Cornelius Westbrook Van Voorhis (September 21, 1903 – July 13, 1968) was a
narrator
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
for
television programs
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
and
movies
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
. He is perhaps best known for his work on ''
The March of Time
''The March of Time'' is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945. The "voice" of both series was Westbrook Van Voorhis. Pr ...
''
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and newsreel series, where he became known as the "Voice of Doom", as well as for the
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, "Time...marches on!"
Early years
Van Voorhis was born in
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is t ...
, on September 21, 1903, and studied at the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
.
Career
Van Voorhis became a broadcaster late in the 1920s. On radio, he worked for station
WOR and the CBS and NBC networks.
He narrated each episode of the 1954–1956
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
series ''
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
.'' He also did narration for the 1957
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Panic!''. He was originally scheduled to be the announcer for ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
''
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
show but only narrated the
television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
, the episode "
Where is Everybody?
"Where Is Everybody?" is the first episode of the American anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone''. It was originally broadcast on October 2, 1959, on CBS. It is one of the most realistic ''Twilight Zone'' episodes, as it features no s ...
" had its narration revoiced by the show's creator and writer
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...
.
One of his last appearances was in a circa-1966 series of TV commercials for
Quaker Life Cereal
Life is a breakfast cereal produced by the Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. It was formerly made of oats, soy protein concentrate, sodium caseinate and sugar, but now also contains corn flour, whole wheat flour, and rice flour. It w ...
, where he moderated "the great Quaker Life debate....is it for adults or kids?". He ended each commercial with his stentorian voice proclaiming "Quaker Life. It must be for everybody!"
Death
Van Voorhis died of cancer at
New Milford Hospital
New Milford Hospital, (founded 1921) is a not-for profit hospital in Litchfield County, Connecticut which serves western and northwestern Connecticut and parts of southeastern New York state. Services provided by the 85-bed hospital include emer ...
in New Milford, Connecticut in 1968, aged 64.
His interment was at New Milford's Center Cemetery.
References
External links
*
1903 births
1968 deaths
American male voice actors
People from New Milford, Connecticut
20th-century American male actors
{{US-voice-actor-1900s-stub