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Alan Reed (born Herbert Theodore Bergman; August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, including Days of Glory, The Tarnished Angels, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Viva Zapata! and Nob Hill, as well as several television and radio series.
Between graduating from WHS and entering Columbia, he studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He began his acting career in the city, eventually working on Broadway theatre.
For several years, Reed toured in vaudeville with his cousin, Harry Green. He also had two other jobs—operating a wholesale candy factory and working at the Copake Country Club as social director, entertainment producer and actor.
Reed's radio work included having two roles in Valiant Lady,Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950. The Viking Press. p. 249. the role of Solomon Levy on Abie's Irish Rose, as the "Allen's Alley" resident poet Falstaff Openshaw on Fred Allen's NBC radio show, and later on his own five-minute show, Falstaff's Fables, on ABC, as Officer Clancey and other occasional roles on the NBC radio show Duffy's Tavern, as Shrevey the driver on several years of The Shadow, as Chester Riley's boss on the NBC radio show The Life of Riley, as Italian immigrant Pasquale in Life with Luigi on CBS radio, various supporting roles on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, and as Lt. Walter Levinson in several episodes of Richard Diamond, Private Detective.
Reed was heard regularly on the Crime Doctor series, and was the original Daddy to Fanny Brice on Baby Snooks. Billed as Teddy Bergman, he had the title role on Joe Palooka.
Radio playwright and director Norman Corwin cast Reed as Santa Claus in the 1969 KCET television reading of his 1938 play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.
In television commercials Reed was the voice over for J.J. Keebler, a creation of the Leo Burnett Agency.
Notes
Further reading
Papers
Career
Radio
As early as 1930, Reed (billed as Teddy Bergman) co-starred with Herbert Polesie in Henry and George, a CBS program that featured minute dramas and popular comedies interspersed with dance music selections.
Stage
Billed as Teddy Bergman, Reed appeared on Broadway theatre in Double Dummy (1936), A House in the Country (1937), and Love's Old Sweet Song (1940).
Television
From 1957 to 1958, Reed appeared in a recurring role as J.B. Hafter, a studio boss, on the CBS sitcom Mr. Adams and Eve. He also played the same character in The Bob Cummings Show. In 1963, he appeared as Councilman Jack Gramby in episode 8 of the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian. In 1964–65, he had a recurring role as Mr. Swidler in the ABC sitcom Mickey.
Voice acting
In animation, Reed provided the voice of Boris the Borzoi in Walt Disney's Lady and the Tramp in 1955. In 1960, he began the voice role for Fred Flintstone, the lead character of Hanna-Barbera's prime-time animated series The Flintstones. Reed provided Fred's voice for the entire six-season run of the show, as well as in several spin-off series ( The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Flintstone Comedy Hour) and specials. His final performance as Fred Flintstone was a cameo guest role on an episode of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics. Afterwards, Fred would be voiced by Henry Corden (who had previously done voice work for Hanna-Barbera and bore a resemblance to Reed). Reed's other voice roles for Hanna-Barbera was Touché Turtle's sidekick, Dum Dum.
Personal life
In May 1932, Reed married Finette Walker (1909–2005), a Broadway actress whom he met at television station W2XAB (later WCBS-TV) in New York City. She appeared on stage in the early 1930s and was a chorus line member in the original 1934 Broadway production of Anything Goes with Ethel Merman. "Finette Walker: Performer." Playbill Vault Retrieved August 19, 2014. They had three sons, including actor Alan Reed, Jr. (born 1936).
Death
Reed, a heavy Tobacco smoking, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1967. The cancer was treated surgically, but he later developed emphysema. On June 14, 1977, he died at St. Vincent Medical Center (Los Angeles) after having a heart attack, two months before his 70th birthday.
