Carousel of Progress and Tom Selleck...

Skipper Dan

Active Member
Original Poster
I've been thinkin' about this for a while, and thought I'd throw it out here for you guys to contemplate.

Y'all pretty much know that I wish - even though it isn't a major attraction - that TDO would take Carousel of Progress and do a mind blowing over haul. Do some things that would shock us. I mean, put money into it for no reason other than just to make it better. I know it'd never happen, but that's my wish.

Anyway, the only problem I have with this, is that the voice of "Father" - Jean Shepard - died in 1999, and his voice is the most absolute perfect fit.

I have to explain for a second about something. I hate scary movies, they give me a weird feeling that just won't go away, I can't stop thinkin' about the movie for weeks. But if I put my iPhone on my Bose SoundDock, sit in my room, and play a track I edited to sound like you're actually sitting, watching the Carousel of Progress, as soon as I here, "Hello, and welcome to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress..." those bad feelings instantly start to fade away. It also cheers me up when I'm not feelin' so hot. Now, his voice isn't the only thing that makes the show, of course, the music is also one of the many elements. Like the notes during, "... and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla," or after, "... it just can't get any better!"

Anyway, you're probably all goin', "What's up with Tom Selleck in the title?" Well, I'm gettin' to that.

For a long time, I thought it was Tom Selleck! If you watch Meet the Robinsons, you'd know what I'm talkin' about. Anyway, my point is, if they ever did my dream overhaul, I think Tom Selleck would be a great replacement for Jean Shepard, because I do believe that if there was an overhaul, they'd need to modify the show/dialouge - at least ever so slightly - to keep it fresh. I just think he could do the part justice, be almost just as good as Jean, and could possibly give it that same feel. He'd maybe even add something new and better. His voice is warm, but not as warm, so that could add somethin' cool to it. Plus, he's already dealt with Disney in the past, on a project that kind of reflected certain elements as well as the central theme of the Carousel of Progress.

Y'all listen to some Tom Selleck, and let me know what you think! :wave:

PS I'm not even that much of a fan of his. I've never even seen an episode of Magnum P.I.
 

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
Truthfully, if an "overhaul" were done on CoP, I would prefer an unknown voice actor to do the work. It would be preferable to use someone with a voice that is fairly similar to the existing voice. My reasoning is this: I prefer to look at the character as "himself", rather than having to visualize a known actor every time I see the show. I have grown found of these characters over the past several decades, and I feel that it would spoil the show for me if I had to listen to a recognizable voice. It's just that I have grown see these characters as individuals, you know?
 

puntagordabob

Well-Known Member
nice idea if it were a new attraction.. however as we are speaking of COP I would prefer any voices are as close to a match to the current ones as is possible....clearly they can do it since Mickey Mouse these days sounds essentially the same lol
 

Skipper Dan

Active Member
Original Poster
I swear, y'all just glance at my threads. My point is, that Tom Selleck DOES sound like him. Check it out, you'll see.
 

C&D

Well-Known Member
Being a Tom Selleck fan, I would be good with that. Going all the way back to his Magnum PI days, his strong character and voice would do well as a timeless voice of the COP narrator.
 

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
I've been thinkin' about this for a while, and thought I'd throw it out here for you guys to contemplate.

Y'all pretty much know that I wish - even though it isn't a major attraction - that TDO would take Carousel of Progress and do a mind blowing over haul. Do some things that would shock us. I mean, put money into it for no reason other than just to make it better. I know it'd never happen, but that's my wish.

Anyway, the only problem I have with this, is that the voice of "Father" - Jean Shepard - died in 1999, and his voice is the most absolute perfect fit.

I have to explain for a second about something. I hate scary movies, they give me a weird feeling that just won't go away, I can't stop thinkin' about the movie for weeks. But if I put my iPhone on my Bose SoundDock, sit in my room, and play a track I edited to sound like you're actually sitting, watching the Carousel of Progress, as soon as I here, "Hello, and welcome to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress..." those bad feelings instantly start to fade away. It also cheers me up when I'm not feelin' so hot. Now, his voice isn't the only thing that makes the show, of course, the music is also one of the many elements. Like the notes during, "... and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla," or after, "... it just can't get any better!"

Anyway, you're probably all goin', "What's up with Tom Selleck in the title?" Well, I'm gettin' to that.

For a long time, I thought it was Tom Selleck! If you watch Meet the Robinsons, you'd know what I'm talkin' about. Anyway, my point is, if they ever did my dream overhaul, I think Tom Selleck would be a great replacement for Jean Shepard, because I do believe that if there was an overhaul, they'd need to modify the show/dialouge - at least ever so slightly - to keep it fresh. I just think he could do the part justice, be almost just as good as Jean, and could possibly give it that same feel. He'd maybe even add something new and better. His voice is warm, but not as warm, so that could add somethin' cool to it. Plus, he's already dealt with Disney in the past, on a project that kind of reflected certain elements as well as the central theme of the Carousel of Progress.

Y'all listen to some Tom Selleck, and let me know what you think! :wave:

PS I'm not even that much of a fan of his. I've never even seen an episode of Magnum P.I.

A - That's a brilliant idea.
B - Why did I just find out that Jean Shepherd was the voice?!?
 

CaptainWinter

Active Member
Y'all listen to some Tom Selleck, and let me know what you think! :wave:

I agree, Tom Selleck is close enough. However my understanding is that Hollywood is full of vocal athletes who can impersonate people perfectly. Plus they're not superstars so they're cheap. In other words, they could get an impressionist to nail the original voice *exactly*, no Selleck required.
 

Skipper Dan

Active Member
Original Poster
I agree, Tom Selleck is close enough. However my understanding is that Hollywood is full of vocal athletes who can impersonate people perfectly. Plus they're not superstars so they're cheap. In other words, they could get an impressionist to nail the original voice *exactly*, no Selleck required.

Yeah, but think about it. Then it'd be an impersonation - and most likely not that great of one - as oppose to someone who sounds similar, but could give a great performance, and who's unsimilarities would give the show a refreshing feel, while stayin' true to the current one.

Just my two pennies! :wave:
 

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
So Jean Shepherd is the voice? I didn't know that. For those that don't know, he was best known as the narrator in the movie "A Christmas Story".

I thought the Selleck thing was weird, but then again Morgan Freeman narrates the Hall of Presidents and does a fine job at it.

No doubt the Carousel of Progress could use an update, but not a massive overhaul. The original charm of the attraction is what makes it what it is
 

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