Don Messick

Don Messick
Born	Donald Earl Messick (1926-09-07)September 7, 1926 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	October 24, 1997(1997-10-24) (aged 71) Salinas, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Stroke
Resting place	Cremated
Occupation	Voice actor
Years active	1946-1996

Donald Earl "Don" Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. His best remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in The Flintstones, Astro the dog in The Jetsons, Muttley the dog in Wacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines, Gears, Ratchet and Scavenger in The Transformers, Papa Smurf in The Smurfs, and Dr. Benton Quest in Jonny Quest. He also did the voice of Snip in the Rankin/Bass 1979 movie Jack Frost.

Early life and career

Messick was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Lena Birch (née Hughes) and Binford Earl Messick, a house painter. He first wanted to be a ventriloquist, and even supported himself as one for a time. His big break came in the mid-1940s. At MGM, Tex Avery was producing the Droopy cartoons. The regular voice actor, radio actor Bill Thompson, was not available. Daws Butler, who voiced characters for MGM, suggested that Avery seek out Messick, and so, he was hired to voice Droopy. Later, in the mid-1950s, when Bill Thompson parted company with MGM, Messick took over the role of Droopy.

Messick and Butler became a voice acting team for the Hanna-Barbera unit in 1957 with the arrival of Ruff and Reddy. Don was Ruff the cat and the Droopy-sounding Professor Gizmo. Butler was the southern-speaking dog, Reddy. Messick also narrated the show, which played out like an animated soap opera. Beginning in September,1958, Messick played the voice of Tadpole in the animated television series produced by Beverly Hills Productions, Spunky and Tadpole.

From 1957 to 1965, Butler and Messick gave voice to a large number of characters. Always the sidekick, Messick’s characters were not headliners. His notable roles in this era were Boo Boo Bear, Ranger Smith, Major Minor, Pixie Mouse, Astro and Muttley.

Messick was used primarily for his narration skills, which were heard on many of those cartoons in which Daws Butler starred. In narrating the Yogi Bear cartoons, he also voiced Ranger Smith in something close to his natural voice.

Messick would eventually star in a cartoon series: Ricochet Rabbit (1964–65). This character was paired with the slow-poke Deputy Droop-a-Long, voiced by Mel Blanc.

In outer space cartoons, Messick created noises and sounds for weird space creatures and aliens. His Ranger Smith voice was often heard as various space villains. His narrator voice was given to Vapor Man, Dr. Benton Quest, The Perilous Paper Doll Man, and Multi Man, Hong Kong Phooey (1974), where he was also Spot the cat, a faithful sidekick, and Laff-A-Lympics (1977-79).

Scooby Doo and later roles

In 1969, he was cast as the cowardly canine Scooby-Doo on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. He voiced him through all of the various versions of Scooby-Doo: on television in numerous formats from 1969 to 1985, four television films, and a number of commercials as well. In 1970, he voiced Sebastian on Josie and the Pussycats, and played the same role in its spin-off two years later, Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, as well as voicing the new alien character, Bleep. Messick was still voicing the role of Scooby Doo when A Pup Named Scooby-Doo came along from 1988 to 1991. From 1980 to 1988, Messick also voiced Scooby's nephew, Scrappy-Doo, having taken over the role originated by voice actor Lennie Weinrib in 1979.

In 1981, Messick started a role as Papa Smurf on The Smurfs from 1981 to 1989. He also voiced Ratchet (the Autobot doctor), Gears, and Constructicon Scavenger on The Transformers.

In the mid-1980s, new episodes of The Jetsons were produced. Messick returned as Astro, RUDI, and new voice Uniblab, a pesky robot that worked for Mr. Spacely.

Messick also starred in the Masters of the Universe Golden Book video as He-Man.

In 1985, he voiced Louie and Snichey in The Pound Puppies TV Special.

Messick also appeared in an on-camera role on the MTM Enterprises sitcom Duck Factory, playing a cartoon voice artist named Wally Wooster. In one episode, frequent collaborator Frank Welker guest-starred as a rival voice artist angling for his job.

In 1988, he had an uncredited role as the Pimp of the Year pageant announcer on I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.

From 1990 to 1995, he voiced Hamton J. Pig in FOX's Tiny Toon Adventures and its spin-offs.

Around that time, Don Messick also returned as the voice of Droopy for Tom & Jerry Kids and Droopy, Master Detective.

Also in the 1995 Freakazoid episode "Toby Danger - Doomsday Bet", Messick Parodied his own Dr. Benton Quest, playing Dr. Vernon Danger in this Spoof of Jonny Quest.

At a charity speaking engagement in London, shortly before his death, Messick performed many of his characters, except Scooby Doo. He claimed that giving up smoking had robbed him of the rasp in the voice that he needed.

In 1977, Don Messick lent his vocal talents to several characters in the first cartoon adaptation of THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Retirement and death

In late September 1996, Messick suffered a stroke while recording voices at Hanna Barbera.

On October 12, 1996, Messick had a "retirement party" at his favorite Chinese restaurant (Joe Barbera personally sent a limo to Messick and his wife, and the two were chauffeured). Many of his companions and peers during his career who had come to pay tribute to him included Henry Corden, Casey Kasem, Lucille Bliss, Maurice LaMarche, Gregg Berger, Neil Ross, June Foray, Sharon Mack, Greg Burson, Walker Edmiston, Marvin Kaplan, Gary Owens, Howard Morris, Teresa Ganzel, Jean Vander Pyl and Myrtis Martin Butler (Daws' widow).

