worst replacement voice for Mel Blanc

[speedy fast]

Ever since Mel blanc died, his characters have been voiced by a varietyu of different voice actors. Which recasts for his characters do you think opf as the worst recasts ever?

In my opinion, the worst recast is whoever did Yosimite Sam's voice in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. That hardly sounds like Yosimite Sam's original voice. I am thinking that whoever did marvin the martian's voice in that movie was also off, but it's been awhile since I've last watched that movie, and I can't remember for sure if the voice was off.

[Jack G.]

I haven't heard most of the voices, but I did like the guy who did voices for Bugs Bunny's 51 & a 1/2 Birthday. I liked especially how he did Daffy.

[BloodyChamp]

The worst Y Sam voices were those in Tiny Toons.

[speedy fast]

I haven't heard most of the voices, but I did like the guy who did voices for Bugs Bunny's 51 & a 1/2 Birthday. I liked especially how he did Daffy.

I think that was Jeff Bergman, but I'm not sure. I think he was originally hired by Warners to be a replacement for Mel blanc, but got fired because he went around telling everybody that he was the next Mel Blanc.

[Stanislav]

Most of the major replacement voice actors (Bergman, Alaskey, Bergen, etc.) do a pretty darn good job od recreating Mel's voices. The one classic character I've yet to hear voiced even close to Mel's version is Yosemite Sam.

[J. B. Warner]

I think Yosemite Sam had only one line of dialogue in "Space Jam" ("We ain't a-goin' nowheres!" right before Pound the Nerdluck zaps him down to his briefs), but it sounded fairly Blanc-ian. According to IMDB, Sam was played by Bill Farmer in the film, who also handled Sylvester and Foghorn Leghorn (and did a pretty good job on them, too). However, I will agree that Jeff Glenn Bennett did an awful job as Sam in "Back in Action".

Billy West is a fine voice actor, but it's probably best if he left Bugs Bunny alone from now on. His Bugs is a little too rapid-fire and high-pitched compared to Blanc's. Jeff Bergman's performance as Bugs on "Tiny Toon Adventures" and in the Ford/Lennon shorts is probably the closest to the original, followed by Joe Alaskey's "Back in Action" performance (Alaskey made Bugs a little more soft-spoken, whereas Bergman's work was much brasher). And it's also worth mentioning that Alaskey does great as both Daffy and Sylvester.

[absolutpaul]

I have never heard a Tweety voice that even comes close to the original. It always sounds like a grown man trying to talk like a baby.

I think Joe Alaskey's Daffy is as perfect as it gets. Although his voice doesn't sound exactly like Blanc's (it's not sped up), he performs the character so well, adding his own touches, that it FEELS like Daffy more than it sounds like him. Mind you, Bugs is probably a very difficult character to do, but I think his various actors have tried to re-create the SOUND, instead of letting the new voice actor influence the character. Again, I think Alaskey's Bugs is the best, but he hasn't yet made the character his own as he has with Daffy.

[MarkTheShark]

I think that was Jeff Bergman, but I'm not sure. I think he was originally hired by Warners to be a replacement for Mel blanc, but got fired because he went around telling everybody that he was the next Mel Blanc.

If I recall correctly, I think in the "51st 1/2 Anniversary" short (or whatever it's called) *Noel Blanc* was credited with Bugs' voice in new footage.

I found that interesting, because before Mel Blanc died, he was saying his son would take over his characters, but for the most part, that didn't happen. But this was a rare occasion where it did, and he even got screen credit. (This is from memory. I saw this cartoon once, in a theatre when it was first released.)

[Studio Toledo]

If I recall correctly, I think in the "51st 1/2 Anniversary" short (or whatever it's called) *Noel Blanc* was credited with Bugs' voice in new footage.

I found that interesting, because before Mel Blanc died, he was saying his son would take over his characters, but for the most part, that didn't happen. But this was a rare occasion where it did, and he even got screen credit. (This is from memory. I saw this cartoon once, in a theatre when it was first released.)
The title of that short is actually "(Blooper) Bunny!" (http://www.amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0101484/), and that was Bergman doing Bugs that time.

[mmtper]

I think Joe Alaskey's Daffy is as perfect as it gets. Although his voice doesn't sound exactly like Blanc's (it's not sped up), he performs the character so well, adding his own touches, that it FEELS like Daffy more than it sounds like him. Mind you, Bugs is probably a very difficult character to do, but I think his various actors have tried to re-create the SOUND, instead of letting the new voice actor influence the character. Again, I think Alaskey's Bugs is the best, but he hasn't yet made the character his own as he has with Daffy.

Absolutpaul is absolutcorrect!:p He said what I was going to say only better. Joe Alaskey was the only voice guy to really get into the character's soul, though with Daffy, there's a whole lotta soul to delve into.

[JPox]

In Space Jam, Dee Bradley Baker does the worst Daffy Duck I ever heard. Although he does do a good Tazmanian Devil in the film.
In Back in Action, animation director Eric Goldberg does Marvin the Martian, Speedy Gonzales, and Tweety. (I guess Joe Alasky was only paid to do Bugs, Daffy, Beaky Buzzard, Sylvester, & Mama Bear.) Goldberg was good at both Tweety & Speedy, but his Marvin was off quite a bit. My one favorite line though is "A mission?! I'm all a-tingle.."
I was glad they incorporated Mel Blanc as the voice of the gremlin car!
I have no idea why Brendon Fraser did the Tazmanian Devil & She-Devil?
I do think that Alasky is the next big actor to take care of the classic voices. He does a great Bugs, Daffy, Sylvester, Tweety, Marvin, Beaky, Hubie, and would probably handle Charlie Dog good as well. I'm not sure, but I think he also did Rocky on Duck Dodgers as well. It was good!
Bob Bergan is Porky. Jim Cummings is Taz. Billy West is Elmer. Jeff Glenn Bennett is Foghorn. Bruce Lanoil did Pepe good. I love Maurice LaMarche, but not as Pepe. So how's about it Warners? New Looney Tunes for TV?

