As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.
July 10, 1989
Mel Blanc died.
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"Speechless" was originally rendered by animation director, Darryl Van Citters. |
Mel Blanc began smoking
cigarettes when he was 9 years old.
He continued his pack-a-day habit until he was diagnosed with emphysema, which pushed
him to quit at age 77. On May 19, 1989, Blanc was checked into Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center by his family when
they noticed he had a bad cough while shooting a commercial; he was originally
expected to recover. While sleeping in his hospital bed, Blanc accidentally
fell and broke his femur resulting in fat embolism in the brain.
He died on
July 10 at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles, California at the age of 81. He was interred in the Hollywood
Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
Blanc's will stated his desire to have the inscription on his
gravestone read, "THAT'S ALL FOLKS" (the phrase was a trademark of
Blanc's character Porky Pig).
Blanc is regarded as the most prolific voice actor in
the history of the industry. He was the first voice actor to receive on-screen
credit.
Blanc's death was considered a significant loss to the
cartoon industry because of his skill, expressive range, and sheer volume of
continuing characters he portrayed, which are currently taken up by several
other voice talents. Indeed, as movie critic Leonard Maltin once pointed out, "It is astounding to realize
that Tweety Bird and Yosemite Sam are the same man!"
According to Blanc, Sylvester the Cat was the easiest
character to voice because "It's just my normal speaking voice with a
spray at the end." Yosemite Sam was the hardest because of his loudness
and raspyness.
A doctor who once examined Blanc's throat found that
he possessed unusually thick, powerful vocal cords that gave him an exceptional
range. The doctor reported that they rivaled only those of famed opera singer Enrico Caruso.
After his death, Blanc's voice continued to be heard
in newly released productions, such as recordings of Dino from The
Flintstones in the 1994
live-action film based on the series
and its sequel. Archive recordings of Blanc's performance as the
Maxwell automobile from The Jack Benny Program were also used in the
2003 movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action. More recently, archive recordings of Blanc have been
featured in new CGI-animated Looney Tunes theatrical shorts; I
Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat (shown
with Happy Feet
Two) and Daffy's Rhapsody (shown with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island).
Blanc trained his son Noel in the field of voice characterization.
Although the younger Blanc has performed his father's characters (particularly
Porky Pig) on some programs, he has chosen not to become a full-time voice
artist.
For his contributions to radio and animation, Mel
Blanc has a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood
Boulevard. His character Bugs Bunny
also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (the only others to have received
this honor are Walt Disney as both himself and Mickey Mouse; Jim Henson as both himself and Kermit the Frog; and Mike Myers as both himself and Shrek).
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