I'm not at the San Diego comic convention this weekend, but if I were, I would certainly make time today for the first-ever convention appearance of Stan Freberg. Simply put, Stan is one of the geniuses of our time. He's spent a lot of the last 50 or so years entertaining the world in many different ways. We laughed at him growing up, whether he was doing the voice of Pete Puma in a Looney Tunes cartoon, or working the puppets on "Time For Beany", with his comedy records and radio show, or even when he wasn't on camera, engineering one of many award-winning TV ad campaigns in the 60's. This blog post from Mark Evanier explains his career better than I ever could.
Evanier is moderating the panel, entitled "Two Funny Frebergs" (the other being his wife Hunter), which is today at 3:30 in Room 6A, but they're going to be making appearances in the autograph section throughout the weekend. If you're at the convention, take time away from the heroes in spandex suits and make time for one of my heroes.
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It was, IIRC, 'Rabbit's Kin' that Freburg provided Pete Puma's voice.
He also was Elmo Mouse in "A Hick, a Slick, and a Chick" [except when Mel Blanc did his voice as drunk], Juner Bear [the Three Bears], after Mel Blanc [or Kent Rogers] first did the voice, and some presumed Mr.Jinks, which is known to be a Daws Butler voice, but then Butler and Freberg worked so closely together, and shared many voices that's it's possibley forgive. Besides, Blabber Mouse and Baba Looey were originally not Daws Butler it's been found but Jerry Hausner. But I don't know of any Freberg HB voices.. He was the voice of the puppet of Cecil for Clanoett, and did Clampett's horse in the one Republic Pictures short "Grand old Nag", [though puppeteer on Beany Erv Shoemaker took over the puppet and did all of the cartoon voices for Cecil in the 1962 Cartoon show] Frank Fonatine influenced many Stan Freberg [Pete Puma, for one] and Daws Butler voiced [like that lion in Huckleberry shorts] characters. And it's Freberg who was one of the first to get screen credit on a WB cartoon, "Three Little Bops". Dave had, in the CompueServe days of my internet days, [I'd be SURPRISED if COMPUSERVE's even still aorund NOW! :)], a number files uploaded and one was 1989 corrctions to WIll Friedwald/Jerry beck's then current second book of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies [as the book was called] cartoons []Holt-the first, 1981, was "The WB cartoons"]. He mentioned Daws Butler in the for-armed-forces-only [Post WWII short, obviosuly] "Drafty isn't it", had only Butler, on creidts and thus beat Frberg's credit for "Three Little Bops" which WAS the first mainstream theatrically released Warner Bros.cartoon known of [until the Blue Ribbon releases of things like "Ain't that Ducky"* are ALL restored and reissued!] that has another voice actor, and again instead of Blanc, though "Drafty isn't It" with Butler for the Forces predeced Blanc. BTW Their 1963 oddball live animation Disney like swansong with Don Knotts "The Incredible Mr.Limpet", directed by Art Lubin and Disney great Bill Tytla, had Knotts as the animated fish, and Paul Frees [Prestigous, given his premium fee] and TV actress Elizabeth MacRae as the fishy supporting cast and credited due to its being a feature, and anyway Warner Bros.themselves started listing other voice actors beside Mel Blanc on credits.
[Whew!]
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