A fixture on local California radio since the 1950s, Owens branched out into television announcing and his baritone has been the lead-in to everything from the seminal sketch comedy show Laugh-In (the source of this post's title) to America’s Funniest Home Videos. He was the original host of The Gong Show in 1976, and has also lent his voice to over 30,000 commercials.
In the field of animation, Owens' voice provided the narrative thread through such programs as Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Garfield and Friends, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. He also did a substantial amount of character work on Saturday morning cartoon shows, and when his flexible voice wasn’t relegated to the background as any number of cameo parts, his gallant intonations allowed him to take the lead as a quite a few memorable heroes including:
