Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank /blæŋk/;[2][3] May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989)[4] was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy radio programs, including those of Jack Benny, Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, The Great Gildersleeve, Judy Canova, and his own short-lived sitcom.
Mel Blanc | |
|---|---|
 Blanc in 1959 | |
| Born | Melvin Jerome Blank May 30, 1908 |
| Died | July 10, 1989 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Other names | "The Man of 1000 Voices" |
| Occupation | Voice actor, radio personality |
| Years active | 1927–1989 |
| Spouse | Estelle Rosenbaum (m. 1933) |
| Children | Noel Blanc |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (1976)[1] |
However, he became known worldwide for his work in the Golden Age of American Animation as the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and numerous other characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoons.[5] He later voiced characters for Hanna-Barbera's television cartoons, including Barney Rubble on The Flintstones and Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons.[5]
Referred to as "The Man of a Thousand Voices",[6] he is regarded as one of the most influential people in the voice acting industry, and as one of the greatest voice actors of all time.[7]
Early life
Blanc was born on May 30, 1908 in San Francisco, California, to Eva (née Katz), a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant,[8] and Frederick Blank (born in New York to German Jewish parents), the younger of two children. He grew up in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood,[9] and later in Portland, Oregon, where he attended Lincoln High School.[10] He had an early fondness for voices and dialect, which he began practicing at the age of 10. He claimed that he changed the spelling of his name when he was 16, from Blank to Blanc, because a teacher told him that he would amount to nothing and be like his name, a "blank". He joined the Order of DeMolay as a young man, and was eventually inducted into its Hall of Fame.[11] After graduating from high school in 1927, he divided his time between leading an orchestra, becoming the youngest conductor in the country at the age of 19; and performing shtick in vaudeville shows around Washington, Oregon and northern California.[12]
Career
Radio work
Blanc began his radio career at the age of 19 in 1927, when he made his acting debut on the KGW program The Hoot Owls, where his ability to provide voices for multiple characters first attracted attention. He moved to Los Angeles in 1932, where he met Estelle Rosenbaum (1909–2003), whom he married a year later, before returning to Portland. He moved to KEX in 1933 to produce and co-host his Cobweb and Nuts show with his wife Estelle, which debuted on June 15. The program played Monday through Saturday from 11:00 pm to midnight, and by the time the show ended two years later, it appeared from 10:30 pm to 11:00 pm.
The Wabbit Who Came To Supper
With his wife's encouragement, Blanc returned to Los Angeles and joined Warner Bros.–owned KFWB in Hollywood in 1935. He joined The Johnny Murray Show, but the following year switched to CBS Radio and The Joe Penner Show.
Blanc was a regular on the NBC Red Network show The Jack Benny Program in various roles, including voicing Benny's Maxwell automobile (in desperate need of a tune-up), violin teacher Professor LeBlanc, Polly the Parrot, Benny's pet polar bear Carmichael and the train announcer. The first role came from a mishap when the recording of the automobile's sounds failed to play on cue, prompting Blanc to take the microphone and improvise the sounds himself. The audience reacted so positively that Benny decided to dispense with the recording altogether and have Blanc continue in that role. One of Blanc's characters from Benny's radio (and later TV) programs was "Sy, the Little Mexican", who spoke one word at a time.[12] He continued to work with Benny on radio until the series ended in 1955 and followed the program into television from Benny's 1950 debut episode through guest spots on NBC specials in the 1970s.
Radio Daily magazine wrote in 1942 that Blanc "specialize[d] in over fifty-seven voices, dialects, and intricate sound effects",[13] and by 1946, he was appearing on over fifteen programs in various supporting roles. His 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. Blanc played himself as the hapless owner of a fix-it shop, as well as his young cousin Zookie. 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. During World War II, he appeared as Private Sad Sack on various radio shows, including G.I. Journal. Blanc recorded a song titled "Big Bear Lake".
Animation voice work during the golden age of Hollywood
In December 1936, Mel Blanc joined Leon Schlesinger Productions, which was producing theatrical cartoon shorts for Warner Bros. After sound man Treg Brown was put in charge of cartoon voices, and Carl Stalling became music director, Brown introduced Blanc to animation directors Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, and Frank Tashlin, who loved his voices. The first cartoon Blanc worked on was Picador Porky (1937) as the voice of a drunken bull.[12] He soon after received his first starring role when he replaced Joe Dougherty as Porky Pig's voice in Porky's Duck Hunt, which marked the debut of Daffy Duck, also voiced by Blanc.