[J. B. Warner]

I have no idea why Brendon Fraser did the Tazmanian Devil & She-Devil?

From what I understand, the crew of BIA was so impressed with Fraser's Tasmanian Devil impression that they let him voice the character. In all honesty, he did a pretty good job, but I still prefer Jim Cummings' version.

[MarkTheShark]

The title of that short is actually "(Blooper) Bunny!" (http://www.amazon.imdb.com/title/tt0101484/), and that was Bergman doing Bugs that time.

Okay, I am thinking of something altogether different. It was something like "fifty years of Bugs Bunny in three and a half minutes," with minimal new footage (with Noel Blanc doing the voice) and a bunch of clips from old cartoons. I saw it in a theatre.

[speedy fast]

Okay, I am thinking of something altogether different. It was something like "fifty years of Bugs Bunny in three and a half minutes," with minimal new footage (with Noel Blanc doing the voice) and a bunch of clips from old cartoons. I saw it in a theatre.

Is this the same as the ending sequence from Happy Birthday Bugs: 50 Looney Years? Because I don't recall any new footage there, unless there was an opening sequence that was edited from the special.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

Billy West is a fine voice actor, but it's probably best if he left Bugs Bunny alone from now on. His Bugs is a little too rapid-fire and high-pitched compared to Blanc's. Jeff Bergman's performance as Bugs on "Tiny Toon Adventures" and in the Ford/Lennon shorts is probably the closest to the original, followed by Joe Alaskey's "Back in Action" performance (Alaskey made Bugs a little more soft-spoken, whereas Bergman's work was much brasher). And it's also worth mentioning that Alaskey does great as both Daffy and Sylvester.

I disagree on Billy West. I got to direct Billy doing Bugs for something (sorry, I don't remember what it was right now... It might have been the Image Awards) and when he's directed properly, he's very good. He had to match Bugs' voice from the 40's and he pulled it off. But what I will agree with you on, is that when someone isn't riding herd on him, he can be off. But that's true of anyone doing a voice match.

I always thought Jeff Bergman was doing Bugs as Mel did him in his last years, a voice I never cared for. But I think Bergman does the best Elmer and Foghorn, far above anyone else I've heard.

[Dr. Killpatient]

In Space Jam, Dee Bradley Baker does the worst Daffy Duck I ever heard.
Really? I always thought he was pretty accurate.
My vote for the worst voice would have to go to whoever voiced Porky in Whizzard of Ow (I can't believe no one's mentioned that one yet :eek: ).

[Toonami]

Billy West's Bugs on Space Jam was terrible. He said it wasn't his fault and that everyone who walked bby the recording booth gave him "pointers" "He's too cute, he's too demure, he's too brooklyn, he's too tough" He's RAPIDLY improved over the years and the latest I heard from him was the best Bugs I ever heard.

I couldn't stand Dee's Daffy in Space Jam OR Alaskey' Daffy/Duck Dodgers. I'm surprsied it's so higly praised. Alaskeys' Bugs was very soft spoken and sounded like Bugs from the 70's and 80's.

Billy West did Porky in Whizzard of Ow and I read Larry Doyel sped it up but the mics were digital so it sounded different or somehting. I'm not fond of Bergen's Porky, either.

Billy's Elmer is sheer genius, IMHO. He does both sides of Elmer quite well.

I never heard Jeff Bennet's Daffy but I heard it's good. Whoever does Sylvester has to do Daffy.

Alaskey's Tweety was off I think, and some of his voices in High Flying Adventure were off as well.

Has anyone heard Tress Macneille's Petunia? She's my favourite modern voice actor, tied with Billy West and Tom Kenny.

As for

[CueBallCat79]

I never heard Jeff Bennet's Daffy but I heard it's good. Whoever does Sylvester has to do Daffy.



But...I thought you didn't like Alasky's Bugs. :D

[Thad]

No offense here, but Joe Alaskey's Daffy gets on my nerves. It must be because he voiced Daffy in Duck Dodgers - a show where nobody shuts up.

[Javeman]

I know I'm walking into dangerous waters by saying this, but I actually prefer Cummings' Taz over Blanc's. One of the main reasons I like Taz-Mania so much was because of Cummings' hilarious delivery ("Aaaargh! Taz hate flashbacks! Taz hate flashbacks!"). Plus, Blanc only got to do 6 cartoons with Taz (and a couple of specials), and for what I read he didn't enjoy doing the character much (and Yosemite Sam), so Cummings got to work more with the character, making it a much more distinctive voice.

[Jon Cooke]

My vote for the "worst" has to go to Frank Gorshin who did the voices of Yosemite Sam, Daffy, and Foghorn in the Chuck Jones Film Productions shorts of the 1990s ("From Hare to Eternity", "Superior Duck" and "Pullet Surprise").

I haven't actually sat down and watched SPACE JAM in a few years but I recall Bill Farmer doing a very good Sylvester in the movie. Jeff Bennet's Foghorn in the direct-to-video Tweety movie was also very good. I also like Bob Bergan's Porky.

