I find it a little creepy that George Carlin is the narrator on a bunch of my kids’ Thomas the Tank Engine stories! So is Ringo Starr.
Okay, that’s really weird. I’d never made the connection before, but both George Carlin and Ringo Starr played Mr. Conductor on separate seasons of the American (okay, Canadian) version of the kids’ show Shining Time Station as well. Two unlikely actors involved in two different railroad-related children’s productions…is there a production-related connection between the two shows I can’t find on IMDB?
Looking up on IMDB, it appears that Alec Baldwin has also done a few years as the narrator for Thomas.
In a slightly different way of creeping me out, I’d not be able to handle readings by:
Adam Sandler
Pauly Shore
Pee Wee Herman
Billy Mays (that guy that screams about Oxy-Clean or whatever he plugs)
Jerry Lewis
Actually, Shining Time Station used to show these shorts that featured a bunch of railroad characters, including Thomas.
If I remember correctly, I think that’s what the Conductor did. The kids would meet him and he’d tell them another story of all the engines and their adventures.
Yes, Shining Time Station and Thomas the Tank Engine are the same franchise. They were combined in the feature film Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
Which starred, creepily, Peter Fonda!
I didn’t mention Alec Baldwin (who narrated the majority of the episodes) because I don’t find him particularly creepy.
All of the choices posted are excellent.
But I really do wish that Vincent Price had recorded a reading of Goodnight Moon before he died, because that not only would have been creepy, but also incredibly cool as hell.
QFT.
Paul Frees had a distinctive authoritative voice. He did the voices of the talking rings (Time Machine-1960), aliens in “Earth Versus the Flying Saucers”, Boris Badenov and zillions of others.
Robert Johnson was the voice of “this tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds” in every “Mission Impossible” episode. He also was the voice of just about every “monster” in the ORIGINAL “Outer Limits”.
Those 2 would certainly be eerie for any childrens’ stories.
The “In a world…” guy MIGHT be Jack Dennis. Here is an actual trailer for a movie (“The Comedian” starring Jerry Seinfeld) in which the entire “In A World…” voiceover is parodied. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND going to this link:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/comedian.html
I found Ringo Starr an odd chocie for the conductor, but he was pretty cool. I watched Shining Time Station as a youngster, and remember that salt-and-pepper haired man with the beard and the slightly scratchy voice. Imagine, several years later, finding out it was one very funny, raunchy, George Carlin. Though I thought he did a good job on the show, who the hell decided he’d make a great character on a kid’s show? “Hey mom, can we pick up this video? It’s got the Conductor in it! And it’s about silly putty! Hey, what’s napalm?”. I can’t imagine the casting director’s logic.
QFT?
Is that the sequel to Jackson’s hit PYT(Pretty Young Thing): QFT(Quick Feel This)?
I disagree about Anthony Hopkins. I imagine he’d be very granderfatherly (or, at least, lovable British uncle-ly).
Also, no one can think of any women that belong on the list? Ok, I’m having a hard time coming up with any, myself. How about . . . Glenn Close?
Quoted For Truth.
Quoted For Truth.
I just thought of another one…Richard O’Brien. Can you imagine Riff-Raff reading Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooey?!
Michael O’Donoghue, obviously.
Creepy (to me at least) : Wesley Willis.
Evenmoreso, now that he is dead.
My thanks. I really had no idea.
Maybe you wouldn’t want Alan Rickman reading bedtime stories to children, but I wouldn’t mind him reading bedtime stories to me!
Pervy Snape-fancier!
I bet Steve Buscemi could make a bed time story sound creepy.
As for Boris Karloff, I use to have a record of his when I was a kid. One side, had “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” on it, creepy, as you would imagine, but the other side had “Rip Van Winkle”. Not really creapy, in fact, I’d say it was perfect.