Following this, Blanc became a very prominent vocal artist for Warner Bros., voicing a wide variety of the "Looney Tunes" characters. Bugs Bunny, as whom Blanc made his debut in A Wild Hare (1940),[14][15] was known for eating carrots frequently (especially while saying his catchphrase "Eh, what's up, doc?"). To follow this sound with the animated voice, Blanc would bite into a carrot and then quickly spit into a spittoon. One often-repeated story is that Blanc was allergic to carrots, which Blanc denied.[16][17]
In Disney's Pinocchio, Blanc was hired to perform the voice of Gideon the Cat. However, Gideon eventually was decided to be a mute character (similar to Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), so all of Blanc's recorded dialogue was deleted except for a solitary hiccup, which was heard three times in the finished film.[18]
Blanc also originated the voice and laugh of Woody Woodpecker for the theatrical cartoons produced by Walter Lantz for Universal Pictures, but stopped voicing Woody after the character's first three shorts when he was signed to an exclusive contract with Warner Bros. Despite this, his laugh was still used in the Woody Woodpecker cartoons until 1951, when Grace Stafford recorded a softer version, while his "Guess who!?" signature line was used in the opening titles until the end of the series and closure of Walter Lantz Productions in 1972.[12]
During World War II, Blanc served as the voice of the hapless Private Snafu in a series of shorts produced by Warner Bros. as a way of training recruited soldiers through the medium of animation.[19]
Throughout his career, Blanc, aware of his talents, protected the rights to his voice characterizations contractually and legally. He, and later his estate, never hesitated to take civil action when those rights were violated. Voice actors at the time rarely received screen credits, but Blanc was an exception; by 1944, his contract with Warner Bros. stipulated a credit reading "Voice characterization(s) by Mel Blanc". According to his autobiography, Blanc asked for and received this screen credit from studio boss Leon Schlesinger after he was denied a salary raise.[20] Initially, Blanc's screen credit was limited only to cartoons in which he voiced Bugs Bunny. This changed in March 1945 when the contract was amended to also include a screen credit for cartoons featuring Porky Pig and/or Daffy Duck. This however, excluded any shorts with the two characters made before that amendment occurred, even if they released after the fact (Book Revue and Baby Bottleneck are both examples of this). By the end of 1946, Blanc began receiving a screen credit in any subsequent Warner Bros. cartoon for which he provided voices.[21]
Voice work for Hanna-Barbera and others
In 1960, after the expiration of his exclusive contract with Warner Bros., Blanc continued working for them, but also began providing voices for the TV cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera; his roles during this time included Barney Rubble of The Flintstones and Cosmo Spacely of The Jetsons. His other voice roles for Hanna-Barbera included Dino the Dinosaur, Secret Squirrel, Speed Buggy, and Captain Caveman, as well as voices for Wally Gator and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop.
Blanc also worked with former "Looney Tunes" director Chuck Jones, who by this time was directing shorts with his own company Sib Tower 12 (later MGM Animation/Visual Arts), doing vocal effects for the Tom and Jerry series from 1963 to 1967. Blanc was the first voice of Toucan Sam in Froot Loops commercials.
Blanc reprised some of his Warner Bros. characters when the studio contracted him to make new theatrical cartoons in the mid- to late 1960s. For these, Blanc voiced Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales, the characters who received the most frequent use in these shorts (later, newly introduced characters such as Cool Cat and Merlin the Magic Mouse were voiced by Larry Storch). Blanc also continued to voice the "Looney Tunes" for the bridging sequences of The Bugs Bunny Show, as well as in numerous animated advertisements and several compilation features, such as The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979). He also voiced Granny on Peter Pan Records in 4 More Adventures of Bugs Bunny (1974) and Holly-Daze (1974), in place of June Foray,[22] and replaced the late Arthur Q. Bryan as Elmer Fudd's voice during the post-golden age era.
Car accident and aftermath
On January 24, 1961, Blanc was driving alone when his sports car was involved in a head-on collision on Sunset Boulevard; his legs and his pelvis were fractured as a result.[23][24] About two weeks later, one of Blanc's neurologists at the UCLA Medical Center tried a different approach than just trying to address the unconscious Blanc himself: address his characters. Blanc was asked, "How are you feeling today, Bugs Bunny?" After a slight pause, Blanc answered, in a weak voice, "Eh … just fine, Doc. How are you?"[12] The doctor then asked Tweety if he was there, too. "I tawt I taw a puddy tat", was the reply.[25][26] Blanc returned home on March 17. Four days later, Blanc filed a US $500,000 lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles. His accident, one of 26 in the preceding two years at the intersection known as Dead Man's Curve, resulted in the city funding the restructuring of curves at the location.
