General News
6 February, 2026
VOICES: Permanently etched on our minds
Previously I have covered the voices of local commentators and narrators who provided a “vocal” background to our lives. Through radio, television and movies we were entertained and educated by a myriad of politicians, personalities and commentators.
As a 13-year-old, I rode my bike to the Regent Theatre to see the horror movie The House of Wax starring the master of horror, Vincent Price.
I was terrified and rode home at a hundred miles an hour to an empty house. After locking every door and closing every window I curled up under the eiderdown and didn’t move until day-break. Every sound had fearful potential.
Prices’ interpretation of the Ghost of Old Gourio on the radio had all the family on the edge of their seats.
Uncle Jim, who lived in fear of the “Banshees” interpreted every wisp of wind as their wail.
Boris Karloff’s portrayal of Shelley’s Frankenstein has survived for nearly a century as the definitive depiction of the monster.
Basil Rathbone’s quintessential reading of Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde again exemplified the language in its purest form.
In the extreme the New York writer and broadcaster, Damon Runyon, added considerably to the American vernacular.
His broadcasting of baseball and boxing added new dimensions to the language. A musical version of his play Guys & Dolls recently was performed in Melbourne.
Runyon’s compatriot, Walter Winchell, did the voice-over commentary for Robert Stack’s definitive TV series of Untouchables. For over four decades Winchell’s voice was the dominant voice of news reporting.
Stars of the Shakespearean stage, and British and American films, Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier and Rex Harrison, left their mark.
Harrison’s performance as Doctor Higgins alongside Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady is in a class of its own.
Burton’s reading of War of the Worlds along with Orson Welles is also unmatched for its sheer impact.
Welles’ film Citizen Kane is regarded as the greatest cinematic achievement of all time.
At the time of making Citizen Kane, Welles had never produced or directed a film. He questioned why the movie camera was stationary. It had to be lifted manually to be close or distant.
He got his technicians to put the camera on wheels. As a result a multitude of new techniques were possible. Panning is one of the techniques we now take for granted.
Ken Burns is featured on our TV sets with his narration of The American Revolution — it is regarded as the USA’s best.
In the nature genre, David Attenborough stands alone. For over 60 years he as been a voice for the observation and preservation of our environment.
During World War Two, the voice of Winston Churchill was a welcoming assurance of allied resistance.
British film director Alfred Hitchcock introduced his half hour program with hints of its content. His movies such as Psycho terrified.
On the lighter side, Jim Henson’s puppetry, along with his team of vocal specialists, produced a list of characters familiar to everyone. They include Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear.
Again the creators of The Simpsons (Brooks, Groening and Simon) made their social commentary through TV and multi-media.
Characters such as Bart, Homer, Marge and Lisa are part of our culture and their voices are instantly recognised.
Walt Disney Studios produced an endless list of characters familiar world-wide.
The voices of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Scrooge McDuck and Gladstone Gander, along with the Beagle Boys, were part of growing up.
At the matinees we were treated to a variety of cowboy heroes. With my mates we got tickets to see William Boyd (alias Hopalong Cassidy). He looked and sounded like a cowboy and did some tricks on his horse “Topper”.
I can still hear his dulcet tones as he told the story of one of his adventures with his sidekick, Jingles.
We weren’t massive fans of the singing cowboys Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.
The movie Shawshank Redemption is rated as one of the greatest movie stories ever told. The voice of Morgan Freeman is essential to its success. It is easy to see why his voice was chosen as the voice of God in the film Bruce Almighty.
James Earl Jones, the voice of Star Wars stalwart Darth Vader, gives a commanding and imperious presence.
Mel Blanc, the man of a thousand voices, entertained for over 50 years.
Firstly with Warner Bros and finally with Hanna-Barbera. Some of his unforgettable characters are Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety-bird, Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam.
I will leave you with those famous Looney Tunes words .... “that’s all folks!”