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Bro. Richard,
Your inquiry re: the "rumored" death of the actor who
played Mr. Whit is appreciated...best to go to the horse
for the straight scoop.

The actor, Hal Smith, well known for his characterization
of Otis on the "Andy Griffith Show," the voice of Goliath
on the children's show "Davey and Goliath," and more
recently the horse's voice on Disney's "Beauty and the
Beast," died at his home suddenly in Jan. 1994, while in his
mid 70s.  Interestingly, the "Odyssey" episode where he
leaves quickly on his expedition used portions of a
recording he sent to Focus employees for the kindness
shown to him at the passing of his wife two years previous.

Since the voice of John Avery Whitaker is so unique and
warm, it was very important to search for a voice actor
that could mimick the vocal characteristics of Hal Smith. 
Just this past summer (after searching for months) a man
by the name of Paul Hurlinger was hired for the part (his
voice was accidently overheard when talking to someone
else).  

So as not to confuse the 4-12 year olds that usually listen
to the broadcast (plus a huge amount of Apostolics!),
Focus was not very public with the fact that one of our
actors had died...since the character had not!  Paul
Hurlinger is doing a remarkable job, and our broadcasting
division looks forward to developing many more years
"Adventures in Odyssey."

Trivia: How old are the actors that play Eugene Meltsner
and Connie Kendall?

Bro. Cantu

P.S. Have you heard of the new Focus radio drama in
development which targets teens and adults as a listening
audience?  The first episode, which premeres next month,
is a recording of the first in a series of FOF Radio Theatre
productions.  It is a faithful dramatization of Charles
Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," which tells the story of
Ebenezer Scrooge, a wretched, selfish man who is given a
glimpse of what life could be and changes in the process. 
Stay tuned for many, many true-to-life exciting adventures.