Paul Frees in a 1950s film
Paul Frees (1920-1986) was a prolific voice actor in radio, animation, film, record albums, and commercials. His record credits include collaborations with Stan Freberg and Spike Jones. In the latter's Spike Jones in Stereo, Frees was featured in "Poison to Poison" (later used as a soundtrack for Sam and Friends) as all character voices, including Alfred Hitchcock (played by Chicken Liver), Edward R. Murrow (Harry the Hipster), and the butler (Yorick). Other tracks with Spike Jones were used on Sam and Friends (including three from Spike Jones in Stereo imitating Bela Lugosi as Dracula). Also used was one from the Rocky and His Friends tie-in album. Frees voiced many of Jay Ward's characters, including Boris Badenov, Captain Peachfuzz, an Ape Named Ape on George of the Jungle, and others.
On radio, Frees was a regular on the CBS anthology drama series Escape from 1947 through 1954, playing the opening narrator and many leads and supporting roles. He was also heard on Gunsmoke, Suspense, Crime Classics, Dr. Kildare, and innumerable others. In animation, his credits include many characters for Disney, notably Ludwig Von Drake and the Ghost Host of The Haunted Mansion; Morocco Mole and Squiddly Diddly for Hanna-Barbera; many Rankin/Bass specials, including Burgermeister Meisterburger in Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and Santa himself in Frosty the Snowman and elsewhere; and one of his final credits, John Korty's Twice Upon a Time. Frees made his only on-screen Disney appearance in the 1959 feature film The Shaggy Dog. He was both heard and seen in the George Pal film of The War of the Worlds.
Recordings used on Sam and Friends[]
entries marked with an asterisk are the transcription date
- *1956: "Too Young" (1951) performed by Frees and Sara Berner[1]
- September 3, 1959: "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" from Spike Jones in Stereo (1959), by Frees and Loulie Jean Norman[2]
- October 23, 1959: "This Is Your Death" (dialogue)/"Two Heads Are Better Than One" (song) from Spike Jones in Stereo, as Dr. Von Steiner, Host, Announcer, Dr. Jekyll, and others, with George Rock[3]
- October 29, 1959: "Poisen to Poisen," same album, by Frees[4]
- October 30, 1959: "Tammy," same album, by Frees, Norman, Rock[5]
- October 28, 1960: "I Only Have Eyes for You," same album, by Frees and Norman[6]
- Spring 1961: "Bullwinkle's Corner (Tom, Tom the Piper's Son and Peter Piper)" from Rocky & His Friends (1961), as first detective and Peter Piper, with Bill Scott as Bullwinkle[7]
Sources[]
- ↑ Shemin, Craig. Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show. p. 269
- ↑ ibid. p. 391
- ↑ ibid. p. 402
- ↑ ibid. p. 403
- ↑ ibid. p. 403
- ↑ ibid. p. 471
- ↑ ibid. p. 500
External links[]
- Voicechasers Profile (archived version)