History Creator / MelBlanc

Needless to say, Blanc is a ''legend'' among voice actors and fans. His voice work is considered the milestone that marks the Golden Age of animated comedy, and his characters' catchphrases are ''still'' remembered nearly a half-century later. Blanc died in 1989 after falling out of a hospital bed, that didn't have any guardrails and to this day it seems not many voice actors, if any at all, can really match his wide range. To stress the point, Warner Bros. now has a whole ''staff'' of voice actors to cover what was once done by a single man.

* Bob and Doug [=McKenzie=]'s father (who is TheFaceless - he provides the voice only) in ''Film/StrangeBrew''. According to Creator/RickMoranis, he and Dave Thomas wanted Blanc for the role from the beginning, but the producer balked when Blanc's agent informed him that his client's fee was ''$10,000 an hour''. Moranis and Thomas eventually got around it by hiring Blanc ''for one hour'' to read through all his lines.

Some of his roles include:

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Daffy Duck]] - Basically, this was just his voice for Sylvester the Cat sped up.

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Elmer Fudd]] - Actually, Mel Blanc was '''not''' the regular voice of Elmer Fudd. Elmer was voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan, who was just about the only actor besides Blanc, Foray, and Bea Benederet to meaningfully contribute to the Looney Tunes canon during the Golden Age.[[note]] After Bryan's death in 1959, Hal Smith – better known for voicing Owl in ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' and Glomgold & Gyro Gearloose in ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales}} – voiced Elmer in two shorts, but Elmer was retired as a character thereafter.[[/note]]

Mel was notable for his refusal to do imitations -- he was very reluctant to takeover the voice of Elmer Fudd after Arthur Q. Bryan passed way, but did so since no other suitable replacement could be found (which is why Elmer is not on the "Speechless" Lithograph). When he was cast as Barney Rubble for "WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones" he rubuffed Creator/HannaBarbera 's request for him to imitate Ed Norton, what he gave them was a voice similar to Norton's but not an exact imitation.

Needless to say, Blanc is a ''legend'' among voice actors and fans. His voice work is considered the milestone that marks the Golden Age of animated comedy, and his characters' catchphrases are ''still'' remembered nearly a half-century later. Blanc died in 1989 after falling out of a hospital bed, that didn't have any guardrails and to this day it seems not many voice actors, if any at all, can really match his wide range. Warner Bros. now has a whole ''staff'' of voice actors to cover what was once done by a single man.

Needless to say, Blanc is a ''legend'' among voice actors and fans. His voice work is considered the milestone that marks the Golden Age of animated comedy, and his characters' catchphrases are ''still'' remembered nearly a half-century later. Blanc died in 1989 (presumably from [[{{Workaholic}} exhaustion]]) and to this day it seems not many voice actors, if any at all, can really match his wide range. Warner Bros. now has a whole ''staff'' of voice actors to cover what was once done by a single man.

Originally working in commercials and radio, Blanc decided he wanted voice cartoons too. For two years straight he would make a biweekly trip to the Leon Schlesinger studios -- who produced cartoons fro Creator/WarnerBros in the late [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1930s]] only to be rebuffed by the head of the sound effects department, who thought they didn't need anymore voice actors and couldn't even be bothered to listen to Mel. Luckily he died and his replacement, Treg Brown did agree to hear Mel. He was impressed and had him perform in front of the directors. They too were impressed and then one of them asked Mel if he could do a voice for a drunken bull -- Mel did it and he was hired on the spot, and the rest is history.

Mel was notable for his refusal to do imitations -- he was very reluctant to do the voice of Elmer Fudd after Arthur Q. Bryan passed way, but did so until other voice actor could be found -- the role was eventually taken over by Hal Smith (which is why Elmer is not on the "Speechless" Lithograph). When he was cast as Barney Rubble for "WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones" he rubuffed Creator/HannaBarbera 's request for him to imitate Ed Norton, what he gave them was a voice similar to Norton's but not an exact imitation.

Mel was notable for his refusal to do imitations -- he was very reluctant to do the voice of Elmer Fudd after Arthur Q. Bryan passed way (which is why Elmer is not on the "Speechless" Lithograph). When he was cast as Barney Rubble for "WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones" he rubuffed Creator/HannaBarbera 's request for him to imitate Ed Norton, what he gave them was a voice similar to Norton's but not an exact imitation.