Messick suffered a second stroke and died on October 24, 1997. He was cremated. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean at the Point Lobos State Reserve.

Since Messick's death, Scott Innes and Frank Welker have both played the role of Scooby-Doo.

A year later in 1998, the film Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was dedicated to his memory.

In 2011, thirteen years after his death, actor Jonathan Winters (who portrayed Grandpa Smurf in the TV series) became his successor as the voice of Papa Smurf in The Smurfs. Winters died in April 2013.

Filmography

Radio
Original Air Date	Program	Episode	Role
1946	Spotlight Playhouse	"Genius From Hoboken"
1948	The NBC University Theatre	"Alice in Wonderland"
1949	Let George Do It	"Out Of Mind"
1965	Horizons West	"Down The Missouri To St. Louis

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949-1950	Buffalo Billy	Additional voices
1952	Time For Beany	Narrator
1952	Thunderbolt and Wondercolt	Additional voices
1954	The Willy The Wolf Show	Additional voices
1957-1960	Ruff and Reddy	Ruff Professor Gizmo Ubble Ubble Additional voices	First work for Hanna-Barbera
1958-1962	The Huckleberry Hound Show	Pixie Boo-Boo Bear Ranger Smith Narrator
1958-1959	The Adventures of Spunky and Tadpole	Tadpole	First and Second Season
1959-1962	The Quick Draw McGraw Show	Narrator Horse-Face Harry Sheriff Additional voices
1960-1966	The Flintstones	Bamm-Bamm Rubble Hoppy Arnold the Newsboy Additional voices	Joined the cast in Season 2
1961-1962	Top Cat	Beau Prowler Dr. Dawson
1962-1963	The Jetsons	Astro U.N.I.B.L.A.B. Additional voices
1962-1963	Wally Gator	Mr. Tweedle Additional voices
1964-1965	Jonny Quest	Dr. Benton Quest Bandit
1964-1965	Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long	Ricochet Rabbit Additional voices
1968-1970	Wacky Races	Muttley Professor Pat Pending Ring-a-Ding (Dum-Dum) Little Gruesome Dragon Gravel Slag
1969-1971	The Perils of Penelope Pitstop	Dum-Dum Pockets Zippy Snoozy
1969-1971	Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines	Muttley Klunk Zilly Yankee Doodle Pidgeon Muttley's Girlfriend
1969-1971	Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?	Scooby-Doo Professor Hide-Whyte Additional voices
1970-1972	Josie and the Pussycats	Sebastian Additional voices
1970-1974	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Harvey Kinkle	Uncredited
1971	Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!	Hercules the Hippo Ambassador of Ptomania	"Gobs of Gabaloons"
1972-1973	The New Scooby-Doo Movies	Scooby-Doo Additional voices
1974	Hong Kong Phooey	Spot Additional voices
1976-1978	The Scooby-Doo Show	Scooby-Doo Additional voices
1979	Scooby Goes Hollywood	Scooby-Doo Additional voices	TV Movie
1979-1980	Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979 TV series)	Scooby-Doo Additional voices
1980-1982	Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo	Scooby-Doo Scrappy-Doo Additional voices
1981-1989	The Smurfs	Papa Smurf Azrael Dreamy Smurf Sweepy Smurf
1983-1984	The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show	Scooby-Doo Scrappy-Doo
1984-1988	Yogi's Treasure Hunt	Boo-Boo Bear Ranger Smith Ricochet Rabbit Touche Turtle Ruff
1985	The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo	Scooby-Doo Scrappy-Doo Additional voices
1985-1987	The Jetsons	Astro R.U.D.I. U.N.I.B.L.A.B. Additional voices	1980s revival of the original show
1988	The New Yogi Bear Show	Boo-Boo Bear Ranger Smith
1988-1991	A Pup Named Scooby-Doo	Scooby-Doo Scooby Doo's Dad Additional voices
1990-1991	Wake, Rattle, and Roll	Boo-Boo Bear Pixie Muttley Lucky the Cat
1990-1995	Tiny Toons Adventures	Hamton J. Pig Dog Additional voices

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1949	The House of Tomorrow	Kitchen Narrator	Uncredited
1949	Wags To Riches	Droopy	Uncredited
1959-1965	Loopy De Loop	Additional voices
1964	Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!	Boo-Boo Bear Ranger Smith Mugger
1966	The Man Called Flintstone	Additional voices
1971	The Andromeda Strain	Alarm Voice
1987	The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones	R.U.D.I.
1990	Tom and Jerry: The Movie	Droopy
1990	Jetsons: The Movie	Astro R.U.D.I.

External links

• Don Messick Tribute Short biography of Don Messick
• Don Messick at Find a Grave
• Don Messick at the Internet Movie Database
• Brett Rogers's article on Don Messick

Preceded by None

Voice Of Scooby-Doo September 1969—September 1996

Succeeded by Scott Innes

Preceded by None

Voice of Ratchet 1984-1986

Succeeded by Robert Foxworth