Mel Blanc On Voicing Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and More | Letterman

The man of 400 voices talks about how he comes up with each one.
(From "Late Night," air date: 11/15/82)
#melblanc #bugsbunny #letterman
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[@keithhepworth4934]

There will never be another Mel Blanc. The voice(s) of my childhood.

[@radioactive9861]

Mel Blanc = LEGEND

[@ShawnFerrell]

Billy West is my Mel Blanc.

[@brian-ld4vd]

I watched All these cartoons since I was a young child, I'm 52 soon, Mel Blanc was the forerunner of everything you hear today. A True Legend. RIP

[@cheungkwok9144]

C 😊

[@BlunterSales]

Dont worry, the young generation stil carries on his legacy, im 23 and grew up on warner bros.

[@stephensearles673]

Me to I'm 55 grew up with cartoons

[@sopcopotoptop]

58! Loved the early WB and Disney cartoons!

[@robertmclaughlin5953]

I’m not trying to upstage anyone or make anyone else feel “old”, but at 65, I still remember with fondness and fun these voices and cartoons. Mel was definitely a humble and class act whose work still brings smiles and chuckles to us all.

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

Mel Blanc has over 75 years caused every child in America to smile..what price can put on that.

[@fus149hammer5]

Not just America we loved him in Britain too. 😊

[@metalstorm7506]

It wasn’t just America my friend, it was a global smile all over the place

[@lolly_bread]

Great thought! And true.

[@S500-]

Americans think America is whole world , 90% Americans dont have passport.

[@ouiroc]

His voice is still making all of us smile an American icon

[@crisc9280]

Every Saturday morning with a bowl of my favorite cereal. Bugs Bunny and Road Runner Show. I watched religiously

[@philt5782]

Damn right. Me too

[@jonnyabomb1]

One of the most talented people who ever lived.

[@Aisha.The.Traveler]

Him and Walt Disney might be tied.

[@KrystalHarwood-z1b]

who was the baby at the start

[@atmywitsend1984]

​@@KrystalHarwood-z1b Himself. It was his first voice.

[@jamiew1664]

@@KrystalHarwood-z1b lol, you cant be serious?

[@KrystalHarwood-z1b]

@@jamiew1664 no i know it was mel but what character, sorry i should have been specific

[@kaspinet]

Mel Blanc and Chuck Jones taught me everything I needed to know.

[@hmmmmm64]

Such a humble gentleman. Not one drop of arrogance despite his immense talent.

[@KrystalHarwood-z1b]

2024 he's be ticked to see how offended certain people are getting over the certain characters ex. porky for stutterers

[@MatchaTheVibeking]

Its crazy seeing this video from 1982, and hearing the host say that even back then, most adults grew up with the voice of this man. I grew up with the voice of this man and I was born in '93. Really puts into perspective how many generations he inspired.

[@terterman8585]

Yep, I had this same realization back when I was a kid in the 80s, and my mom, who grew up in the 50s, would always comment that they still play the same cartoons as when she was a kid. I guess the saying "they don't make things like they used to" rings true once again, I can't see any of the nonsense from today surviving through generations and time

[@MatchaTheVibeking]

@@terterman8585 Nah, everything today is made to be consumed quickly so everyone moves on to buy the next new thing

[@Topg1]

This video is older than me.

[@klaasj7808]

but now woke took over and Soros wants our kids to be braindead so they made all those shows new again.

[@VOMITQUEEN]

@@Topg1it’s older than most of us lol

[@kingsalmon5905]

This man was a treasure. So talented. Rest in peace Mel!

[@La_Roo]

A true legend… the voice of my childhood ❤

[@joegroup1]

The cartoons where each frame is drawn and coloured are works of art, so much work as gone into them.

[@PaulusN-p3m]

Nothing can compete with the smoothness and coloring of cartoons from that period. Today's products are boring.

[@thisisobviouslynotmyrealname]

indeed. When i was kid, i remember being let down by the new cartoons with the cheaper technique, i didnt know what was happening, but i felt the magic had gone

[@odom2142]

This is why AI will never completely replace us. Like handmade furniture, handmade cartoons are more beautiful than machine-made in their imperfections. Computer-generated cartoons are boring in their perfection and evenness.

[@toddjoubert1074]

I'm 61 years old and I grew up watching all those great Bugs Bunny,Porky Pig,Road Runner, cartoons , what talent to be able to do all those voices.

[@enriqueiii9209]

Me Too

[@michaeltammaro482]

Yup.

[@brendah.6366]

We are the same age. So true!!!

[@kirbygene]

David Letterman was very stiff in this interview. He just went through the motions with a brilliantly talented and funny icon.

[@douglasmennella4525]

In addition to being a genius voice artist Mel Blanc was a genuinely funny guy.