Filmography
Film
Teddy Bergman's Bar-B-Q Teddy Bergman 1944 Days of Glory Sasha 1945 Nob Hill Dapper Jack Harrigan 1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice Ezra Liam Kennedy 1950 Perfect Strangers Harry Patullo Emergency Wedding Barber 1951 The Redhead and the Cowboy Colonel Lamartine Here Comes the Groom Walter Godfrey 1952 Viva Zapata! Pancho Villa Actor's and Sin J.B. Cobb Segment "Woman of Sin" 1953 Pickup on South Street Detective Uncredited I, the Jury George Kalecki Geraldine Frederick Sterling 1954 Woman's World Tomaso 1955 The Far Horizons Charboneau Lady and the Tramp Boris (voice) Kiss of Fire Sergeant Diego The Desperate Hours Detective 1956 Time Table Al Wolfe The Revolt of Mamie Stover Captain Gorecki He Laughed Last Big Dan Hennessy 1957 The Tarnished Angels Colonel Fineman 1958 Marjorie Morningstar Puddles Podell 1959 1001 Arabian Nights The Sultan (voice) 1960 Stop! Look! and Laugh Prince (voice) Uncredited 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany's Sally Tomato 1965 Printed Poison Unnamed Judge (uncredited) Anti-pornography documentary film produced by the "Center for Decent Literature" 1966 The Man Called Flintstone Fred Flintstone (voice) 1969 A Dream of Kings Fig King 1971 Shinbone Alley Big Bill (voice) 1975 The Story of Heidi Sebastian, Mr. Usher Final role, 1979 English dub 1978 The Seniors Professor Heigner Final role, posthumous release 2005 Son of the Mask Fred Flintstone Archival footage
Television
1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Uncle Leo Season 2 Episode 7: "Alibi Me" 1957–1958 Mr. Adams and Eve J. B. Hafter Regular cast 1958 Make Room for Daddy Joe Ferbus Episode: "The Reunion" 1959 Have Gun – Will Travel Dirks the Clamjumper Episode: "Gold and Brimstone" 1960 Peter Gunn Garson Episode: "The Maître d" Make Room for Daddy Howard Sloan Episode: "The Apple Polishers" 1960–1966 The Flintstones Fred Flintstone, Professor Von Messerschmidt, J.L. Gothrocks, The Prowler, Grandpa Rocky Flintstone (voices) 166 episodes 1962–1963 The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series Dum Dum (voice) 52 episodes Touché Turtle and Dum Dum 1963 Don't Call Me Charlie! Private Winthrop Fairchild Episode: "Raise Your Right Hand" The Dick Van Dyke Show Auctioneer Episode: "The Masterpiece" My Favorite Martian Councilman Jack Gramby Episode: "The Awful Truth" 1964 Hoppity Hooper Filmore Bear, Additional voices Episode: "Ring-A-Ding Spring" 1964–1965 Jonny Quest various characters various episodes 1964, 1968 The Beverly Hillbillies Gene Booth Episodes: "Teenage Idol", "The Great Tag-Team Match" 1965 The Addams Family Parks Commissioner Fiske (Uncredited) Episode: "Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family" 1966 Space Ghost Glasstor Episode: "Glasstor" Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? Fred Flintstone (voice) Television film The Impossibles Smogula 1 episode 1967 Batman General MacGruder Episode: "Penguin Sets a Trend" 1968 Petticoat Junction The Bandit Episode: "Bad Day at Shady Rest" 1969 Get Smart Little girl (voice) Uncredited 1970 Where's Huddles? Mad Dog Mahoney (voice) 10 episodes 1971 The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show Fred Flintstone (voice) 16 episodes 1972–1974 The Flintstone Comedy Hour Fred Flintstone (voice) 18 episodes 1973 The Flintstones on Ice Fred Flintstone (voice) Television film 1975 The Story of Heidi Sebastian, Mr. Usher (voices) English version 1977 Laff-A-Lympics Fred Flintstone (voice) Television film 1977–1980 Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels Additional voices 39 episodes
Final television role
Radio
Stage
1936 Dounle Dummy Various characters Broadway 1937 A House in the Country 1940 Love old Sweet Song
External links
Metadata
Categories: 1907 Births, 1977 Deaths, American Male Film Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Voice Actors, American Male Stage Actors, American Male Radio Actors, American People Of Lithuanian-jewish Descent, American People Of Ukrainian-jewish Descent, George Washington Educational Campus Alumni, Jewish American Male Actors, Male Actors From New York City, American Academy Of Dramatic Arts Alumni, Columbia University Alumni, Hanna-barbera People, 20th-century American Male Actors, 20th-century American Jews
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