Gary Owens obit

Gary Owens, radio and 'Laugh-In' announcer, dies at 80

“From beautiful downtown Burbank," Gary Owens vaulted to fame playing the zany announcer in the landmark TV comedy series "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." And he never stopped working after that, doing commercials, variety specials, cartoons, radio shows and even theme park announcements in his deep voice that was one of the most famous in show business.

He could have slowed down, but his frantic pace was set early in life. At 9, he was diagnosed with diabetes.

"I overheard a doctor tell my parents he didn't expect me to live past my teens," Owens said in 1980 Los Angeles Times interview. "So from that time on I engaged in all kinds of one-upmanship to prove I was as good or better than anyone else."

Owens, 80, died Thursday at home in Encino. The cause was complications from the long-fought diabetes, said his son, Chris.

In 1967, when he had a popular Los Angeles radio show, a chance meeting in the Smoke House restaurant in Burbank led to "Laugh-In."

Hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and featuring short comedy bits — sometimes just a few seconds long — the show was in development at nearby NBC.

Producer George Schlatter was in the men's room when Owens walked in. "He said, 'Hello, George!' in that voice of his," Schlatter said in an interview Friday. " 'The acoustics are great in here.'

"And I said to him, 'That's what I want you to do!' "

To the bewildered Owens, Schlatter explained that for the fast-paced TV show, he needed someone to say lines that would provide a break between bits.

"It was the shortest audition in show business," Schlatter said.

It was a good fit for Owens, who as a radio disc jockey likewise used a variety of resources to create a wacky on-air atmosphere.

"You can take music, sound effects, some good voice people and some good writing, and it all happens," he told the Chicago Tribune in 1995. "And you can do it within seconds just off the top of your head."

The irreverent "Laugh-In," which premiered as a weekly show Jan. 22, 1968, became a national sensation, making stars of previously little-known performers such as Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin and Jo Anne Worley.

For his bits, Owens would be shown with his hand cupped behind one ear like an old-time announcer.

"He would say things like, 'Meanwhile, later that evening,' just to get us to the next bit," Schlatter said.

But Owens would add his own lines, too. The best known example is "beautiful downtown Burbank," later adopted by Johnny Carson.

On radio, which he continued to do all through "Laugh-In" and beyond, he used such lines as:

"My actual life has been so dull that when I almost drowned the other day, Pat Boone's life passed before my eyes."

"Laugh-In," which went off the air in 1973, had a high turnover in performers. Only the two hosts, comedian Ruth Buzzi and Owens were in it for the full run.

 

"Those were some of the greatest times of my life," Owens said in a 1995 St. Petersburg Times interview.

He was born Gary Altman on May 10, 1934, in Mitchell, S.D., and grew up in nearby Plankinton, where he graduated from high school.

He enrolled at Dakota Wesleyan University but was mostly enamored of college radio and left after a year. His first job in radio was at KORN in Mitchell, where he was the news director.

He didn't have to put on the resonant voice; it came naturally.

"I've heard recordings of my dad when he was 13," Chris Owens said, "and he already had the voice."

At 22, he moved on to KOIL radio in Omaha, where he was still doing news. Then one of the deejays suddenly quit in the middle of a live show, and the manager said Owens had to take over.

Owens protested that he didn't know how — and proved it.

"He was horrible," Chris Owens said. "But then his humor came out, his silliness, and people loved it."

Arriving in Los Angeles in 1961, Owens worked as an announcer at KFWB-AM (980), moving on the next year to KMPC-AM (710), where he had a show for 20 years.

He never had a TV hit as big as "Laugh-In," but he was the announcer on "The Wonderful World of Disney" and appeared in numerous TV specials with stars such as Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.

He was best known, aside from being the announcer on Laugh-In, for providing the voice of the titular superhero on Space Ghost. He also played himself in a cameo appearance on Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1998. Owens' first cartoon voice acting was performing the voice of Roger Ramjet on The Roger Ramjet Cartoons. He later served as voice of the over-the-air digital network Antenna TV.