[@lynnturman8157]

How is he funnY? Is he there to amuse you? Is he a clown?

[@Rocketcow-dx1jd]

​@@lynnturman8157I am since i voice Krusty the clown for fun and it sounds dead on.

[@johncmitchell4941]

@@lynnturman8157 Mel was well known for being a chill guy and having a great sense of humor.

[@groovyc2411]

​@@lynnturman8157you sound like a clown

[@Lothnar5070]

Ok Karen. I think your period has started

[@caryd67]

His headstone reads “That’s All, Folks!” I’m not joking.

[@Nathan93Baker]

Also "Man of 1000 voices"

[@ronaldhol9175]

Mel Blanc was a SUPERSTAR of voice characterizations. Others may have created the cartoon characters, but it was MEL BLANC that. gave them their personalities . R.I.P. Mel...We miss you !

[@Biketunerfy]

I’m 42 years old and those voices still bring back many fond happy memories. With much love from Stu in the 🇬🇧.

[@shawshank178]

Stu? Si!

[@BenJabituya]

Mel Blanc, the man of a thousand voices. He sure was talented! He sure made my childhood awesome.

[@ozzyfan7299]

Crazy talented. 400 voices, that's amazing and I've heard a ton of them.

[@starkiller7278]

90s born kid here. I grew up watching many of the cartoons that this man voiced in the retro block on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Very few people are talented as this man was.

[@batgurrl]

These vintage clips are utterly amazing to revisit. Mel Blanc, the legendary voice that boomers (and others) grew up with and loved ❤🎉

[@midnighttornado22]

Undisputed greatest voice actor of all time. Every voice actor past present and future forever will view this man as the ultimate benchmark and legend.

[@AlanPrice-b7n]

He was literally one in a million. I read that during WW2, in addition to all his cartoon work for both Warner and Universal, he starred on 18 radio shows - every week. It's impossible to think anyone would have that kind of work ethic today.

[@kstepko]

I had no idea that Mel was the voice of Barney Rubble!

[@chrism70kc]

Mel was actually seriously injured in a car wreck and did one season of the Flintstones voicing Barney from his bed because of his injuries

[@Kev_Shmev]

He was the voice of just about everyone.

[@ryann.9636]

Trouble

[@rocketreindeer]

He did Dino too and it strained the hell out of his throat.

[@rhyancoleman6462]

I thought Daws Butler took over for Mel for part of Season 2 as he was recovering.

[@garrettbrooks6576]

This gentleman is the voice of probably 5 generations of people's childhoods.

[@Problembeing]

Recently bought a Loony Toons boxset and been reloving these classics, and Mel Blanc has been the voice generations grew up loving. Such a sweet man.

[@Tommyr]

He's a true legend! LOVE that man! I LOVE cartoon voice actors!

[@LLYMYNT]

Part of my childhood and so hard to replicate Mel Blanc. Awesome video.😊

[@vladpadowicz5946]

When I was a kid I imitated a lot of people and of course all the cartoons. Only years later I paid attention to the credits and realized that it was one man doing all the voices 😮🤯 Mel Blanc was my inspiration to do voices and after years of working as an audio engineer, I got my chance to audition and then voiced several projects including Arthur, Little Lulu, Ripley's Believe it or Not and whole bunch of random voices in radio and tv ads. Thank you Mel for being my mentor ... Rest in Peace 🙏 💖

[@WaterShowsProd]

There were other voice actors used here and there, but Mel Blanc was the only one with a screen credit in his contract. That said, he did provide most of the voices in the cartoons.

[@OneofMyTurns]

The man was a gift to millions!!! A true one of a kind!!! R.I.P Mel

[@benjaminkogut2640]

Thank you for posting this! About a decade ago I started spending four years of listening my way through The Jack Benny Show during my late evenings and Mel was such a great part of the cast. Nobody will ever be able to do what he did throughout his career

[@Strategory76]

Not a good interview. Mel was having fun and Dave was a wet blanket.

[@Ochimusha108]

seriously! who put sand in his vajayjay???

[@AlcibiadesMD]

Letterman was flat and humorless here, wonder if he wasn’t feeling well.

[@Deadfoot-Dan]

Would have loved to seen the montage, it's obvious his stories are as prolific as the voices he portrayed. Legend.

[@catkeys6911]

"A-biddiah-biddiah-biddiah - That's all, folks!" -I must have heard over 500 times as a little kid (I'm 71). Ain't I a stinker?

[@Rob_Kates]

His cartoons still stand the test of time. Some date back to the 1940s.

[@arthurmorgan8991]

Some even earlier than that!

[@Angel-ei4pm]

Mel Blanc was a comic genuis he had so many voices and he was great*** Love Mel Blanc..

