(no subject)

Word came down the tubes that Dallas McKennon died yesterday at the age of 89. You may not know the name and he may not have been that prolific a voice actor, but he voiced both Gumby and Archie Andrews, and he played some important roles in Disney attractions. Most notably, he was this guy (and I'm writing this from memory so don't razz me for a misplaced preposition):

Howdy, folks! Please keep your hands and arms inside the train and remain seated at all times. Hang on to your personal belongings now, especially them hats and glasses, cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!

The safety spiel on Big Thunder was amended slightly after a bizarre accident, and Disney lawyers insisted that "legs" be added to the list of things you must keep inside the train. If I'm remembering this right, however, Dal wasn't in any shape to re-record the spiel at the time so they had someone else re-record the phrase and just spliced it in. The result is a little mishmosh, but Dal's voice stayed for the most part.

He seemed like a pretty cool guy.