When Mel Blanc passed away, Warner Bros. released a tribute print with the characters Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester the cat, Tweety, Pepe Le Pew, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, and Daffy Duck bowing their heads with their eyes closed while facing an empty microphone in a spotlight with the word "Speechless" at the top. A very poignant and genius tribute.
I'm 65 and grew up on Looney Tunes. I still watch them even though I know a lot of the dialogs by heart. This is the first time I've heard how Mel got into the business. Mel Blanc, what a treasure.
Growing up watching Bugs Bunny, the Lil Rascals, Popeye, and many more as a child in the 60 ‘s was the best education in being American you could ever! I feel that children today are deprived of the sit and wisdom of that era!
I am 30 years old. It is no exaggeration to say that Jack Benny could do more with a look than most comedians can do with an hour of material. He was truthfully, as George Burns said, “a quiet riot.”
@@bluebagger1262 everybody and their uncle smoked back then lol... Johnny Carson on his deathbed: "Those damn cigarettes". Emphysema killed him, sadly.
My goodness, 95 years after Mel’s start on radio, and an interview reflecting on his life from almost a half a century ago is trending number 19 on RU-vid today 11/19/2022. Mind boggling.
Mel Blanc's favorite was Bugs Bunny 🐰 At the same time Mel has achieved popularity for years and became very well known in America and all around However he needed a Successor who could Take over his roll as Bugs Bunny and he chose his son Noel Blanc and believe me he sounds just like him. Noel says that his father has done over 15 hundred voices including other characters like Daffy Duck, Porky pig, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, And countless others However Noel is lucky to have a Famous father.
Mr. Blanc was also a very charming man in person. Back in the early 60s I met “The Man of a Thousand Voices” himself. My family were at a corporate childrens' Xmas party at Casa Loma in Toronto. Every ballroom, hallway and stairwell of this real live castle was filled with musicians, clowns, magicians and jugglers...and a quietly-smiling, unassuming man in a neat dark suit and a tiny moustache. He complimented my little sister, literally a "babe in arms", telling her "Ohhhh! What a tweet widdle girl you are!" She was unimpressed and a little shy but I was thunderstruck as he turned to me and offered his hand burbling (and slobbering) "And what's YOUR name young fella!" Tweety and Sylvester... in the flesh! My Mom says my mouth did not close for a whole week after! 🤔😱💛👍🏻🕰📆⌛️🎞🐥🐱
Mel was Best Man in my great-grandparents wedding. I have a letter he sent my grandma when she was a kid. Written on Looney Tunes stationary. Such a treat. :)
@@erielighthousetheater5395 Yeah you're right. Hadn't thought about that. My great-grandfather passed when I was a tot. 1984 I believe. Great-grandma lived to 105 and passed around 2010. I should've asked her if she had wedding pictures. When Mel sent the letter to my grandma he included his home and work phone numbers. Also included a signed 8x10 photo of he surrounded by the Looney Tune characters he voices. Just a real nice guy.
@@wmden1 usually...but listen to the old radio shows and a few could just make him break and it's hilarious. Mel, George Burns and Freb Allen were tops at this.
@@wmden1 One great story they didn't tell... There was one episode where Jack is wearing a new suit. They made a big deal of this because, why would a guy of Jack's thrift buy a NEW suit. So, Don Wilson compliments Jack's new suit. Jack asks how he heard that he got a new suit, and Don was supposed to say "I read it in Drew Pearson's column." but instead he said "I read it in Dreer Pooson's column." Later in the show, Frank Nelson was on. There was one line in the exchange between him and Jack that Jack didn't like... he didn't think it would get a big laugh. Jack asks Frank if he's the doorman, and he says "Who do I look like, Nelson Eddy?" Nelson recently played a Canadian mountie and that's the image they wanted the audience to vision. Moments after Don's flub, the writers had an idea and gave Frank Nelson a new line, without telling Jack or anyone else. So when Jack asked if he was the doorman, Frank says "Who do you think I am, DREER POOSON?" Huge laughter... Jack lost it... he laughed so hard he fell to the floor, then he had to crawl to the edge of the stage to pull himself back up!
