That's Not All Folks!

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir from the Man of a Thousand Voices. Perhaps best known for his Looney Tunes voice work, Blanc was also a very well-known radio actor in his day, and even transitioned to television. His is a unique perspective on the history of entertainment, as he saw the evolution from vaudeville, to motion pictures (silent and talkies), to radio, and finally to TV, pretty much over the course of fifty years. He acknowledges his luck over the course of his career, but also the sheer persistence that it took to break into the voice-man business. If not for one editor dropping dead and Treg Brown sitting at his desk one day, who knows if we ever would've had the wonderful animated films from Warner Brothers, with their show more distinctive characters and voices?

I also really enjoyed his insights into his radio work, especially as I've been listening to the old radio shows on SiriusXM RadioClassics. He dishes a little bit of dirt on his castmates, which was interesting, though of course most of what he has to say is pretty much in glowing terms. Blanc was also an accomplished musician, playing several instruments in several orchestras and bringing a bit of special insight into his character Professor LeBlanc from the Jack Benny Program, as Jack's much-harassed violin instructor. show less

Mel Blanc was literally "the man of a thousand voices". I grew up loving the Warner Brothers cartoons, and was amazed and gratified years later upon learning that most of the voices, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn and a host of others, were done by one man. I was further gratified to read this biography and to learn that not only did the WB cartoons constitute a small part of his professional output (he was a mainstay on Jack Benny's radio and TV show), but that Mel Blanc was a truly nice, modest, unassuming sort whom I think it would have been a privilege to know. He's gone now, but at least his wonderful cartoon work will always be with us. The book is charmingly written, with some nice photographs. show more My only quibble is that the cartoon character illustrations are from the uninspired late 1980's. show less

This was AI-suggested based on something I read and a quick look over on Open Library...voilà! For a Bugs Bunny nut, this was a wonderful read. Charming, candid, accessible...Blanc was an icon.

He talks about his early life, the years breaking into the voice acting business, and the shrewdness of his self-marketing. Lots of behind the scenes stories. Lots of insight ("The real challenge for any animated-film sound-effects man wasn't to simulate realism but to defy it.")

He had access to quite a number of people in Hollywood, radio and television, and they loved him for what he did. And he has a great sense of humor - nearly dying from a head-on collision only made it better. One story he tells about Marilyn Monroe:

An amusing anecdote

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about Marilyn, whom I met for the first time at an awards dinner. It goes without saying that she was stunning; I don't think there was a pair of male eyes not glued to her as she moved through the banquet hall. The two of us were standing around chatting - she in breathy bursts, just like in her films - when a man interrupted us, steering her away by the elbow. "I want you to sit at my table and meet someone," he said. It seemed more like an order than a request.
"I can't," she squealed.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because," she said, glaring at him, "I can't sit down. I'm sewn into this dress."

And there were other sides not generally known... He loved cars, but he also collected timepieces. One was a 1510 piece that he got at a great price from a guy in need of cash, only to find out later how valuable it was. and half a lifetime later, he had collected more than four hundred (including one of Bugs, and even one of himself!)

Great story. Note: on the Open Library PDF scan, the last page is missing. show less

i read this as a young'un, a huge fan of looney tunes, and i was entranced by the stories behind the voices. but i was actually freaked out by the fact that he was best friends with legendary violent jerkface bing crosby.

Terrific recollections of a real innovator - and a humble one at that. Very enjoyable.

A breezy, light autobiography of the legendary 'Man of a Thousand Voices'. Enjoyable, with many anecdotes about the famous and not-so-famous entertainers that Mel worked with in his very long career. A career that may have been famous because of Warner Brothers and Bugs Bunny, but included a great deal more.

$15.00