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Welcome, Foolish Mortals...The Life and Voices of Paul Frees

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In this nearly 300 page book, Ben Ohmart with help from some of Paul's friends and family, tells the life and times of Paul Frees...one of the most under-rated and one of the more mysterious figures in the word of voice acting. I named the review of this book "Natasha...stop moose and squirrel..." because of Paul's famous role as Boris Badenov on the cartoon, Rocky and Bullwinkle. I bought this book as soon as i learned it was on sale and i ALSO have the one Ben Ohmart wrote on Daws Butler. One of the things i loved about this book was the credits section. The author pin-pointed virtually everything he could find in which Paul Frees made an appearance. Paul was also a face-actor who appeared in a sting of movies as supporting player or walk-on but his voice was where he made his money. I also love the pictures that Ben Ohmart put in this book! You will find that Paul, upon reading this book, was a jack-of-all-trades. He could write, paint, sing, act...the author also goes "behind the scenes" and reveals aspects of Paul's personal life. But, the voices are what most readers will be interested in the most and Paul lent his voice to a staggering amout of projects through the years in radio, TV, and on records. On page 193 there's a priceless picture of Paul and Red Skelton during the recording session of the cartoon movie "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" in 1976, the year i was born! Paul and his famed female voice actor co-star, June Foray, are seen on page 174. On page 176, Paul is seen with Vincent Price. Paul had recorded some things for Price's horror movie "The Abominable Dr. Phibes"...in fact, the movie spawned a vinyl album/soundtrack of sorts in which Paul is heard singing several songs impersonating celebrities {Al Jolson; Humphrey Bogart; Ronald Colman; among others}. Paul Frees lived an interesting life and we haven't even began to talk about his years with Disney and UPA...his various commercial characters like The Pillsbury Doughboy and Tucan Sam OR his secret life as a spy!!! GET THIS BOOK TO READ MORE ABOUT THAT!! Paul Frees can be heard on countless cartoons on the Boomerang channel. I'd suggest you also seek out the DVD's of Rocky and Bullwinkle to HEAR Paul at his peak as Boris Badenov, Inspector Fenwick, and Captain Wrongway Peachfuzz...plus get this book to learn more about this under-rated legend.

It is an enjoyable book to read about his life. It has many photos. All the important people in his life that could be contacted are featured in the book as well as quotes from Paul Frees himself. A great book!

Unlike many, I had known about Paul Frees being the man of multiple voices. The famous voice of the Disney Haunted Mansion ride "Ghost Host," Boris Badenov of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the narrator of the original "War of the Worlds" movie are but a few of this man's familiar characters. What I did not realize, however, was how well known, and in demand he was during his entire lengthy career. I learned, but was not surprised to find out, how many hours and productions he had participated in on the radio. Furthermore, I found it interesting that just about anytime any film maker needed to come up with an exotic voice, or wanted someone to finish up another actor's dialogue, they called Paul Frees. I learned all of this by reading his biography, "Welcome, Foolish Mortals," which is the tagline for the Disney Ghost Host.

Anyone wishing to read about the career of a person of outstanding versatility and talent, should read this book. The composition of the book is smooth, and the narrative sustains one's continuing curiosity and interest. I wish that the author had interviewed, and provided more quotes from more people in show business still living that had worked with him professionally. I would have liked, for example, if the author had spoken with surving personnel from the Disney organization, or individuals from companies for whom he had worked as a vocal pitchman. Pillsbury, for example, comes to mind; Frees was the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy (of course, Frees was quoted as suggesting he did not want to be solely remembered as just being the Pillsbury Doughboy).

Compared to the late Paul Frees, there is no one his equal past or present. Even the great impressionist Rich Little must have been in awe of this incredible man. In his own field, he really was a Burgermeister Meisterburger!

Ever since I was a child I was intralled with animation's great voice over artists including Paul Frees. At last his biography is out in book form and for the first time I took a indept look into the life of Paul Frees & was suprised that the not only a V.O. actor BUT a live action actor,painter,producer,singer,T.V. talk show host etc! Also I was suprised about his life & the "demons" that tormented him till the end of his life. This a great book & I recommend this to all "Old School/Classic" animation fans!

This is a very interesting biography of a private man. Not much has ever been written about paul Frees; until now. Ben has done a great job with unlocking the mystery of this great man. This book covers just about every corner of Paul's early work in radio and his most well known work in movies and television. This Book is well worth the money. Paul left us in 1986 but you can still hear his voice to this day!

I bought this book simply to read about Paul Frees' involvement with Disneyland and was quickly amazed at his career. A really enjoyable read, revealing both the good and bad. In other words - an honest look at a fabulous artist. Highly recommended.

Bearmanor Media presents "WELCOME, FOOLISH MORTALS ... THE LIFE & VOICES OF PAUL FREES", by Ben Ohmart --- To this book is a five star rating that is unanimously shared with other reviewers and deserves every point it receives --- Ohmart looked into his crystal ball on Paul Frees and came up with a definite winner -- listing virtually every film he has appeared in, plus television programs and radio shows that Frees performed on -- Also must make mention the hundreds of television commercials, movie trailers & record albums that Paul also recorded over his vast years in the business --- This book is loaded with so many extras and facts unknown until now about our favorite voice over actor on the planet.