I have also heard nothing but good things about Jeff Bennet's Daffy voice (he was originally going to do the voice in the Duck Dodgers TV show and Back in Action) and would like to hear it for myself someday.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

No offense here, but Joe Alaskey's Daffy gets on my nerves. It must be because he voiced Daffy in Duck Dodgers - a show where nobody shuts up.

This is off-topic, and I apologize for that. I was going to put it in the "negativity towards modern animation thread", but it seemed more appropriate here because of the above quote.

I hope this puts to rest the John K and others argument that writers ruined animation. Although Tom Minton and Paul Dini are credited on Duck Dodgers, the show was made by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone, both artists and animators. If the show is dialogue heavy, it was all them.

[Thad]

This is off-topic, and I apologize for that. I was going to put it in the "negativity towards modern animation thread", but it seemed more appropriate here because of the above quote.

I hope this puts to rest the John K and others argument that writers ruined animation. Although Tom Minton and Paul Dini are credited on Duck Dodgers, the show was made by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone, both artists and animators. If the show is dialogue heavy, it was all them.

Oh I'm sure it's more in the fault of the writers than Joe Alaskey! It's just that I never cared for Joe's Daffy much to begin with, it was tolerable though. Duck Dodgers made it unbearable.

[Brundledan]

If I recall correctly, I think in the "51st 1/2 Anniversary" short (or whatever it's called) *Noel Blanc* was credited with Bugs' voice in new footage.

You're thinking of 50 Years of Bugs Bunny in 3 1/2 Minutes by Chuck Workman. It was one of the only times Noel ever handled the voice.

I found that interesting, because before Mel Blanc died, he was saying his son would take over his characters, but for the most part, that didn't happen. But this was a rare occasion where it did, and he even got screen credit. (This is from memory. I saw this cartoon once, in a theatre when it was first released.)

Mel goes into that at the end of his autobiography, That's Not All Folks. He bursts with excitement as he describes how Noel will carry on his legacy indefinitely. From the text, one definitely gets the sense of a proud father pushing his son into the "family business", one that the son at heart wants no part of.

Mel even mentions that Noel was hesitant to do this at first; that he wanted to carve out his own identity. Maybe the elder Blanc should have listened.

-Dan

[Thad]

IIRC, Warners was thinking of replacing Blanc in the 1980s because he was becoming too expensive and they could get immitations at a fraction of his salary. But you know the PR nightmare they'd have if they canned the voice of Bugs Bunny for 40 years!

Personally, I'd have felt Blanc was worth the money. Even in his old age, there's a charm in his voices that nobody else can recapture.

[Jack G.]

Personally, I'd have felt Blanc was worth the money. Even in his old age, there's a charm in his voices that nobody else can recapture.
While, there are voice actors that can do great versions of the classic characters, you can never replace the person who created them.

[Javeman]

While, there are voice actors that can do great versions of the classic characters, you can never replace the person who created them.I disagree.

[Thad]

I disagree.

I think maybe he was referring to Mel Blanc... And in that case, I agree 1000 percent!

[Timber Wolf]

Billy West's Bugs and Tweety voices in "Space Jam". Bugs has too high voice, Tweety doesn't have a high enough voice. However, West is great as the voice of Elmer Fudd. :befuddled

[Thad]

I'll give this to West.. His Elmer is leagues ahead of Blanc's. How many of you have seen the "Rabbit of Seville" Bugs Bunny Show episode? Watch that and you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Jack G.]

I think maybe he was referring to Mel Blanc... And in that case, I agree 1000 percent!
Yup. I enjoyed the guy who did Daffy on Blooper Bunny. I think his performance is real good. But Mel's version will always be special because he created that voice.

[mmtper]

While, there are voice actors that can do great versions of the classic characters, you can never replace the person who created them.

This is slightly off-topic, since it concerns Daws Butler at Hanna-Barbera, but this is a great story by Mark Evanier about the attitudes of some of the "suits" towards the voice talent.

http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL335.htm

[Greg Method]

I always feel a little bad about pondering this kind of stuff, because regardless of the actor, they're facing an almost impossible task, to adequately follow the footsteps of someone who will no doubt go down in history as the greatest voice artist who ever lived. I mean, how would that not intimidate a younger actor, most likely one who idolized Mel growing up? I really do feel for all these guys who have tried to continue this legacy.

I just have some random observations to present. It's nothing really conclusive to anything, but just some of my takes on the voices we've heard in the last decade and a half.

At this point I still don't think we've heard a spot-on replacement for Bugs. To me, Greg Burson has come the closest despite a certain "twang" he gives his characters. On the other end of the spectrum, Billy West has easily provided the poorest Bugs voice, which is a little disappointing because he does have such a wide vocal range (seriously, I did not know he voiced Dr. Zoidberg on "Futurama" until I looked up the show's IMDb entry once). When he's at the top of his game his voices are fantastic, but when he's down it's almost embarrassing. His Bugs is sort of right in the middle, possessing that high-strung "lift" that some of Billy's characters have, making his Bugs sound less like an actual voice characterization and more like a mere impression.

As much as I like Joe Alaskey and would defend him as the definitive post-Blanc Daffy, his Bugs doesn't do it for me. It comes off as a bit too laid-back, too "cuddly." It worked for the small Cartoon Network promos like the old "Biography"-esque "June Bugs" ads a few years back, where a more-regal "older" Bugs voice was appropriate for the narration, but for something like "Back in Action," I don't know, the voice is a bit too relaxed.