Blanc's work was not just limited to cartoons; when he wasn't recording the voice of Bugs Bunny he could be found working on many classic radio programs -- like the Happy Postman on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show". But his most famous radio work was on "Radio/TheJackBennyProgram" where he played scores of characters -- Jack's long suffering violin teacher Professor [=LeBlan=], Jack's Maxwell car, amongst others. At the height of Mel's popularity brought on by now having screen credit for his cartoon work, he was given his own show on CBS, ''The Mel Blanc Show'' where he played himself as the fumbling owner of a fix-it shop. Sadly the program didn't play to Mel's comic strengths and only lasted one season.

His wide range of work gave him the cool nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices", hence he is the TropeNamer (it should be noted that this is an exaggeration; he admitted in his autobiography that he'd done around 850 voices which is still very high, but not 1000). Despite his propensity for driving a hard bargain, especially later in his career, he was known for being affable and easy to work with once was actually in the studio. He had a fair amount of respect for his contemporary – and the only other ''Looney Tunes'' actor to regularly receive a screen credit – Creator/JuneForay (though Creator/ChuckJones held Foray in higher esteem and never hesitated to say so).

Blanc's work was not just limited to cartoons; when he wasn't recording the voice of Bugs Bunny he could be found working on many classic radio programs -- like the Happy Postman on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show". But his most famous radio work was on "Radio/TheJackBennyProgram" where he played scores of characters -- Jack's long suffering violin teacher Professor [=LeBlan=], Jack's Maxwell car, amongst others. At the height of Mel's popularity brought on by now having screen credit for his cartoon work, he was given his own show on CBS, ''The Mel Blanc Show'', where he played himself as the fumbling owner of a fix-it shop. Sadly the program didn't play to Mel's strength and only lasted one season.

[[quoteright:223:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blanc_8732.jpeg]]

His wide range of work gave him the cool nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices", hence he is the TropeNamer (it should be noted that this is an exaggeration; he admitted in his autobiography that he'd done around 850 voices [which is still very high, but not 1000]). Despite his propensity for driving a hard bargain, especially later in his career, he was known for being affable and easy to work with once was actually in the studio. He had a fair amount of respect for his contemporary – and the only other ''Looney Tunes'' actor to regularly receive a screen credit – Creator/JuneForay (though Creator/ChuckJones held Foray in higher esteem and never hesitated to say so).

Blanc's work was not just limited to cartoons; when he wasn't recording the voice of Bugs Bunny he could be found working on many classic radio programs -- just as the Happy Postman on the Burns and Allen show. But his most famous radio work was on "Radio/TheJackBennyProgram" where he played scores of characters -- Jack's long suffering violin teacher Professor LeBlanc, Jack's Maxwell car, amongst others. At the height of Mel's popularity brought on by now having screen credit, he was given his own show on CBS, ''The Mel Blanc Show'', where he played himself as the fumbling owner of a fix-it shop. Sadly the program didn't play to Mel's strength and only lasted one season.

Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc (May 30, 1908 -- July 10, 1989), a.k.a. "The ManOfAThousandVoices", was one of the most prolific voice actors of all time, as well as one of the best. Originally working in commercials and radio shows, Blanc decided he wanted voice cartoons too. For two years straight he would make a biweekly trip to the Leon Schlesinger studios -- who produced cartoons fro Creator/WarnerBros in the late [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1930s]] only to be rebuffed by the head of the sound effects department, who thought they didn't need anymore voice actors and couldn't even be bothered to listen to Mel. Luckily he died and his replacement, Treg Brown did agree to hear Mel. He was impressed and had him perform in front of the directors. They too were impressed and then one of them asked Mel if he could do a voice for a drunken bull -- Mel did it and he was hired on the spot, and the rest is history.