Now I'm at the age that I can remember many of his voice overs with Disney and "The Haunted Mansion" which was the greatest thing I ever saw and heard --- From the very first lines that you hear when you enter "The Haunted Mansion" at Disneyland & Disney World, this leaves a lasting impression --- Complete with a forward by June Foray (the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel) and an afterward by Keith Scott (The man who replaced Bill Scott as the voice of Bullwinkle J. Moose. Keith's also the author of the highly recommended "The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, A Flying Squirrel and a Talking Moose") --- Ben Ohmart's classic behind the scenes is a must-own for anyone who has ever said - "That voice. Where Have I heard that voice before?" - Quote from Rocky J. Squirrel.

Check out this one of a kind list of Paul Frees work and questions that are answered:
1. Paul provided the vocals for Boris Badenov, Captain Peter Peachfuzz and Inspector Fenwick on "Rocky and his Friends."
2. Frees also did the voice for Donald Duck's know-it-all uncle, Professor Ludwig von Drake.
3. Paul also did lots of other work for the Disney theme parks. He was the voice of the narrator in "Adventures Through Inner Space" as well as the ship's captain ("Avast, ye scurvy scum!") & the auctioneer ("I'm not sponging for rum. It be gold I'm after.") in "Pirates of the Caribbean."
4. Frees also voiced key roles in several Rankin-Bass Christmas specials, including Santa Claus in "Frosty the Snowman" as well as Burgermeister Meisterbuger in "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town."
5. Paul also appeared on camera in two classic sci-fi films from the 1950s, George Pal's "War of the Worlds" and Howard Hawk's "The Thing from Another World."
6. But what else do you know about this multi talented performer
7. For example: Do you know where Frees was born?
8. Or where he got his start doing voice work?
9. What his fellow vocal performers thought of Paul?

Table of Contents (Title and Page Numbers)
Foreword by June Foray - i
Introduction - iii
LITTLE BUDDY GREEN - 1
(The 1920's - 1930's)
THE PLAYER - 11
(The 1940's)
THE MILLIONAIRE - 45
(The 1950's)
I'M SPARTACUS! - 97
(The 1960's)
THE BURGERMEISTER MEISTERBURGER - 165
(The 1970's)
THE ETERNAL DOUGHBOY - 211
(The 1980's)
Afterword by Keith Scott - 237
References - 241
Credits - 243
Index - 279

BIOS:
Paul Frees (aka: Solomon Hersh Frees)
Date of Birth: 22 June 1920 - Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: 2 November 1986 - Tiburon, California

Special footnote, for instance with Peter Lorre -- When Paul imitated Lorre on the classic Spike Jones recording of "My Old Flame" -- Lorre flat-out refused to follow Frees at personal appearances. Insisting that the popular vocal performer "The Master of Voices" actually did a better Peter Lorre impression than Lorre himself did --- Paul Frees was asked if he ever had a reason to think he made a bad choice in his profession, he replied - "Sometimes, yes. But it's nothing I can't overcome when I look at the bank balance".

Total Page: 304 Pages ~ Bearmanor Media #ISBN-10: 1593930046 ~ (3/11/2004)

I have been a huge fan of Paul Frees ever since I found out who he was. This book paints a remarkable picture of one of the great voice artists of all time. Speaking of painting, the picture he is standing next to on the cover is one he did - a talent I had no idea he had until I read the book.

"Paul Frees" was a name I learned early in life, because it appeared in the credits of my favorite show, "Rocky and Bullwinkle." I just finished watching the DVD versions of R&B, and once again marveled at the versatility of Frees and his colleagues. Not only did he play Boris, Capt. Peachfuzz, and a host of other characters in every episode, but he was the Pillsbury Doughboy, Little Sprout (on the Green Giant commercials), the voice of Disney's Haunted Mansion and he did thousands of other voice-overs.

This loving tribute to Frees by cartoon/voice artist fan Ben Ohmart fills in a lot of the blanks in Frees's life, although Ohmart confesses that, since many of Frees's contemporaries have died, there are still many blanks to fill. But there are interviews with fellow voice artists, family members, and his few friends (Frees was an eccentric, private person).

I was fascinated by the stories of Frees' early work in radio. The book also helped flesh out the story of his involvement with Spike Jones, beginning with his wonderful Peter Lorre impression on "My Old Flame."

What I also did not know about until now was Frees' strange, eccentric private life and his eventual suicide. He became more and more of a hermit, doing some voice work from his own studio or making brief trips to the city. Such a talented guy could have continued entertaining the world for decades! This is must reading for those of you who are fans of TV cartoons, and Frees' work in particular. (Speaking of that, the book ends with a huge index of his many credits.)

PS - I bought a used copy on Amazon. When I looked at the title page, I discovered that it was inscribed (by the author) to a member of Frees's family - and that it also featured June Foray's (Rocky/Natasha)autograph! A rare find.