Mel Blanc
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Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) 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 Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...
, Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, The Great Gildersleeve,
Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...
, and his own short-lived sitcom. However, he became known worldwide for his work in the
Golden Age of American Animation The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the late 1960s, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the ...
as the voices of
Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...
, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and numerous other characters from the ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...
'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoons. He later voiced characters for
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
's television cartoons, including
Barney Rubble Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next ...
and Dino on '' The Flintstones'',
Mr. Spacely The following is a list of major characters in ''The Jetsons'', an American animated comic science fiction sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first broadcast in prime-time on ABC as part of the 1962–63 United States network tele ...
on '' The Jetsons'', Secret Squirrel on '' Secret Squirrel'', and Captain Caveman on ''
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels ''Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels'' is an American animated mystery comedy series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC. The series aired during the network's Saturday morning schedule from ...
''. Referred to as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", he is regarded as one of the most influential people in the
voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talen ...
industry, and as one of the greatest voice actors of all time.


Early life

Blanc was born on May 30, 1908 in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, to Eva (née Katz), a
Lithuanian Jewish Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent ...
immigrant, and Frederick Blank (born in New York to
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
Jewish parents), the younger of two children. He grew up in San Francisco's
Western Addition The Western Addition is a district in San Francisco, California, United States. Location The Western Addition is located between Van Ness Avenue, the Richmond District, the Haight-Ashbury and Lower Haight neighborhoods, and Pacific Heights. T ...
neighborhood, and later in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
, where he attended Lincoln High School. 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. 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 Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
shows around Washington, Oregon and northern California.


Career


Radio work

Blanc began his radio career at the age of 19 in 1927, when he made his acting debut on the
KGW KGW (channel 8) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city' ...
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 Key exchange (also key establishment) is a method in cryptography by which cryptographic keys are exchanged between two parties, allowing use of a cryptographic algorithm. If the sender and receiver wish to exchange encrypted messages, each m ...
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. File:Private Snafu - Booby Traps.ogv, Private SNAFU File:Wabbitwhocametosupper.jpg,
The Wabbit Who Came To Supper ''The Wabbit Who Came to Supper'' is a 1942 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. It was released on March 28, 1942, and directed by Friz Freleng. Plot Elmer's hunting dogs have Bugs cornered when Elmer receives a teleg ...
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 Maxwell was an American automobile manufacturer which ran from about 1904 to 1925. The present-day successor to the Maxwell company was Chrysler (currently, "Stellantis North America"), which acquired the company in 1925. History Maxwell-Briscoe ...
(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. 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 in over fifty-seven voices, dialects, and intricate sound effects", 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 ''The Mel Blanc Show'' was a radio situation comedy in the United States. It was broadcast on CBS from September 3, 1946 to June 24, 1947. Format Although Mel Blanc "did countless character impersonations on other radio programs, as well as being ...
'', 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 Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...
became music director, Brown introduced Blanc to animation directors
Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...
,
Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...
,
Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...
, and
Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator, cartoonist, children's writer, illustrator, screenwriter, and film director. He was best k ...
, who loved his voices. The first cartoon Blanc worked on was ''Picador Porky'' (1937) as the voice of a drunken bull. He soon after received his first starring role when he replaced Joe Dougherty as Porky Pig's voice in ''
Porky's Duck Hunt ''Porky's Duck Hunt'' is a 1937 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Tex Avery. The cartoon was released on April 17, 1937, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance. Plot ...
'', 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),Adamson, Joe (1990). ''Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare''. New York: Henry Holt. 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. In
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
'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 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as ...
''), so all of Blanc's recorded dialogue was deleted except for a solitary hiccup, which was heard three times in the finished film. Blanc also originated the voice and laugh of Woody Woodpecker for the theatrical cartoons produced by Walter Lantz for
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
, 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 Grace Lantz ( Boyle, November 7, 1903 – March 17, 1992), also known by her stage name Grace Stafford, was an American actress and the wife of animation producer Walter Lantz. Stafford is best known for providing the voice of Woody Woodpecker, ...
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. 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. 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. 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 ''Baby Bottleneck'' is a 1946 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and written by Warren Foster. The cartoon was released on March 16, 1946, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Tweety makes a cameo appearance in the fil ...
'' 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.


