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10 beloved cartoon voice actors who popped up in 'Perry Mason'
You can find Fred Flintstone, Magilla Gorilla, Batman, Tigger and Prince Charming.
Over the course of its nine seasons, Perry Mason cast a whopping 1,903 actors in total. The legal whodunnit had plenty of shoes to fill — jurors, judges, suspects, victims, murderers, lawyers, caps, dames, lackeys, etc.
Dozens of famous faces appeared in these mystery-of-the-week guest roles — oh, and many famous voices turned up, too.
We gathered ten of our favorite cartoon character cameos from Perry Mason. You might recognize these actors from other shows. But it'll likely surprise you to see the human face behind the animated character.
1. Henry Corden – Fred Flintstone
Alan Reed, the original voice of Fred Flintstone, passed away in 1977. Hanna-Barbera turned to its talented roster of voice actors to fill Fred's orange tunic. Corden had voiced several smaller roles on The Flintstones, as well as other toons like "Hillbilly Bear" Paw Rugg. He ended up performing Fred for three decades. In Perry, he can be found in "The Case of the Crooked Candle" as a shepherd.
2. John Stephenson – Mr. Slate
If you have Fred Flintstone, you might as well get his boss, too. Stephenson voiced Mr. Slate for decades. It was just one of his many cartoon credits. You can hear him in everything from Super Friends and Yogi's Gang to G.I. Joe and Transformers. In Perry Mason, he appears in three episodes, including "The Case of the Gallant Grafter," seen here.
3. Paul Winchell – Tigger
Winchell lived an unparalleled career. Who else can claim to be a pioneering ventriloquist and the inventor of the artificial heart? (No, really. He built and patented a mechanical heart for humans.) He came to fame working stages with his dummies, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. Later, he would voice Tigger in Winnie the Pooh cartoons for Disney. On Perry Mason, he meets a much darker fate in "The Case of the Nervous Neighbor."
4. John Fiedler – Piglet
Tigger's pal Piglet is here, too! John Fielder plays an associate director in Hollywood in the episode "The Case of the Tragic Trophy." His distinctive voice could be heard coming from Piglet up until 2005.
5. Allan Melvin – Magilla Gorilla
Melvin had a handful of notable sitcom credits to his name. Brady Bunch lovers know him best as Sam the Butcher. Military comedy junkies know him from regular roles on The Phil Silvers Show and Gomer Pyle. He was also Archie Bunker's pal on All in the Family. You might not know that he voiced Magilla Gorilla for Hanna-Barbera. Oh, and Drooper, one of the Banana Splits. Not to mention Bluto, Popeye's nemesis. He worked in a few Perry Mason episodes, including "The Case of the Sausalito Sunrise," seen here.
6. Olan Soule – Batman
Yep, that thin, bespectacled man is the Dark Knight. At least, he voiced Batman on Super Friends for years. In Perry Mason, you can spot him several times as the court clerk. He instructs the court to "All rise!" at the opening of "The Case of the Deadly Verdict" — you know, the one where Perry loses a case right off the bat!
7. Hal Smith – Goofy
Mayberry denizens knew Hal Smith better as Otis Campbell, the town drunk. The character actor also found plenty of work at Disney. Not only was he Goofy, he worked on DuckTales, too. You can also hear him in Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, The Fantastic Four, Captain Caveman… and so much more. Look for him in the Perry episode "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee."
8. William Phipps – Prince Charming
Here is Cinderella's man himself, Prince Charming. Phipps voiced the dashing prince in Disney's iconic 1950 animated masterpiece. In "The Case of the Fancy Figures," however, he's found himself in jail.
9. Marvin Miller – Robby the Robot
Robby the Robot might not be a cartoon character, but the big metal guy does have one of the most recognizable voices of the 1950s, thanks to Miller. Starting with Forbidden Planet in 1956, Robby turned up in other live-action sci-fi shows and movies. Miller did work in cartoons, too, notably The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo. Look for him in "The Case of the Lover's Leap" as a lawyer.
10. Mel Blanc – Bugs Bunny
Mel Blanc is so big, he didn't need to show his face. Arguably the most successful voice actor of all time, Blanc brought to life Bugs Bunny, Barney Rubble, Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn…. We could go on all day. He was most of the Looney Tunes cast. Naturally, in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" he is the parrot.
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64 Comments
"Alan Reed, the original voice of Fred Flintstone, passed away in 1977. Hanna-Barbera turned to its talented roster of voice actors to fill Fred's orange tunic. Cordon had voiced several smaller roles on The Flintstones, as well as other toons like 'Hillbilly Bear' Paw Rugg. He ended up performing Fred for three decades. In Perry, he can be found in 'The Case of the Crooked Candle' as a shepherd."
It's Henry CORDEN, not "Cordon."
Can't anybody on these pages get their facts straight?
(Egbert Sou`se anyone?)
