Recently, there's been a discussion about TAGS actors doing cartoon voiceovers, and in the past there have been discussions about TAGS actors doing radio work, but there is one thing I've never seen mentioned in the digest and that is the work Hal Smith (Otis) did on the "Adventures in Odyssey" radio series.
"Adventures in Odyssey" began in 1987 as a Focus on the Family production and features the residents of a fictional town called Odyssey. The main character is John Avery Whittaker, who runs an ice-cream shop and discovery emporium for kids called Whit's End. Hal Smith was the voice of Whit from the inception of the series until his death in 1994. I have read that Hal considered the role of Whit in "Odyssey" as one of his favorites, and he certainly did an outstanding job on the show. I am very familiar with "Odyssey" because, after having listened to it on the radio for several years, we started buying collections of the show for our daughter. She has listened to them so repeatedly that we have some of these shows practically memorized! Though the target audience is mostly kids, the shows are entertaining for adults as well. They have very high production values, and all the voice actors are quite good. Each show has a theme (a faith- or character-building lesson or moral). If you've never heard Hal Smith as John Avery Whittaker, you can go to www.whitsend.org<http://www.whitsend.org/> and click on "On the Radio" to listen to a show over the Internet. You can either listen to "Today's Show" or click on another episode under "Past Shows." You can also find a local station that broadcasts "Adventures in Odyssey." Keep in mind that not all shows feature Whit, and the post-1994 shows don't have Hal as Whit (but you'll enjoy them anyway!). In addition to Hal Smith, "Odyssey" has at least one other TAGS connection. Parley Baer (Mayor Stoner) voiced several episodes, mostly as Connie's Uncle Joe. (Disclaimer: I have no connection with FOF or "Odyssey" other than as a listener.) Thelma Lou (Janet) _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
