# R.I.P. Jackson Beck and Eugene Roche **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jackson-beck-and-eugene-roche/257783 "2004-07-31T23:26:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jackson-beck-and-eugene-roche/257783/1 "2004-07-31T23:26:28Z")
Two unjustly obscure actors died last week: Jackson Beck and Eugene Roche. You’ve probably never seen Beck – but you definitely have heard his voice. He was the king of voice announcers, starting back in radio (he originated the line, “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman”), voiced Bluto in Popeye more than anyone else, was the narrator of Woody Allen’s **Take the Money and Run** and did hundreds of commercials (Thompson’s Water Seal, for instance). Any time someone wanted an authoritative-sounding voice, Beck was their man. Roche was a character actor, best known for his rold of Edgar Derby in **Slaughterhouse Five** and a lot of TV work (he started in commercials; his “dishwashing expert” commercials for Ajax were quite memorable). ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jackson-beck-and-eugene-roche/257783/2 "2004-08-01T00:03:58Z")
Well, I know of Jackson Beck now that you describe what he’s done, but I always knew who [Eugene](http://industrycentral.net/content/actors/roche.html) [Roche](http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorsR/P00014838.HTML) was. Damn. This is sad. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jackson-beck-and-eugene-roche/257783/3 "2004-08-01T12:59:44Z")
As a fan and OTR collector, I’m most saddened by Beck’s death. We are losing those guys and gals too quickly these days. Roche, I had seen over the years as well. RIP Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-jackson-beck-and-eugene-roche/257783/4 "2004-08-01T14:58:44Z")
A whole generation of talented, young, innovative dish washers was inspired by Eugene Roche.