One cannot overestimate the effect of Mel Blanc's genius on pop culture - we all grew up listening to his wonderful voice characters in radio, movies and TV. He was loved and admired by all who knew him and worked with him.
Three legends all together. The Jack Benny radio show was a monster that dominated for years. Genius idea to put Mel and Jack together so they could do bits of the old routines Miss them all.
To this day I still listen to OTR. I don't think in an age with the type of instant and 24 hour media just how huge radio was in the 30s and 40s. It was for most the only direct contact they had fir entertainment and information. 4 networks, but basically 2 that dominated nationally.
@@MarkWilliams-dt1ty I got into OTR back in the late 1970's when I was a teenager. My mom and dad would buy me the cassette tapes for Christmas and I would listen to them at night when I went to bed. I still do it to this day. Jack Benny will always be my favorite show, hands down! The timing was genius and Jack was a such a professional at letting the other cast members have their time in the spotlight. He always said "I don't care who gets the laugh, as long as it's funny".
Mel Blanc is the voice of my Saturday morning cartoons. I’ll never forget, “ I knew I shoulda taken that left turn in Albuquerque.” Rest in power Mr. Blanc.
I was making a drive last year from California to Pennsylvania, and went through Phoenix. My route took my through Albuquerque and I had to turn right to get on the interstate, and as God as my witness, to myself, alone in the car, I said I guess I can't turn left in Albuquerque! And laughed about it for a few miles. Rest in peace Mel!
@@kleetus92 Good Gods... I think I'd have pissed meself laughing just driving into Alberquerque. I still use the whole "I knew I shoulda taken that left turn in Alberquerque!" line when I get lost some place.
It’d be more amazing if they also included Lucy Ball, George Burns, June Foray and Rochester on the same stage and bring out all kinds of crazy laughs!
I was impressed that Johnny knew and mentioned the other great cartoon voices of the time- June Foray. paul Frees Alan Reed. Carson knew his cartoons lol
Johnny could have done a full hour with just those two icons and every minute would have been entertaining. Most of those Jack Benny Program recordings are in the public domain now and can be found for free at the internet archive. That brand of humor never gets old.
@@kevinmadden1645 The radio program is available on the Internet Archive but not all episodes survive. There are many from the early years that are missing, but still there are a lot of episodes available for free there. Not sure about television episodes.
I know. You are never going to get a show or cartoon series like Looney Tunes where the bulk of the cast are done by one man. Mel was exceptional, in more ways than one.
I’m 61 years old and one of the voices that I liked( amongst all the other voices Mel Blanc did ) was “ Foghorn Leghorn “ the rooster! I always loved that character of Mel Blanc and even though Foghorn Leghorn was a loudmouth, that character was always funny!😆😆😆
@@Andrew-13579 😁 Mel Blanc had many different voices and the first time that I ever heard Mel Blanc speak in his normal voice, I was kind of a little bit shocked too and I always thought that Mel Blanc was kind of a quiet man too, but, not so with all of his looney tune’s voices! lol😁😁
The pure clean comedy without a need for vulgarity or innuendo is lost to us today. It is pure pleasure to see these great talents together and having fun with their craft enjoying and respectful of each other.
Oh there were innuendos back then. They had to be more subtle to get through broadcast standards and practices. Also, Vulgarity was just starting in stand up if you listen to comedy records. I don't see what the problem is
@@TheEman590 The difference between Mel, Jack, and the rising crop of TV comedians is that they (Mel and Jack) didn't need to resort to vulgarity to get their comedy across. Of course, the criticism today is their use of stereotypes, which, while largely innocent then, served to undermine the very comedy that ushered in Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and others.
Jack was the master of timing. Mel was the master of voices. They're two of my favorite people of all time. There will never be another Mel, Jack, or Johnny. They are absolute legends.
Can't express how much Mel Blanc affected my life growing up with the Bugs Bunny Road Runner Show on Saturday mornings. I still react to situations with his voices and hear them clear as day in my head.
