Paul Herlinger (1929-2010)

[Shennifer]

I hope he was saved, and I'm very sad he's dead, but at least this time they already found another Whit. Not intending to sound uncaring or anything. I loved him as Whit, he was great; I remember as a kid, not being able to distinguish his voice from Hal's and not realizing that Whit had been replaced.

[TigerintheShadows]

I read this on AIOWiki, and at first, I couldn't believe it. I was so shocked. But I suppose that we'll have to accept it. I wish to give deepest condolences to his family and friends. He truly did save the show. He was a talented actor and a good man. We will all miss him as we do Walker and Hal--though few of us knew them personally, it almost feels to me as though over the years, we have lost good friends.

[Dallas R.]

Wow. It's just so weird. I mean, as a huge fan of Paul's Whit, I feel like others have stated too, that it's almost like Whit himself died.

But that's the weird part, Whit isn't dead. We've still got Whit in Odyssey. It's so crazy how God had it all planned out that Paul would retire when he did. I think this is the first time in Odyssey history where a major actor has died at a time when it won't affect the show in any way.

And I also really hope Paul was saved. They don't say anything in his Obituary, except for that he "believed in the goodness of the human spirit" and while that doesn't really make it seem like he was a Christian, I wouldn't in any way judge him right now because it could easily just be that the newspaper wouldn't print Christian ideas or something.

[Trinarius]

Paul Herlinger's death is definitely a shock. And I am very saddened by this news.

Even though he played a fictional character on a radio dramatization, I feel like I've lost a close personal friend. Through Whit, Paul influenced over a decade of my life for the better. I can remember the first time he made his debut. Being so used to Hal Smith, I did not like his voice! But after awhile, he grew on me. Paul brought a calm strength to Whit, and his way of communicating wisdom and advice made me want to listen. I will readily admit to re-playing certain portions of episodes just to hear his insight. If I could sense sincerity and care just by hearing him on the radio, I can only imagine who he was in real life.

Thank you for being such a blessing to me and so many others, Mr. Herlinger. You will be missed.

[Jimmy Barclay Fan]

Sad news. I always liked Paul Herlinger as Whit. I remember how excited my family was when The Search for Whit Aired. We knew Hal had passed away early in 1994, and was looking forward to a possible return one day. He was a great guy.
He really filled that role very good.

It looks like he made a really good decision a couple of years ago. When he retired so they could find a new Whit in case, it really has helped the show. The new Whit has recorded many shows. Very selfless and a great act.

It is sad seeing all the AIO Cast and crew comment on Facebook. They all Really knew him and loved him. They worked with him, so they knew him so well.

RIP Paul Herlinger. Thanks for being Whit.

[WindowWasher]

Just read this in another thread and was crushed! I, too, hope he was saved, it would be a terrible loss if he wasn't. My prayers go out to his family. I know to alot of people he WAS Whit but to me Hal will always be Whit. However, Paul did an EXCELLENT job filling Hal's shoes. He kept Whit alive and well in Odyssey for so many years and I am forever grateful for that. At least God had a hand in the timing, we already have a new Whit in place, so the writers don't have to worry about what they're going to with the character.

[The Top Crusader]

Right, while Whit's absense in 94-96 spurred on some great stories, I'm not sure that a second "Sorry, kids! Whit had to go to the Middle East AGAIN!" would really work. I think for anyone, the Whit they got to know first (in my case, Hal Smith) will be the "real" Whit to them but Paul Herlinger certainly had a long run at it and probably more new fans came on board and got to know him before they heard much of Hal. I can't really imagine anyone else being able to fill the role the way Paul did at that time... I guess now we'll see what Andre can do.

[Jimmy Barclay Fan]

Times sure have changed since the internet is so much more now. When Hal died in 1994, the internet was barely new in AOL and homes a lot of people did not know for months and a year. Clubhouse and FOTF magazines waited til the albumn was out before notifying people. Now, we find out within days.

[Sean Regan]

That is truly sad. I hope he was right with God. In either case, my prayers are with his family. His presence on the show was a meaningful one and I'm glad God spared him to us as long as He did.

[KODY 105]

Times sure have changed since the internet is so much more now. When Hal died in 1994, the internet was barely new in AOL and homes a lot of people did not know for months and a year. Clubhouse and FOTF magazines waited til the albumn was out before notifying people. Now, we find out within days.