[@mattjarrells]

Every person in that studio was in awe and in a childhood trance with this legend.

[@Hisham_HMA]

Wow so many voices and not only that, he's funny too

[@stephenholloway6893]

Mel's an iconic voice actor and actor in general his l9ng and legendary career will never be forgotten.

[@KungEMuller]

Dave and The Man Of A Thousand Voices! This is perfect.

[@mistofoles]

After Mel died I saw a cartoon picture of his gravestone with his obituary on it, and every single character he voiced was gathered round it, wearing a gag and weeping.

[@mage189]

Such a great part of Jack Benny's shows! One of the greats.

[@pandafamily9879]

I never knew that all characters were just one guy! What a legend. I watched those all through the 80's.

[@cougar02000]

To say Mel Blanc was brilliant would be an understatement!

[@noespam2884]

If you're interested, Mel Blanc was born on May 30, 1908 and died on July 10, 1989. The interview was 42 years ago! (as of 2024)

[@ilhuicatlamatini]

LOL! I loooove Foghorn Leghorn 🤣 Also, I apparently hate limited animation, and prefer full animation because I never watched Hanna Barbera stuff, hated its cheap look with those backgrounds etc.

[@displaychicken]

Absolutely. Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett and the rest of the WB animators represent the high water mark of animation. The amount of effort put into those cartoons is astounding. Even the music….Carl Stalling composed an average of one entire musical score per week for over 20 years.

[@cheeseman417]

Mel blanc was just a legend, I'm in awe of this mans talent, I don't know of any modern counterpart I think because you had to be so talented back then in the 40's - 50's without today's technology.

[@thefunshow2024]

GOAT. And I bet his Goat would've been amazing!

[@danasaeed9018]

Thank You For All The Wonderful Ever Lasting Memories Mr Mel Blanc ❤️💙

[@fruitcakefloydpluss]

Mel Blanc the man of 1000 voices!! seeing him doing his looney tunes voices here cracks me up cartoon voices of my childhood RIP Mel.😆😆

[@empire0]

I remember seeing Mel Blanc in the credits of like every cartoon I watched as a kid, the old days when just a handful of people did everything

[@ambrosemalone1891]

Part of my childhood. What a brilliant guy, what talent!

[@ProDemocracyMan]

Mel Blanc was so talented and I loved growing up watching all those cartoons. A man with a thousand voices, and when he passed they had to find numerous people to replace him.

[@laurapalka3685]

Mel Blanc & Jim Henson...who else in the entertainment world really mattered? 😉❤

[@erinikeuchi6447]

Man! This is my childhood! Such a legend!

[@nuggnugg8464]

The voice acting GOAT

[@ronaldbak2092]

I still watch all those classic looney tunes, he was one of a kind and I still remember the cover of Life magazine when he passed, it showed all the cartoon characters in the background and a empty microphone and the caption read “voiceless”. RIP Mel Blanc.

[@mccallosone4903]

mel blancs influence is huge. chuck jones too, both the top of their field

[@kylem7341]

Man I am digging the looney tunes sweater!

[@JayVincentFitness]

This dude was probably so funny in person. Just a naturally funny guy.

[@nikki-won]

Wow this is bringing back childhood good times.

[@WaterShowsProd]

One of the funniest moments in television is the Jack Benny episode where he's Christmas shopping and Mel Blanc is a salesman that Benny drives completely insane. At one point Benny himself is laughing so hard at Mel Blanc's performance that he has to hide his face from the camera. Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. Mel Blanc was an extraordinary talent.

[@thegefster1988]

I am so proud that my grandfather was his first cousin! I met him once and my cousins were lucky enough to stay at his house. He is and was an American Treasure!

[@tourproven]

How fortunate he was to breathe life into history like that.

[@467Thiundercatxt3cb]

So much enjoyment given to millions of us over the years RIP Mr Blanc

[@michaelparks6120]

Today's Looney Toons doesn't hold a candle to the classics

[@vladpadowicz5946]

A lot of the voices are done by Mel's son.

[@DocDoccus]

​@@vladpadowicz5946 Noel Blanc doesn't do ANY of Mel's voices. Others such as Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen, Joe Alaskey (RIP) and Eric Bauza are the official voice cast.

[@Tepekegoat68]

Mel Blanc will never know who I am but god bless him for making me the happiest kid on Earth. 🥺🤝Still love his voicing on cartoons! 🐐🙌

[@_Tanasis_]

One day, soon, AI will cover our lives like a bedsheet. This is when people will be able to return here and realize the meaning of human talent and geniusness

[@A.I-GAMING]

I was thinking the same thing in 50 years there will be fake old A I video's pretending to be from the past and people won't know what is real anymore.

