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Mel Blanc

Blanc in 1976.
Born Melvin Jerome Blank
May 30, 1908(1908-05-30)
San Francisco, California
United States
Died July 10, 1989 (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California
Years active 1927–1989
Spouse(s) Estelle Rosenbaum (July 12, 1910 – January 12, 2003)

Melvin (Mel) Jerome Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and comedian. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters (including those in feature films television series animated shorts and Video games) and A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio and television commercials, Blanc is best known for his work with Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation (and later for Hanna-Barbera television productions) as the voice of such iconic characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Barney Rubble, Mr. Spacely, and hundreds of others. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros Sylvester J Pussycat Sr, or simply Sylvester the Cat, or Sylvester is a Fictional character, a three-time Academy Award -winning Anthropomorphic Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Bernard "Barney" Rubble, a Fictional character in the popular television Animated series The Flintstones, is the diminutive blonde-haired Cosmo G Spacely is a Fictional character in the Animated series The Jetsons. Having earned the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Voices", Blanc is regarded as one of the most gifted and influential persons in his field. [1]

Contents

Early years and radio work

Born in San Francisco, California to Jewish parents, he grew up in Portland, Oregon, attending Lincoln High School. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Lincoln High School (generally known simply as Lincoln) is a secondary school located in Portland, Oregon. At 16, he changed the spelling of his last name from "Blank", reportedly because a teacher told him that he would amount to nothing and be, like his last name, "blank". Blanc began his radio career in 1927 as a voice actor on the KGW program The Hoot Owls, where his ability to create voices for multiple characters first attracted attention. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. KGW is an NBC affiliate serving the Portland Oregon area The station broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 8 and its digital signal on UHF channel Blanc moved to sister station KEX in 1933 to produce and host his Cobweb And Nuts program.

Moving to Warner Brothers-owned KFWB in Hollywood, California in 1935, Blanc joined The Johnny Murray Show; then, in 1936, he moved to CBS Radio and The Joe Penner Show. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and KFWB is a Los Angeles, California AM radio station operating on 980 KHz with 5000 Watts of power from a transmitter site near Lincoln California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Joe Penner ( 11 November 1904 &mdash 10 January 1941) was a Hungarian-born American 1930s-era vaudeville radio and film comedian Beginning in the late 1930s, Blanc was a regular on the NBC Red Network show The Jack Benny Program in various roles, including Benny's automobile (a Maxwell in desperate need of a tune-up), violin teacher Professor LeBlanc, Polly the Parrot, Benny's pet polar bear Carmichael, the tormented department store clerk, and the train announcer (see below). The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, was a radio-TV comedy series which ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century The Maxwell was a brand of Automobiles manufactured in the United States of America from about 1904 to 1925 The polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) is a Bear native to the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas

One of Blanc's most memorable characters from Benny's radio (and later TV) programs was "Sy, the Little Mexican," who spoke one word at a time. The famous "Sí. . . Sy. . . sew. . . Sue" routine was so effective that no matter how many times it was performed, the laughter was always there, thanks to the comedic timing of Blanc and Benny. [2]

At times, sharp-eyed audience members (and later, TV viewers) could see Benny struggling to keep a straight face; Blanc's absolute dead-pan delivery was a formidable challenge for him. Benny's daughter, Joan, recalls that Mel Blanc was one of her father's closest friends in real life, because "nobody else on the show could make him laugh the way Mel could. "

Another famous Blanc shtick on Jack's show was the train depot announcer who inevitably intoned, sidelong: "Train leaving on Track Five for Anaheim, Azusa, and Cucamonga". A shtick ( Yiddish: שטיק) (or schtick) is a comic theme or Gimmick. Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Rancho Cucamonga is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Part of the joke was the Angeleno studio audience's awareness that no such train existed connecting those then-small towns (years before Disneyland opened). Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Disneyland, marketed as the happiest place on Earth, is an American Theme park in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt To the wider audience, the primary joke was the pregnant pause that evolved over time between "Cuc. . " and ". . . amonga"; eventually, minutes would pass while the skit went on as the audience awaited the inevitable conclusion of the word. (At least once, a completely different skit followed before the inevitable ". . . amonga" finally appeared. )

