Although I didn’t know their names for years, there were several masters of voice overs I grew up with that are remembered very fondly today.
Most people wouldn’t know the name Ernie Anderson, but he was the voice of ABC, and you’d know him from one famous announcement: “The Loooooovvvvveee Boat!”
Paul Frees did many cartoon voices, and you know his voice when he guides you through the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. You’ve heard Don LaFontaine’s voice in three trillion movie trailers, and throughout the 70’s, Percy Rodrigues was the voice over man for movies. (“None of man’s fantasies of evil can compare with the reality of Jaws.”)
And here’s another voice you may have grown up with: “Danger Will Robinson! Danger!”
Anyone who loves Lost in Space knows that line, as well as “That does not compute,” and the trademark voice of Robot from Lost in Space Dick Tufeld, who passed away on January 22 at the age of 85.
Yes, he did a lot of voice over work throughout his career, but provided the voice to Robot on Lost in Space will always be his claim to fame.
According to the L.A. Times, Tufeld lent his great voice to the radio show Space Patrol, and he did voice overs for Irwin Allen’s other 60’s TV shows The Time Tunnel, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, along with many other TV shows and commercials, all the way up to the Simpsons.
If you loved sci-fi on TV, it’s probably safe to say Lost In Space was a common denominator show for you and many other geek brethren as well. Because Tufeld’s voice was so distinctive, it’s probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Lost in Space, and the cries of “Warning!,” and “Danger Will Robinson!” should echo on in the minds of many sci-fi fans for the rest of our days.
On his Facebook page, Will Robinson himself, Bill Mumy, wrote, “Dick Tufeld was a really cool guy. He’s reunited with his wife Adrian now. [She passed away in 2004] R.I.P. Dick. You will be missed big time.”
