Olan Soule

Olan Evart Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films. Soule's voice work on television included his 15-year role (1968–1983) as Batman on several animated series that were either devoted to or involving the fictional " Dark Knight" superhero.

Early life

Born in 1909 in La Harpe, Illinois, to Elbert and Ann Williams Soule (descendants of three ''Mayflower'' passengers), Olan left Illinois at the age of seven and arrived in Des Moines, Iowa, where he lived until he was seventeen. He then launched his theatrical career by joining Jack Brooks' tent show in Sabula, Jackson County, Iowa.Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press, 1998;

Career

Radio

After leaving the tent show, Soule appeared on stage in Chicago for seven years before moving to radio in 1933, including a stint on '' Chandu the Magician'' (1935–36). On radio he performed for eleven years in the daytime soap opera ''Bachelor's Children''. Beginning in 1943, he played lead male characters on radio's famed ''The First Nighter Program'' for nine years. Listeners of ''First Nighter'' who met Soule in person were often surprised, since his slight 135-pound frame did not seem to match the voices he gave to his characters. From 1941 on, Soule had the role of L. William Kelly, SS-11, the second in command of the Secret Squadron on the ''Captain Midnight'' radio adventure serial. When ''Captain Midnight'' became a television series in the 1950s, Soule was known as SQ-3, behind Captain Midnight himself and Ichabod Mudd "with two D's". He also had a regular part on Lee Hansen's 1970s and 1980s science fiction radio drama ''Alien Worlds''.

Television and films

Concluding his nine-year run on ''First Nighter'', Soule moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in films and television shows, building a reputation as a reliable character actor. Soule said "Because of my build and glasses, I've mostly played lab technicians, newscasters and railroad clerks."

He appeared as Mr. Krull, a boarding house resident in ''The Day The Earth Stood Still''. He also acted in many television series: ''The Donald O'Connor Show'' (as a semi-regular), ''Captain Midnight'' (as scientist Aristotle "Tut" Jones), ''I Love Lucy'', several appearances as a hotel clerk and choir director John Masters on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', and a semi-regular role as real-life LAPD criminalist Ray Pinker on the original TV and radio version of '' Dragnet'', and as the slightly renamed but essentially identical LAPD criminalist Ray Murray on the 1967 revival version. He played many different television roles in Jack Webb's Mark VII Productions including ''Dragnet'', '' Adam-12'', ''Emergency!'' and '' Project U.F.O.''. In between the two ''Dragnet'' gigs, he had a similar semi-regular role on another LAPD-based TV series, '' The New Breed'', as an unnamed "lab technician." He also made six appearances on ''Perry Mason'', mostly as a court clerk, but also as a bank employee and water company official.

He made at least two appearances on ''Petticoat Junction''. In both, the 1967 episode "Shoplifter at the Shady Rest" and the 1968 episode "Mae's Helping Hand", he played Mr. Benson. In addition, he appeared several times as the clerk of the Carlton Hotel, the San Francisco residence of the character Paladin, in the TV series, '' Have Gun - Will Travel''.

The list of Soule's supporting and starring roles is long. Some include ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', ''The Jack Benny Program'', ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Danny Thomas Show'', '' Dennis the Menace'', ''The Tab Hunter Show'', ''The Real McCoys'', The Beverly Hillbillies'', Mister Ed'', '' City Detective'', '' Behind Closed Doors'', ''Dante'', ''Harrigan and Son'', '' Hennesey'', '' State Trooper'', ''One Step Beyond'', ''The Restless Gun'', '' The Rebel'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ''My Favorite Martian'', ''The Twilight Zone'', ''The Untouchables'', ''Bewitched'', '' Pete and Gladys'', ''The Addams Family'', ''The Munsters'', ''Johnny Ringo'', '' Rawhide'', ''Gunsmoke'', '' Happy'', ''Bonanza'', '' The Jean Arthur Show'', '' Laramie'', ''The Monkees'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''The Six Million Dollar Man'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', ''Fantasy Island'', ''Little House on the Prairie'', ''Dallas'' and ''Simon & Simon''. He was the only actor who performed on both the ''Captain Midnight'' radio and television shows.

Batman

Soule is remembered by many for providing the voice of Batman in several animated series. He first performed as the Caped Crusader on the 1968 Filmation-produced ''The Batman/Superman Hour''. He reprised his role as Batman on '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'', ''Sesame Street'' (1970), ''Super Friends'' (1973), ''The All-New Super Friends Hour'', ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', ''The World's Greatest Super Friends'', and ''Super Friends'' (1980). He appeared as a newscaster on the live-action ''Batman'' television series (in the episode "The Pharaoh's in a Rut") with his ''Super Friends'' successor Adam West. Although Soule eventually gave back the Batman mantle to the man who portrayed him in live-action, he continued to contribute to the '' Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' series, providing the voice of Professor Martin Stein, mentor and subconscious of fledgling hero Firestorm.

Other voice-over work

Soule provided the voice of Master Taj in the English-dubbed version of the cult 1973 film ''Fantastic Planet'' in addition to his work as Batman.

Personal life and death

Soule married Norma Elizabeth Miller on September 29, 1929. They had two children and were married for 63 years, until Norma's death on July 1, 1992. His daughter Joann was also an actress, under the name of Sydney Soule. Soule was a 32-degree Mason as well as a member of the Los Angeles Show Business Shrine Club (Al Malikah).

On February 1, 1994, Soule died four weeks before his 85th birthday of lung cancer in Corona, California, at the home of his daughter Joann and son-in-law, Dr. David Henriksen. His burial took place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.

Selected filmography

* ''It's a Great Feeling'' (1949) - Flack (uncredited)
* ''Destination Big House'' (1950) - Ralph Newell
* ''Cuban Fireball'' (1951) - Jimmy
* ''The Atomic City'' (1952) - Mortie Fenton
* ''Francis Joins the WACS'' (1954) - Capt. Creavy, Psychiatrist
* '' Dragnet'' (1954) - Ray Pinker
* ''Cult of the Cobra'' (1955) - Major Martin Fielding
* ''-30-'' (1959) - Vince, the sports editor
* '' The Bubble'' (1966) - Watch Repairman
* '' The Destructors'' (1968) - Mace
* '' The Seven Minutes'' (1971) - Harvey Underwood
* ''Fantastic Planet'' (1973) - Master Taj (English version, voice)
* ''The Towering Inferno'' (1974) - Johnson
* ''The Apple Dumpling Gang'' (1975) - Rube Cluck
* '' St. Ives'' (1976) - Station Man
* ''The Shaggy D.A.'' (1976) - Bar Patron
* ''Homicide'' (1991) - Crime Scene Technician (final film role)

Selected Television

References

External links

1989 interview with Olan Soule on the radio show ''Those Were the Days''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Soule, Olan
1909 births
1994 deaths
People from Hancock County, Illinois
Male actors from Des Moines, Iowa
American male film actors
American male radio actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Deaths from lung cancer in California
20th-century American male actors
Western (genre) television actors