Blanc's success on The Jack Benny Program led to his own radio show on the CBS Radio Network, The Mel Blanc Show, which ran from September 3, 1946 to June 24, 1947. The CBS Radio Network provides news sports and other programming to more than 1000 radio stations throughout the United States Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Blanc played himself as the hapless owner of a fix-it shop, as well as a wide range of comical support characters. Other regular characters were played by Mary Jane Croft, Joseph Kearns, Hans Conried, Alan Reed, Earle Ross, Jim Backus, and Bea Benaderet. Mary Jane Croft ( February 15, 1916 - August 24, 1999) was an American actress best known for her role as Mary Jane Joseph Kearns ( February 12, 1907 - February 17, 1962) was an American actor who is best remembered for his role as Mr Hans Conried ( April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was a comic Character actor and Voice actor. Alan Reed ( August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor and Voice artist, best known as the original voice Earle Ross ( 29 March 1888 - 21 May 1961) was a radio and film actor James Gilmore Backus ( February 25, 1913  &ndash July 3, 1989) was a radio Television, Film actor, Character Bea Benaderet ( April 4, 1906 &ndash October 13, 1968) was an American actress born in New York City and raised in (Blanc would later work with Reed and Benaderet on The Flintstones. The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. )

Blanc also appeared on such other national radio programs as The Abbott and Costello Show, the Happy Postman on Burns and Allen, and as August Moon on Point Sublime. William (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team During World War II, he appeared as Private Sad Sack on various radio shows, most notably G. I. Journal. The character of Sad Sack was a bumbling Army private with an even worse stutter than Porky Pig. ("I'm Lieutena-eh-Lieutena-eh-Capta-eh-Majo-eh-Colone-eh-p-p-Private Sad Sack. ")

For his contribution to radio, Mel Blanc has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood Blvd. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood Los Angeles California, USA, that

Animation voice work during the Golden Age of Hollywood

In 1936, Mel Blanc joined Leon Schlesinger Productions, which made animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros Cartoons Inc was the Animation division of Warner Bros An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Blanc liked to tell the story about how he got turned down at the Schlesinger studio by music director Norman Spencer, who was in charge of cartoon voices, saying that they had all the voices they needed. Then Spencer died, and sound man Treg Brown took charge of cartoon voices, while Carl Stalling took over as music director. Tregoweth Edmond "Treg" Brown ( November 4, 1899 &ndash April 28, 1984) was a Motion picture Sound editor who Carl W Stalling ( November 10, 1891 &ndash November 29, 1972) was a noted American Composer and Arranger of music Brown introduced Blanc to animation directors Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, and Frank Tashlin, who loved his voices. Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery ( February 26, 1908 &ndash August 26, 1980) was an American Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett ( May 8 1913 &mdash May 4 1984) was an American Animator, producer Isadore "Friz" Freleng ( August 21, 1906  &ndash May 26, 1995) was an Animator, Cartoonist, director Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972, also known as Tish Tash or The first cartoon Blanc worked on was Picador Porky as the voice of a drunken bull. He took over as Porky Pig's voice in Porky's Duck Hunt, which marked the debut of Daffy Duck, also voiced by Blanc. Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros Porky's Duck Hunt ( 1937) is an Animated Short film produced by Leon Schlesinger Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of

Blanc soon became noted for voicing a wide variety of cartoon characters, adding Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Pepé Le Pew and many others. The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Pepé Le Pew is an Academy Award -winning Fictional character in the Warner Bros His natural voice was that of Sylvester the cat but without the lispy spray. Sylvester J Pussycat Sr, or simply Sylvester the Cat, or Sylvester is a Fictional character, a three-time Academy Award -winning Anthropomorphic (Blanc's voice can be heard in an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies that also featured frequent Blanc vocal foil Bea Benaderet; in his small appearance, Blanc plays a vexed cab-driver. The Beverly Hillbillies is an American Television series about a Hillbilly family transplanted to Beverly Hills California after finding Bea Benaderet ( April 4, 1906 &ndash October 13, 1968) was an American actress born in New York City and raised in )

