Clarence Nash
Clarence Nash | |
---|---|
Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California , U.S. | |
Other names | Ducky Nash |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1928–1985 |
Spouse |
Margaret Seamans (m. 1930) |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Inkpot Award (1978)[1] |
Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the
Career
Radio career
Nash made a name for himself in the late 1920s as an impressionist for
Donald Duck
One source indicates Nash auditioned before a casting director for Walt Disney Studios and did a voice impression of a billy goat that Nash had started doing as a child in Watonga. The director then reached for the intercom and told Walt Disney, "I think we have found our duck."[2] Another version indicates Nash went through several of his voices, and Walt Disney happened by when Nash gave his impersonation of a family of ducks. Disney declared Nash perfect for the role of a talking duck in their upcoming animated short, The Wise Little Hen. The duck was Donald Duck, who Nash went on to voice for 51 years, in over 120 shorts and films. The last film to feature Nash's famous voice was 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol, although he continued to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until his death.
As early as 1938, promoters from
Nash's Donald Duck voice was achieved by what is called
Donald Duck became one of the world's most famous cartoon characters, in great part due to Nash's voice.[citation needed] The voice is distinctive both for its ducklike quality and the fact that it is often very difficult for anybody to understand, especially when Donald flew into a rage (which happened fairly often). To keep Donald's voice consistent throughout the world, Nash voiced the character in all foreign languages the Disney shorts were translated to (with the aid of the phonetic alphabet), meaning Donald retained his same level of incoherency all across the globe.
Other characters
In addition to Donald's voice, Clarence Nash also voiced Donald's nephews
Nash's iconic Donald Duck voice would be impersonated elsewhere in animation, most notably in the Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by
Nash appeared as himself in the 1941 film
Later years
When Disney shut down their shorts department in 1962, Nash continued to voice Donald in various projects over the next two decades.
In the late 1970s, Nash was known for often taking walks in the neighborhood around Fremont Elementary School in Glendale, California, entertaining children with his Donald Duck voice. As he passed the age of 70, he found the harsh voice increasingly straining on his throat and so limited public performances to groups of children. During recording sessions, he would take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water to avoid overexerting himself.[citation needed]
One of Nash's final performances was in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), which made Donald the only character in the film to be voiced by his original actor. His career at Disney was the subject of the premiere episode of Disney Family Album, a 1984 series of documentaries about behind-the-scenes personalities at the studio.
Personal life
Nash married Margaret Seamans in 1930, and they were married for over 50 years; they had two daughters, Kay and Peggy.[16][17]
Death
Nash died on February 20, 1985, of
The tombstone of the grave he now shares with his wife Margaret Nash depicts a carving of Donald and Daisy Duck holding hands.Successor and upcoming biography
After Nash's death, Donald's voice has been taken up by Disney animator Tony Anselmo, who was trained under Nash personally. Anselmo is also among the many voiceover artists to have voiced Huey, Dewey and Louie over the years. Later characters whose voices owe considerable credit to Nash's duck voice have been voiced by actors such as Jimmy Weldon, Frank Welker, Luba Goy and Red Coffey. The most prominent of these is Weldon's Yakky Doodle for Hanna-Barbera.
It was announced in 2020 that Disney historian J.B. Kaufman was working with Margaret Barnes, Nash's granddaughter, on a biography of Nash.[5]
Filmography
Radio
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1938 | The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air | Donald Duck | |
1941–1943 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | Herman the Duck | |
1945 | Command Performance | Donald Duck |
Shorts
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1947 | Mickey and the Beanstalk |
Donald Duck | (voice) |
1983 | Mickey's Christmas Carol | Nephew Fred/Donald Duck |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1934 | The Wise Little Hen | Donald Duck | (voice) |
The Flying Mouse | Bat | ||
1935 | Pluto's Judgement Day | Kitten, Cat Judge, Cat Jury | |
1936 | Elmer Elephant | Joey Hippo | |
1939 | Donald's Penguin | Tootsie the Penguin | |
1940 | Pinocchio | Figaro, Rough House Statue | |
1941 | The Reluctant Dragon | Himself, Donald Duck | |
1942 | Bambi | Bullfrog, Hunter Dogs | |
Saludos Amigos | Donald Duck | ||
1944 | The Three Caballeros | ||
1946 | Song of the South | Mr. Bluebird | |
1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Donald Duck, Cat | |
1949 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Ichabod's Horse, Cat | |
1950 | Cinderella | Birds | |
1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Dinah | |
1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Dogs | |
1965 | Donald Duck Goes West | Donald Duck |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954–1985 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color |
Donald Duck/Himself | Voice & live-action |
1954 | What's My Line? | Himself (Voice of Donald Duck) | Live appearance[20] |
1963 | To Tell the Truth | Himself-Challenger | Live appearance |
1984 | Donald Duck's 50th Birthday | Himself/Donald Duck | Live-action & voice Final role |
