Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices

by Ben Ohmart

Mel Blanc needs no introduction to cartoon and radio fans. He was The Master of the funny voice. For the first time ever, here is the ultimate biography, encompassing Noel Blanc's unpublished biography, with an introduction by Bugs Bunny, plus a complete (and Huge) credit list and discography. Over 700 pages. Indexed.

708 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2012

About the author

Owner of BearManor Media.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Mel, but this bio was not written terribly well. Simplistic language and uninteresting minutia bog it down.

[Wesley Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

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, Blank 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.


This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Fri. Aug. 20, 2021:


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[Craig Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The greatest voice actor in radio and television history. Really fun.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lonely tunes. My favorite childhood cartons. Mel Blanc is a rare gifted talented voice artist.