When it comes to Jeff Bergman, his voices are really hit and miss, and the hits aren't all that great to begin with. He clearly tries hard to match the voices as close as possible, and it seems as if he has a great appreciation for the spirit of the characters, but there's always something off about his voices. I'm not sure how to even describe it, but there's this thick "edge" to his voices that make them come off as a bit too robust. It doesn't really get in the way of his Bugs or Elmer, where a little baritoneness is needed, but it really kills his takes on Daffy, Sylvester, and Sam (about 99% of the time, his Daffy is downright painful to listen to). In the end this hard-to-pinpoint quality to his voices makes them sound too synthetic, more like the vocal equivalent to a carbon copy than a true recreation. It didn't help that in the early '90s most of the new Bugs dialogue was written to call back to past classic lines, which no doubt helped play to Bergman's strength as a mimic but also underscored the need for an actor who can handle original material for the bunny.

I would have to agree that perhaps the worst reads belonged to the sorely miscast Frank Gorshin, who seemed greatly out of his element. I guess he should get one or two points for trying to make Foghorn his own, but ultimately he just came off as if he didn't fully grasp the characters. It goes back to my gripe about Billy West doing impressions rather than characterizations.

Speaking of the Chuck Jones Film Productions shorts, I still would love to find out for sure who did the horrendously awful Daffy in "Superior Duck." Was it in fact Gorshin? Was it Jim Cummings? With the talk in this thread on how talky the "Duck Dodgers" series was, I do wonder if this short would have been any more entertaining if it was instead Joe Alaskey doing Daffy's extended monologue.

[speedy fast]

I wonder if it is epecially hard to imitate a voice that was always sped up in the first place.

[Timber Wolf]

Speaking of the Chuck Jones Film Productions shorts, I still would love to find out for sure who did the horrendously awful Daffy in "Superior Duck." Was it in fact Gorshin? Was it Jim Cummings?It was Gorshin. Cummings did Taz in that cartoon and the other voices were Claude Raynes and someone else.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

I wonder if it is epecially hard to imitate a voice that was always sped up in the first place.

Corey Burton, who for my money, does an incredible Ludwig Von Drake, slowed the voice down and learned to do it the way Paul Frees did, so when he's sped back up, he sounds perfect.

I don't like when people try to do the sped voices unsped (if that's a word). There's something that happens when you speed up the track that the human voice just cannot copy. I think some of these characters would sound alot better if they did what Corey did.

[Jack G.]

This is slightly off-topic, since it concerns Daws Butler at Hanna-Barbera, but this is a great story by Mark Evanier about the attitudes of some of the "suits" towards the voice talent.

http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL335.htm
Thanks.

The suits think this way for sure. It's always about money.

[Toonami]

I haven't actually sat down and watched SPACE JAM in a few years but I recall Bill Farmer doing a very good Sylvester in the movie. Jeff Bennet's Foghorn in the direct-to-video Tweety movie was also very good. I also like Bob Bergan's Porky.

I love Bennet's Foghorn. If Bill Farmer does a good Sylvester (which i remember as being good) I wanna hear his Daffy.

I found that interesting, because before Mel Blanc died, he was saying his son would take over his characters, but for the most part, that didn't happen. But this was a rare occasion where it did, and he even got screen credit. (This is from memory. I saw this cartoon once, in a theatre when it was first released.)
Billy West said that the apple fell far from the tree. He said it landed in another continent or something, and that Noel wanted to do his own thing. I respect him for that.

Billy West's Bugs and Tweety voices in "Space Jam". Bugs has too high voice, Tweety doesn't have a high enough voice. However, West is great as the voice of Elmer Fudd. :befuddled

Billy didn't do Tweety in SJ, Bob Bergen did. I'd agree taht Billy does the best Elmer.

WORST REPLACEMENT EVER WAS SETH MACFARLANE AS BUGS IN THE FAMILY GUY MOVE. Total POS.

Here's what Bob Bergen said about some of this stuff:

Now get comfortable, this might take a while to read!! I've held back my thoughts on the LT shorts for a long time, but JJ here made some great points that I had to comment on. First, here's a lil history regarding me and the shorts. I, along with what seemed like every voice actor in the world, had to audition for the new LT shorts/feature. Even though I've voiced many of the LT's for almost 14 years, for big projects they sometimes ask us to audition. I booked Porky and Tweety and began recording the first short. Now I'm no prude, but there was content in the Porky short that I thought just SHOULD NOT be in a Looney Tune!! I won't go into them all, but JJ was right on when he mentioned gags about sex and bodily functions. At one point a frustrated Porky says to himself "what would Jesus do??" Now I know that the original LT's were often edgy for their time. Heck, they were made for adults!!! But they never used classless shock humor. As a voice actor I don't have, nor would I think of asking for, script approval. Frankly and professionally, it's not my place to ask. But I had to question the content of these shorts. At first Larry was very open to hear my concerns, though he didn't agree. As the sessions went on I got more vocal with various people involved. Several times I went to my agent hinting that I might want off this project if they continue having scripts with such "adult" content. My agent advised me not to quit, but to keep communicating my concerns. Afterall, I'd worked for WB for years, and kinda know these characters pretty well. Bottom line is, the scripts stayed as is. Besides my problems with the script content , Larry Doyle wanted me to TOTALLY change the way I played Porky. Here was his new take on the recording of the voices. Since many of Mel Blanc's voices were sped up, Larry took the time to take many classic Looney Tunes and slow them down to Mel's "real" voice. He gave me copies of these slowed down recordings and asked me to "do" Mel at "real speed", then they'd speed me up the same percentage they sped Mel. In theory this isn't such a bad idea. However, the timing was off. I'd played Porky for years. I don't do "Mel", I do Porky. Mel's natural speaking voice was much deeper than mine. (not to mention he smoked!!) To make this work they'd have to start with an actor whose voice was as rich and deep as Mel Blanc. That ain't me, folks!!! Plus, the microphones used in the old days were very different than those used today. To try and recreate much of that classic sound the way Larry wanted we should have used those old RCA ribbon mics. PLUS, Larry slowed Mel's voice too much. This I know because I have an extensive library of old radio shows with Mel Blanc. I know what he sounded like when he recorded Porky. When I attempted to play Porky the way Larry wanted and was sped up, I sounded like a stuttering Alvin the Chipmink! It was aweful!! I was so embarrassed to be associated with that performance. I have too much respect for the characters!! I finally decided to call my agent and quit this project. Understand, this was the hardest decision of my life!!! I'd wanted to voice Porky Pig since I was a kid. But if this was the direction they planned on taking these characters, I wanted no part of it. I figured hell, I'd had a nice run playing Porky. For that I can be proud!! So I called my agent to tell him I wanted off this project. He informed me I was a lil late...they'd just fired me. Even though I was going to quit, it was like I was punched in the stomach. Well, that's that!!!..or so I thought. Cut to a few months later. My agent called saying Tony Cervone and Spike Brandt wanted me to play Porky in their new series Duck Dodgers. I'd worked with both Tony and Spike for years on a variety of projects, and they have the same love/respect for the LT's as I do. (THESE are the guys to revive theatrical shorts!!) I was elated!!!! After our first few sessions I'd heard through the grapevine that Larry Doyle's contract was not renewed. I was then asked to go back and work on the feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action to voice Porky. I agree with JJ that WB should and could have a cartoon in front of every movie. The theater distributers wouldn't love the idea since they can't show as many movies throughout the day if a cartoon is attached. But I know fans would love em!! As to the future of the Larry Doyle shorts, I understand that much of the adult content has been edited out. This, in my oppinoin, is a good thing!!! If they are to be seen, the original adult humor shouldn't be there. Again, I'm no prude. And for years I've had a problem with the bowing to the PC police, which is why I LOVE Porky's one line in Back in Action!!!! But the classic LT's were classy!! Sophisticated at times, but never crude. THOSE are the the LT's I'd like to see brought back. And eh-tuh-teh-eh-trust me, folks, there is a HUGE talent pool out there who could do em justice!!!

OK-enough of that!! On a lighter note, check out the new "cool clips" page of my website!! I think you toon fans will find some intersting goodies, including a phone conversation between myself (I was 14) and Mel Blanc.

Toonzone had a thread about this: http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=62782

To hear Billy West's "NEW" Bugs Bunny, which is quite good in my opinion, go downlaod Billy West's massize and definitive three hour interview with Ghetto Radio. He talks about everything and shows off tons of range witg tons of characters and impressions. I got it on my IPod and listen to it all the time. He gives tons of pop culture and showbix miscellania. He talks about Bugs Bunny, Popeye, and Elmer.

[Dr. Killpatient]

Quote @ the Bob Bergen interview.

It is now my belief that Larry Doyle is the most moronic individual on this planet. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.


EDIT: Can you tell me where you got that interview from? I don't see it in the Toonzone thread. Thanks.

[Dr. Killpatient]

Can someone please tell me where that interview came from? It looks interesting and I don't see it at the Toonzone link.

[rp-j]

Hey, anyone trying to match Mel Blanc is bound to have a problem - the man is unreplacable, after all, but if we want to have new LT & MM related material, well... somebody's gotta have a go!

I feel even more sorry, in a way, for anybody trying to capture Arthur Q Bryan's characterisation of Elmer Fudd. After all, even Mel (for all his incredible talent) couldn't capture it...:)

[Daws Butler Jr.]

Well, Bergen sure shot my th-th-theory to p-p-pieces!

[doctoon]

I'm curious about the choice WB-7 Arts Cartoons made in having Larry Storch be a primary voice artist alongside Mel Blanc in 1967-69. Does anyone know if the studio was trying to groom Storch to be "the next Mel Blanc?"

Also, why Storch? I know nothing about him except from F-TROOP reruns and his appearance as the Groovy Guru in GET SMART. Also, as an F-TROOP star, he was already under contract at WB-7. Does anyone remember about how big a star he was back then, and whether you agree with the studio letting him voice characters?

[Sogturtle]

I'm curious about the choice WB-7 Arts Cartoons made in having Larry Storch be a primary voice artist alongside Mel Blanc in 1967-69. Does anyone know if the studio was trying to groom Storch to be "the next Mel Blanc?"

Also, why Storch? I know nothing about him except from F-TROOP reruns and his appearance as the Groovy Guru in GET SMART. Also, as an F-TROOP star, he was already under contract at WB-7. Does anyone remember about how big a star he was back then, and whether you agree with the studio letting him voice characters?

Doctoon~

It's an excellent question (or questions) for someone to ask Storch... I remember him appearing in the mid-70's as (of all things) a mob enforcer on an episode of "McCloud"... He got blown to bits by a bomb:eek:. But I was thrilled to see the guy again!:cool: Besides that he had done principle voice-work much earlier on the early Sixties Koko the Clown cartoons, and various forgettable TV cartoons.