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 Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
; his roles during this time included
Barney Rubble Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next ...
of '' The Flintstones'' and Cosmo Spacely of ''The Jetsons''. His other voice roles for Hanna-Barbera included Dino the Dinosaur, Secret Squirrel,
Speed Buggy ''Speed Buggy'' is an American animated television series, produced by Hanna-Barbera, which originally aired for one season on CBS from September 8, 1973, to December 22, 1973. With the voices of Mel Blanc, Michael Bell, Arlene Golonka, and Ph ...
, and Captain Caveman, as well as voices for '' Wally Gator'' and ''
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop ''The Perils of Penelope Pitstop'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969. The show ran for one season with a total of 17 half-hour episodes, the last first-run e ...
''. 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 ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the ...
'' 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 Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...
, 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 ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 1969 ...
'', as well as in numerous animated advertisements and several compilation features, such as ''
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie ''The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie'' is a 1979 American animated comedy package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of a compilation of classic '' Looney Tunes/ Merrie Melodies'' shorts and newly animated bridging sequences hosted by Bugs ...
'' (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, and replaced the late Arthur Q. Bryan as
Elmer Fudd Elmer J.'' Hare Brush'' (1956) Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon panthe ...
'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 A head-on collision is a traffic collision where the front ends of two vehicles such as cars, trains, ships or planes hit each other when travelling in opposite directions, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision. Rail transpor ...
on
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
; his legs and his pelvis were fractured as a result. 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?" The doctor then asked
Tweety Tweety is a yellow canary in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being an English onomatopoeia for t ...
if he was there, too. "I tawt I taw a puddy tat", was the reply. 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 Dead Man's Curve is an American nickname for a curve in a road that has claimed lives because of numerous crashes. Examples * A curve on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles memorialized in the hit song " Dead Man's Curve" by Jan and Dean. The song ...
, 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 Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include "St. George and the Dragonet" ...
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 Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next ...
in '' The Flintstones''. His absence from the show was relatively brief;
Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry H ...
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. He returned to ''The Jack Benny Program'' to film the program's 1961 Christmas show, moving around by crutches and a wheelchair.


Later years

In the 1970s, Blanc gave a series of college lectures across the US and appeared in commercials for
American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation specialized in payment card industry, payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Man ...
. 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. 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 Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie'' is a 1979 American animated comedy package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of a compilation of classic '' Looney Tunes/ Merrie Melodies'' shorts and newly animated bridging sequences hosted by Bugs ...
'', '' The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'', '' Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'', ''
Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island ''Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island'' (also known as ''Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island'') is a 1983 ''Looney Tunes'' traditionally animated compilation film directed by Friz Freleng and Phil Monroe with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. ca ...
'', 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 Bob and Doug McKenzie are a pair of fictional Canadian brothers who hosted "Great White North", a Sketch comedy, sketch which was introduced on ''Second City Television, SCTV'' for the show's third season when it moved to CBC Television in 1980 ...
, at the request of comedian Rick Moranis. In the live-action/animated movie ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...
'' (1988), Blanc reprised several of his roles from Warner Bros. cartoons (Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Tweety, and
Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented ...
), but left
Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park. He is an adversary of Bugs ...
to
Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his de ...
(who later became one of Blanc's regular replacements until his death in 2016). The film was one of the few
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
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). On January 29, 1962, Mel and his son Noel formed Blanc Communications Corporation, a media company which produced over 5000 public service announcements and commercials, which remains in operation. Mel and Noel appeared with many stars, including
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...
,
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...
,
Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...
, Phyllis Diller,
Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...
, and
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
.