Blanc is most notable for voicing most of the cast of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' (among other cartoons), which frequently saw him TalkingToHimself. What's amazing is that most people probably wouldn't be able to tell that most, if not ''all'', of the characters in each ''Looney Tunes'' short were being done by the same guy (Creator/LeonardMaltin once put his talent into perspective by marveling that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam were the ''same man''). He was ''that'' good. It even got to the point that his knack for doing many voices was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the Porky Pig short ''Curtain Razor''. He was also one of the only voice actors in his day to ever get a credit for his work in any theatrical shorts (which led to a variant of MisattributedSong when voices done by Creator/DawsButler, Creator/StanFreberg, or Arthur Q. Bryan were also assumed to be Blanc).

His wide range of work gave him the cool nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices", hence he is the TropeNamer (it should be noted that this is an exaggeration; he admitted in his autobiography that he'd done around 850 voices [which is still very high, but not 1000]). Despite his propensity for driving a hard bargain, especially later in his career, he was known for being affable and easy to work with once was actually in the studio. He had a fair amount of respect for his contemporary – and the only other ''Looney Tunes'' actor to regularly receive a screen credit – Creator/JuneForay (though Creator/ChuckJones held Foray in higher esteem and never hesitated to say so).

Needless to say, Blanc is a ''legend'' among voice actors and fans. His voice work is considered the milestone that marks the Golden Age of animated comedy, and his characters' catchphrases are ''still'' remembered nearly a half-century later. It ought to also be remembered that Blanc essentially won voice actors the honor of being credited cast members. He had become so indispensable to Leon Schlesinger's studio that the only way the cheapskate could avoid giving into Blanc's demands for a raise was to guarantee him sole on-screen credit as a voice actor, which gave Blanc the notability to be sought after for work by name. Later, other voice actors followed suit, and within a few years it was unthinkable to not credit a voice actor.

Blanc died in 1989 (presumably from [[{{Workaholic}} exhaustion]]) and to this day it seems not many voice actors, if any at all, can really match his wide range. Warner Bros. now has a whole ''staff'' of voice actors to cover what was once done by a single man. Some of his roles include:

Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc (May 30, 1908 -- July 10, 1989), a.k.a. "The ManOfAThousandVoices", was one of the most prolific voice actors of all time, as well as one of the best. Originally working in commercials and radio shows, Blanc was hired by Creator/WarnerBros in the late [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1930s]] to do voices for cartoons. And the rest is history.

* ''Film/KissMeStupid'' as Dr. Sheldrake, worth mentioning because ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' was not a cartoon but a live-action feature, and just about the only time Blanc appeared in an onscreen acting role rather than supplying a voice.

* Mr. Postman from the George Burns and Gracie Allen radio show

Blanc is most notable for voicing most of the cast of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' (among other cartoons), which frequently saw him TalkingToHimself. What's amazing is that most people probably wouldn't be able to tell that most, if not ''all'', of the characters in each ''Looney Tunes'' short were being done by the same guy (Leonard Maltin once put his talent into perspective by marveling that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam were the ''same man''). He was ''that'' good. It even got to the point that his knack for doing many voices was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the Porky Pig short ''Curtain Razor''. He was also one of the only voice actors in his day to ever get a credit for his work in any theatrical shorts (which led to a variant of MisattributedSong when voices done by Creator/DawsButler, Creator/StanFreberg, or Arthur Q. Bryan were also assumed to be Blanc).

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Sylvester the Cat]] - The character who sounded the closest to Blanc in RealLife. It was slightly exaggerated and a lisp was added. You can hear him speak [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGO0n5ui2xU his appearance]] on the Johnny Carson show.

Blanc is most notable for voicing most of the cast of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' (among other cartoons), which frequently saw him TalkingToHimself. What's amazing is that most people probably wouldn't be able to tell that, most, if not ''all'', of the characters in each ''Looney Tunes'' short were being done by the same guy (Leonard Maltin once put his talent into perspective by marveling that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam were the ''same man''). He was ''that'' good. It even got to the point that his knack for doing many voices was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the Porky Pig short ''Curtain Razor''. He was also one of the only voice actors in his day to ever get a credit for his work in any theatrical shorts (which led to a variant of MisattributedSong when voices done by Creator/DawsButler, Creator/StanFreberg, or Arthur Q. Bryan were also assumed to be Blanc).

His wide range of work gave him the cool nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices", hence he is the TropeNamer (it should be noted that this is an exaggeration; he admitted in his autobiography that he's done around 850 voices [which is still very high, but only 150 away from 1000]). Blanc was also something of a HumbleHero, calling himself "the male Creator/JuneForay", a rarity in a time when no one would have criticized or even thought twice about ignoring the accomplishments of women around him.