As far as people who watched TV back then:p, he was considered to be pretty much the heart and soul of "F-Troop", (okay besides all the slapstick):D. As such he was considered a fair TV star... (until the series bit the proverbial old-west dust :ysam:.

My SUSPICION is that since he was still under contract and Mel was getting more expensive and they had those brand NEW characters that didn't NEED and REQUIRE Mel, that that was the real reason. Talented out of work star still under contract who was happy for work versus the ever talented and more expensive Blanc.

Mel of course was NOT AMUSED at being let out of the studio's cartoons after thirty years. Personally, I like Storch in the roles, would've been interesting to have heard Blanc's take on the same NEW characters.:coolcat:

[J Lee]

Storch also had done work for D-FE and Total Television before the new WB studio under Bill Hendricks hired him, though it's interesting to note that the first Merlin the Magic Mouse cartoon used Daws Butler as its voice artist before the series switched to using Storch, and Warners did bring back Mel for the one-shot cartoon "Chimp and Zee" (under Alex Lovy) as well as for the aborted Bunny and Claude series (under McKimson). So it's hard to say if it was money or available free time that influenced the studio's voice artist decisions during the W/7 years.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

As J Lee pointed out, Larry Storch had done other cartoon work before Warners. But Storch was a very talented impersonator. Sammy Davis, Jr. credited Storch with teaching him how to do vocal impressions.

[Sogturtle]

As J Lee pointed out, Larry Storch had done other cartoon work before Warners. But Storch was a very talented impersonator. Sammy Davis, Jr. credited Storch with teaching him how to do vocal impressions.

Hmmmm DBJ... Actually, Storch's Koko work PRE-dated his Total TV work by a fair amount;).

And regarding the use of Daws Butler as voice for the Hendricks era WB toons, this was JUST at the moment when the world's second greatest cartoon voice had become virtually persona-non grata at Hanna-Barbera... (They were insisting that he audition for every single, bloomin' part). Sooooo Daws had PLENTY of time on his hands to handle any Warner cartoon work that they'd offer him (besides the Lantz crap that came his way :rolleyes: ). And Warners evidently only offered that teeny bit.

Sooooo I suspect that once again we're back to money being the root cause combined with Storch being under contract and very, very talented.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

And regarding the use of Daws Butler as voice for the Hendricks era WB toons, this was JUST at the moment when the world's second greatest cartoon voice had become virtually persona-non grata at Hanna-Barbera... (They were insisting that he audition for every single, bloomin' part). Sooooo Daws had PLENTY of time on his hands to handle any Warner cartoon work that they'd offer him (besides the Lantz crap that came his way :rolleyes: ). And Warners evidently only offered that teeny bit.

I don't think his availability was an issue. He found time to work for Jay Ward and Walter Lantz at a time when he was doing the (Lippy the) lion's share of characters at H-B, not to mention all the commercials he did during that period.

And you got one other thing wrong... it's Daws, THEN Mel... :tweety:

[Sogturtle]

I don't think his availability was an issue. He found time to work for Jay Ward and Walter Lantz at a time when he was doing the (Lippy the) lion's share of characters at H-B, not to mention all the commercials he did during that period.

And you got one other thing wrong... it's Daws, THEN Mel... :tweety:

DBJ~

I didn't say Butler wasn't available my friend, he most definitely was very, very available at that point, since HB was becoming darned near impossible for him. And his work at Jay Ward is very likely what helped to sabotage him at HB in Joe Barbera's eyes in the first place...

And I didn't mean to insult your idol, just that about 90% of average folks we might know would likely place Melvin Jerome Blanc as the number one cartoon voice artist of all time!:bugs2: (And to be blunt, virtually all of Daws' work is in either limited animation TV series or some of the dreariest cartoons that Walter Lantz would ever release, thanks to Paul J. Smith of course). Buuuuut to compare that "busload";) of forgettable limited animation to prime theatrical cartoons from the greatest directors that ever came down the pike and the virtuoso voice artist in them frankly is kind of ludricrous. (Sorry).
And here's an interesting question for YOU DBJ !! :daffy: Some of us were wondering if you're actually Earl Kress... Are you??:p

[Daws Butler Jr.]

DBJ~

I didn't say Butler wasn't available my friend, he most definitely was very, very available at that point, since HB was becoming darned near impossible for him. And his work at Jay Ward is very likely what helped to sabotage him at HB in Joe Barbera's eyes in the first place...

And I didn't mean to insult your idol, just that about 90% of average folks we might know would likely place Melvin Jerome Blanc as the number one cartoon voice artist of all time!:bugs2: (And to be blunt, virtually all of Daws' work is in either limited animation TV series or some of the dreariest cartoons that Walter Lantz would ever release, thanks to Paul J. Smith of course). Buuuuut to compare that "busload";) of forgettable limited animation to prime theatrical cartoons from the greatest directors that ever came down the pike and the virtuoso voice artist in them frankly is kind of ludricrous. (Sorry).

I don't want to get into an argument with you. From the tone of your message, you obviously missed my "subtle" use of the wink to say I was joking. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I wouldn't make up figures like your "90% of average folks", either.