Years later, Blanc revealed that during his recovery, his son Noel "ghosted" several Warner Bros. cartoons' voice tracks for him. Warner Bros. had also asked Stan Freberg to provide the voice for Bugs Bunny, but Freberg declined, out of respect for Blanc. At the time of the accident, Blanc was also serving as the voice of Barney Rubble in The Flintstones. His absence from the show was relatively brief; Daws Butler provided the voice of Barney for a few episodes, after which the show's producers set up recording equipment in Blanc's hospital room and later at his home to allow him to work from there. Some of the recordings were made while he was in full-body cast as he lay flat on his back with the other Flintstones co-stars gathered around him.[27] He returned to The Jack Benny Program to film the program's 1961 Christmas show, moving around by crutches and a wheelchair.[28]
Later years
In the 1970s, Blanc gave a series of college lectures across the US and appeared in commercials for American Express. Mel's production company, Blanc Communications Corporation, collaborated on a special with the Boston-based Shriners' Burns Institute called Ounce of Prevention, which became a 30-minute TV special.[29]
Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Blanc performed his "Looney Tunes" characters for bridging sequences in various compilation films of Golden Age-era Warner Bros. cartoons, such as The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie, Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales, Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island, and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters. His final performance of his "Looney Tunes" roles was in Bugs Bunny's Wild World of Sports (1989). After spending most of two seasons voicing the diminutive robot Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Blanc's last original character was Heathcliff from 1980 to 1988.
In the live-action film Strange Brew (1983), Blanc voiced the father of Bob and Doug MacKenzie, at the request of comedian Rick Moranis. In the live-action/animated movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Blanc reprised several of his roles from Warner Bros. cartoons (Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Tweety, and Sylvester), but left Yosemite Sam to Joe Alaskey (who later became one of Blanc's regular replacements until his death in 2016). The film was one of the few Disney projects in which Blanc was involved. Blanc died just a year after the film's release. His final recording session was for Jetsons: The Movie (1990).[30]
On January 29, 1962, Mel and his son Noel formed Blanc Communications Corporation,[31][32] a media company which produced over 5000 public service announcements and commercials, which remains in operation.[33] Mel and Noel appeared with many stars, including Kirk Douglas, Lucille Ball, Vincent Price, Phyllis Diller, Liberace, and The Who.
Personal life
Blanc and his wife Estelle Rosenbaum were married on January 4, 1933,[4] and remained married until his death in 1989.[4] Their son, Noel Blanc, was also a voice actor.[4]
Death
Blanc began smoking cigarettes when he was 9 years old. He continued his pack-a-day habit until age 77, after he was diagnosed with emphysema.[34] On May 19, 1989, his family checked him into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles when they noticed he had a bad cough while shooting a commercial. He was originally expected to recover,[35] but when his health worsened, doctors discovered he had advanced coronary artery disease. After nearly two months in hospital, Blanc died on July 10, 1989 at Cedars-Sinai of complications from both illnesses.[4] He was 81.[4] He is interred in Hollywood Forever Cemetery section 13, Pinewood section, plot #149 in Hollywood.[36][37] His will specified that his gravestone read "That's all folks"—the phrase with which Blanc's character, Porky Pig, concluded Warner Bros. cartoons.
Legacy
Blanc is regarded as the most prolific voice actor in entertainment history.[38] He was the first voice actor to receive on-screen credit.[39]
His death was considered a significant loss to the cartoon industry because of his skill, expressive range, and the sheer number of the continuing characters he portrayed, whose roles were subsequently assumed by several other voice talents. As film critic Leonard Maltin observed, "It is astounding to realize that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam are the same man!"[40]
Blanc said that Sylvester the Cat was the easiest character for him to voice, because "[he's] just my normal speaking voice with a spray at the end"; and that Yosemite Sam was the hardest, because of his loudness and raspyness.[12]
A doctor who examined Blanc's throat found that he possessed unusually thick, powerful vocal cords that gave him an exceptional range, and compared them to those of opera singer Enrico Caruso.[12]
After his death, Blanc's voice continued to be heard in newly released productions, such as recordings of Dino the Dinosaur in the live-action films The Flintstones (1994) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). Similarly, recordings of Blanc as Jack Benny's Maxwell were featured in Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). More recently, archive recordings of Blanc have been featured in new computer-generated imagery-animated "Looney Tunes" theatrical shorts; I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat (shown with Happy Feet Two) and Daffy's Rhapsody (shown with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island).[41][42]
For his contributions to the radio industry, Blanc has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood Boulevard. His character Bugs Bunny was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 10, 1985.[43]
Blanc trained his son Noel in the field of voice characterization. Noel performed his father's characters (particularly Porky Pig) on some programs, but did not become a full-time voice artist. Warner Bros. expressed reluctance to have a single voice actor succeed Blanc,[44] and employed multiple new voice actors to fill the roles in the 1990s, including Noel Blanc, Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey and Greg Burson.