In his later years, Blanc claimed that a handful of late 1930s and early 1940s Warner cartoons that each featured a rabbit clearly a precursor of Bugs Bunny all actually dealt with a single character named Happy Rabbit. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny No use of this name by other Termite Terrace personnel, then or later, has ever been documented, however. Happy Rabbit was noted for his laugh which became more famous as the laugh of Woody Woodpecker which Blanc was the original voice of until he won an exclusive contract with Warner Bros. Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an Anthropomorphic Woodpecker who appeared in theatrical Short films produced which meant he couldn't do Woody's voice anymore as the Woody Woodpecker cartoons were produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures. Walter Lantz Productions was an American Animation studio It was in operation from 1929 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Blanc later recorded "The Woody Woodpecker Song" for Capitol Records. Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an Anthropomorphic Woodpecker who appeared in theatrical Short films produced Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as

Though his best-known character was a carrot-chomping rabbit, munching on the carrots interrupted the dialogue. The carrot ( Daucus carota subsp sativus, Etymology: Middle French carotte, from Late Latin carōta, from Greek karōton Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world Various substitutes, such as celery, were tried, but none of them sounded like a carrot. See also Wild celery Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae, and yielding celery and Celeriac So for the sake of expedience, he would munch and then spit the carrot bits into a spittoon rather than swallowing them, and continue with the dialogue. A spittoon (or spitoon) is a receptacle made for Spitting into especially by users of chewing tobacco. One oft-repeated story is that he was allergic to carrots and had to spit them out to minimize any allergic reaction; but his autobiography makes no such claim; in fact, in a 1984 interview with Tim Lawson, co-author of The Magic Behind The Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors (University Press of Mississippi, 2004), Blanc emphatically denied being allergic to carrots. Tim Lawson (born December 13 1961 in Sterling Illinois) is an American writer

Blanc said his most challenging job was voicing Yosemite Sam; it was rough on the throat because of Sam’s sheer volume. Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by (Foghorn Leghorn's voice was similarly raucous. ) Late in life, he reprised several of his classic voices for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but deferred to Joe Alaskey to do Yosemite Sam's and Foghorn Leghorn's voices. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 Live-action/animated film produced by Amblin Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company (released Joe Alaskey (born May 26, 1949 in Watervliet New York) is an American actor comedian and voice artist credited as one of the successors (including

Blanc's long association with the Warner Brothers theatrical cartoons was in contrast with the primarily television-oriented careers of such voice actors as Daws Butler and Don Messick. Daws Butler ( Charles Dawson Butler; November 16, 1916 – May 18, 1988) was a Voice actor born in Toledo, Donald "Don" Messick ( September 7, 1926 &ndash October 24, 1997) was one of the most prolific voice actors of the second half Although Butler and Messick both had voice roles in MGM theatrical cartoons (Butler as the southern-talking wolf who always whistled and Messick at times as "Droopy"), the two made far fewer theatrical shorts than Blanc. Droopy is an Animated Cartoon character, an Anthropomorphic Dog (supposedly a Basset hound) with a droopy face hence the name A closer parallel to Blanc's career can be found in that of Paul Frees, who did substantial voice work for films as well as television. Paul Frees ( June 22, 1920 - November 2, 1986) was an American Voice actor and Character actor.

Throughout his career, Blanc was well aware of his talents and protected the rights to them contractually and legally. He, and later his estate, did not hesitate to take civil action when those rights were violated. Voice actors usually got no screen credits at all, but Blanc was a notable exception; by 1944, his contract stipulated a credit reading "Voice characterization by Mel Blanc. " Blanc asked for and received this screen credit from studio boss Leon Schlesinger when he objected to a pay raise. [3] Other frequent Warner voice artists, such as Arthur Q. Bryan (Elmer Fudd) and Bea Benaderet (many female voices), remained uncredited on-screen. Elmer J Fudd is a fictional Cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters Bea Benaderet ( April 4, 1906 &ndash October 13, 1968) was an American actress born in New York City and raised in Blanc's screen credit was noticed by radio show producers, who gave him more radio work as a result.