Personal life

Blanc and his wife Estelle Rosenbaum were married on January 4, 1933, and remained married until his death in 1989. Their son, Noel Blanc, was also a voice actor.


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 Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alv ...
. On May 19, 1989, his family checked him into
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...
in Los Angeles when they noticed he had a bad cough while shooting a commercial. He was originally expected to recover, but when his health worsened, doctors discovered he had advanced
coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pl ...
. After nearly two months in hospital, Blanc died on July 10, 1989 at Cedars-Sinai of complications from both illnesses. He was 81. He is interred in
Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...
section 13, Pinewood section, plot #149 in Hollywood. His will specified that his gravestone read ""—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. He was the first voice actor to receive on-screen credit. 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 Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...
observed, "It is astounding to realize that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam are the same man!" Blanc said that Sylvester the Cat was the easiest character for him to voice, because " e'sjust my normal speaking voice with a spray at the end"; and that Yosemite Sam was the hardest, because of his loudness and raspyness. 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 Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...
. 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 ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'' (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 Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...
-animated "Looney Tunes" theatrical shorts; ''
I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat ''I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat'' is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated ''Looney Tunes'' short film featuring the characters Tweety, Sylvester, and Granny. It is an adaptation of the 1950 song " I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" sung by Mel Blanc. It fea ...
'' (shown with '' Happy Feet Two'') and '' Daffy's Rhapsody'' (shown with '' Journey 2: The Mysterious Island''). For his contributions to the radio industry, Blanc has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
at 6385
Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...
. His character Bugs Bunny was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 10, 1985. 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, and employed multiple new voice actors to fill the roles in the 1990s, including Noel Blanc,
Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with '' Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera. Bergman was the first to rep ...
,
Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his de ...
and
Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained b ...
.


