Hey, Rude. Good choices.

• Think I'll go with (quick list)
• Franklin Pangborn
• Henry Fonda
• Hugh Beaumont
• Joel McCrea
• Perry Como
• Peter Graves
• Randolph Scott
• Tony Dow
• and Buck Taylor as Newly

Some terrific picks there QuitePleasant - and one or two I am not familiar with whom I must check out (Franklin Pangborn, Hugh Beaumont... the names are familiar but I couldn't place them, while Buck Taylor, I must admit, doesn't ring a bell at all).

Thanks for the reply!

rudely, you may not know the name Franklin Pangborn, but I'm sure you have seen him in many '30s and '40s films. (He also was in numerous Silent, and some '50s, films.) Hilarious, and definitely memorable, actor.

Regarding great cinematic voices, I agree with all the ones mentioned (other than not being familiar with Buck Taylor). Some other great screen voices:

• Boris Karloff
• Claude Rains
• Orson Welles

The names you mentioned, rudely, would be my definite Top Tier first choices.

As far as recent decades go, I feel that Jeremy Irons goes solidly onto the primo list of all-time greatest voices. Actually, his voice and Karloff's have a lot of similarity.

@genplant29 said:

rudely, you may not know the name Franklin Pangborn, but I'm sure you have seen him in many '30s and '40s films. (He also was in numerous Silent, and some '50s, films.) Hilarious, and definitely memorable, actor.

Regarding great cinematic voices, I agree with all the ones mentioned (other than not being familiar with Buck Taylor). Some other great screen voices:

• Boris Karloff
• Claude Rains
• Orson Welles

The names you mentioned, rudely, would be my definite Top Tier first choices.

As far as recent decades go, I feel that Jeremy Irons goes solidly onto the primo list of all-time greatest voices. Actually, his voice and Karloff's have a lot of similarity.

Great picks! I can't believe I missed Rains, in particular, one of my favourite actors. And yes, the Irons/Karloff similarity is certainly quite distinct at times-- never more so than in Irons' role in Reversal of Fortune where he really seemed to be channelling Boris.

Yes, those are great picks, rudely! Ronald Colman is undoubtedly at the top of my list for great film voices, but I agree with all of them, save for James Mason, as I am not extremely familiar with his work. And yes, wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to listen voices such as those all day.

I would say John Barrymore deserves to be on the list as well. He had a very smooth, eloquent, and seductively persuasive voice, especially in Grand Hotel (1932). And certainly Orson Welles, but gen beat me to it.