And when you're talking about a voice artist, the quality of the animation has nothing to do with it. It's about the quality of the acting. Daws was a superior actor, both in the quantity of characters (I don't care if Mel thought he had 1,000 voices... he actually had about 10 and all the rest are variations on a theme) and in his acting technique. Don't get me wrong, I love Mel from his prime period, but all the stories I've heard paint a less than stellar picture of what went on in the background to get to the final product that made it to the screen. And by the mid-60's, Mel was doing everything by rote. All his innovation and funny line readings were gone. He just read the words on the page, while Daws could take the blandest material and make it funny, or at least better.

And just for accuracy, Daws did plenty of non-Lantz theatricals. His first cartoon ever was for Tex Avery, plus he did a lot of stuff for Chuck Jones at Warners and worked on the Magoo theatricals.

I hope I didn't misinterpret your tone. If I did, I apologize for the rant. That's an unfortunate by-product of the written word.

[Duck Dodgers]

His first cartoon ever was for Tex Avery, plus he did a lot of stuff for Chuck Jones at Warners and worked on the Magoo theatricals.



I did not know about Butler's work at UPA.
Could you name a few of the Magoo shorts in which he worked?
I remember his great work as the urban wolf in "Little Rural Riding Hood". He used the same voice for the fox in "Out-Foxed".
However, his greatest characterization in theatrical cartoons is the one in "Three Little Pups"( I'm whistling "Jubilo" this very moment!:D )

The southern wolf character also apperaed in "Blackboard Jumboree" and "Sheep Wrecked" and the same voice ( with some variations) was also used for Chilliy's friendly nemesis Smedley, for Gabby Gator and, of course, for Huckleberry Hound( but that's TV animation, folks!).

[Matt the Y]

[QUOTE=Duck Dodgers]I did not know about Butler's work at UPA.
Could you name a few of the Magoo shorts in which he worked?
QUOTE]

Off the top of my head, Butler did voices in "The Explosive Mr. Magoo", "Magoo's Private War", "Love Comes to Magoo", "Magoo Goes Overboard", and "Magoo's Three Point Landing". Daws Butler also took over the role of the voice of Waldo (Magoo's nephew) from Jerry Hausner starting around 1956. Butler is heard as Waldo in shorts like "Magoo's Puddle Jumper", "Bwana Magoo", and "Terror Faces Magoo". It's basically the same "Duhhhh... hey, Unk!" kind of voice (A Frank Fontaine impression) that he gives to Sam the cat in "Trick or Tweet" and the big bad wolf in "Three Little Woodpeckers".

[Matt the Y]

I feel even more sorry, in a way, for anybody trying to capture Arthur Q Bryan's characterisation of Elmer Fudd. After all, even Mel (for all his incredible talent) couldn't capture it...:)

I agree that Bryan's Fudd voice is very hard to master. And I hope I don't get flamed for saying this (It is only my opinion, folks) but... I really don't like Billy West's Elmer Fudd voice at all. It is much too gruff to resemble Bryan and he makes Fudd too angry-sounding and loud (He often shouts as the voice of Fudd, something the original Bryan Fudd did very seldom). Granted, Fudd kind of got miffed in some of the original shorts but he still did it in the usual "reserved" kind of voice he always had (whereas West can't imitate that type of voice; it actually sounds kind of abrasive and grating when he does it). I remember watching an episode of "Histeria" where West did Fudd's voice and it ended with me thinking to myself, "Arthur Q. Bryan would be spinning in his grave".

Again, this is only my opinion. You're certainly welcome to disagree.

[Thad]

Daws was also the voice for Crawford in his 'stateline inspector' disguise in "Punchy DeLeon". It might've been the first time he used it for cartoons!

[Matt the Y]

Daws was also the voice for Crawford in his 'stateline inspector' disguise in "Punchy DeLeon". It might've been the first time he used it for cartoons!

[Laughs] Yeah, I saw that cartoon on your site, Thad. Butler was great in that!

One other Butler question, though... Graham Webb claims that Butler did a voice in the 1948 Columbia short, "Short Snorts on Sports". If you've seen this cartoon, does Butler indeed do a voice in it? I'm asking because if he did, this could very easily be his first ever theatrical cartoon voice role.

[Howard Fein]

[QUOTE=Daws Butler Jr.]Don't get me wrong, I love Mel from his prime period, but all the stories I've heard paint a less than stellar picture of what went on in the background to get to the final product that made it to the screen. And by the mid-60's, Mel was doing everything by rote. All his innovation and funny line readings were gone. He just read the words on the page, while Daws could take the blandest material and make it funny, or at least better.[CLOSE QUOTE]

Of course, Blanc's 1961 near-fatal accident may have played a part in any perceived decline in his performances. As for the post-accident WB theatricals, his :ysam: interpretation probably suffered the most, since it was the most vocally challenging. :sylvester's voice is probably the closest of the WB characters to his own. :tweety: :daffy: :speedy: were all sped up, so it was difficult to detect much straining. (This probably helped to contribute to the flood of later DFE and Hendricks shorts starring the latter two.) And in most of :bugs1:'s post-1961 films, he was so low-keyed it probably didn't matter.

Blanc did best after his accident with such low-keyed roles as Barney, Hardy, Droop-a-Long, :tomcat: muttering in the Joneses, various PENELOPE PITSTOP characters and Heathcliff. He was still capable of some impressive performances- Spacely's temper tantrums, Sneezely's protracted sneeze buildup, Cap'n. Caveman.

His decline, which could just as easily be attributed to age, became very apparent in the late seventies with the proliferation of the TV and theatrical WB compilation anthologies. The differences in his:bugs1: , :ham:, :foggy: or :ysam: become very apparent during quick transitions between theatrical footage from the fifties and modern filler footage.

