Profile: Alan Reed - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

tv star collector · 12-14-2007, 09:29 AM

Alan Reed, the original voice of Fred Flintstone, was born Teddy Bergman in New York City on Aug. 20, 1907. He graduated early from Manhattan's Washington High School and planned to attend Columbia University, but he found he was too young to meet their admission requirements. He enrolled
instead at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, where he discovered an interest in acting. When he finally did enroll at Columbia U., he continued to act while majoring in journalism and participating in their sports program (he won the Eastern Intercollegiate heavyweight wrestling title).

For more than two decades, Reed did a variety of characters on various radio programs, becoming a master of dialects. He was straight man for Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, and Burns & Allen. He was so much in demand that, at one point, he was a player on 35 different shows in one week.

Reed moved his family to Hollywood in 1943 after signing a movie contract with Fox, while continuing to work in radio. When TV came along, he was able to reprise his DUFFY'S TAVERN and LIFE WITH LUIGI roles on the small screen. By 1955, Reed was working in TV but hadn't built up a big enough
name for himself to command a large salary, and he needed to find a way to supplement his income to support his growing family. His job search led him to Hanna-Barbera, where he auditioned for the new series THE FLINTSTONES. The rest is history.

It was Alan Reed who ad-libbed the phrase "Yabba Dabba Doo" (to replace the scripted line "Yahoo"), now one of the most recognisable catch phrases in cartoon history.

While starring in THE FLINTSTONES, Reed also continued to guest star on such TV shows as THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, and play small parts in movies. Besides THE FLINTSTONES, Reed's other animation credits include "Lady and the Tramp" (as Boris, the Russian wolfhound) and Touche Turtle's pal Dum Dum.

Alan Reed died of cancer on June 14, 1977, at age 69. He was replaced as the voice of Fred Flintstone by actor Henry Corden, who had already supplied Reed's singing voice during the original run of the series. Jean Vander Pyl explained: "Alan could sing ... but he couldn't sing on pitch. That caused complications when they were trying to do harmony and anything long, so they got Henry Corden to do it." Although Corden may have been the better singer, Reed's widow, Finette, summed up the differences between her husband's Fred and Corden's Fred: "Henry has the voice, but Alan had the heart."

[THE MAGIC BEHIND THE VOICES, by Tim Lawson & Alisa Persons (2004)]

comedyfreak · 12-14-2007, 12:07 PM

That was very interesting. I remember seeing him on an episode of The Addams Family, he looked like I imagined him and his voice was definately the same.

tv star collector · 12-14-2007, 04:59 PM

At the height of the show's popularity, producer Bill Hanna said of Alan Reed:
"He tours the country in a leopard skin. He IS Fred Flintstone!"

snl 70s show fan · 12-15-2007, 05:53 AM

he was also great in the postman always rings twice that role was about as far away from bedrock is you can get

12-14-2007, 09:29 AM	#1
tv star collector I Love Susie Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 4,487	Profile: Alan Reed Alan Reed, the original voice of Fred Flintstone, was born Teddy Bergman in New York City on Aug. 20, 1907. He graduated early from Manhattan's Washington High School and planned to attend Columbia University, but he found he was too young to meet their admission requirements. He enrolled instead at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, where he discovered an interest in acting. When he finally did enroll at Columbia U., he continued to act while majoring in journalism and participating in their sports program (he won the Eastern Intercollegiate heavyweight wrestling title). For more than two decades, Reed did a variety of characters on various radio programs, becoming a master of dialects. He was straight man for Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, and Burns & Allen. He was so much in demand that, at one point, he was a player on 35 different shows in one week. Reed moved his family to Hollywood in 1943 after signing a movie contract with Fox, while continuing to work in radio. When TV came along, he was able to reprise his DUFFY'S TAVERN and LIFE WITH LUIGI roles on the small screen. By 1955, Reed was working in TV but hadn't built up a big enough name for himself to command a large salary, and he needed to find a way to supplement his income to support his growing family. His job search led him to Hanna-Barbera, where he auditioned for the new series THE FLINTSTONES. The rest is history. It was Alan Reed who ad-libbed the phrase "Yabba Dabba Doo" (to replace the scripted line "Yahoo"), now one of the most recognisable catch phrases in cartoon history. While starring in THE FLINTSTONES, Reed also continued to guest star on such TV shows as THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, and play small parts in movies. Besides THE FLINTSTONES, Reed's other animation credits include "Lady and the Tramp" (as Boris, the Russian wolfhound) and Touche Turtle's pal Dum Dum. Alan Reed died of cancer on June 14, 1977, at age 69. He was replaced as the voice of Fred Flintstone by actor Henry Corden, who had already supplied Reed's singing voice during the original run of the series. Jean Vander Pyl explained: "Alan could sing ... but he couldn't sing on pitch. That caused complications when they were trying to do harmony and anything long, so they got Henry Corden to do it." Although Corden may have been the better singer, Reed's widow, Finette, summed up the differences between her husband's Fred and Corden's Fred: "Henry has the voice, but Alan had the heart." [THE MAGIC BEHIND THE VOICES, by Tim Lawson & Alisa Persons (2004)]
	Last edited by tv star collector; 12-15-2007 at 04:54 PM.

12-14-2007, 12:07 PM	#2
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,061	That was very interesting. I remember seeing him on an episode of The Addams Family, he looked like I imagined him and his voice was definately the same.
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12-14-2007, 04:59 PM	#3
tv star collector I Love Susie Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 4,487	At the height of the show's popularity, producer Bill Hanna said of Alan Reed: "He tours the country in a leopard skin. He IS Fred Flintstone!"

12-15-2007, 05:53 AM	#4
snl 70s show fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2005 Location: in the forman basment Posts: 2,454	he was also great in the postman always rings twice that role was about as far away from bedrock is you can get