VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Bruce]

We rarely got to see him but heard him hundreds/thousands of times during the 70s and 80s, possibly the most famous voiceoverist of all time. Here he is on David Letterman’s show from many moons ago:

https://youtu.be/u3TmBdHUiy8


B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Bob Bergen]

I was fortunate to be in an all day Saturday workout group when I was a teen with the top tier of vo talent. Ernie came by from time to time. It was like watching Michelangelo at the mic.

Note in the Letterman interview how he uses his hand when working. The first time I met him, and the first time at the mic in front of him, he critiqued the hell outta me. I used to stand at the mic with my hands in my pockets. A combination of nerves and inexperience. After a take, he yelled out (cleaning up what he said a bit for this page), "KID! What the hell are you doing with your hands in our pockets, pleasuring yourself? Use your damn hands to conduct emphasis! Right now you are just reading. Right now you are boring the crap outta me. Right now you are an amateur wannabe who will never go beyond where you are right now. If you want to work in this business, then that the last time you perform a voiceover with your hands in your pockets."

.....and it was! Back then we called that tough love. He, along with others who were that direct and blunt are beyond responsible for my career. They gave me the kick in the pants I needed to strive to be in their league.

Here's another video of Ernie at work:
https://youtu.be/dErRrsUTaEk?t=156

Ernie HATED the conversational read. He was not shy about his disdain for the trend. In the early 90s he one time said to me, "Kid you might stand a chance now beyond those silly voices!" I could never master that classic announcer style. Part of it was my pipes, part was I just couldn't master the style. I think he felt the industry lost the luster when the reads got more conversational. He lost respect for the content.

Here's one more, his final interview. If colorful language is not your thing, do not watch. But this is the Ernie I remember.
https://youtu.be/u4jP_REbCGg

[Philip Banks]

What a delightful man!

[johnmilesprod]

I grew up outside of Cleveland and watched him all the time on local WJW-TV. My older brother LOVED his "blow up something" segments on his horror show- Shock Theater. He often clashed with station management and was a major celebrity in Cleveland before heading West along with Tim Conway, who was also from the Cleveland area. Walk into any bar in NE Ohio and mention Ghoulardi and you'd get a hand slap and chuckle. The two of them created many funny segments on local TV (experimented) before Ernie departed Cleveland to L.A. and hit it big as a booming promo voice.

He hated voicing from a booth, so he often VO'd from outside the booth with a 416.Some of his VO promo sessions were loaded with XXX commentary as he recorded. (Um, "salty language") A real blast from the past character.

[Bob Bergen]

[Lee Gordon]

[ccpetersen]

Lee, SO true.
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Charter Member: Threadjackers Local 420

[Bob Bergen]

[Philip Banks]

I once quoted the "know they will refuse price" to a production company and an email came back.

"They went for it, sorry! Script attached. Mike"

[Bob Bergen]

[chrisvoco]

I have some audio clips of Ernie's imaging for The Buzzard somewhere here.

Mr. Bergen mentioned Paul Frees. The United States is *still* a Stan Freberg Production, you know.
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

[Philip Banks]

[todd ellis]