Thurl Ravenscroft
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
Thurl Ravenscroft | |
---|---|
Crystal Cathedral Memorial Gardens, Garden Grove, California | |
Alma mater | Otis College of Art and Design |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1939–2005 |
Spouse |
June Seamans
(m. 1946; died 1999) |
Children | 2 |
Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (
Ravenscroft did voice-over work and singing for
His voice acting career began in 1939 and lasted until his death in 2005 at age 91.[2]
Early life and career
Ravenscroft left his native
Ravenscroft is also heard with the quartet on some of the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes with Mel Blanc at Warner Bros. as well as on radio "driving Jack Benny crazy" on The Jack Benny Program as part of The Sportsmen Quartet.
During World War II, Ravenscroft served as a keeper
Ravenscroft sang bass on Rosemary Clooney's "This Ole House", which went to No. 1 in both the United States and Britain in 1954, as well as Stuart Hamblen's original version of that same song. He sang on the soundtrack for Ken Clark as "Stewpot" in South Pacific, one of the top-selling albums of the 1950s. He also backed The DeCastro Sisters on their 1955 top 20 hit, "Boom Boom Boomerang."[4] Singing with the Johnny Mann Singers,[5] his distinctive bass can also be heard as part of the chorus on 28 of their albums that were released during the 1960s and 1970s. He was also the bass singer on Bobby Vee's 1960 Liberty hit record "Devil or Angel". Andy Williams' recording of "The 12 Days of Christmas" features him as well. His work with Spike Jones included singing "I Was a Teenaged Brain Surgeon" for the 1959 album Spike Jones in Stereo.
He sang the opening songs for the two Disney serials used on The Mickey Mouse Club, Boys of the Western Sea and The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Applegate Treasure.
He sang the "Twitterpatter Song" and "Thumper's Song" on the Disneyland record Peter Cottontail and other Funny Bunnies.
On the Disneyland record All About Dragons, he both provided the narration and sang the songs "The Reluctant Dragon" and "The Loch Ness Monster".[6]
His voice was heard during the
Later career
One of Ravenscroft's best-known uncredited works is as the vocalist for the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." His name was accidentally omitted from the credits, leading many to believe that the cartoon's narrator, Boris Karloff, sang the song, while others cited Tennessee Ernie Ford as the song's signature voice.[1] The song, now credited to Ravenscroft, peaked on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 32 for the week ending January 2, 2021. Thanks to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", Thurl Ravenscroft has officially hit the Top 40 as a solo artist.[9]
Ravenscroft also sang "
For more than 50 years, he was the uncredited voice of
Various record companies, such as Abbott, Coral, Brunswick, and "X" (a division of
A devoted Christian, he appeared on many religious television shows such as
In the 1980s and 1990s, Ravenscroft was narrator for the annual Pageant of the Masters art show at the Laguna Beach, California, Festival of the Arts.
Later life and death
Ravenscroft married June Seamans in 1946 and they had two children. June died in 1999.
