R.I.P. Commissioner Gordon/Superboy. Bob Hastings Passes Away @ 89

[filmation batman fan]

It is with great sadness to announce the passing of Bob Hastings of McHale's Navy fame. He was 89. While he is largely known as the voice of Commissioner Gordon from Batman: The Animated Series, Hastings was the voice of Superboy/Young Clark Kent back in 1966 for the Filmation cartoon series. Hastings was the voice of geeky sleuth DD on the Clue Club in 1976 and he was a character actor who voiced over various teenage boys on select episodes of the Super Friends. Mostly, he was on some of the Wonder Twins episodes from 1977, like Corky in "Joy Ride" Jeff in "Initiation" and Steve in "Dangerous Prank. And he was an additional voice in the 1978 episode "Rokan: Enemy From Space." With the passing of Bob Hastings, and Casey Kasem before him, I believe they were the last of the voice actors from the Filmation cartoons of the DC Super Heroes. All of them are now gone. :(

He was superb as the voice of Commissioner Gordon on Batman: The Animated Series, and we lost Alfred Efrem Zimbalist Jr not too long ago. He will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace

[PNGwynne]

I'm saddened to hear this.

He was a busy voice & character actor--I remember also enjoying his portrayal of Uncle Eric, The Phantom of the Opera in The Munsters' Revenge.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Hastings comic creds go all the way back to the 1940s. He was the voice of Archie Andrews on the Archie radio program!

He also had a minor supporting role in the pilot to the 70s Spider-Man TV pilot film.

I always hear his voice in my head when I read Gordon's lines in a Batman story. And my daughter is fixated on "The Munsters Revenge", and when she sees an image of The Phantom of the Opera, she says "He's the guy who goes 'LAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!'

One of THE character actors, both on screen, and off. RIP.

Chris

[palitoy]

Nice long life and legacy. That Phantom is infamous here.

[PNGwynne]

^I love that portrayal, it makes the film for me. Nice make-up, too--ironically better than Cagney in "Man of a Thousand Faces."