Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices
Author: Ben Ohmart
Publisher : BearManor Media (November 11, 2012)
ISBN-10 : 1593937881
ISBN-13 : 978-1593937881
Available on Amazon
I admit being a tad behind the curve reviewing this 2012 tome, but I only recently spotted the title in a perusal of the BearManor Media catalogue. I also admit some might think I’m a tad biased as I’ve known the author, Ben Ohmart, for many years now. Seven of my books were published by his BearManor Media. And I’ve reviewed a ton of BearManor titles in the past as that little company tends to pump out quality non-fiction explorations of entertainment history. I’ve loved quite a few, but have pointed out clunkers when I run across them.
This time around, Ben gives us a 700 plus page deep dive into all things Mel Blanc. For a refresher, Blanc was the voice of most of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety bird, Yosemite Sam and all the other favorites you probably remember from your childhood. Beyond the Warner Brothers canon, Blanc occasionally did the Woody Woodpecker laugh, and voiced Barney Rubble and Dino for The Flintstones. Add in countless characters for radio and television, including a lot of work with his friend Jack Benny, and it’s easy to understand how a serious cataloguing of his legacy would end up in a hefty sized book.
Naturally, the book is chock-full of behind-the-scenes anecdotes revealing how Blanc came up with all those voices. For example, Blanc didn’t like carrots so he kept a bucket handy whenever he had to do Bugs Bunny chopping on carrots. Apparently, no other vegetable could duplicate the sound so Blanc would do his chomping and then spit out the remains in the bucket. In the ‘60s, Blanc was surprised to find his characters singing Beatles and Rolling Stones songs as in Yosemite Sam doing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
We get a considerable amount of insight into Blanc’s personal life, especially as one principal source for the book was his son, Noel. I doubt few readers can read the account of Blanc’s recovery from a near fatal car crash and not be affected by just how resilient Blanc was in getting back to work while still being laid up. In fact, few readers will put down this book without feeling a sense of admiration for the man, his talent, his values, the whole package.
If you’re like me and missed this volume when it first came out, it’s never too late to appreciate the life and legacy of a major contributor to many of our childhood hours watching TV and laughing at all those immortal characters Mel Blanc helped bring to life.
More About the Reviewer
Dr. Wesley Britton, educator and author, is a regular contributor to #TheNewBookReview blog and well as BookPleasures.com where this review first appeared. Use this blog's search engine to find more of his reviews.
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