Gary Owens
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Gary Owens (born Gary Altman on May 10, 1936) is a disc jockey and voice actor born in Mitchell, South Dakota.
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[edit] Career
Owens was a journeyman DJ/announcer throughout the midwest and southern U.S. in the late 1950s, finally ending up at radio station KEWB, Oakland, California in 1959. He moved to its sister station KFWB in Los Angeles in 1961. From there, he joined the staff of KMPC in 1962, where he remained for the next two decades working the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. shift, Monday through Friday. A gifted punster, Owens became known for his surrealistic humor. Among his trademarks were daily appearances by The Story Lady (played by Joan Gerber), the Rumor of the Day, myriad varieties of "The Nurney Song", and the introduction of the nonsense word "insegrevious", which was briefly included in the Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary.
In the early 1960s, like punster-TV star comic colleagues Ernie Kovacs, Steve Allen and Jonathan Winters, Gary Owens created a few comic characters of his own, such as the gruff old man Earl C. Festoon and his wife Phoebe Festoon, the stuffy old businessman Endocrine J. Sternwallow, and the goofy good ol' boy, Merle Clyde Gumpf. Another character was crotchety old cantankerous Mergenthaler Waisleywillow.
He also did very funny radio promotions like sending in for "Yours", which turned out to be a postcard from him from the radio station which simply said "Yours" on it; and autographed pictures of the Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles; and his famous "Moo Cow Report" in which Gary and his character Earl C. Festoon would describe where moo cows were moving inbound on the crowded freeways of L.A.
During this time he was also known as "Superbeard", because like other radio icon Wolfman Jack, he sported a goatee-beard, wore Hawaiian shirts, baggy bermuda shorts, and his "1941 wide necktie with a hula girl on it". Often during these comedy skits on the air he would have the assistance of other radio comics, most notably Bob Arbogast (known as "Arbo" to his adoring fans), Stan Ross (of "Drowning in the Surf" fame in 1963), and Jim "Weather Eyes" Hawthorne.
Gary also did his famous "Good Evening Kiss" on KMPC when he was on from 9PM to Midnight, by saying "Now I'll just snuggle up to a nice warm microphone, and embracemoi, with a big wet kiss sound effect followed by the sound effect of a big gong striking.
In 1966, Gary Owens collaborated with Bob Arbogast, June Foray, Daws Butler, Paul Frees and others on a hilarious comedy spoof record album titled "Sunday Morning With the Funnies" with the Jimmy Haskell Orchestra on Reprise Records. Gary certainly gave comedian Stan Freberg, a popular record album comic, a run for his money.[citation needed]
During this period, Owens became more widely known as the voice of the eponymous TV cartoon characters in Roger Ramjet and Space Ghost, the excitable narrator/announcer from The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, and perhaps most importantly, as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, all the while continuing his show on KMPC. He also hosted the daily game show Letters to Laugh-In during its brief run in 1969.
He was also a scriptwriter for Jay Ward Productions, has appeared in many series for Walt Disney, and has done over 30,000 commercials. He was also a guest star on The Munsters and McHale's Navy.
On the weekend of September 12-13, 1981, Owens sub-hosted for Casey Kasem on American Top 40; it'd be Gary's only appearance on radio's first nationally syndicated countdown show.
He was the voice of Disney's Epcot Center ride, World of Motion, which operated between 1982 and 1996.
Owens did the humorous news blurbs that are interspersed throughout the 1975 film The Prisoner of Second Avenue.
In 1976, Owens hosted the first season of the nighttime version of The Gong Show; he was replaced by the show's creator, Chuck Barris.
Owens has also provided the voice for
- The Narrator of Dr. Phibes Rises Again (uncredited)
- Powdered Toast Man of The Ren and Stimpy Show.
- Captain Squash on Bobby's World
- Dirk Niblick on PBS's Square One TV
- Blue Falcon in Dynomutt, Dog Wonder
- Badly Animated Man in Raw Toonage
- Commander Ulysses Feral in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
He has narrated or announced dozens of other cartoons, as well as the fourth and sixth installments of the Space Quest PC game series.
In the 1980s, Gary Owens could be found announcing on jazz radio station KKJZ in Westwood, California.
During the 1990s, Owens worked with Sierra as the narrator for Space Quest IV and Space Quest VI.
Gary currently hosts a weeknight show on the Music of Your Life radio network. Gary is also heard 6 days a week on Southern California's AM 1260 and 540. He also announces pre-recorded station IDs for Parksville, British Columbia radio station CHPQ-FM (The Lounge).
[edit] Trademark
When appearing "in character" on camera as Gary Owens, the announcer, Owens holds his right hand up to his right ear while speaking into a gimbaled boom microphone. This is done in imitation of the announcers in the early days of radio, who had to rely upon the acoustic feedback of their cupped hand to hear how they sounded to the audience. Owens created the phrase "Beautiful downtown Burbank" which was later used on Laugh-In and the Tonight Show. Gary received a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 1980, between Walt Disney and Betty White.
[edit] Quotable Quotes
Gary Owens would often paraphrase his boyhood hero Lamont Cranston, also known as The Shadow, on 1940s radio, who said "Friend of those who have no friends"; Gary's version was "Friend of those who want no friends"!
Gary also said things like: "And now here he is, Gary Owens. Thank you very much, me!"
"Not much change in the weather, or my wallet till next payday!"
"It's been downright insigrevious, folks!"
"See your doctor before it's too late. And if it's too late, come back in the morning, when he's open."
- If you are a Taurean, it is better to be a South Taurean than a North Taurean."
"Gosh-a-roony!"
- This is the Zupmesiter Broadcasting System." (followed by a parody of NBC's three-tone tag line, with the third "tone" being anything from a wobbly board to a loud explosion.)