Filmography
Radio
| Original Air Date | Program | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1933 | The Happy-Go-Lucky Hour | Additional voices |
| 1937 | The Joe Penner Show | Additional voices |
| 1938 | The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air | Mayor of Hamelin, Neptune's Son, Priscilly, Royal Herald, additional voices |
| 1939–43 | Fibber McGee and Molly | Hiccuping Man |
| 1939–55 | The Jack Benny Program | Sy, Polly the Parrot, Mr. Finque, Nottingham, Train Announcer, Jack Benny's Maxwell, additional voices |
| 1941–43 | The Great Gildersleeve | Floyd Munson |
| 1942–47 | The Abbott and Costello Show | Himself, Botsford Twink, Scotty Brown |
| 1943–47 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | The Happy Postman |
| 1943–55 | The Judy Canova Show | Paw, Pedro, Roscoe E. Wortle |
| 1945 | The Life of Riley | Additional voices |
| 1945 | It's Time to Smile (The Eddie Cantor Show) | Additional voices |
| 1946–47 | The Mel Blanc Show | Himself, Dr. Christopher Crab, Zookie |
| 1955–56 | The Cisco Kid | Pan Pancho (replacing Harry Lang),[45] additional voices |
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937–1969 | Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical shorts | Numerous voices | Includes the Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Sylvester series |
| 1937–1939 | Krazy Kat theatrical shorts | Krazy Kat | (uncredited) |
| 1938–1939 | The Captain and the Kids theatrical shorts | John Silver | (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Gideon (hiccup) | (uncredited) |
| 1940–1941 | Woody Woodpecker theatrical shorts | Woody Woodpecker | (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Color Rhapsody theatrical shorts | Various Insects, Fox, Crow | (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Horton Hatches the Egg | Horton the Elephant (sneezing), Small Hunter, various characters | (uncredited) |
| 1943–1945 | Private Snafu WWII shorts | Private Snafu, Bugs Bunny, additional characters | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Jasper Goes Hunting | Bugs Bunny | Puppetoon; cameo (uncredited) |
| 1959–1965 | Loopy De Loop theatrical shorts | Crow, Braxton Bear, Skunk, Duck Hunter | He did the following shorts: Common Scents, Bear Hug, Trouble Bruin, Bear Knuckles, Crow's Fete. |
| 1962 | Gay Purr-ee | Bulldog | |
| 1963–1967 | Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts | Tom and Jerry's vocal effects | Directed by Chuck Jones |
| 1964 | Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! | Grifter Chizzling; Southern-accented bear on train; Mugger (grumbling sounds) | |
| 1966 | The Man Called Flintstone | Barney Rubble, Dino | |
| 1970 | The Phantom Tollbooth | Officer Short Shrift, The Dodecahedron, The Demon of Insincerity | |
| 1974 | Journey Back to Oz | Crow | |
| 1979 | The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, additional voices | Compilation film |
| 1979–1989 | Looney Tunes theatrical shorts and video shorts | Numerous voices | |
| 1981 | The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam, additional voices | Compilation film |
| 1982 | Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam, additional voices | Compilation film |
| 1983 | Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island | Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Tasmanian Devil, Bugs Bunny | Compilation film |
| 1986 | Heathcliff: The Movie | Heathcliff | |
| 1988 | Daffy Duck's Quackbusters | Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, additional voices | Compilation film |
| 1990 | Jetsons: The Movie | Cosmo Spacely | Released posthumously; dedicated in memory, character finished by Jeff Bergman |
| 1994 | The Flintstones | Dino | Archival recordings |
| 2000 | The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas | Dino | Archival recordings |
| 2003 | Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Gremlin Car | Archival recordings |
| 2011 | I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat | Sylvester, Tweety | Short film, archival recordings |
| 2012 | Daffy's Rhapsody | Daffy Duck | Short film, archival recordings |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–89 | The Bugs Bunny Show | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, additional voices | Compilation series |
| 1960–66 | The Flintstones | Barney Rubble, Dino, additional voices | |
| 1960 | Mister Magoo | Additional voices | 36 episodes |
| 1962–63; 1985–87 |
The Jetsons | Cosmo Spacely, additional voices | |
| 1962–63 | Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har | Hardy Har Har, additional voices | |
| 1963 | Wally Gator | Colonel Zachary Gator | 1 episode |
| 1964–66 | Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long | Droop-a-Long, additional voices | |
| 1964–66 | Breezly and Sneezly | Sneezly Seal | |
| 1965–67 | The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show | Secret Squirrel | |
| 1965–66 | Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt | Salty the Parrot | |
| 1969–71 | The Perils of Penelope Pitstop | Yak Yak, The Bully Brothers, Chug-A-Boom | |
| 1970 | Where's Huddles? | Bubba McCoy | |
| 1971–73 | The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show | Barney Rubble, additional voices | |
| 1972 | Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies | Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn | TV movie |