Yeah, that hour and a half of Bugs Bunny Road Runner cartoons on Saturday mornings back in the late 1970s was great! Watched every weekend while the rest of the family was still upstairs asleep.
I grew up listening to this man’s voices. Loved all the characters he did. Even now I still say “ That’s all folks” and a few other popular phrases that I got from watching all those looney tunes. 😁
My nieces and nephews all watch Looney Tunes regularly. I turned them onto them a few years ago. Now amount of pokie mon can match up to the sheer hilarity of those cartoons. And they are funny for adults too! It's a shame that so many of the good ones have been wiped from this ailing platform in order to bow to the woke cult of political correctness.
Every Saturday morning from 9 am until noon our local tv station showed nothing but Bugs bunny and related toons. Would sit in front of the tv glued for those hours. Year after year, never got tired of them.
Mel Blanc, a friend to millions, if not billions of children far and wide. My fifty year old son still sometimes watches some of the old cartoons and, in many cases, it’s because of the voices. Credit is due to the writers as well. Thank you to all.
How many of us wish we could go back to these time's. Raise your hands!👏 METV plays all these old cartoons and shows. Occasionally I'll watch the bugs bunny hour on Saturday morning and I'm 56 , but it brings me back to a happy place!
I’m not sure the general public has ever realized what a great singer Mel Blanc was…each one of his characters delivered perfectly performed songs (even including operatic arias!!)Brilliant!!!
This guy was incredible , I grew up on all those cartoons in the late 60's and early 70's. What a talent he was! The sad part is there's people that would call this racist , we have fallen away from a great times in our country. Glad I grew up during these times!
I just grew up in a time where you could be funny with out four letter words. In my late teens through my 20’s four letter words seemed funny, now I think it’s just a every day occurrence where people are unable to communicate without words like that. Guess I’m showing my age.
That’s just my opinion though and what I would rather not hear. If others like it that’s fine with me. I think everyone hits that age where you say, “ back in my day…..” I never thought I would get to that point but yet here I am. 😅
What a great segment of the Carson Show! I visited the famous "Hollywood Forever Cemetery" in 2000 and Mr. Blanc rests there - his grave-stone inscription reads, "That's all Folks!." I laughed out loud when I saw it! Cheers to Jack Benny as well - his Life's candle was fast burning down and he would pass on in December of this very same year (1974).
I saw Mel Blanc give a talk probably 2-3 years after this broadcast. He did performed many of the voices live for which he is famous. Kinda freaky how he could morph from one character to the next. An amazing talent.
I was very fortunate to see Mel Blanc in person at the University of Tulsa during his college tour several years ago.. He did his English horse routine there, too, plus some other voices I had never heard before. He should have won an Oscar as Best Actor, he brought life and personality to painted images on film.
@@TheAzmountaineer Perhaps I should have said "a long, long time ago", "ages and ages ago", or "eons ago", or "back in the Dark Ages". To be exact, it was 1978 when I was 29 years old.
Jack Benny died 10 months later...in the middle of filming the Sunshine Boys. George Burns took over for his longtime friend and won the Academy Award.
A great voice and also a good actor. In his recurring role as Jack Benny's violin teacher, he was so downtrodden and miserable at the thought of another failed lesson, it was hilarious.
Memories of a far simpler time with much less technology but much more wholesome entertainment in the US & I for one would trade all the gizmos & gadgets of today in a heartbeat for a chance to go back to that time.
What's great is that despite his age and apparent ill health, the Instant Jack Benny asked Mel to do a voice, he did it without taking a pause. His timing was also perfect, no matter how much time passed between doing these routines.
Over the pandemic, I really got into audio entertainment and especially fell in love with old radio. Jack Benny's show is the gold standard. There are a number of them on RU-vid, and podcasts, and available as audiobook selections through your library.
Hello 👋 Kathryn. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Mark Clifford and am from Denver Colorado, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl
Some decades back I read an article in Reader's Digest titled "My Friend Jack Benny." I don't remember who wrote it. There was an anecdote in it about Jack Benny being funny on the radio without saying a word. A mugger accosts Jack Benny and says, "Your wallet or your life." The pause by Jack in response was the funniest thing ever NOT heard on the radio.
