Casey Kasem - Television

Television

Kasem began his television career hosting Shebang, a dance show aired weekday afternoons on Los Angeles television station KTLA in the mid to late 1960s. He is a prominent voiceover actor, and is most connected to Hanna-Barbera. His most famous role was the voice of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo franchise, beginning with the first series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969. He has done work for many other animated series, such as the voice of Robin, The Boy Wonder in the 1968 Batman cartoons, three 1970 episodes of Sesame Street, and various versions of SuperFriends; the drummer Groove from The Cattanooga Cats (1969); Alexander Cabot III from Josie and the Pussycats (1970) and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space (1972); Merry from The Return of the King (1980); and television specials such as Rankin-Bass' Here Comes Peter Cottontail.

Kasem has also done many TV commercial voiceovers for companies and products like A&P, Chevron, Ford, Red Lobster, Raid, Oscar Mayer, Hoover vacuum cleaners, Velveeta, Joy dishwashing liquid, Heinz ketchup, Sears, Prestone, Dairy Queen, Continental Airlines, the California Raisin Advisory Board, the National Cancer Institute, and promos for the NBC television network. He also played the voice of Mark, the American name of Ken Washio in Battle of the Planets, the first American version of Gatchaman, as well as Bluestreak, Cliffjumper, Teletraan I and Dr. Arkeville in the original Transformers animated series, but left during the third season due to what he perceived as offensive caricatures of Arabs and Arab countries in the episode "Thief in the Night."

Kasem also hosted, from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1992, the syndicated American Top 40 TV spin-off America's Top 10, a weekly one-hour music video show that counted down the top 10 songs in the United States.

He initially was hired as the narrator for the TV show Soap, but quit the series after the pilot due to the controversial adult themes the show promoted. Rod Roddy replaced him as narrator; it was Roddy's first national television announcing job.

In addition to voice acting, Kasem has appeared on camera on at least two episodes of Hawaii Five-0 and Nick at Nite on New Year's Eve from 1989 to 1998, counting down the top reruns of the year.

He was once also seen on Late Show with David Letterman performing a Top Ten list: "the Top Ten Favorite Numbers from 1 to 10." The countdown of numbers was paused at number 2 for Kasem to spoof one of his long distance dedications.

Additionally, he appeared on camera as a co-host of Jerry Lewis' annual Labor Day Telethon for The Muscular Dystrophy Association from 1983–2005.

Kasem also made two cameo appearances on the TV show Saved by the Bell in the early 1990s and one cameo appearance on the 1970s show Quincy, M.E. in the episode "An Unfriendly Radiance." Kasem also appeared in an episode of ALF during that show's 4th season.

In the late 1970s, Kasem portrayed an actor who imitated Columbo and had a key role in the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries two-part episodes "The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom." He also portrayed a golf commentator in an episode of Charlie's Angels titled "Winning is for Losers," with then unknown actress Jamie Lee Curtis playing one of the golfers.

In 2008, Casey was the voiceover talent for cable channel WGN America's "Out of Sight Retro Night."

In 2009, Casey retired from voice acting, with his final performance being the voice of Shaggy in the direct-to-DVD movie Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword. He did voice Shaggy again for The Official BBC Children in Need Medley, but went uncredited by his request.

In March 2010, Kasem appeared in a commercial for Sprint 4G, reprising his role as AT40 host.

In mid-2010, Kasem, although officially retired from acting, began voicing the character of Colton Rogers, Shaggy's father on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.