| 1972–73 | The Flintstone Comedy Hour | Barney Rubble, Dino, Zonk, Stub | |
| 1973 | Speed Buggy | Speed Buggy | |
| 1973 | The New Scooby-Doo Movies | Speed Buggy | Episode: "The Weird Winds of Winona" |
| 1973 | A Very Merry Cricket | Tucker R. Mouse, Alley Cat | TV special |
| 1975 | Yankee Doodle Cricket | Tucker R. Mouse, Rattlesnake, Bald Eagle | TV special |
| 1976 | Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig | TV special |
| 1977 | Bugs Bunny's Easter Special | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Sylvester, Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig | TV special |
| 1977 | Bugs Bunny in Space | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian | TV special |
| 1977–78 | Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics | Speed Buggy, Captain Caveman, Barney Rubble | |
| 1977–78 | Fred Flintstone and Friends | Barney Rubble, additional voices | |
| 1977–80 | Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels | Captain Caveman | |
| 1977 | A Flintstone Christmas | Barney Rubble, Dino | TV special |
| 1978 | The Flintstones: Little Big League | Barney Rubble | TV special |
| 1978 | How Bugs Bunny Won the West | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam | TV special |
| 1978 | A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck (as King Arthur), Yosemite Sam (as Merlin), Porky Pig (as Varlet), Elmer Fudd (as Sir Elmer of Fudde), Dragon, God | TV special |
| 1978 | Bugs Bunny's Howl-Oween Special | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Speedy Gonzales | TV special |
| 1978 | Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue | Barney Rubble, Dino | TV special |
| 1978–79 | Galaxy Goof-Ups | Quack-Up | |
| 1979 | Bugs Bunny's Valentine | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Cupid | TV special |
| 1979 | The Bugs Bunny Mother's Day Special | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Stork | TV special |
| 1979 | Fred and Barney Meet the Thing | Barney Rubble, Dino, additional voices | |
| 1979 | The New Fred and Barney Show | Barney Rubble, Dino, additional voices | |
| 1979–80 | Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo | Barney Rubble, Dino, additional voices | |
| 1979 | Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet | Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Tasmanian Devil | TV special |
| 1979 | Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales | Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam (as Scrooge), Porky Pig (as Bob Cratchit), Tweety (as Tiny Tim), Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Wile E. Coyote, Tasmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Santa Claus | TV special |
| 1980 | Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over | Bugs Bunny, Young Bugs Bunny, Young Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, Hugo, Wile E. Coyote | TV special |
| 1980 | Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-citement | Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales | TV special |
| 1980 | The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special | Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, Porky Pig | TV special |
| 1980 | 3-2-1 Contact | Twiki | 1 episode |
| 1980 | Daffy Duck's Thanks-For-Giving Special | Daffy Duck, Duck Dodgers, Porky Pig/Eager Young Space Cadet, Marvin the Martian, Gossamer | TV special |
| 1980 | The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling | Barney Rubble, Dino | TV special |
| 1980–82 | Heathcliff | Heathcliff | |
| 1980–82 | The Flintstone Comedy Show | Barney Rubble, Dino, Captain Caveman | |
| 1981 | Bugs Bunny: All American Hero | Bugs Bunny, Clyde Rabbit, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester | TV special |
| 1981 | The Flintstones: Jogging Fever | Barney Rubble | TV special |
| 1981 | The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma | Barney Rubble, Dino | TV special |
| 1981–82 | Trollkins | Additional voices | |
| 1982 | Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television | Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Pepé Le Pew | TV special |
| 1982 | Yogi Bear's All Star Comedy Christmas Caper | Barney Rubble, additional voices | TV special |
| 1982–84 | The Flintstone Funnies | Barney Rubble, Captain Caveman | |
| 1984–88 | Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats | Heathcliff | |
| 1986–88 | The Flintstone Kids | Dino, Robert Rubble, Captain Caveman, Piggy McGrabit | |
| 1986 | The Flintstones' 25th Anniversary Celebration | Barney Rubble | TV special |
| 1987 | The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones | Barney Rubble, Dino, Cosmo Spacely | TV movie |
| 1988 | Rockin' with Judy Jetson | Cosmo Spacely | TV movie |
| 1988 | Bugs vs. Daffy: Battle of the Music Video Stars | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Yosemite Sam, Pepe Le Pew, Sylvester | TV special |
| 1988 | Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toontown | Himself | TV special |
| 1989 | Bugs Bunny's Wild World of Sports | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Angus McCrory | TV special |
| 1989 | Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration | Barney Rubble and Dino | TV special; aired just seven days after his death |
