The Michael Barry Show

Mel Blanc, American Voice Actor, not to be confused with Michel Blanc, one of the greatest

French actors of all time. Melvin Jerome Blanc died on this day in 1989. I'm 52 years old. If you are

anywhere from 50 to however old you are, Michel, not in Michel, Mel Blanc probably had some level

of influence on your life, whether you realize it or not. He started in the golden age of radio. He did

character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy radio shows, Jack Binney, Abbott and Costello,

Burns and Allen, the great gilder sleeve, Julie, not Julie, Judy Canova, even had his own short

lived sitcom. But during the golden age of the next phase, American animation, Mel Blanc met his moment. He was the

voice of Bugs Bunny. That alone would be a career. He was the voice of Daffy Doug. He was the voice of

Porky Pig. He was the voice of Elmer Fudd. Now you might be saying, oh, no, no, no, my Brian. Okay, you're right. But before

Arthur C. Brian did Elmer Fudd, Mel Blanc did Elmer Fudd. And after Arthur C. Brian did Elmer Fudd, Mel Blanc did

Elmer Fudd. He did Tweety. He did Sylvester. He did Yosemite Sam. He did my all-time favorite,

Foghorn Leghorn. My two favorite cartoon characters, Foghorn Leghorn, Huckleberry Hound. He did the Tasmanian

devil. See, I wouldn't get his credit either. And he did so many others that I don't have time to go

through them all. He would later voice characters for Hannah Barbarra, including Barney Rubble, Dino from

the Flintstones. Remember the Jetsons, Mr. Spacely, Secret Squirrel on the Adam Ant, Secret Squirrel Show.

He did Captain Caveman on Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels and the Flintstone kids. He was

referred to as the man of a thousand voices, maybe the most influential man in the voice acting

industry. And I would argue probably the greatest voice actor of all time. And when you think about

the influence of those characters for my generation and those three generations before me,

you may not know the name Mel Blank or Mel Blanc, but you know his influence. So I gave Jim

Mud our creative director a challenge. I said, give me some of his best voices. You've got 90 seconds

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