End of an era

Sad news -- two great voices are gone:

'Twas a sad weekend in Hundred Acre Wood. Paul Winchell, the early TV pioneer best remembered for creating a string of cartoon voices, most famously Winnie the Pooh's pal Tigger, died Friday. A day later, John Fiedler, the veteran stage and screen actor who voiced Piglet, passed away. Somewhere Eeyore is even more glum than usual. Winchell and Fiedler gave voice to the beloved characters in several animated Disney shorts and features, beginning with 1968's Oscar-winning, franchise-launching short, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, which also featured the vocal work of Sebastian Cabot as the narrator and Sterling Holloway as the honey-obsessed bear. (Cabot died in 1977; Holloway in 1992.)

I happen to be impressed by voice actors. I'm a huge Mel Blanc fan, and also think Hank Azaria is a wonderful talent. I've rather consistently enjoyed watching the old (1960s) Winnie the Pooh movies with my kids because Winchell's and Fiedler's vocal characterizations are so good.