Oh, no. Gary Owens had been ill for some time and I guess we all knew we were close to losing him…but it's still a kick in the tummy. He died yesterday at his home in Encino. He was 80 years old and didn't have an enemy in the world…or a person who'd met him who didn't love him. Gary hailed from South Dakota and once upon a time, wanted to be a cartoonist. He drew quite well actually but with that voice, how could a person not get into radio? He was truly a witty gentleman and I mean gentleman.
I guess I knew of him first on KFWB radio in Los Angeles and then at KMPC where for a long time, he did the afternoon "drive-time" broadcast, chatting with guests, talking trivia and often doing very funny comedy bits between the occasional records he played. He had no need of them but he employed writers, giving important breaks to a great many folks who went on to become top comedians and comedy writers…and even to people like me. That career alone would have much of Los Angeles mourning him today but Gary had three other aspects to his performing life…
One was as an voiceover actor for animation. He was Space Ghost and the Blue Falcon and Roger Ramjet and Powdered Toast Man and the announcer on Garfield and Friends and so many more. He did an amazing number of cartoons when you consider that the guy really only had one voice. When it's a voice that good, all you need is one.
He was also very much in-demand as a commercial and promo announcer, doing network and radio spots. He was so good at this that he became an archetype. In the v.o. industry, it is not uncommon to hear bookers say they're looking for a "Gary Owens" type voice, especially in the last few years when poor health sometimes made it difficult to hire Gary Owens. I have even heard directors tell an actor to "give it a little Gary Owens." That meant that while you should sound very announcer-like and macho and intense, there should also be a big smile and friendliness in your delivery. He did that better than anybody.
And then there was his on-camera work which pretty much started in the men's room at a great Burbank restaurant called The Smoke House. One day, Gary was in there washing his hands (or something) and so was producer George Schlatter, who was casting his new TV gig, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Gary started playing with the acoustics in the lavatory there, saying silly things in his serious announcer tone and allowing the reverb to make them sound even more serious and therefore sillier. Schlatter instantly decided to make him a part of Laugh-In…which made the face famous along with the voice.
Gary worked all the time both on and off camera. People wanted to hire him for two reasons, one being that he was a thorough professional. He was always on-time. He was always good. He took direction. If a director asked Gary to do a line fifty times — and yes, I saw this happen — Gary uncomplainingly did it fifty times even though the first one was probably perfect. It is the fear of just about everyone who books talent for commercials or cartoons that you'll hire someone and then your superiors (the folks at the network, the client for the commercial, whoever) will bawl you out yelling, "Why did you hire that untalented jerk?" Gary was an absolutely safe hire. No one ever got in trouble for having booked him.
But like I said, there were two reasons and the other was that everyone liked him. It was fun being around Gary. He was so funny and so polite and so humble and so supportive of those around him. There were moments you could tell that a little of that was an act…the kind of politicking you have to learn to survive in radio where kissing up to the advertisers is part of the job description. But only a little. Most of it was genuine.
I hired Gary several times for voiceovers and once for an on-camera job. He always acted like I was doing him a favor but honestly, it was the other way around. He made the voiceover jobs better, delivering the lines as well as humanly possible. The on-camera job was for a show I co-produced that was a nightmare of logistic and schedule and talent problems. I was so glad we'd thought to hire Gary because he caused absolutely zero problems. Amidst much chaos, he was the one element of the show I didn't have to worry about.
The last time I saw him — I think — was at a CAPS Banquet when I was asked to present an award to him. He was with his wonderful wife Arleta and she was taking such good care of him…but you could tell he was failing and it was an effort for him to make his acceptance speech and sound (pretty much) like the old, classic Gary Owens. Still, it was also obvious that it was good for him to get out of the house and have to do that…and the audience loved everything he said and did.
I may have seen him one more time after that. There's a group of comedy writers and comedians that meets Saturday mornings for breakfast — a group Gary helped organize. I sometimes go when I'm up early enough and he was showing up less and less frequently. But he made it to one and he sat there, listening and laughing at the others, unable to make much of a contribution besides being a great audience.
On his way out, some people recognized him and thanked him for all the wonderful entertainment he'd provided and he instantly turned it around. He was thanking them for listening and watching and allowing him to do what he loved for so long. I think he convinced that couple that he was more grateful to them than they were to him and that it was a bigger thrill for him to meet them than it was for them to meet him. I also think he meant it all. He was really a wonderful man.