Who Knew? Mel Blanc Did The Voice Of Barney While Nearly Laying On His Death Bed?! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 07-14-2011, 10:51 PM

In 1961, Mel Blanc was nearly killed in a car accident. For weeks, he lay in the hospital in a coma. He wouldn’t respond when his wife and his son spoke to him. Then his surgeon came into his room one day. Instead of addressing Blanc directly, he stood over the patient and said, “How are you feeling, Bugs Bunny?” Feebly, Blanc replied: “Eh, just fine, Doc. How’re you?”

The accident left Blanc bedridden for months, and the studio that relied on him set up the necessary recording equipment in his house. He recorded more than 40 “Flintstones” episodes from his bedroom, with Alan Reed, who voiced Fred, Jean Vander Pyl (Wilma), and Bea Benaderet (Betty) gathering round.

http://www.tabletmag.com/arts-and-cu...216/the-voice/

MickeyMac · 07-15-2011, 02:33 PM

This topic has been discussed here before.

howilu · 07-15-2011, 03:46 PM

I remember reading about The Flintstones cast recording a number of episodes in Mel Blanc's bedroom while he was recovering from a car accident. It was mentioned in his autobiography That's Not All. Folks.

old grouch · 07-16-2011, 09:51 AM

Mel Blanc was such a talented and extraordinary entertainer. And it says a lot about him that the rest of the cast would do that for him.

TV Knowledge Fan · 07-17-2011, 03:15 AM

...Jack Benny, one of his close friends {and his steady employer on radio and TV for over 30 years}, saw to it that Mel had the best hospital care, and his wife Mary had Mel's wife Estelle stay over at their house during his hospital stay. And Jack made sure he visited Mel regularly during his recuperation (although it's legendary that, whenever he visited Blanc's house, he'd always ask Estelle, "Is Mel home?").

By the summer of '61, as Joe Barbera recalled in his autobiography, Mel had recovered enough to begin recording voice tracks for "THE FLINTSTONES" again....but because he was required to remain in his bedroom, suspended in a full body cast over a special "hospital bed" for over a year, Joe brought portable sound equipment over, with Alan Reed, Jean VanderPyl and Bea Benaderet (and whoever else worked on a particular episode), for regular recording sessions. A script stand and microphone were suspended above Mel's face so he could read his dialogue...and, as noted, he recorded over 40 episodes in this manner before he was able to return to the studio on his own by early 1963.

McGillicuddy · 07-17-2011, 10:21 AM

Coincidently, years later, it was arranged for Bea Benaderet to do some voice over work when she was too ill from cancer to be on the set of Petticoat Junction. When Betty Jo had her baby, they wanted Kate to be there, and had a stand-in for Bea, back to the camera, using Bea's voice.

gopyle · 11-13-2011, 11:00 PM

I have known about this for decades. Blanc was the best voice artist of all time and there have been many good ones.

07-14-2011, 10:51 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Who Knew? Mel Blanc Did The Voice Of Barney While Nearly Laying On His Death Bed?! In 1961, Mel Blanc was nearly killed in a car accident. For weeks, he lay in the hospital in a coma. He wouldn’t respond when his wife and his son spoke to him. Then his surgeon came into his room one day. Instead of addressing Blanc directly, he stood over the patient and said, “How are you feeling, Bugs Bunny?” Feebly, Blanc replied: “Eh, just fine, Doc. How’re you?” The accident left Blanc bedridden for months, and the studio that relied on him set up the necessary recording equipment in his house. He recorded more than 40 “Flintstones” episodes from his bedroom, with Alan Reed, who voiced Fred, Jean Vander Pyl (Wilma), and Bea Benaderet (Betty) gathering round. http://www.tabletmag.com/arts-and-cu...216/the-voice/
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07-17-2011, 03:15 AM	#5
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	After Mel's accident in January 1961... ...Jack Benny, one of his close friends {and his steady employer on radio and TV for over 30 years}, saw to it that Mel had the best hospital care, and his wife Mary had Mel's wife Estelle stay over at their house during his hospital stay. And Jack made sure he visited Mel regularly during his recuperation (although it's legendary that, whenever he visited Blanc's house, he'd always ask Estelle, "Is Mel home?"). By the summer of '61, as Joe Barbera recalled in his autobiography, Mel had recovered enough to begin recording voice tracks for "THE FLINTSTONES" again....but because he was required to remain in his bedroom, suspended in a full body cast over a special "hospital bed" for over a year, Joe brought portable sound equipment over, with Alan Reed, Jean VanderPyl and Bea Benaderet (and whoever else worked on a particular episode), for regular recording sessions. A script stand and microphone were suspended above Mel's face so he could read his dialogue...and, as noted, he recorded over 40 episodes in this manner before he was able to return to the studio on his own by early 1963.

07-15-2011, 02:33 PM	#2
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,008	This topic has been discussed here before.

07-15-2011, 03:46 PM	#3
howilu Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: St. Louis Park, MN Posts: 1,965	I remember reading about The Flintstones cast recording a number of episodes in Mel Blanc's bedroom while he was recovering from a car accident. It was mentioned in his autobiography That's Not All. Folks.

07-16-2011, 09:51 AM	#4
old grouch Member Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Location: montana Posts: 1,877	Mel Blanc was such a talented and extraordinary entertainer. And it says a lot about him that the rest of the cast would do that for him.

07-17-2011, 10:21 AM	#6
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	Coincidently, years later, it was arranged for Bea Benaderet to do some voice over work when she was too ill from cancer to be on the set of Petticoat Junction. When Betty Jo had her baby, they wanted Kate to be there, and had a stand-in for Bea, back to the camera, using Bea's voice.

11-13-2011, 11:00 PM	#7
gopyle Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 22, 2011 Posts: 235	I have known about this for decades. Blanc was the best voice artist of all time and there have been many good ones.