I remember watching the Jack Benny Show as a child and just loved it. They always made me laugh, loved Jack Benny, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and Mel Blanc.
Hello 👋 Anne. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Mark Clifford and am from Denver Colorado, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl
That’s so gratifying to hear! I was such an old soul myself in the 60s and 70s, when my Mom (who was once a front singer with a big band) would play her recordings of classic radio shows. The fact that they can still win a young audience is testament to their enduring genius!
@@OhSankYouDoktor That reminds that many years ago the TV show "Whats My LIne" had Grouco Marx on the panel. Biggest mistake they ever made as far as I am concerned. He constantly interrupted the game with his joking and really wasted a lot of good air time. He thought it was all about him and that no one else mattered. Victor Borge was they same way although not nearly as bad as Groucho was. But Groucho did a great job when he hosted "You Bet Your Life". That game show fit him perfectly. It just depends on what setting you are in.
Mel Blanc was so talented as a voice art. And Jack Benny could be so funny with out saying a word. He had such amazing timing that worked so well for comedy.
I am 73, and I remember all of this as though it was yesterday. Almost 49 years ago, and I laughed the same way as I did then. To think that this is all gone. Sad...
I'm 55 so I watched all my Looney Tunes in the 70's on Saturday mornings. When Mel Blanc died my entire childhood of cartoon watching was suddenly saddened by the silence that I knew I would ever hear again.
I recall him smoking like a chimney. Then cigarettes were starting to fall out of favor. He'd try to "hide" his smoke inder his desk as he did in this clip.
You can sense the affection and respect they had for each other. Mel Blanc stayed at a hotel managed by a friend. He was just a doll, doing his voices, posing for pictures, autographs. He passed out oversized business cards with pictures of his best known characters. Alas, hers was lost in a move.
Mel Blanc - a rare American Treasure. He'd often go to children's hospitals and cheer up the kids with the voices and they'd have to drag him away when it got too late.
I was cracking up and laughing out loud while watching this. Clip is 48 years old and all three men have been deceased for decades and it's still funnier than most of the stuff on tv today.
If this were recorded today, (when Benny was spontaneously trying to get Mel to reenact the bit from the cartoon), they'd just show a clip. But back then, they didn't have such things at their flippant disposal. They had to reenact it on the fly. Those were the days. I wasn't alive then, but my dad raised me on old time radio, Benny, Carson and so many other genius talents from yesteryear.
Mel Blanc, the imagination it takes to get a voice and personality just from a painting of a character, a true gift of God, made me laugh when I was a kid, I quit watching cartoons when they were replaced by the smurfs, sad day back then. RIP Mel an Jack
@Laine Orna Hello 👋 Laine. How are you doing? Hope you are fine. I'm Mark Clifford and am from Denver Colorado, where are you from? You seem like a real country girl
Mel helped raise me... I'm 61 now and hearing some of these 'voice overs' in this video helps me recall my 3 channel, rabbit ear-tv days and having friends sleep over after school Friday so we could watch cartoons and 'Mid-Atlantic Wrestiling'... and of course - 'Soullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Train' (with Don Cornelius!) so we could watch those chicks shake their butts at the camera. All of that would get me a restraining order now. :/
As a kid growing up Saturday mornings were the best an it was all to get downstairs and watch Looney Tunes. Some of the best cartoons ever and Mel Blanc was the master.
Mel Blanc was the absolute greatest voice legend of all time. Bugs and Daffy and Elmer were classics but he did Speedy Gonzalez Sylvester and Tweety the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Then also doing Barney Rubble on the Flintstones just put him in an iconic category by himself.
It's always a little sad to see the curtain and the empty stage at the end. All the great talents that came through there, the guests like Mel and Jack, and especially Ed and Johnny. Such an amazing array of talent we'll not see the likes of in our lifetimes ever again!
On just,what was then, an ordinary evening’s late night network program: three absolute geniuses and legends of a golden era of entertainment - Jack Benny, Mel Blanc and Johnny Carson.