He was the narrator of Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center pavilion, World of Motion, which operated between 1982 and 1996. His television special was "The Roots of Goofy" which aired from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.

He admitted that he never stopped being star-struck.

"One of the greatest thrills" from his "Laugh-In" days, he said, "was when John Wayne came on and imitated me, dressed like me and holding his hand to his ear."

In addition to his son Chris, Owens is survived by his wife of 47 years, Arleta, and another son, Scott.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1961      The Naked Witch              Prologue Narrator           

1965      McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force             Enlisted Man      Uncredited

1966      The Last of the Secret Agents      Voice     Uncredited

1968      The Love Bug     Announcer (voice)          

1972      Dr. Phibes Rises Again    Narrator (voice)               

1975      The Prisoner of Second Avenue Radio Newscaster (voice)             Uncredited

1978      Return from Witch Mountain      Newscaster (voice)          Uncredited

Coming Attractions          Narrator (voice)               

1982      Buyer Be Wise   Narrator (voice)                Uncredited, Short film

1983      Hysterical            TV Announcer (voice)    

1985      National Lampoon's European Vacation "Pig in a Poke" Announcer (voice)             Uncredited

1988      Destroyer            Game Show Announcer (voice)

1989      How I Got into College   Sports Announcer (voice)            

1990      Kill Crazy              The Sheriff         

Diggin' Up Business         Minister              

1996      Spy Hard              M.C.      

1998      Border to Border              Mr. Kirby            

1999      Muppets from Space      UFO Mania Announcer (voice)    Uncredited

2001      Major Damage Narrator (voice)               

2002      Jane White Is Sick & Twisted        TV Announcer (voice)    

Frank McKlusky, C.I.        Announcer (voice)          

2004      Comic Book: The Movie                 Himself                

2013      I Know That Voice            Himself                 Documentary

 

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1965      McHale's Navy   The Photographer, The 1st Sailor               Episodes: "The Seven Faces of Ensign Parker", "A Star Falls on Taratupa"

Roger Ramjet     Roger Ramjet (voice)      8 episodes

1965–1966          The Munsters    Zombo's Announcer, Dick Willet                Episodes: "Will Success Spoil Herman Munster?", "Zombo"

1966      Summer Fun       Henry    Episode: "McNab's Lab"

1966–1967          Green Hornet    Newscaster, Commentator          8 episodes

Batman                Voice on Radio, T.V. Announcer 3 episodes

1966–1968          Space Ghost       Space Ghost, Narrator (voices)   20 episodes

1967      Mr. Traffic           Announcer (voice)           Episode: "I Can't Fly"

1968      Sally Sargent      Blake Jameson, Narrator (voices)              Television short

1968–1973          Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In          Announcer, Himself        134 episodes

1969      I Dream of Jeannie           Himself                 Episode: "The Biggest Star in Hollywood"

1969–1990          Sesame Street   The Man from Alphabet, Today's Secret Drawing Announcer, various characters 13 episoes

1969      Sesame Street Pitch Reel               Unknown role (voice)    

1973      Barnaby Jones   Gary Michaels    Episode: "Twenty Million Alibis"

1974      Out to Lunch      Announcer (voice)           Television film

1975      Get Christie Love!            TV Reporter        Episode: "Murder on High C"

1976      The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour              Blue Falcon (voice)         

1976–1977          Dynomutt, Dog Wonder                Blue Falcon (voice)          20 episodes

1977      Man from Atlantis            Announcer (voice)           Episode: "Man O'War"

1977      Scooby's Laff-A Lympics                 Blue Falcon (voice)         

1977–1980          Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels   Narrator (voice)                40 episodes

1978      Yogi's Space Race             7 episodes

1979      Legends of the Superheroes        Episodes: "The Challenge", "The Roast"

The Magical World of Disney       Episode: "Baseball Forever"

1980      Galactica 1980   Cy           Episode: "The Return of Starbuck"

1982      No Soap, Radio Skit Performer   4 episodes

1981      Space Stars         Space Ghost (voice)         11 episodes

Superbman: The Other Movie     Narrator (voice)                Short film

1982      Get It Right: Following Directions with Goofy       Short film; Uncredited

1983      Breakaway          Host, Announcer              Unknown episodes

Inspector Gadget             Inspector Gadget (voice)               Episode: "Pilot"