| 1990 | Tiny Toons Adventures | Bugs Bunny | Episodes: "Prom-ise Her Anything", "Who Bopped Bugs Bunny?", archival recordings |
Video games
| Year | Game | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball | Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Tasmanian Devil | Pinball machine, archival recordings |
| 1999 | Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time | Pirate Yosemite Sam | Archival recordings |
Live-action
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Speaking of Animals theatrical shorts | Various animals (voices) | (uncredited)[46] |
| 1942 | Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book | Kaa (voice) | (uncredited)[47] |
| 1948 | Two Guys from Texas | Bugs Bunny (voice) | Animated cameo |
| 1949 | My Dream Is Yours | Bugs Bunny, Tweety (voices) | Animated cameos |
| 1949 | Neptune's Daughter | Pancho | |
| 1950 | Champagne for Caesar[48] | Caesar (parrot) | |
| 1950–65 | The Jack Benny Program | Professor LeBlanc, Sy, Department Store Clerk, Gas Station Man, Mr. Finque, additional characters | |
| 1952 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Various animals (voices) | (uncredited)[49] |
| 1959 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | Mr. Ziegler | Episode: "The Best Dressed Man" |
| 1961 | Snow White and the Three Stooges | Quinto the puppet (voice) | (uncredited)[50] |
| 1961 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | Over-eager date | Cameo |
| 1961 | Dennis the Menace | Leo Trinkle | Episode: "Miss Cathcart's Friend" |
| 1964 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Dick Burton | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Kiss Me, Stupid | Dr. Sheldrake | |
| 1964–66 | The Munsters | Cuckoo clock (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 1966 | The Monkees | Monkeemobile engine (voice) | 1 episode |
| 1974 | A Political Cartoon | Bugs Bunny (voice) | Cameo |
| 1979–81 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Twiki (voice) | |
| 1980 | Murder Can Hurt You | Chickie Baby (voice) | TV movie[51] |
| 1983 | Strange Brew | Father MacKenzie (voice) | |
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester (voices) | Cameos |
Discography
- Yah, Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree and I Tan't Wait Til Quithmuth Day (Capitol, 1950, Album CAS-3191)
- Clink, Clink, Another Drink (Bluebird, 1942)[45] as Drunk
- Bugs Bunny Stories for Children (Capitol, 1947)[52] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, additional voices
- The Woody Woodpecker Song (Capitol, 1948)[53] as Woody Woodpecker
- Bugs Bunny and the Tortoise (Capitol, 1948)[52] as Bugs Bunny, Cecil Turtle, Daffy Duck, Henery Hawk, additional voices
- That's All Folks! (Capitol, 1948)[52] as Porky Pig
- Won't You Ever Get Together With Me (Capitol, 1948)[52] as Tweety, Sylvester
- Bugs Bunny in Storyland (Capitol, 1949)[54] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Beaky Buzzard, Old King Cole, Fiddlers Three, Mary's Lamb, Bo Peep's Sheep, Big Bad Wolf
- Woody Woodpecker and His Talent Show (Capitol, 1949)[55] as Woody Woodpecker, Stanley Squirrel, Billy Goat, Plato Platypus, Fido, Happy Hedgehog, Harry Humbug
- Bugs Bunny Sings with Daffy Duck, Tweety Pie, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester (Capitol, 1950)[52] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Sylvester
- Bugs Bunny Meets Hiawatha (Capitol, 1950)[52] as Bugs Bunny
- Daffy Duck Meets Yosemite Sam (Capitol, 1950)[52] as Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam
- Tweety Pie (Capitol, 1950)[52] as Tweety, Sylvester
- Woody Woodpecker's Picnic (Capitol, 1951)[55] as Woody Woodpecker, Tommy Turtle, English Bulldog, German Shepherd, Irish Setter, Scotty
- Henery Hawk (Capitol, 1951)[52] as Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck
- Tweety's Puddy Tat Twouble (Capitol, 1951)[52] as Tweety, Sylvester
- Tweet, Tweet, Tweety (Capitol, 1952)[52] as Tweety, Sylvester
- Bugs Bunny and the Grow-Small Juice (Capitol, 1952)[52] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck
- Henery Hawk's Chicken Hunt (Capitol, 1952)[52] as Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, additional voices
- Bugs Bunny and Aladdin's Lamp (Capitol, 1952)[52] as Bugs Bunny, Genie
- Woody Woodpecker and the Scarecrow (Capitol, 1952)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Daffy Duck's Feathered Friend (Capitol, 1952)[56] as Daffy Duck
- Sylvester and Hippety Hopper (Capitol, 1952)[45] as Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., additional voices
- Woody Woodpecker and the Animal Crackers (Capitol, 1953)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Woody Woodpecker and the Lost Monkey (Capitol, 1953)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Bugs Bunny and Rabbit Seasoning (Capitol, 1953)[45] as Bugs Bunny
- Snowbound Tweety (Capitol, 1953)[45] as Tweety, Sylvester
- Woody Woodpecker and His Spaceship (Capitol, 1953)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Wild West Henery Hawk (Capitol, 1953)[45] as Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, additional voices
- Pied Piper Pussycat (Capitol, 1953)[52] as Sylvester, additional voices
- Daffy Duck's Duck Inn (Capitol, 1954)[45][57] as Daffy Duck, Dog
- Bugs Bunny and the Pirate (Capitol, 1954)[52] as Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam
