Somehow, the cartoon voices that had become such a big part of Blanc’s life were the thing that ended up bringing him out of his coma. The doctors and Blanc’s family were stunned. “Tweety, can you hear me?” Once again, Blanc replied: “I tot I taw a puddy tat.” As recounted by Blanc’s son, Noel, the doctor bent over Blanc’s bed and said, “Bugs Bunny, how are you doing today?” After a few moments of silence, a faint voice replied, “What’s up, doc?” Amazed, the doctor tried again. Then, about 14 days after the crash, one of Blanc’s neurologists got a strange idea. For two weeks, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and countless other beloved characters lay in a coma, his family and doctors unable to get a response. Even worse, he had sustained a triple skull fracture. 24 accident on Dead Man’s Curve broke that streak by nearly ending his life.īlanc arrived at UCLA with both of his legs fractured, multiple ribs broken, and his pelvis shattered. He’d worked nearly constantly, only rarely taking breaks. The accident and a miracleīy 1961, Blanc had been entertaining children for more than 30 years. Aside from his Looney Tunes work, Blanc could also be heard playing multiple characters on the popular Jack Benny radio show and its television spinoff, laughing insanely in Walter Lantz’s Woody Woodpecker shorts, and voicing too many characters to count for Hanna-Barbera Productions. Nearly every character in the shorts was voiced by Blanc, a feat that made him one of the most in-demand actors of his time. Throughout the 1930s and into the 1950s, Blanc’s characterizations became the heart and soul behind these classic cartoons. These series - dubbed the Merry Melodies and the Looney Tunes - quickly became popular entertainment during the Great Depression. His talent for voice characterization was quickly put to use by Warner Bros., who were looking to compete with Disney’s cartoon output by creating their own series of wacky shorts. Known as the “Man of a Thousand Voices,” Blanc first rose to prominence back during the Golden Age of animated theatrical shorts. These are just some of the many cartoon characters given life by Hollywood’s most revered voice actor: Mel Blanc. And this is the story of how he overcame the odds to survive one of LA’s most infamous car accidents.ĭaffy Duck. The man was Mel Blanc, the legendary voice actor behind hundreds of beloved cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny. Near dead and unconscious, he was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center. While the 18-year-old driver of the second vehicle sustained only minor injuries, the same couldn’t be said for the man in the sports car. As he turned down the stretch of Sunset Boulevard known as “Dead Man’s Curve,” the man’s car was violently hit by an oncoming vehicle. 24, 1961, a 52-year-old man was driving his sports car home through the dark streets of Los Angeles. One of LA’s most dangerous streets nearly killed history’s most prolific voice actor
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |