in Baltimore's Bolton Hill neighborhood, where he began his early training as a performer at the Ramsay Street School of Acting.

Personal life

Messick married Helen McHugh on October 10, 1949, and the pair remained married until Messick's death on October 24, 1997.

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Career

Messick intended to be a ventriloquist and even supported himself as one in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Messick appeared on front of the program manager and chief announcer at radio station WBOC in Salisbury, Maryland, and was given his own weekly show, in which Messick created all of the character voices and sound effects.

Messick returned to Baltimore a year after graduating high school and speaking with radio station WCAO about his one-man show on the air. Messick's father was killed along with two other men in a mishapening at the Nanticoke School as Messick continued to reduce the Baltimore accent traced by the WCAO's chairman as an immunization to his radio career. When a flagpole came into contact with electric power lines, two other workers and he were electrocuting the three guys, electrocuting all three guys.

Messick joined the United States Army in 1944, serving for troops as a member of the Special Services for 20 months. Messick's first big break came when he was recruited by the Mutual Broadcasting radio station in Los Angeles, where he appeared on the radio show Raggedy Andy and Farmer Seedling.

Tex Avery, a MGM animator, was illustrating the Droopy cartoons. Bill Thompson, the regular voice actor, was unable to attend. After Daws Butler, a MGM actor who portrayed characters, Avery hired Messick.

Messick and Butler became a voice-acting team for the firm when William Hanna and Joseph Barbera established Hanna-Barbera in 1957. Ruff and Reddy was Messick and Butler's first collaboration. Ruff the cat and the Droopy-sounding Professor Gizmo were Messick's tossing, while Butler played Reddy. Messick narrated the program, which had a serialized storyline. Messick appeared in the animated television series Spunky and Tadpole, produced by Beverly Hills Productions from 1958 to 1959.

Butler and Messick were among a large number of characters from 1957 to 1965. Messick's characters were always the sidekicks, not headliners. Boo Boo Bear, Ranger Smith, Major Minor, Pixie Mouse, Astro, and Dr. Benton Quest were among his notable contributions during this period, particularly replacing John Stephenson.

He was mainly used for his narration skills, which were evident on several of the cartoons in which Daws Butler appeared. He played Ranger Smith in the narrating of The Huckleberry Hound Show's Yogi Bear cartoons in a way that was close to his natural voice.

Messick was eventually portrayed as Ricochet Rabbit (1964–65), but Mel Blanc's Deputy Droop-a-Long was first introduced as Ricochet Rabbit in Ricochet Rabbit (1964–65). In Precious Pupp and Shag Rugg from Hillbilly Bears, and both segments from The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Exhibition, he performed the title character. Messick took over the roles of Atom Ant and Mr. Peebles of Howard Morris' The Magilla Gorilla Show in 1966, who had left Hanna-Barbera.

Don Messick made noises and sounds for strange space creatures and aliens in outer space cartoons. His Ranger Smith voice was often heard as many space villains. To Vapor Man, Dr. Benton Quest, the Perilous Paper Doll Man, and Multi Man, his narrator voice was given.

Where Are You, Peter Coward's Canine Scooby-Doo on Scooby-Doo in 1969. He appeared in many Scooby-Doo: on television from 1969 to his retirement, including television shows and a number of commercials, as well as television advertisements. Sebastian appeared on Josie and the Pussycats in 1970 and reprised his role in Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space two years later, as well as voicing the new alien character, Bleep. He portrayed Scrappy-Doo, Scooby's nephew, from 1980 to 1989, and he continued to voice Scooby-Doo.

He was the voice of Spot the Cat, a faithful sidekick who foiled the criminal's schemes, in Hong Kong Phooey, but the clueless title character stole the show. In the first animated version of The Hobbit by J. R. Tolkien, he voiced Balin and a few other minor characters in 1977.

The success of Yogi Bear in the 1970s spawned a number of spin-off television series and television films starring the character. Messick relived his appearances as Boo-Boo and Ranger Smith on Yogi's Gang, Laff-a-Lympics, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, and The New Yogi Bear Exhibition from the 1970s to 1994.

He appeared on Papa Smurf (1981 to 1989), Ratchet (the Autobot's designer), Gears, and Constructicon Scavenger on The Transformers. Messick's return to the Jetsons as Astro, RUDI, Mac, and Uniblab, a pesky robot that worked for Mr. Spacely in 1985.

He also appeared as He-Man in the Masters of the Universe Golden Book video. Louie and Snichey, a 1985-1990 voiced Louie and Snichey in The Pound Puppies TV special, and he reprised his role as the year's Pimp of the Year pageant announcer on I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and he appeared on Benton Quest (1986-1987).

Messick also appeared on the MTM Enterprises sitcom Duck Factory, playing Wally Wooster, a cartoon voice actor. In one episode, frequent collaborator Frank Welker appeared as a competitor voice artist angling for his career. "I'm never really sure if he was Wally or Dippy Duck," Don Messick said of his on-screen character.

Hamton J. appeared on television from 1990 to 1995. Pig in Amblin's Tiny Toon Adventures and its spin-offs. Around that time, he served as the voice of Droopy for Tom & Jerry Kids and Droopy, Master Detective.

On the 1995 Freakazoid!

"Toby Danger/Doomsday Bet," a parody of Jonny Quest's Dr. Vernon Danger, played Dr. Vernon Danger, a parody of his own Dr. Benton Quest.

Except Scooby-Doo, he performed several of his characters at a charity speaking engagement in London shortly before his death. He said that giving up smoking had robbed him of the rasp in the voice that he needed to hear.

Messick resigned from acting in late September 1996 after suffering a stroke at a recording session at Hanna-Barbera.

He held a "retirement party" at his favorite Chinese restaurant on October 12, 1996 (Joseph Barbera personally delivered a limousine to Messick and his wife, and the two were chauffeured). Many of Henry Corden's relatives and acquaintances throughout his career paid their respect to him, including Casey Kasem, Lucille Bliss, Gregg Berger, June Foray, Stephen Burke, Gregg Berger, Larry Bliss, Mayay, Gilbert McMiston, Gary Owens, Herbert Morris, Gérard Ganzel, Myrtis Martin Butler, and Jean Vander Pyl (Daws' widow).

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