Ravenscroft died at his home on May 22, 2005, from
In the June 6, 2005, issue of the advertising industry journal
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1940 | Pinocchio | Monstro the Whale | Voice |
Isle of Destiny | Sportsman Quartet Member | ||
Little Blabbermouse |
Bad Tobacco Face | Voice | |
Prehistoric Porky |
Bass Lizard | ||
1941 | Dumbo | Singer of "Look Out For Mr. Stork" and "Pink Elephants on Parade" | |
The Nifty Nineties | Singer | ||
1942 | Wacky Blackout | Carrier Pigeon singing | |
Saludos Amigos | Singer of the main title theme | ||
1944 | Springtime for Pluto | Singing Caterpillar | Short, Voice |
1948 | Melody Time | Singer | Voice |
1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Card Painter | |
Rooty Toot Toot | Jonathan Bailey a.k.a. "Honest John the Crook" | ||
1952 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Singing voices of two villagers | |
1953 | Peter Pan | Singer / Pirates | Voice |
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom | Singer | ||
1954 | Rose Marie | Medicine Man | |
1955 | Daddy Long Legs | Daydream Sequence Song | Short, Voice |
Lady and the Tramp | Al the Alligator / Singing Pound Dogs | Voice | |
1956 | Design for Dreaming | (singer) | |
Hardy Boys | Theme Song | ||
1958 | Paul Bunyan | Paul Bunyan | Short, Voice |
1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Singer | |
1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Captain the Horse | Voice |
1962 | Gay Purr-ee | Hench Cat | |
1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Sir Bart | |
1964 | Mary Poppins | Banker / Pig | |
1965 | The Man from Button Willow | Singer / Reverend / Saloon Man | |
1966 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" | |
1967 | The Jungle Book | Colonel Hathi's crew | |
The War Wagon | Backup singer on main theme | ||
1968/1977 | Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day/The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Singer/Black Honeypot | |
1969 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | Singing Voice | performed "South American Getaway" |
The Trouble with Girls | Bass Singer | with the Bible Singers Quartet (The Mellomen) | |
1970 | Horton Hears a Who! | Wickersham Brother | |
The Phantom Tollbooth | Lethargians | ||
The Aristocats | Billy Bass - Russian Cat | Voice | |
1971 | The Cat in the Hat | Thing One | Voice |
Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Singing voice of Russian vendor / Various cartoon animal voices | ||
1972 | Snoopy, Come Home |
Singer of "No Dogs Allowed" | Voice |
The Lorax | Singer | Voice | |
1977 | The Hobbit | Goblins/Chorus | Voice |
Halloween Is Grinch Night | Singer / Monsters | Voice | |
Donny & Marie | Darth Vader / Narrator | Star Wars Segment | |
1987 | The Brave Little Toaster |
Kirby | Voice |
1990 | Disney Sing Along Songs: Disneyland Fun – It's a Small World | Singer of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" | |
1996 | Superior Duck | The Narrator | Voice |
1997 | The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue | Kirby | Voice |
1998 | The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | The Baby Huey Show | General Does-Little | Voice; ep. "Target...Huey!" |
Commercials
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
late 1970s-early 1980s | Toys R Us |
Geoffrey the Giraffe |
1953–2005 | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
Tony the Tiger |
Partial solo discography
- Mad, Baby, Mad – 1955 (Fabor)
- I Ain't Afraid – 1956 (Bally)
- You Wanna Talk About Texas – 1956
- Wing Ding Ding – 1956
- Big Paul Bunyan – 1962 (Globe)
- Gold Dubloons and Pieces of Eight – 1962 (The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Applegate Treasure)
- The Headless Horseman – 1965 (Disney)
- Great Hymns In Story And Song – 1970 (Light)
- Nathaniel the Grublet (In Direwood) – 1979 (Birdwing)
- Psalms and Selahs – 2002
References
- ^ a b McCracken, Elizabeth (December 25, 2003). "Our Cereal Hero". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ a b "Thurl Ravenscroft, Voice of Tony the Tiger, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 25, 2003. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Heintjes, Tom (November 14, 2012). "He's Grrrrreat! The Thurl Ravenscroft Interview". Hogan's Alley. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "1955 HITS ARCHIVE: Boom Boom Boomerang - De Castro Sisters". YouTube.
- ^ "560 KSFO Radio - the Sound of the City". Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Disneyland Record "All About Dragons", DQ-1301.
- ^ "Listen to the Unmistakable Voice of Thurl Ravenscroft". 365 Days of Magic. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Insider - Oh My Disney". Oh My Disney.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
- ^ Breton, Marcos (May 3, 1987). "He's 'G-r-r-r-eat!!!' : Tony the Tiger Voices Pleasure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
External links
- All Things Thurl (an authorized fan site, to which Ravenscroft contributed; includes discography)
- Thurl Ravenscroft at IMDb
- Thurl Ravenscroft at the TCM Movie Database
- Thurl Ravenscroft at Find a Grave
- He’s GRRRRRRR-EAT! The Thurl Ravenscroft Interview
- All About Dragons - Part 1 (the first side of the LP)
- All About Dragons - Part 2 (the second side of the LP)