I discovered a super interesting fact from the entertainment world this past week...
Matter of fact, this one is for the books...
First, it concerns Walt Disney and one of his top cartoon features...An endearing story for all time...
Many of us grew up seeing the flick on the big screen when we were tykes and later on the tube in "living color"...
"Pinocchio" is rated right up there in Disney legend...
Remember Figaro, the cat? He was a mischievous cat that was always gunning for trouble...
Now here is what not many folks know about the flick...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idYtp5XwivM
Originally Figaro had lines...Lots of 'em...Yep, the character spoke...
In the Disney wisdom back then they thought the character would work another way (mute) and I do believe they made the correct editorial choice...
BUT they did have someone voice all the copy and lay down the track before they changed their minds...
Can you guess the FAMOUS voice that was used and never heard?
Friends, remember Looney Tunes with Bugs and Daffy and Yosemite Sam?
Yep, MEL BLANC was the man who was the voice of Figaro the Cat in "Pinocchio"...
Funny thing is that when you see the movie today you still do hear something from Mel...
Figaro burps...
Mel was the all time best cartoon voice bar none...
My personal touch with greatness was back when I was in Junior High in Northridge, California and at the Teenage Drama Workshop (TADW) classes at the then Cal State Northridge...
Mel had recently been in a horrific auto accident and nearly escaped death...I remember he was very frail looking but had a terrific tan...
(Acutal Get Well Card Made for Mel After The Accident)
He spoke to all of us about hanging in there and other showbiz stuff...
I personally went up and chatted with him for a bit...
Aside from all the work at Warner Bros and their (then) cartoon factory, Mel worked all the time...
My fav is his appearances on The Jack Benny Show on radio and then TV....
Every Xmas they did the show when cheap stake Jack hunts for gifts at the May Company and runs into a beleaguered Mel Blanc as a clerk...He chooses a gift and then comes back repeatedly to change the card...One year the character Mel played actually goes off camera and shoots himself...It was funny...Even Jack broke up as Mel carries on...
Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miAlz1lCgZ4&feature=related
And together Jack and Mel had the classic "Si, Sy, Sue" bit...
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9s8U0O0XPE
A super talent in the annals of show business who only ended up burping in one of the top Disney movies of all time...
MEL BLANC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBzJGckMYO4