Benny/Bugs crossover

The Warner cartoons were filled with references to the popular media of film and radio, including references to The Jack Benny Program, whose various gags frequently found their way into Warner scripts voiced by Blanc. Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky February 14, 1894 - December 26, 1974) was an American Comedian, vaudevillian For example:

The ultimate clash of the mythos occurred with the 1959 release of the Warner Bros. cartoon The Mouse That Jack Built. Directed by Robert McKimson, the cartoon features the cast of the Benny radio and TV program drawn as mice. Robert "Bob" McKimson Sr ( October 13, 1910 &mdash September 29, 1977) was an American Animator, Illustrator Blanc was credited as the voice of the Maxwell, and besides Benny, co-stars Mary Livingstone, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and Don Wilson all reprised their Benny show roles. Mary is also the name of David Livingstone 's wife Mary Livingstone (born Sadye Marks, June 23, 1906, Seattle Edmund Lincoln Anderson ( September 18, 1905 &ndash February 28, 1977) often known as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson Don Wilson ( September 1, 1900 &ndash April 25, 1982) was an American Announcer and occasional actor in radio

Car accident and aftermath

On January 24, 1961, Blanc was involved in a near-fatal car accident on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sunset Boulevard is a Street in the western part of Los Angeles County California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles Hit head-on, Blanc suffered a triple skull fracture that left him in a coma for three weeks, along with fractures of both legs and the pelvis. In Medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep is a profound state of Unconsciousness. The pelvis (pl pelvises or pelves) or pelvic girdle is the irregular bony structure located at the base of the spine (properly known

The accident prompted over 15,000 get-well cards from anxious fans, including some addressed only to "Bugs Bunny, Hollywood, USA", according to Blanc's autobiography. One newspaper falsely reported that he had died. After his recovery, Blanc reported in TV interviews, and later in his autobiography, that a clever doctor had helped him to come out of his coma by talking to him as Bugs Bunny, after futile efforts to talk directly to Blanc. Although he had no actual recollection of this, Blanc's wife and son swore to him that when the doctor was inspired to ask him, "How are you today, Bugs Bunny?", Blanc answered in Bugs' voice. Blanc thus credited Bugs with saving his life. [4]

Blanc returned home from the UCLA Medical Center on March 17 to the cheers of more than 150 friends and neighbors. On March 22, he filed a US$500,000 lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West His accident, one of 26 in the preceding two years at the intersection, resulted in the city quickly providing money to restructure curves at the dangerous corner.

Years later, Blanc revealed that during his recovery, his son Noel "ghosted" several Warner Brothers cartoons' voice tracks for him. At the time of the accident, Blanc also served as the voice of Barney Rubble on ABC's The Flintstones. Bernard "Barney" Rubble, a Fictional character in the popular television Animated series The Flintstones, is the diminutive blonde-haired The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. His absence from the show would be relatively brief; Daws Butler provided the voice of Rubble for a few episodes, after which the show's producers set up recording equipment in Blanc's house to allow him to work from his residence. Daws Butler ( Charles Dawson Butler; November 16, 1916 – May 18, 1988) was a Voice actor born in Toledo, He also returned to The Jack Benny Program to film the program's 1961 Christmas show, moving around via crutches and/or a wheelchair. The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, was a radio-TV comedy series which ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century Crutches are Medical Tools used when a patient is injured usually anywhere below the waist A wheelchair is a wheeled Mobility device in which the user sits

Voice work for Hanna-Barbera and others

In the early 1960s, after the expiration of his exclusive contract with Warner Brothers, Blanc went to Hanna-Barbera and continued to voice various characters, his most famous being Barney Rubble from The Flintstones (whose dopey laugh is similar to Foghorn Leghorn's booming chuckle) and Mr. Bernard "Barney" Rubble, a Fictional character in the popular television Animated series The Flintstones, is the diminutive blonde-haired The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. Spacely from The Jetsons (similar to Yosemite Sam, but not as raucous). The Jetsons is a prime-time animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Daws Butler and Don Messick were Hanna-Barbera's top voice men, while Blanc was the newcomer, but with all of the 1930s and 1940s Warner Brothers theatrical cartoons appearing on Saturday morning TV to compete with the made-for-TV Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Blanc was again deemed relevant. Daws Butler ( Charles Dawson Butler; November 16, 1916 – May 18, 1988) was a Voice actor born in Toledo, Donald "Don" Messick ( September 7, 1926 &ndash October 24, 1997) was one of the most prolific voice actors of the second half