Filmography


Radio


Film


Television


Video games


Live-action


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 The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...
, 1942) as Drunk *''Bugs Bunny Stories for Children'' ( Capitol, 1947)"Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Capitol Records Discography, 1946-1954"
Web.archive.org, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, additional voices *''The Woody Woodpecker Song'' (Capitol, 1948)
Web.archive.org, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
as Woody Woodpecker *''Bugs Bunny and the Tortoise'' (Capitol, 1948) as Bugs Bunny, Cecil Turtle, Daffy Duck, Henery Hawk, additional voices *''That's All Folks!'' (Capitol, 1948) as Porky Pig *''Won't You Ever Get Together With Me'' (Capitol, 1948) as Tweety, Sylvester *''Bugs Bunny in Storyland'' (Capitol, 1949)""Bugs Bunny in Storyland": The Good, The Bad, and the Bugs"
Carttonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
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)"A Birthday Look at Mel Blanc's Woody Woodpecker Records"
Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
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) as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Sylvester *''Bugs Bunny Meets Hiawatha'' (Capitol, 1950) as Bugs Bunny *''Daffy Duck Meets Yosemite Sam'' (Capitol, 1950) as Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam *''Tweety Pie'' (Capitol, 1950) as Tweety, Sylvester *''Woody Woodpecker's Picnic'' (Capitol, 1951) as Woody Woodpecker, Tommy Turtle, English Bulldog, German Shepherd, Irish Setter, Scotty *''Henery Hawk'' (Capitol, 1951) as Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck *''Tweety's Puddy Tat Twouble'' (Capitol, 1951) as Tweety, Sylvester *''Tweet, Tweet, Tweety'' (Capitol, 1952) as Tweety, Sylvester *''Bugs Bunny and the Grow-Small Juice'' (Capitol, 1952) as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck *''Henery Hawk's Chicken Hunt'' (Capitol, 1952) as Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, additional voices *''Bugs Bunny and Aladdin's Lamp'' (Capitol, 1952) as Bugs Bunny, Genie *''Woody Woodpecker and the Scarecrow'' (Capitol, 1952) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Daffy Duck's Feathered Friend'' (Capitol, 1952) as Daffy Duck *''Sylvester and Hippety Hopper'' (Capitol, 1952) as Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., additional voices *''Woody Woodpecker and the Animal Crackers'' (Capitol, 1953) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Woody Woodpecker and the Lost Monkey'' (Capitol, 1953) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Bugs Bunny and Rabbit Seasoning'' (Capitol, 1953) as Bugs Bunny *''Snowbound Tweety'' (Capitol, 1953) as Tweety, Sylvester *''Woody Woodpecker and His Spaceship'' (Capitol, 1953) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Wild West Henery Hawk'' (Capitol, 1953) as Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, additional voices *''Pied Piper Pussycat'' (Capitol, 1953) as Sylvester, additional voices *''Daffy Duck's Duck Inn'' (Capitol, 1954) as Daffy Duck, Dog *''Bugs Bunny and the Pirate'' (Capitol, 1954) as Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam *''Woody Woodpecker and the Truth Tonic'' (Capitol, 1954) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Tweety's Good Deed'' (Capitol, 1954) as Tweety, Sylvester, additional voices *''Woody Woodpecker's Fairy Godmother'' (Capitol, 1955) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Woody Woodpecker in Mixed-Up Land'' (Capitol, 1955) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Woody Woodpecker Meets Davy Crockett'' (Capitol, 1955) as Woody Woodpecker, additional voices *''Woody Woodpecker's Family Album'' (
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...
, 1957) as Pepito, Sailor, Malamute,
Andy Panda Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947, and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titl ...
, Fluten Bluten, Heinie the Hyena, Homer Pigeon, Cuckoo, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit *''Bugs Bunny Songfest'' ( Golden, 1961) as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Henery Hawk, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Hippety Hopper, Foghorn Leghorn, Cicero Pig *''
Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...
'' ( Dot, 1962) as Speedy Gonzales *''Magilla Gorilla and His Pals'' (Golden, 1964) as Droop-A-Long *''The Flintstones: Flip Fables'' (Hanna-Barbera, 1965)"Flintstone Bedtime Stories"
Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-14.
as Barney Rubble, Chubby, Tubby, Stubby, Landlord, Beowolfe *''The Flintstones: Hansel and Gretel'' (Hanna-Barbera, 1965) as Barney Rubble, Hansel, Gretel, Strudelmeyer, Fang, Witch, Reporter *''Treasure Island Starring Sinbad, Jr.'' (Hanna-Barbera, 1965) as Salty *''Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole in: Super Spy'' (Hanna-Barbera, 1965) 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) as Barney Rubble, March Hare, Prosecuting Attorney/King's Son *''The Flintstones Meet the Orchestra Family'' (
Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spr ...
, 1968) as Barney Rubble *''The New Adventures of Bugs Bunny'' (
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...
, 1973) 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) as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Petunia Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Granny, additional voices *''Holly Daze'' (Peter Pan, 1974)"Bugs Bunny's High-Fructose Christmas Record"
Cartoonresearch.com, Retrieved 2019-10-09.
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) as Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, additional voices *''Looney Tunes Learn About The Alphabet'' (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986) as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, additional voices *''Looney Tunes Learn About Going To School'' (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986) as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., Tweety, additional voices *''Looney Tunes Learn About Sing-Along Songs'' (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986) as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, additional voices *''Looney Tunes Learn About Colors'' (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986) as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, additional voices *''Looney Tunes Learn About Shapes and Sizes'' (Warner Audio Publishing, 1986) as Bugs Bunny, Cecil Turtle, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, additional voices


References


Bibliography

* ''That's Not All, Folks!'', 1988 by Mel Blanc, Philip Bashe. Warner Books, (Softcover), (Hardcover) * Terrace, Vincent. ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999.


External links

* * * *


40 MP3 downloads of The Mel Blanc Show

The Mel Blanc Show on Outlaws Old Time Radio
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