MAN OF A THOUSAND VOICES

On February 14, 2009 in General

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What is the one common link between the famous cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Elmer Fudd, Woody Woodpecker and Yosemite Sam?  Besides being some of our most beloved cartoon characters we all enjoy even in our adult lives.  The answer we are looking for is that they are all voiced by the same person- Mel Blanc.   

Mel Blanc has been regarded as one of the most talented and influential persons in the cartoon industry.  He thrived during what is now known as the Golden Age of Hollywood doing what he does best- give voices to some of the most famous cartoon characters.  He had a very wide voice range which enabled him to do the deep throaty voices to the raucously loud ones, and everything in between.   

While he voiced several of these characters during the Golden Age of Hollywood in the late 1930s to the 1940s when he was still relatively young, he reprised many of the characters for the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” when he was well into his 70s.   

One of the oft-repeated anecdotes repeated about Mel Blanc is that in 1961, he was involved in a devastating car accident in which he sustained several injuries and was left in a coma for nearly three weeks.  When the public received this news, they sent several postcards, many of which were addressed to simply “Bugs Bunny, Hollywood, USA”.  In an inspired move, the doctor attending to him, one morning asked him “How are you today, Bugs Bunny?”, to which he replied in Bugs Bunny’s voice, albeit a weak one.  Thus, in his autobiography, Mel Blanc credited Bugs Bunny for having saved his life.   

Another important facet to Mel Blanc’s character was that not only was he very talented, he was also fully aware of his talents and abilities.  Throughout his career, he protected his rights towards all his creations contractually and legally.  He, and after his demise, his estate, were not afraid to enforce those rights wherever and whenever necessary.   

Mel Blanc was not only aware of his talents but was also smart enough to know what he can and cannot get.  During a negotiation with the famous producer Leon Schlesinger, Mel Blanc was refused a raise.  So he instead he asked for and obtained independent screen characterization.  For the uninitiated, independent screen characterization means that the name appears on the screen without anyone else’s name appearing on the same screen.  Such an accolade was reserved only for special stars and positions such as directors, producers, heroes and so on.  However, Leon certainly felt that Mel Blanc was so special and talented that he was deserving of such characterization, and granted him that right.  None of his peers in the field ever had such a characterization.  The effect that this screen characterization had on Mel’s career was that he was an instant celebrity everywhere, and got more work on radio, television and films as well.  And more work definitely resulted in more financial in-flow as well.  This clearly proves that the man was very aware of long term implications of some non-financial grants.   

While his talents and abilities earned Mel Blanc a star on the Hollywood Boulevard, his awareness of contract language and the ensuing legal rights earned him considerable wealth and fortune. 

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