Blanc did these voices, plus others for such ensemble cartoons as Wacky Races and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop for Hanna-Barbera. Wacky Races is an animated television series from Hanna-Barbera, about a group of 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies with each driver The Perils of Penelope Pitstop is an American Animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera (now known as Cartoon Network Studios Blanc shared the spotlight with his two professional rivals and personal friends, Butler and Messick: In a short called Lippy the Lion, Butler was Lippy, while Blanc was his hyena sidekick, Hardy Har-Har. Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har are a pair of anthropomorphic Hanna-Barbera Cartoon characters a Lion in a tattered Top hat and In the short Ricochet Rabbit, Messick was the voice of the gunslinging rabbit, while Blanc was his sidekick, Deputy Droop-a-Long Coyote. Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long was a segment of Hanna-Barbera 's The Magilla Gorilla Show, and later appeared on Peter Potamus

In addition, Blanc was the first person to play Toucan Sam in Froot Loops commercials, using a slightly cartoonish version of his natural voice. Toucan Sam is the avian Mascot of Froot Loops cereal The character is a blue Cartoon Toucan with a striped beak (The ad agency later decided to give Sam an upper-crust English accent and replaced Blanc with Paul Frees. Paul Frees ( June 22, 1920 - November 2, 1986) was an American Voice actor and Character actor. )

Blanc reprised some of his Warner Brothers characters when the studio contracted to make first-run cartoon shorts for TV in the late 1960s. For these, Blanc primarily voiced Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales or Tweety and Sylvester, since he was forbidden by Hanna-Barbera to voice Bugs Bunny. Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of Speedy Gonzales, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico " is an animated cartoon Mouse from the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes Sylvester J Pussycat Sr, or simply Sylvester the Cat, or Sylvester is a Fictional character, a three-time Academy Award -winning Anthropomorphic Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny

Later career and death

Contrary to popular belief, Blanc was not one of hundreds of individuals that George Lucas auditioned to provide the voice for the character of C-3PO for his 1977 film Star Wars. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter C-3PO ( Nicknamed Threepio) is a Fictional character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in both the original Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars) is a 1977 Space opera That distinction instead fell to fellow voice actor Stan Freberg, and it was Freberg who ultimately suggested that the producers use mime actor Anthony Daniels's own voice in the role. Stanley Victor Freberg (b August 7, 1926, Los Angeles, California) is an American author recording artist Animation Anthony Kingsley Daniels (born February 21, 1946) is an English Actor, known for his role as the droid C-3PO in the [5]

After spending most of two seasons voicing the robot Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Blanc's last original character, in the early 1980s, was Heathcliff, who spoke a little like Bugs Bunny but with a more street-tough demeanor. Twiki is a Fictional character on the TV show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. Heathcliff is a Comic strip created by George Gately in 1973 featuring an eponymous Cat Blanc continued to voice his famous characters in commercials and TV specials for most of the decade, although he increasingly left the "yelling" characters like Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil to other voice actors, as performing these were too hard on his throat and voice by the time of his old age in the 1980s. One of his last recording sessions was for a new animated theatrical version of The Jetsons. Jetsons The Movie is a 1990 animated feature film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released to theaters by Universal Pictures on the 6th of July [6]

Blanc's death from cardiovascular disease was considered a significant loss to the cartoon industry because of his skill, expressive range, and sheer volume of continuing characters he portrayed, which are currently taken up by several other voice talents; no one individual can currently match the vocal range Blanc was able to establish. Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases refers to the class of diseases that involve the Heart or Blood vessels ( arteries and Indeed, as movie critic Leonard Maltin once pointed out, "It is astounding to realize that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam are the same man!"

That range was partially aided by recording technology; for instance, Blanc's standard Daffy Duck voice is essentially his Sylvester voice played a few percent faster than it was recorded to give it a higher pitch, as well as pronouncing "s" with a "th" sound. Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American Film critic and Film Historian. Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by [7] Blanc would later develop the skill to reproduce such "sped-up" voices himself live as necessary. Other Blanc character voices that were given this special treatment included Porky Pig, Henery Hawk, and Speedy Gonzales. Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros Henery Hawk (sometimes misspelled Henry) is a cartoon character from the American Looney Tunes series who appeared in twelve cartoons Speedy Gonzales, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico " is an animated cartoon Mouse from the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes

