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6 Looney Tunes characters that Mel Blanc somehow only voiced once
These characters still proved memorable even if they were one and done.
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It's safe to say Bugs, Daffy, Porky and so many other Looney Tunes characters would not have become the cultural icons they have without the incredible voice talents of Mel Blanc. But he didn't become "the man of 1000 voices" by just performing the lead roles. He also contributed countless side characters, animal noises and whatever else was needed to bring the silent animations to life.
Here are few memorable Mel Blanc characters who only appeared in one classic cartoon. They show off his ability to do accents, however exaggerated, and even hint at how he developed voices used for more well-known characters.
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The Scotsman in this classic cartoon, who Bugs calls "MacRory," is somewhat of a Scottish Yosemite Sam. His accent is just as blustery and exaggerated and he has bright red hair. Mel Blanc's voice as MacRory is only outdone by the intonation he uses when Bugs pretends to be an old Scottish man chastising MacRory for shooting rabbits on his "prrroperrrteee." It's unfortunate the MacRory character only appeared in one theatrical short.
2. The Quail from "The Crackpot Quail"
This short hails from the early days of Looney Tunes before there were many defined popular characters. The animators were trying out different combinations of the "cat and mouse" formula and landed on a hunting dog and a quail. The dog's slow drawl is provided by the short's director, Tex Avery, while Mel Blanc voiced the titular bird. Blanc's performance is notable because it's a combination of the Bugs Bunny voice he was still refining (the quail calls the dog "Doc") and a high-pitched bird voice he would later use for Tweety.
3. The Gremlin from "Falling Hare"
This short is most notable for being one of just a few where Bugs Bunny is on the receiving end of most of the gags. A tiny yellow gremlin shows up in a WWII airfield and puts Bugs through a series of harrowing ordeals. Mel Blanc's voice for the gremlin is both cute and mischievous with a shaky vibrato that is just the right kind of weird for this wacky creature.
4. The Evil Scientist from "Hair-Raising Hare"
This beloved cartoon features one of Mel Blanc's celebrity impressions. The evil scientist who lures Bugs into his castle as food for a sneaker-wearing monster is based on frequent horror and noir actor Peter Lorre. Blanc's soft-spoken yet creepy impersonation is instantly recognizable to fans of Lorre's work in films like The Maltese Falcon and The Beast with Five Fingers (think Thing from The Addams Family except scary). The similar short "Water, Water Every Hare" starred a scientist based on Boris Karloff but that voice was performed by actor John T. Smith.
5. Christopher Columbus from "Hare We Go"
This cartoon tells the Looney Tunes version of Christopher Columbus' voyage to the Americas. Mel Blanc voices Columbus with an exaggerated Italian accent saying things like "Who's-a da wise-a guy?" and using random food names ("pasta fazool!") as exclamations. Another actor in this short is Bea Benaderet, who would later voice Betty Rubble and play Kate Bradley in Petticoat Junction, doing her best sultry Mae West impression for the voice of Queen Isabella.
6. The Possum family from "Sleepy Time Possum"
This Robert McKimson-directed short follows a family of possums — all three of which are voiced hilariously by Mel Blanc. Ma Possum tries to get Junior Possum to "peel them taters" but all he wants to do is hang upside-down and sleep. Each member of the family has a strong hillbilly accent with Pa Possum sounding almost exactly like Festus from Gunsmoke. It's a fun cartoon with not one, not two but three great performances from the man of 1000 voices.
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