1984      The Mighty Orbots           Narrator (voice)                Episode: "Magnetic Menace"

1985      Simon & Simon Sanfred Thompson          Episode: "Down-Home County Blues"

1985–1987          Yogi's Treasure Hunt       Narrator (voice)                13 episodes

1987      Sledge Hammer!               Sledge's Neighbours, Radio Announcer, Series Announcer             Episodes: "A Clockwork Hammer", "Wild About Hammer"

DTV Monster Hits             Announcer (voice)           Television film

1988–1991          Square One Television    Lt. Dirk Niblick (voice)     5 episodes

1988–1994          Garfield and Friends        Announcer, Instructor (voices)   42 episodes

1989      Night Court         Bobby Baumgarner          Episode: "Auntie Maim"

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!         Willy White (voice)          Episode: "Home Radio/Elvin Lives"

1990–1992          Tom & Jerry Kids               Additional voices              2 episodes

1990–1998          Bobby's World   Captain Squash (voice)   23 episodes

1992      Dinosaurs            Narrator (voice)                Episodes: "Nuts to War: Part 1", "Nuts to War: Part 2"

Defenders of Dynatron City          Announcer (voice)           Television short

Goof Troop         Mr. Hammerhead (voice)             Episode: "Date with Destiny"

Raw Toonage     Badly Animated Man (voice)        1 episode

1992–1996          The Ren and Stimpy Show            Powdered Toast Man, Announcer, Charles Globe, Player (voices)                 7 episodes

Eek!stravaganza               Reporter, Announcer, Additional voices 30 episodes

1993      Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog           Narrator (voice)                Episode" "Pilot"

2 Stupid Dogs     Principal Schneider, Johnny the Announcer (voices)         2 episodes

1993–1994          SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron             Commander Ulysses Feral, Commander Feral, Cmdr. Ulysses Feral (voices)     22 episodes

1994      Fantastic Four: The Animated Series        Gary Owens, Bystander #1 (voices)           2 episodes

Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad          Opening Narration (voice)            6 episodes

Love & War         Announcer (voice)           Episode: "Ten Cents a Dance"

1994–1995          Skeleton Warriors            Additional voices              11 episodes

1995      The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat              2 episodes

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters                Clown, Broadcaster #2 (voices) Episode "A Room with No Viewfinder/Krumm Rises to the Top"

1995–1997          America's Funniest Home Videos              Announcer (voice)           Reality television series

1996      Space Ghost Coast to Coast          Episode: "Late Show"

The Mask             Channel, Raymond Neilsen (voices)          Episode: "Channel Surfing'"

1997      What a Cartoon!               Announcer, Commander (voices)              Episode: "Dino in the Great Egg Scape"

101 Dalmatians: The Series          TV Announcer (voice)     Episode: "Tic Track Toe/Lucky All-Star"

1998      Sabrina, the Teenage Witch         Guy Who Thinks He's Gary Owens            Episode: "Good Will Haunting"

Oh Yeah! Cartoons           MC, Fisherman #1 (voices)           Episode: "Youngstar 3"

The New Batman Adventures     50s Batman (voice)          Episode: "Legend of the Dark Knight"

1998–2003          Dexter's Laboratory         Blue Falcon, TV Announcer          2 episodes

1999      That '70s Show Announcer, Narrator (voices)      4 episodes

2000      Buzz Lightyear of Star Command               Opening Narration (voice)            6 episodes

2002      Ren and Stimpy Rocks    Unknown role    Episode: "Hard Times for Haggis"

2004      Johnny Bravo     Blue Falcon (voice)          Episode: "Johnny Makeover/Back on Shaq"

2011      Batman: The Brave and the Bold                Space Ghost (voice)         Episode: "Bold Beginnings!"

 

Video games

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1991      Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers            Narrator              

1995      Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier            Narrator              

1996      Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker     Powdered Toast Man