- Woody Woodpecker and the Truth Tonic (Capitol, 1954)[53] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Tweety's Good Deed (Capitol, 1954)[52] as Tweety, Sylvester, additional voices
- Woody Woodpecker's Fairy Godmother (Capitol, 1955)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Woody Woodpecker in Mixed-Up Land (Capitol, 1955)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Woody Woodpecker Meets Davy Crockett (Capitol, 1955)[45] as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices
- Woody Woodpecker's Family Album (Decca, 1957)[58] as Pepito, Sailor, Malamute, Andy Panda, Fluten Bluten, Heinie the Hyena, Homer Pigeon, Cuckoo, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
- Bugs Bunny Songfest (Golden, 1961)[59] as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Henery Hawk, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Hippety Hopper, Foghorn Leghorn, Cicero Pig
- Speedy Gonzales (Dot, 1962) as Speedy Gonzales
- Magilla Gorilla and His Pals (Golden, 1964)[60] as Droop-A-Long
- The Flintstones: Flip Fables (Hanna-Barbera, 1965)[61] as Barney Rubble, Chubby, Tubby, Stubby, Landlord, Beowolfe
- The Flintstones: Hansel and Gretel (Hanna-Barbera, 1965)[61] as Barney Rubble, Hansel, Gretel, Strudelmeyer, Fang, Witch, Reporter
- Treasure Island Starring Sinbad, Jr. (Hanna-Barbera, 1965)[62] as Salty
- Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole in: Super Spy (Hanna-Barbera, 1965)[63] as Secret Squirrel, Tyrone
- The New Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (Hanna-Barbera, 1966)[64] as Barney Rubble, March Hare, Prosecuting Attorney/King's Son
- The Flintstones Meet the Orchestra Family (Sunset, 1968)[65] as Barney Rubble
- The New Adventures of Bugs Bunny (Peter Pan, 1973)[54] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Petunia Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Pablo, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, additional voices
- Four More Adventures of Bugs Bunny (Peter Pan, 1974)[54] as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Petunia Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Granny, additional voices
- Holly Daze (Peter Pan, 1974)[66] as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Granny, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Junior, Santa Claus, Narrator, Radio Announcer
- Looney Tunes Learn About Numbers (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986)[67] as Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, additional voices
- Looney Tunes Learn About The Alphabet (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986)[67] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, additional voices
- Looney Tunes Learn About Going To School (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986)[67] as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., Tweety, additional voices
- Looney Tunes Learn About Sing-Along Songs (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986)[67] as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, additional voices
- Looney Tunes Learn About Colors (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986)[67] as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, additional voices
- Looney Tunes Learn About Shapes and Sizes (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986)[67] as Bugs Bunny, Cecil Turtle, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, additional voices
References
- "Inkpot Award". Comic-con.org. December 6, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- "Blanc". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- "Blanc". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- Flint, Peter B. (July 11, 1989). "Mel Blanc, Who Provided Voices For 3,000 Cartoons, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
Mel Blanc, the versatile, multi-voiced actor who breathed life into such cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Pie, Sylvester and the Road Runner, died of heart disease and emphysema yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 81 years old.
- "Mel Blanc". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- Harmetz, Aljean (November 24, 1988). "Man of a Thousand Voices, Speaking Literally". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
- "Mel Blanc's bio at Ochcom.org". Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- "Rifka "Eva" H. Blanc (Katz) (1880 - 1956)". Geni.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- Mintun, Peter (April 13, 1993) "Look Back to the Upper Fillmore" The Fillmore Museum
- "Mel Blanc". pdxhistory.com. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- DeMolay International. "DeMolay Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- Blanc, Mel; Bashe, Philip (1989). That's Not All, Folks!. Clayton South, VIC, Australia: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-51244-3.
- Mills, Betty (August 7, 1942). "57 Variety Blanc" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 27. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- Barrier, Michael (2003), Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-516729-0
- Adamson, Joe (1990). Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 978-0-8050-1190-6
- Lawson, Tim; Alisa Persons (2004). The Magic Behind The Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors. University Press of Mississippi. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-5780-6696-4.