Blanc died in 1989 (presumably from [[{{Workaholic}} exhaustion]]), and, to this date, it seems not many voice actors, if any at all, can really match his wide range of voices. Warner Bros. now has a whole ''staff'' of voice actors to cover what was once done by a single man. Some of his roles include:

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Porky Pig]] - his first major role, as well as [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit one of his last]]. Originated by Joe Dougherty (who actually had a stutter which was hard to control); Blanc replaced him in 1937.

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Sylvester the Cat]] - The character who sounds the closest to Blanc in RealLife. It was slightly exaggerated and a lisp was added. You can hear him speak [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGO0n5ui2xU his appearance]] on the Johnny Carson show.

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes The Tasmanian Devil]]

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Elmer Fudd]] - Actually, Blanc was '''not''' the regular voice of Elmer Fudd. Elmer's actor was one Arthur Q. Bryan, who was just about the only actor besides Blanc (excepting occasional guest voices) to ever contribute to the Looney Tunes canon.[[note]]After Bryan's death in 1959, an actor named Hal Smith voiced Elmer in two shorts, but Elmer was retired as a character thereafter.[[/note]] Blanc reluctantly did Elmer's one line in "WesternAnimation/TheScarletPumpernickel" though, as it was easier than bringing in Bryan for so little work, and he did Elmer's bellowed "SMOG!" in "WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc", when Bryan couldn't quite get his voice powerful enough. Blanc did voice Fudd in a few cartoons in the 1970s and 1980s, but couldn't do Elmer's voice to his satisfaction, which is why Elmer is not included in the "Speechless" lithograph.

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Yosemite Sam]] - One of two of his classic characters he didn't portray in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' because his voice was too weak to handle Sam's gruffness. There was also an extended Foghorn Leghorn sequence cut from the film which was done by Joe Alaskey, at Blanc's request.

* [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Barney Rubble]] While Sylvester was closest to Blanc's normal speaking voice, Barney got Mel's laugh, just a bit more forceful (Daws Butler voiced Barney Rubble when Blanc was in the hospital. One episode even had Barney's voice change from Daws Butler's to Blanc's right in the middle of the episode).

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Elmer Fudd]] - Actually, Blanc was '''not''' the regular voice of Elmer; Elmer's actor was one Arthur Q. Bryan, who was just about the only actor besides Blanc (excepting occasional guest voices) to ever contribute to the Looney Tunes canon. However, Blanc did voice Fudd in a few cartoons in the 1970s and 1980s after Bryan's death and a few 1960s appearances with Hal Smith as Elmer. He reluctantly did Elmer's one line in ''WesternAnimation/TheScarletPumpernickel'' though, as it was easier than bringing in Bryan for so little work. Blanc admittedly couldn't do Elmer's voice to his satisfaction, and this is why Elmer is not included in the "Speechless" lithograph.
** He also did Elmer's bellowed "SMOG!" in "WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc", when Bryan couldn't quite get his voice powerful enough.

His wide range of work gave him the cool nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices", hence he is the TropeNamer (it should be noted that this is an exaggeration; he admitted in his autobiography that he's done around 850 voices [which is still very high, but only 150 away from 1000]).

* Captain Caveman

* WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker: He briefly voiced the character in his first three cartoons, but was immediately forced to step down from the role once he gained an exclusive contract for the Looney Tunes series--but the famous Rat-A-Tat laugh that he gave Woody would be recycled well up into the 1950's, even after Woody found other actors. His voice for Woody landed somewhere between a mix of his voices for WesternAnimation/PorkyPig and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck (but obviously sped up), with his laugh being derived from a rejected laugh he used for the rabbit in "Porky's Hare Hunt".

* [[WesternAnimation/TheJetsons Mr. Spacely]] - also very close to his real voice (and sounds similar to Yosemite Sam's when he gets angry). His final performance before his death was for the 1990 movie.

* [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Barney Rubble]] (Daws Butler voiced Barney Rubble when Blanc was in the hospital. One episode even had Barney's voice change from Daws Butler's to Blanc's right in the middle of the episode).