Mel Blanc: Man of a Thousand Voices
Can you believe he (Bugs Bunny's voice) was allergic to raw carrots? Read more here :)
Greetings,
If Mel Blanc were still with us today, he'd be 98 years old :)
Mel Blanc was and continues to be one of the most influential character voice actors inspiring voice actors everywhere.
Mel found his niche as a character voice actor and was a glistening gem in the Hollywood Golden Age of animated cartoons.
Working with Warner Brothers, starting out in 1936, Mel voiced infamous characters such as Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and many others.
His natural voice was that of Sylvester the cat but without the lispy spray for the Hanna Barbera studios during his career with their company in the 1960s. Who could forget the line "Suffering Succotash"?!
Did you know that Mel was the voice of Barney Rubble on the Flintstones and Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons, too?
If you'd like to read a really great mini biography about Mel Blanc and his creative achievements, click on this link.
You'll find out tidbits about his life and learn interesting trivia about Mel Blanc, including the ironic fact that he was allergic to raw carrots!
"That's All Folks!"
Best wishes,
Stephanie
Melvin Jerome Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989)
P.S. Do you have a favorite Mel Blanc character voice? Leave a comment!
Comments
Everything put a side, Mel Blanc and his wacky world of wonderful character voices was an ispiration to me and my desire to get into character voices.
My favorite, hands down voice of Mel's is, without question, "Sylvester".
I have watched and listened to him since I was a child. Sylvester to me is a funny, witty, sly (in a good way) bad 'ole puddy tat! He made me laugh with his mischievious character.
I believe I have mastered the voice of Sylvester (no offence, Mel) and it's one of my favourite voices to do. Thanks Mel for all your voices! On with the show!
Blair
Posted by: Blair | June 21, 2006 8:45 PM
There is probably nothing more fun for me than a character voice over!
Like Blair, Mel's stable of voices were characters I've mimicked my entire life and continue to give me a level of creativity to strive for.
It's frustrating, though to try and come up with unique character voices. One way or another, they all seem to take root in a Mel Blanc character! But I suppose if I have to work in someone's shadow, I could do a lot worse than Mel Blanc...
Eric Gusky
www.voiceovertogo.com
Posted by: Eric Gusky | July 31, 2006 5:32 PM
I grew up during the late 50s & early 60s and of course enjoyed cartoons. All those Disney and Hana Barbara cartoons brought me and my buddies a lot of joy. We watched them on TV on Saturdays (no color tv in those days). And we would also see them in between movies on Canal Street in New Orleans.
As a kid I never thought much about the name Mel Blanc that appeared in the credits at the beginning of each cartoon. I was to anxious for the cartoon. When I was in my early teens (still an avid cartoon watcher), some friends and I saw Mel Blanc interviewed on some tv show. We were amazed. He did most of those voices during the interview. Our eyes were glued to the screen as he told about his life. None of us said a word. We were smart enough to realize how talented he was.
He seemed like a very nice man and we had a great deal of respect for him because of that interview, although we never met him. That was a long time ago. He made a lot of people happy.
Posted by: Todd | July 28, 2007 7:58 PM