After his death, Blanc's voice continued to be heard in newly released properties. In particular, a recording of his Dino the dinosaur bark from the 1960s Flintstones series was used without a screen credit in the 1994 live-action theatrical film based upon the series. Dino (pronounced dee-no) is a Fictional character featured in the Hanna-Barbera animated Television series The Flintstones The Flintstones is a 1994 live-action film directed by Brian Levant based on the prime time Hanna-Barbera animated television sitcom of This resulted in legal action against the film studio by the Blanc estate, which claimed his recordings were used without permission or proper credit. The credit was later added to the home release of the movie. Less problematic was the retention of older recordings of Blanc as Uncle Orville and a pet bird in the 1994 update of the Carousel of Progress attraction at Walt Disney World, despite cast changes in other roles. The Carousel of Progress is an Attraction located in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort, currently operating Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world containing four Theme parks two Water parks twenty-three themed hotels Blanc's distinctive voice can still be heard in the Audio-Animatronic presentation.

Mel Blanc's gravesite marker.
Mel Blanc's gravesite marker.

Blanc died in Los Angeles, California and is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Blanc's will stated his desire to have the inscription on his gravestone read, "THAT'S ALL FOLKS," considered by some to be one of the most famous epitaphs in the world. In Common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the Testator) regulates the rights of others over his or her Property A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a Burial An epitaph (in Greek, &mdash literally " on the gravestone " is a short text honoring a deceased person strictly speaking that inscribed on

Blanc trained his son, Noel Blanc, in the field of voice characterization. While the younger Blanc has performed his father's characters (particularly Porky Pig) on some programs, he has chosen not to become a full-time voice artist. Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros Noel appeared in the booth for the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 NASCAR Race featuring the Looney Tunes in themed paint schemes for Chevrolet drivers and did Mel's voice of Bugs Bunny. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond Virginia Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros Animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969

Animation records

Mel Blanc holds a few very important records in the field of animation (none of which are currently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records), the most famous being, of course, the "1000 Voices" he was said to have performed. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U Not as notable are two records of longevity: his original characterization of Daffy Duck (for over 52 years) is the longest time any animated character has been performed by his or her original voice contributor. Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of He also voiced Porky Pig for almost the exact same amount of time as Daffy — since the same cartoon (Porky's Duck Hunt) through to his death, though Porky was not originally voiced by Blanc. Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros Porky's Duck Hunt ( 1937) is an Animated Short film produced by Leon Schlesinger Blanc was also the original voice of almost every character he voiced, leaving him as the clear runaway for the record of "Most Characters Originally Voiced By One Actor," and he almost certainly provided voices in more cartoons than any other voice actor. And to top that off, he is runner-up to his own roughly 52. 2-year record of his original characterization of Daffy, by voicing Bugs Bunny for almost 49 years to the date of his debut (July 27, 1940). Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

List of characters

When asked about voicing any of his numerous characters, Mel Blanc stated that he merely managed the characters. At first, he said those things so the kids would still watch the show, fearing they would not if they knew they were not real. That set a standard most actors have followed. The year that Blanc first played the character is noted in parentheses.