[@Rocketcow-dx1jd]

I can do 38 simpsons voices as well as Dan or Harry can, Marvin the martian, and Buster and Babs bunny and love making people doing Babs, Flanders, Apu, or Mr Burns, I could probably do Gadget mouse if i practiced and cant quite do homer due to a certain nuance to that voice i cant pin down.

[@BonesBrigader]

There was supposed to be a Kaboom.... 😉​@@Rocketcow-dx1jd

[@jimmyfaherty8588]

Man. I miss waking up watching loony toons.

[@Karl-cf1hy]

Wow what an awesome life he must've had. We have no idea how much happiness and smiles he put on millions of children and adults the same. Thanks for making my childhood such an entertaining one. 👍💗What a guy.

[@curriehot]

At 54 I still love those old cartoons and Mel Blanc is the master at doing voices, RIP Mel and thanks for the years of entertainment and to everyone else peace and love to you all

[@RonGerstein-tf5tp]

Jack Benny's car, a 1926 Maxwell, was a real car and the Maxwell Motor Company was bought by Walter Chrysler, and he changed the name of the car company to CHRYSLER MOTORS.

[@blueabattoir]

Si

[@clasicradiolover]

Mel Blanc was on the Jack Benny Show for years. Did the voice of Twiki on Buck Rodgers in the 25th century

[@CatJabZ]

What a joy to see this man. I grew up with these hilarious cartoons even if I didn't get the joke at the time I knew it was funny. ❤ Daffy is my favorite but they are all priceless characters.

[@jlh4jc]

Mel Blanc was a treasure!

[@OilRacki]

Man, what a cool dude... such a legend at voicing cartoon characters. So many memoral characters, and so well thought out with how he comes up with them too. I love his personality in this interview too. Seems like he was a pretty cool guy.

[@TodayTomorrowMusick]

I’m 47 and i’m still love and watch bugs bunny

[@tonymarino8]

The OG of Voice acting.

[@MrJONES925]

He made a lot of kids happy

[@enriqueiii9209]

And adults like my mom, her favorite Bugs Bunny.

[@ABxx2011]

What an unbelievable talent. Never equaled, never surpassed.

[@eliabraham3693]

What an honor to meet Mel Blanc. And I love David Letterman!

[@DocDoccus]

I was hoping Mel would bring up that "Si" character from The Jack Benny Program.

[@mbbarnes80]

The voice of so many people’s childhood He had an incredible gift Thank you Mel blanc

[@wilkeithsarratt1337]

Growing up watching all these cartoon voices was twice as funny for me as a kid because my older brother could do them all !!!

[@Vidgmchtr]

I’d never known Mel Blanc’s normal speaking voice until now

[@kxmode]

I love the way he pronounced Albuquerque in Bug's voice 😅

[@johnstorton]

Yosemite Sam had said, "I hate you" many times, but one particular time cracked me up and I've never forgotten it. I wish I could say it like that. He said in a somewhat subdued manner, "Ooooohhh, I Haaate yooou."

[@Russell-hd1pm]

ALSO FUNNY ON THE JACK BENNY SHOW! THE CHRISMAS EPISODE WAS HILARIOUS! JACK DROVE HIM CRAZY!

[@WaterShowsProd]

One of my top favourite moments in television. I watch it every year. Sometimes I don't even wait until Christmas. "Oh... What... What?? WHAT?!?!?!?!"

[@GnarlsGnarlington]

I really didn't get the feels that David was sitting down with an absolute legend.

[@MelBlanc222]

Mel Blanc was such a phenomenal talent! 👌

[@zzzzxxxxxz6017]

I never knew he was responsible for so many of these voices

[@darrenjohnbryant51]

A genius!

[@jamescook2115]

Thanks for making my childhood Saturday mornings awesome Mr. Blanc!

[@UKGeezer]

This lovely man must have been part of every kid's life. 9 months, 150 people and 50 grand to make a 6 minute cartoon. Wow, and they made a heck of a lot of cartoons over the years.

[@jameswise7719]

Mel Thank you !

[@KillaKellsz]

I knew I recognized his voice he did so many guy number 1 sounds I swear he was Mugsy too!! The voice in car calling the cops " call all car calling cars !" This man is my childhood in human being!!!

[@LoneWombat2126]

What incredibly talented and versatile vocal cords and mouth he has! I guess you could say that 1000s of cartoon characters died with him. 😢 May he rest happily with the characters he created. 🥲

[@colincharlton9339]

This man gave me my sense of humour ...brilliant sense of humour .😂😂😂😂😂

[@SK-xw2hu]

Love Mel Blanc but Letterman couldn’t have been any duller.

[@carlozalex]

I miss the cartoons of yesterday and the David letterman show, good times.