- "Did Mel Blanc hate carrots?" A Straight Dope column by Science Advisory Board Member Rico November 4, 2008 (accessed November 20, 2008)
- No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio, Pinocchio DVD, 2009
- "Situation Normal All Fouled Up: A History of Private Snafu". Misce-Looney-Ous. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- Scott, Keith (September 13, 2016). "Mel Blanc: From Anonymity To Offscreen Superstar (The advent of on-screen voice credits)". Cartoon Research. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- "Mel Blanc: filmography". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- "Bugs Bunny's High-Fructose Christmas Record". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- "Mel Blanc, Man of Many Voices, Badly Injured". The Terre Haute Tribune. United Press International. January 25, 1961. p. 5. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- Blanc, Mel; Philip Bashe (1988). That's Not All, Folks!. Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-4465-1244-2.
- Horowitz, Daniel (November 6, 2012). "What's Up, Doc?". Radiolab. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
- Rix, Kate (May 6, 2013). "The Strange Day When Bugs Bunny Saved the Life of Mel Blanc". OpenCulture.com.
- Craig, Paul (September 4, 1988). "Blanc laments lack of cartoon quality". Anchorage Daily News. Mcclatchy News Service. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- "Mel Blanc Is Back at Work". The Vernon Daily Record. Associated Press. November 24, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved December 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Ounce of prevention". Charles S. Morgan Technical Library. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- Beck, Jerry. The Animated Movie Guide (2005).
- Blanc, Mel (1988). That's Not All Folks!. Warner Books. pp. 228, 252. ISBN 0-446-51244-3.
- "Blanc Communications Corporation, California, US". Open Corporates. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- "Blanc Communications Corporation official site". Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- Harmetz, Aljean (November 27, 1988). "Mel Blanc: His Voice Is His Fortune". Sun-Sentinel. Ft. Lauderdale. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- Feldman, Paul (July 11, 1989). "Mel Blanc Dies; Gave Voice to Cartoon World". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016.
- Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3 ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.
- "Grave Hunter finds Mel Blanc burial place". Gravehunter.net.
- Thomas, Nick (October 14, 2011). Raised by the Stars: Interviews with 29 Children of Hollywood Actors. McFarland. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-7864-8807-0.
- Horvath, Suzanne V. (October 13, 1946). "Look Who's Talking!". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 9. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- "Legacy dot com on Mel Blanc". Legacy.com. May 30, 2013.
- "More 3D Looney Tunes Shorts On The Way". ComingSoon.net. June 8, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- Vary, Adam B. (November 14, 2011). "Looney Tunes short with Tweety Bird, Sylvester - EXCLUSIVE CLIP". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- "Bugs Bunny". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- That's Still Not All Folks! 2009, by Joe Alaskey, page 96 ISBN 978-1593931124
- Ohmart, Ben; Mitchell, Walt (2012). Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices. Bearmanor Media. ISBN 978-1593937881.
- DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Speaking Of Animals Theatrical Series -Paramount Pictures @ BCDB". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- "A MEL BLANC DISCOVERY". Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy. February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- "Champagne for Caesar (1950): Full Credits". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES (1961)". threestooges.net. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- "Chickie Baby". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Capitol Records Discography, 1946-1954". Web.archive.org, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Walter Lantz Capitol Records Discography". Web.archive.org, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- ""Bugs Bunny in Storyland": The Good, The Bad, and the Bugs". Carttonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "A Birthday Look at Mel Blanc's Woody Woodpecker Records". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Daffy Duck's Feathered Friend". Discogs.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Bugs Bunny and His Friends on Capitol Records". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Woody Woodpecker on Records". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Golden Records' "Bugs Bunny Songfest" (1961)". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Hanna Barbera's "Magilla Gorilla" on the Record". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- "Flintstone Bedtime Stories". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- "Sam Singer and Hanna-Barbera's "Sinbad Jr." on Records". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- "Hanna-Barbera's "Secret Squirrel" on Records". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- "The Day "Alice" Fell Through Her TV: The 1966 HB Special". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- ""The Flintstones' Meet The Orchestra Family" (1968)". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- "Bugs Bunny's High-Fructose Christmas Record". Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- "Mel Blanc Presents Listening and Learning with Bugs & Friends |". Cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
External links
- Mel Blanc at IMDb
- Mel Blanc at the TCM Movie Database
- Mel Blanc discography at Discogs
- The Mel Blanc Show at the Internet Archive
- Toonopedia article about Mel Blanc
- 40 MP3 downloads of The Mel Blanc Show
- The Mel Blanc Show on Outlaws Old Time Radio
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