Discography
- Mickey and the Beanstalk (Capitol, 1947)[21] as Donald Duck
- Donald Duck's Singing Lesson/Pluto, The Pup (Golden, 1949)[22] as Donald Duck
- Cinderella (RCA, 1949)[23] as Lucifer, Bruno, Major, Additional Animal Voices
- Mickey's New Car/Donald Duck at the Opera (Golden, 1950)[24] as Donald Duck
- Donald Duck, Babysitter/Mickey Mouse and Farmer Rush Rush (Golden, 1950)[24] as Donald Duck
- Donald Duck Cowboy (Golden, 1950)[25] as Donald Duck
- Trick or Treat (RCA Victor, 1952)[26] as Donald Duck
- Mr. Television (RCA Victor, 1952)[27] as Donald Duck
- Mr. Animated Cartoon (RCA Victor, 1952)[27] as Donald Duck
- Donald Duck, Fire Chief (Golden, 1953)[28] as Donald Duck
- Mickey Mouse's Birthday Party (Capitol, 1954)[29] as Donald Duck
- School Days (Golden, 1954)[30] as Donald Duck
- Mickey Mouse's Christmas Party (Golden, 1954)[30] as Donald Duck
- Happy Birthday to Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck's Unbirthday (Golden, 1955)[31] as Donald Duck
- Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland (Golden, 1956)[32] as Donald Duck
- Goofy's Dance Party (Disneyland, 1959)[33] as Donald Duck
- Donald Duck and His Friends (Disneyland, 1960)[34] as Donald Duck
- Chipmunk Fun (Disneyland, 1963)[35] as Donald Duck
- Mickey and the Beanstalk (Disneyland, 1963)[21] as Donald Duck
- Dickens' Christmas Carol Presented by the Walt Disney Players (Disneyland, 1975)[36] as Donald Duck
- Yankee Doodle Mickey (Disneyland, 1980)[37] as Donald Duck
- Goin' Quackers (Disneyland, 1980)[34] as Donald Duck
- Pardners (Disneyland, 1980)[38] as Donald Duck
- Merry Christmas Carols (Disneyland, 1980)[38] as Donald Duck
- Mousercise (Disneyland, 1982)[38] as Donald Duck
- Mickey Mouse Splashdance (Disneyland, 1983)[39] as Donald Duck
See also
References
- ^ Inkpot Award
- ^ a b "From Donald Duck to Tom and Jerry, this duck tale started in Oklahoma". Jimmie Tramel, Tulsa World, February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "Walt Disney Legends: Clarence Nash" Walt Disney Official Fan Club website (Note: Source is behind a paywall.)
- ^ a b c d "Verdugo Views: Donald Duck and his brood nested in Glendale". The Los Angeles Times. December 3, 2014.
- ^ a b Kaufman, J.B. (August 31, 2020). "Promoting 'Fun and Fancy Free'". Cartoon Research. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- PMID 5163900.
- ISBN 978-0-517-52961-4.
- ^ Barnes, Brooks (2015). "Movies". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "50-Year Career : Clarence Nash, Donald Duck's Voice, Dies". LA Times. February 21, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Korkis, Jim (April 1, 2022). "The Original Voice of Donald Duck: Clarence Nash, Part 2". Cartoon Research. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Galindo, Brian. "Did You Shake Your Tail Feather To "Disco Duck"?". buzzfeed.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "What's My Line". YouTube. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "To Tell the Truth". YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Disneyland - 2.18 - A Day in the Life of Donald Duck - Part 1 of 4". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "DONALD DUCK 50th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL-#3-Clarence Nash-Star Wars". YouTube. December 12, 1954. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "Clarence Nash is Dead at 80; Donald Duck's Voice in Films". The New York Times. February 22, 1985.
- ^ "50-Year Career : Clarence Nash, Donald Duck's Voice, Dies". LA Times. February 21, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "50-Year Career : Clarence Nash, Donald Duck's Voice, Dies". LA Times. February 21, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Folkart, Burt A. (February 21, 1985). "50-Year Career : Clarence Nash, Donald Duck's Voice, Dies". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: What's My Line? (September 23, 2015), What's My Line? - Clarence "Donald Duck" Nash; Bob Hope (Dec 12, 1954) [W/ COMMERCIALS], retrieved February 20, 2019
- ^ a b "Walt Disney's Fun and Fancy Free on Records, Part 2". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 1". Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."
- ^ "Walt Disney's "Cinderella" on Records". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 2". Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."
- ^ Billboard. October 14, 1950, P.113. "...are sung by the original D. Duck voice..."
- ^ "Walt Disney's "Trick or Treat" with June Foray on Records". Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Billboard. June 30, 1951, P.20. "Milton Berle and Clarence Nash, the voice of Disney's Donald Duck, waxed two singles for RCA Victor last week titled respectively "Mr. Television" and "Mr. Animated Cartoon.""
- ISBN 978-1628461992. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "A Spin Special: Stan Freberg Records". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "Golden Records-78 RPM-Label Discography Page 4". Retrieved November 25, 2018. "Original Voices..."
- ^ "Mickey's Birthday & Donald's Unbirthday on Golden Records". Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ ""Walt Disney's Song Parade from Disneyland" on Golden Records". Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ^ "Suppose Goofy Gave a Dance Party-and He Never Showed Up?". Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ a b "Donald Duck's Quacked Records". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Disney's "Chip 'n' Dale" on Records". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Mickey's Christmas Carol". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Mickey Discovers America (and Molly Ringwald) on Records". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1578068494. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Mickey Mouse - Splashdance at Discogs". Retrieved October 7, 2017.
External links
- Clarence Nash at IMDb