Hans Conried: A Biography; With a Filmography and a Listing of Radio, Television, Stage and Voice Work (Paperback)

~ (Author), Leonard Maltin (Foreword)

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Product Description

Hans Conried was once described by the well-known Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper as "a high-strung, droll fellow, plagued by a multitude of talents." Conried was indeed a talented and versatile actor, but his versatility often worked against him. A complex individual who yearned to perform Shakespeare on the stage, he achieved success playing low comedy in films and on television.

Conried performed in nearly 10,000 radio shows and hundreds of television programs and stage plays, as well as more than 80 films. Over the years, Conried also lent his distinctive voice to numerous animated shorts, phonograph records, commercials, and other projects. Some of his most memorable roles are Dr. Terwilliker in The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T; the voice of Captain Hook from Disney’s Peter Pan; eccentric Uncle Tonoose on The Danny Thomas Show; the fussy elocutionist Percy Livermore on I Love Lucy; and the voice of comical villain Snidely Whiplash from Jay Ward’s Dudley Do-Right series.

This book chronicles Conried’s life and career from his birth in 1917 through his death in 1982. Enlivened by many photographs as well as personal reminiscences from family, friends, and colleagues, the book also contains comprehensive information on Conried’s radio, television, film, stage and voice work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786413387
• ISBN-13: 978-0786413386
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,091,557 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Long-Overdue Biography of a Magnificent Character Actor, November 6, 2004

By	Chiasmus Octothorpe "p_rosebank" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

As a voice artist and character performer myself, I have long been in the habit of studying the "old masters" (Mel Blanc, Paul Frees, Stan Freberg, Daws Butler, and of course Hans Conried). Since most of them are no longer with us, I can only study examples of their work, as well as books and articles about them. Sadly, such books and articles are very few and very far between, and it can be extremely difficult to track down which episodes of which radio series featured which performers.

Suzanne Gargiulo's book is a huge help with this. It's extremely well-researched, and includes quotations from Hans' friends, co-workers and family, as well as numerous photographs and other ephemera from the Hans Conried Special Collection at Boston University. Fortunately for posterity, Hans was a packrat, who saved reams of these items, which were then donated to the University, after his death in 1982. He was so prolific---particularly in radio drama and bit roles in films---that Suzanne's website (www.hansconriedbook.com) includes corrections and additions, as they come up.

However, for all its information, this book is a very easy, comfortable read---not at all dry (except, of course, for the examples of Hans' own wit). I found it impossible to put down, and my copy is now very well lived-in, with dog-eared pages, highlighting, and notes scribbled in the margins. Needless to say, I do NOT intend to part with it!

As this is the only book about the life of Hans Conried, it gave me a wealth of information to discover, about this wonderfully talented and versatile (some would even say TOO talented and TOO versatile) character actor. One particular gem of information: Not only did he voice Captain Hook and Mr. Darling in the Disney version of "Peter Pan", but he also performed in full costume in the live-action reference footage that was shot to assist the animators. Therefore, many of Hook's and Darling's gestures and mannerisms are really Hans' own!


The Filmography and listings of Stage, Television, Voice, and (above all) Radio Work have proved an invaluable resource in my efforts to track down examples of his work, to add to my own reference library, because in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, most radio performers were uncredited.

After reading and re-reading this book, I know what a wonderfully talented actor and delightful person, Hans Conried was. And I feel truly cheated, that I never got to speak with him personally, or to work with him.

This book belongs in the library of anyone who is, aspires to be, or appreciates voice actors, character actors, Shakespearean actors, radio drama, and eccentric characters in general. (And few characters are as eccentric as Hans himself.)

When you purchase the book, I recommend adding the video of "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.", so you can see Hans in the role of a lifetime, which should have (had the studio not butchered the film in the editing suite) launched his career into the stratosphere it deserved. The DVD set of the complete series of "Fractured Flickers" (hosted by Hans) is also worth adding!