Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age,
1930-70, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
Written by Keith Scott
Revealed by Bear Manor Media
Within the late Nineteen Eighties, I made a substantial effort to promote a e book I needed to write down on cartoon voice actors.
I had learn all of the articles about how first, earlier than you truly write the e book, you question the writer with an in depth e book proposal and description.
I bought fortunate proper off the bat and located a sympathetic editor at Crown who nursed me alongside for six months or so with recommendation and encouragement.
She by no means dedicated to something, eager to see what I might give you first as samples. So I established contact with plenty of voice actors due to Hanna-Barbera’s Andrea Romano. I even flew out West and met June Foray!
By the point I used to be prepared to show in some pattern chapters, nonetheless, my great however tentative editor had been bounced in a company takeover and my mission was minimize fully adrift.
There adopted a few years’ value of rejection letters from different potential publishers earlier than I shelved my thought and moved on.
Now comes Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, 1930-1970, by the estimable Keith Scott.
Keith is aware of a couple of issues about voices, being himself a notable impressionist. Certainly one of his finest impressions was Bullwinkle J. Moose, which allowed him to truly act that position every so often. In one other tie to Bullwinkle, Keith Scott wrote what needs to be the most effective books ever concerning the cartoon business—The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Invoice Scott, a Flying Squirrel, and a Speaking Moose. Keith then—not me—was born to write down this definitive new have a look at cartoon voices.
How definitive is it? It’s so definitive that there’s a complete second quantity, Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Quantity 2: The Pioneers of Animation Performing, Studio Filmographies with Voice Credit. Not everybody who reads the primary quantity will need this one however it’s an incredible piece of labor! Simply as its title says, it goes cartoon by cartoon for each theatrical cartoon studio, itemizing the voice casts and providing a substantial quantity of trivia alongside the best way.
Much more trivia is accessible within the first quantity, although, as Keith, in the middle of writing concerning the animation actors, additionally provides de facto histories of every of the varied cartoon studios from Fleischer and UPA to, naturally, the gold commonplace, Disney.
It’s all an completely fascinating learn to anybody who has ever given a second thought as to who voiced Mister Magoo or Popeye or the Cheshire Cat and it’s clear that the writer has researched quite a few sources for his info. There are quotes aplenty from of us who have been there on the time, in addition to from different pop historians and from varied in-print sources. If Keith doesn’t know one thing, and couldn’t discover it, he says as a lot, and even asks readers to provide any missed data.
So far as what’s there, although, a lot of it’s, as I wrote, definitive. I can quibble with a couple of small issues just like the rivalry that Droopy actor Invoice Thompson left appearing for the oil business in 1960. Thompson (no relation) seems on TV’s To Inform the Reality in 1957, already a Union Oil government. Whereas the e book makes it sound as if the actor returned to voice appearing solely every so often, he truly continued just about straight by on tv in varied roles together with Touche Turtle for Hanna-Barbera and as Disney’s Park Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore.
Invoice Thompson, Jim Backus, Hans Conried, Mae Questel, Pinto Colvig, James Baskett, Jack Mercer, Arthur Q. Bryan, and, duh, Mel Blanc, are given in depth protection as befits their lengthy and numerous careers, however equally lined are the bit half gamers, the singers, and even a number of the sound results folks.
The historical past of cartoon voice appearing is a a lot greater and extra colourful mosaic than my very own long-abandoned mission would have lined however Keith Scott has finished it justice. This two-volume set might be arduous for anybody to prime. Hopefully Keith himself will attempt, as he does right here cease at 1970, and with solely a little bit room within the almost 900 pages of those two explicit volumes for tv cartoon voices.
Booksteve recommends.
NOTE: Within the curiosity of full disclosure, Keith Scott is a longtime Fb buddy and has helped me out previously on a few tasks of my very own.
