Thurl Ravenscroft, dead at 91

http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/05/24/sections/local/obituaries/article_531914.php (Requires registration)

I've already posted this in the "Dead Thread" in Bilge:

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

No more roar from Tony the Tiger
Thurl Ravenscroft, who voiced Disney characters and narrated Laguna's Pageant of the Masters, dies at 91.

By RICHARD CHANG
The Orange County Register

A ROARING GOOD TIME: Voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft, one of the voices of Disney, greets friends at his surprise 90th birthday party in Fullerton in February 2004.

The deep, sonorous voice known worldwide as Tony the Tiger, a host of Disney characters and the narrator of Laguna Beach's Pageant of the Masters was silenced Sunday.

Thurl Ravenscroft of Fullerton, whose distinctive, warm vocals can still be heard throughout Disneyland, died from prostate cancer at age 91.

Ravenscroft may be best recognized for his signature roar, "They're grrrrreeeat!" for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, which he did for more than half a century. But Southern California art fans cherish his 20 years of thoughtful, nuanced narration for the summertime Pageant of the Masters. And those who frequent the Happiest Place on Earth can hear his animated tones in Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion.

"Disneyland wouldn't have been, and wouldn't be, the same without him," said former park President Jack Lindquist. "It's all part of the experience. You can't go home with a ride, but you can go home with a memory, and part of that is the audio - the sound part of it. His voice was one of the things that made it all come alive."

For years, Ravenscroft provided narration for Disneyland's steam-powered railroad that circles the park. Today, he can be seen and heard as one of the singing busts in the Haunted Mansion's graveyard scene. Those "yo-ho, yo-ho's" in Pirates of the Caribbean are his, too.

Ravenscroft's relationship with Disney extended into movies. He did voices for four decades, contributing to "Cinderella,""The Jungle Book," "Mary Poppins," "Alice in Wonderland," "Lady and the Tramp" and many others.

"To me, he was one of the true voices of Disney that were recognizably Disney, and there weren't many of them," said Kevin Rafferty, a senior show writer and director for Disney Imagineering. "He was a very gentle, gentle man, a wonderful guy, a pleasure to know, and a pleasure to work with."

Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft was born Feb. 6, 1914, in Norfolk, Neb. He moved to California in 1933 to study art, but soon got swept into show business.

By the mid-1930s he was appearing regularly on radio, first on a show called "Goose Creek Parson." In the late 1930s he moved on to the "The Kraft Music Hall" with Bing Crosby, on which he sang backup in a group called the Paul Taylor Choristers. That group eventually became the Sportsmen Quartette.

After military service during World War II, he returned to Hollywood, later becoming involved in a singing group called the Mellomen, and much work in radio, movies, television and commercials ensued. The group performed with a list of stars including Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Elvis Presley.

In 1952, Ravenscroft achieved a measure of immortality, thanks to a TV commercial.

"I'm the only man in the world that has made a career with one word: Grrrrreeeat!" Ravenscroft roared in a 1996 interview with the Register. "When Kellogg's brought up the idea of the tiger, they sent me a caricature of Tony to see if I could create something for them. After messing around for some time I came up with the 'Grrrrreeeat!' roar, and that's how it's been since then," he said.

Ravenscroft's involvement with Disneyland goes back to opening day in 1955, when he was the announcer for many of the ceremonies and events.

He played a part in the 1966 animated feature for CBS "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," singing the signature tune "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch" (Boris Karloff voiced the Grinch). Ravenscroft often liked to say, "That was my chance to prove I could really sing." The success of the Grinch led to other projects with Dr. Seuss, including "Horton Hears a Who" and "The Cat in the Hat."

His singing career continued into the 1970s. As a member of the Johnny Mann Singers, he crooned on 28 albums and appeared on television for three seasons.

One of Ravenscroft's biggest local claims to fame undeniably was his narration of the Pageant of the Masters, a job that began in 1974 and lasted for two decades. He told the Register upon his retirement in 1993 that it was his favorite gig of all time.

"I've learned more about art doing the pageant than I ever did in art school," he said.

Ravenscroft possessed, said pageant scriptwriter Dan Duling, "one of the great basso voices, so distinctive. For me, it was like writing music for an instrument that has a few tones that are absolutely unmistakable. It was so distinctive that you had to play to its strengths. He could bring a kind of deep, resonant reverence to something that deserved proper respect."

Pageant director Diane Challis Davy worked with him for 13 years and considered him family.

"It was really obvious that Thurl was greatly loved and respected," she said. "For us, he was a good friend, the best kind of grandfather you could have."

Ravenscroft is survived by two children, Ron and Nancy, and four grandchildren. June, his wife of 53 years, died in 1999 at age 80.

Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance on 2005-05-24 08:21 ]

Thank you, Thurl, for bringing to life, and making so memorable, many of my favorite animated films and Disneyland attractions!

Not so grrrrreeeat news.

Trader Woody

A very nice man - he helped me out (for free I might add) with a college project back in the early 90s...

He will be missed.

For those who are interested - here are some photos of our recording session for my "Nemo" project:

And some MP3s from the session - he did most of these in one or two takes...

http://www.christophermerritt.com/Thurl.mp3
http://www.christophermerritt.com/SuperiorOfficer.mp3

On 2005-05-24 08:50, Trader Woody wrote:
Not so grrrrreeeat news.

Nope, but now I'm in the lead in the dead pool I'm doing this year....

This is sad. I grew up at Disneyland, but was never really "into" it - the history and lore of its creation. When I was young I never gave any thought to how any of it was done, it was just a playground for me and my best friend to run around in, causing mild mayhem. I never realized how familiar I was with the Disneyland voice-overs - they are so burned into my brain I almost don't hear them anymore. I'm greatful that people like Ravenscroft and Paul Frees have such rich entertainent legacies for us to re-discover and enjoy, even if we knew them all along.

May they rest in peace.

PS: Thanks for posting those MP3s, Tangaroa. They are GRRREEEEAAAAAT! That must have been a real thrill to work with him.

Tiki-bot

[ Edited by: Tiki-bot on 2005-05-24 11:58 ]

He used to have breakfast at Arthur's in La Habra (best breakfast around...I'm there every Sunday Morning). It was great when he was nearby, that voice would always bring a smile to my face!

I posted this in Bilge earlier, but I think it fits better here...

http://members.aol.com/allthurl/ram/tangaroa.ram

-Z

Here's Grim Grinning Ghosts:

http://www.grimghosts.com/secrets/Busts.mp3

A producer upstairs has the Thurl bust from the Haunted Mansion movie on his desk.

I need to go up and pay my respects.

http://www.christophermerritt.com/Blog/uncletheo.swf

This is low-rez - so adjust your browser window accordingly....

Dammit.