Ok, here goes. I was watching the Inside TVLand style and fashion thing last night (Barbara Billingsley was in it so I taped it of course) and I noticed in the credits that it was narrated by Harry Shearer. I knew that name sounded familiar so I checked it out. I knew I had heard the name. He played "Frankie" the Eddie like character on the LITB pilot "It's A Small World." I checked IMDB to see if this Harry Shearer and the narrator for Inside TVLand were one in the same. It wasn't listed as one of his credits, but the only Inside Tvland listed is the African Americans in Television, so apparently they havent gotten around to adding this yet, because it wasn't under Barbara's credits yet either. So, I still don't know if it's him. Checking his credits, the Harry Shearer that did the LITB Pilot doesn't seem to be the type to narrate a tvland special. His credits including This Is Spinal Tap and The Simpsons (Mr. Burns/Smithers).
But I also noticed he played and Announcer or News person in a BUNCH of movies, so maybe he has "the right voice" for that kind of stuff. I dunno. Any thoughts?
And here's a before and after pic of him. The before is from the LITB pilot, the after is from This is Spinal Tap. (I don't know if he actually looks like that, or he just looked like that for the movie.)
frani
02-21-2003, 10:48 PM
Harry Shearer said that last night before the ep with the Barons.
He said that in the pilot there was no Eddie Haskell but there was a Frankie, played by yours truly, Harry Shearer.
So yeah, it's the same guy. He also did Spinal Tap and that getup in spinal tap was for the movie.
TheHappyBurgerMeister
02-21-2003, 11:52 PM
Harry Shearer is currently most famous for making various voice on The Simpsons. (Mr. Smithers, Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, etc). I know he's also the TVland narrator voice that they have during the credits of each TVland show telling about the next show. I found this out a few months ago when it was the end of Andy Griffith and they were telling about the LITB episode next. Well, he said something about Ken Osmond didn't play Eddie Haskell in the pilot episode but it was a character like him "played by yours truly, Harry Shearer!". So, it is him. I just saw Harry Shearer a few weeks ago on the show Inside the Actors Studio along with the rest of the cast of the simpsons. He doesn't look like he does in that other pic. No beard and has short hair. Well, they didn't mention about him being on "It's a Small World". There you go, hope that's enough info!
Kristina
TheHappyBurgerMeister
02-21-2003, 11:54 PM
Oops, Frani you just said the same thing about Harry Shearer and saying played by yours truly! Sorry, I should've read yours better.:)
TheHappyBurgerMeister
02-22-2003, 12:02 AM
I couldn't find a pic of Harry Shearer from Inside the Actor's Studio, but I found another one. This one he doesn't have a beard or long hair like the other one. He looks like this now, except a little more gray hair.
Just a headsup--Spinal Tap was a spoof movie so I'm quite sure that his long hair get-up is a costume.
I didn't know that he's the voice between shows on TV Land. Those are interesting tidbits
Well, cool. My question is answered. Thanks for the help everyone!