In addition to the accident, one must consider that Blanc was eight years older than Butler. In 1965 the former was 57, the latter 49. How much difference that makes is up to debate. Butler was able to reprise his classic characters well into the eighties much better than Blanc. It was only in 1987, the last season of YOGI'S TREASURE HUNT and the JETSONS revival, that Daws really started to hesitate. He was gone the following year.:(

As for Butler being persona non-grata at H-B later in the sixties, it seemed like he was active every production season except 1967, during which time he remained quite busy at Lantz, one of four voice artists in GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (as well as numerous Ward-produced cereal commercials) and at Jones' MGM outfit. A long-forgotten anthology series OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD aired on ABC's prime time schedule for one season in 1967-68. It was a collection of live-action child-oriented featurettes 'hosted' by animated OZ characters rendered probably by the same crew that animated the Jones-produced :tomcat: :jerry: shorts. Butler played the scarecrow. He was also prominently featured (along with Blanc) a few years later in Jones' PHANTOM TOLLBOTH adaptation.

Butler created most of the early H-B TV stars, and was a regular in most series made through 1963. (THE FLINTSTONES and TOP CAT are the exceptions; he did occasional incidentals in those.) Mark Evanier's website archives contain a very interesting article regarding the studio's decreasing dependency on him after that point, turning more and more to Allen Melvin, Howard Morris, Hal Smith Paul Frees and Blanc as leads in the GORILLA, POTAMUS, ANT and SQUIRREL franchises. Of course, Butler was still quite active; he was Pete and Yahooey through 1966, and numerous incidentals in early Magilla, Richochet and Mushmouse episodes. And Kelloggs was still producing cereal commercials using the earlier characters as mascots. Snagglepuss shilled for Cocoa Krispies until 1966!

The little-rerun SPACE KIDETTES was Butler's only original series (as Cap'n. Skyhook) in 1966. During that season, he was also busy with DFE's SUPER SIX. As mentioned, he did no H-B work in 1967, but made a big comeback in 1968 as Bingo the Gorilla and many WACKY RACErs. For much of the rest of the seventies, he was pretty much a first-string voice again- both leads and incidentals- in CATTANOOGA CATS, JOSIE, HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS, FUNKY PHANTOM, HAIR BEAR BUNCH, ROMAN HOLIDAYS, C.B. BEARS and the :sailor: revival- as well as H-B revival series YOGI'S GANG, LAFF-A-LYMPICS and SPACE RACE.

[QUOTE] And just for accuracy, Daws did plenty of non-Lantz theatricals. His first cartoon ever was for Tex Avery, plus he did a lot of stuff for Chuck Jones at Warners and worked on the Magoo theatricals. [CLOSE QUOTE]

Wonder if H-B's Columbia-funded Loopy De Loop theatricals count? Other than more expansive backgrounds in the earlier shorts, they could easily pass for TV product.

Butler toiled for all three WB units circa 1956-58, not just Jones. His most famous WB work is probably McKimson's HONEYMOUSERS. He was in STUPOR DUCK:daffy:, RAW! RAW! ROOSTER :foggy: , BARBARY COAST BUNNY:bugs1:, and anywhere a Gleason or Norton caricature might emerge (HALF FARE HARE, WIDEO WABBIT, BIRD IN A BONNET). Freleng seemed to be trying to create a new regular in the goofy cat rival of :sylvester in TRICK OR TWEET and MOUSE AND GARDEN.

And Butler was probably as active in MGM during the fifties as he was at Lantz. He's in many :droopy: :tomcat: :jerry: shorts, especially in the post-Quimby Cinemascope era. The first time I saw MUCHO MOUSE, it creeped me out to see Tom's botched attempts to speak Spanish with the voice that would later belong to fellow cat Super Snooper!

[Matt the Y]

His decline, which could just as easily be attributed to age, became very apparent in the late seventies with the proliferation of the TV and theatrical WB compilation anthologies. The differences in his:bugs1: , :ham:, :foggy: or :ysam: become very apparent during quick transitions between theatrical footage from the fifties and modern filler footage.

I agree with you there, Howard, especially with Porky. There are two seperate instances in which I listened to Blanc's 1980's Porky voice (in the 1982 TV special, "Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television" and in the 1988 feature, "Quackbusters") and came off thinking, "That doesn't sound like Blanc's Porky at all!" It was especially noticeable in "Quackbusters", particularly because, as with the "Television" special, they didn't even bother to speed up Blanc's Porky voice. In the "Claws for Alarm" bridging sequences, you have Blanc doing his feeble Porky voice at normal speed, then when the original cartoon soundtrack commences ("D-d-d-Dry Gulch Hotel. How opportune."), it's the "sped" Porky voice and there's a world of difference.

[Jon Cooke]

I agree with you there, Howard, especially with Porky. There are two seperate instances in which I listened to Blanc's 1980's Porky voice (in the 1982 TV special, "Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television" and in the 1988 feature, "Quackbusters") and came off thinking, "That doesn't sound like Blanc's Porky at all!" It was especially noticeable in "Quackbusters", particularly because, as with the "Television" special, they didn't even bother to speed up Blanc's Porky voice.

To be fair to Mel, a lot of the blame has to go to the folks who didn't speed up his voice properly on those 1980s productions. When sped up properly, like they were in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?, Daffy and Porky sound fine even at Mel's later age.