  1. Porky Pig (1936-1989, assumed from Joe Dougherty)
  2. The Maxwell (Jack Benny's car)
  3. Daffy Duck (1937-1989)
  4. Bugs Bunny's prototype (1938-1940)
  5. Bugs Bunny (1940-1989)
  6. Woody Woodpecker (1940)
  7. Cecil Turtle (1941-1947)
  8. Tweety Bird (1942-1989)
  9. Private Snafu, numerous World War II related cartoons (1943)
  10. Yosemite Sam (1945-1989) ("Hare Trigger")
  11. Pepé Le Pew (1945-1989)
  12. Sylvester (1945-1989) aka Thomas (1947) in some films
  13. Foghorn Leghorn (1946)
  14. The Barnyard Dawg (1946-1989)
  15. Henery Hawk (1946-1989)
  16. Charlie Dog (1947)
  17. Mac (of Mac & Tosh) (1947)
  18. K-9 (1948) (sidekick to Marvin the Martian)
  19. Marvin the Martian (1948-1989)
  20. Road Runner (1949-1989)
  21. Beaky Buzzard (1950)
  22. Elmer Fudd (1950, 1958, 1970s and 1980s)
  23. Bruno the Bear (1951)
  24. Wile E. Coyote (silent until 1952, first spoke in the short "Operation: Rabbit")
  25. Speedy Gonzales (1953)
  26. The Tasmanian Devil (1954-1960) aka Taz
  27. Barney Rubble (1960-1989)
  28. Dino (1960-1989) (Fred Flintstone's pet. Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros The Maxwell was a brand of Automobiles manufactured in the United States of America from about 1904 to 1925 Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky February 14, 1894 - December 26, 1974) was an American Comedian, vaudevillian Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an Anthropomorphic Woodpecker who appeared in theatrical Short films produced Cecil Turtle is an animated Cartoon character in the Warner Bros Private Snafu is the title character of a series of black-and-white American instructional cartoon shorts produced between 1943 and 1945 during World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Hare Trigger is a 1945 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies cartoon short starring Bugs Bunny directed by Friz Freleng. Pepé Le Pew is an Academy Award -winning Fictional character in the Warner Bros Sylvester J Pussycat Sr, or simply Sylvester the Cat, or Sylvester is a Fictional character, a three-time Academy Award -winning Anthropomorphic Henery Hawk (sometimes misspelled Henry) is a cartoon character from the American Looney Tunes series who appeared in twelve cartoons Charlie Dog is an animated Cartoon Fictional character in the Warner Bros The Goofy Gophers are animated Cartoon characters in the Warner Bros Marvin the Martian (or Marvin Martian) is a Fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons Marvin the Martian (or Marvin Martian) is a Fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons Beaky Buzzard is an animated Cartoon character in the Warner Bros Elmer J Fudd is a fictional Cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters Bear JJ1 (2004 – 26 June 2006) was a Brown bear whose travels and exploits in Austria and Germany in the first half of 2006 drew Operation Rabbit is a Looney Tunes Animated cartoon first released theatrically in 1952 Speedy Gonzales, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico " is an animated cartoon Mouse from the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as "Taz", is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. Dino (pronounced dee-no) is a Fictional character featured in the Hanna-Barbera animated Television series The Flintstones Frederick J "Fred" Flintstone is a Fictional character who originated in the animated Sitcom The Flintstones on )
  29. Cosmo G. Spacely (1962)
  30. Hardy Har Har (1962-1964)
  31. Secret Squirrel (1965-1966)
  32. Frito Bandito (1967-1971)
  33. Bubba McCoy from "Where's Huddles?"
  34. The Ant Hill Mob from Wacky Races (1968) and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969)
  35. Chugga-Boom/The Bully Brothers also from "The Perils of Penelope Pitstop"
  36. Speed Buggy (1973)
  37. Tucker the Mouse from "The Cricket in Times Square" (1973) and two sequels
  38. Captain Caveman (1977)
  39. Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
  40. Heathcliff (1980, appeared in syndication from 1984-1987)
  41. Gideon the Cat from Pinocchio
  42. Bertie Mouse (of Hubie and Bertie)
  43. Marc Antony

Other credits

Homages and tributes

Listen to

References

Notes

  1. ^ Mel Blanc's bio at Ochcom.org
  2. ^ Video of Mel and Jack with one version of the Sy The Little Mexican routine
  3. ^ New York Times filmography
  4. ^ a b That's Not All, Folks!, 1988, by Mel Blanc and Philip Bashe. Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-39089-5 (softcover), ISBN 0-446-51244-3 (hardcover)
  5. ^ Interview with Mel Blanc's son Noel
  6. ^ Beck, Jerry. Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is a well known animation historian with ten books and numerous articles to his The Animated Movie Guide (2005). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
  7. ^ Barrier, Michael. Michael Barrier is an American Animation Historian. Barrier was the editor of Funnyworld, a groundbreaking journal devoted to comics and animation Audio commentary for The Scarlet Pumpernickel on disc two of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, citing his interview with Blanc. On disc based video formats an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers that plays in real time with video The Scarlet Pumpernickel is a 1948 Animated Warner Bros Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1950 Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003.
  8. ^ The "Speechless" lithograph

Bibliography

External links

Preceded by
original voice		 Voice of Bugs Bunny
July 27, 1940 — July 10, 1989		 Succeeded by
Jeff Bergman (impersonator)
Preceded by
original voice		 Voice of Barney Rubble
September 30, 1960 — July 10, 1989		 Succeeded by
Frank Welker
Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Jeff Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American Voice actor who is one of the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters including The Flintstones is an animated American television sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Franklin W Welker (born March 12 1946 is an American voice actor.
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