Well, now. FOTF didn't start the process of informing the general public. I'm not going to debate if it was there job to or not, but it was first noticed in an obit published by a newspaper online. For FOTF to absolutely pretend nothing like that had happened until after they released their album would be foolishness on the scale of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand.

[The Top Crusader]

I recall assuming that Hal Smith may have died since he was written out so suddenly, and his final appearance in "Gone..." was mostly pieced together from older clips I recognized. Then many months later on the very back of a Focus on the Family magazine it said "Oh yeah, Hal Smith played Whit and died a long time ago!"

[Jimmy Barclay Fan]

Yea. that is all true. But Hal Smith's bit was in a lot of newspapers and made the news. But I guess a lot of people did not know He was Whit, or something. So times have changed. If the internet was like it was now in 1994, people would have known more ahead of time, I imagine. He was even more famous with Andy Griffith show and all the voice work.

And you are right, FOTF did not mention it until other sites mentioned it. and with Facebook and twitter a lot of cast and crew mentioned it. We feel sad when we heard Paul as Whit. It is sad to read all the messages from cast and crew who really knew and loved him and worked with him.

Edited to correct myself and add stuff. The Circumstances are a LOT Different. When Hal Smith died, it was sudden, unexpected, and he was STILL Whit. There was 8 shows that about to be recorded, and Whit was in All 8. They needed to scramble and come up with a game plan and write Whit out and write new characters. They waited a long time to announce Hal Smith's passing so people would not be alarmed that Whit would die or AIO would end.

This time, Andre S has recorded several episodes, and has been Whit for a while, while Paul retired. So it is a lot different this time because of that

[EK]

Why is his death such a shock? Wasn't he like 80? The average male life expectancy in the US is like 75 so he lived well past that...so that's good I suppose....the AIO cast is getting pretty old, considering they were old to begin with...I wouldn't be surprised if they start dropping like flies.


...that's life.

It is interesting that he was a US Marine though, hopefully they buried him in his dress blues.

[Dallas R.]

Why is his death such a shock? Wasn't he like 80? The average male life expectancy in the US is like 75 so he lived well past that...so that's good I suppose....the AIO cast is getting pretty old, considering they were old to begin with...I wouldn't be surprised if they start dropping like flies.


...that's life.

It is interesting that he was a US Marine though, hopefully they buried him in his dress blues.

I think it's a shock because it's just so ironic. I mean, it's not unexpected that he would probably die someday soon, but it's weird that it would be so soon after he retired. And because FOTF was so prepared for it, and because we still haven't heard much of Andre as Whit, I think we as fans are having a hard time realizing that this actually isn't going to affect the show, because it really feels like it should.

I liked what you said about the Odyssey cast getting old. It was maybe a little harsh to say they're probably all going to start dieing, but the truth is, when an actor playing a twenty some year old guy like Eugene is in his seventies, you know the cast is getting old.

[SoccerLOTR]

This makes me sad...I don't know if I can get used to the new voice.

-- 08 Mar 2010 01:20 am --

Sad news. I always liked Paul Herlinger as Whit. I remember how excited my family was when The Search for Whit Aired. We knew Hal had passed away early in 1994, and was looking forward to a possible return one day. He was a great guy.
He really filled that role very good.

It looks like he made a really good decision a couple of years ago. When he retired so they could find a new Whit in case, it really has helped the show. The new Whit has recorded many shows. Very selfless and a great act.

It is sad seeing all the AIO Cast and crew comment on Facebook. They all Really knew him and loved him. They worked with him, so they knew him so well.

RIP Paul Herlinger. Thanks for being Whit.

Where are the cast and crew commenting? Is it a group or their personal profiles?

[Bren]

Personal profiles and would most likely take a while to find.

[Laurie]

Personal profiles and would most likely take a while to find.

Plus the fact that us lowly fans probably would not be allowed to access them at all even if we did manage to find them.

[Bren]

Unless you have connections like myself. I have at least 3 actors and that doesn't include the writers I have as friends.

[JesusFreak777]

Actually, many of them are nice enough to approve you. You may not have full access, but you might get some.

[Bren]

Dave and Corey Padnos are some of the best.