Mel Blanc, the Voice of Bugs Bunny...and Me

Inside the Studio with Hollywood's "Man of 1,000 Voices"

By: Chuck McKibben

Narrated by: Chuck McKibben

Foreword by Noel Blanc, Mel Blanc's son: This is an audiobook for any animation fan, young or old, who might wonder what it would be like to actually work directly with Hollywood's greatest cartoon voice artist: my father, Mel Blanc. Millions continue to celebrate him today as the voice of Bugs Bunny and nearly every other Looney Tunes character, but only a rare handful of people ever got to share time with him every day behind the scenes in his own studio. Chuck McKibben was one of those few, and he has created a highly entertaining and surprisingly revealing memoir that will transport you back to the early 1970s and our recording facility in Beverly Hills.

I was the president, and Chuck eventually became the new studio operations director of Mel Blanc Audiomedia, a small company dedicated to making truly outstanding and memorable radio commercials and syndicated programs, utilizing the greatest creative talents in show business. In a twist of fate recounted in this book, Chuck became an employee of ours just minutes after first meeting dad and me on the opening night of The Mel Blanc School of Commercials and Voice. This was a pivotal moment in our own lives, as we had spent years planning a way for dad to help usher newcomers into commercials and cartoons with a high level of training, not otherwise being offered for these specialized fields. Chuck was there throughout the labor of love that was our school, and now takes you "inside" dad's classroom...an extraordinary source of insight for all aspiring voice actors.

Author's note: Bob Bergen, the official, current voice of Porky Pig and Tweety since 1990, is featured in the epilogue, telling his amazing story of following in the footsteps of his idol, Mel, for the first time in any book.

©2017 Charles H. McKibben (P)2017 Charles H. McKibben

You will not be disappointed!

This is a very entertaining audio book! Chuck's story is heart warming, comical, and engaging. I grew up watching many of the cartoons that Mel contributed voices for. The samples included in the story were a great addition to a wonderful listen. Five stars!

A++++

A must read or listen to for anyone interested in the world of voice-over acting and Hollywood! Do yourself a favor! So many life lessons in this book.

enjoyable stories

Mel's career was extensive, and all the behind the scenes stories were very interesting. it also has some audio clips in it which help illustrate the points very well.

Wonderfully Entertaining

I love learning about people and how they came to be. I have always been a Mel Blanc fan, and found this book by chance and thought it might be interesting. Understatement of the year! Chuck McKibben, former personal recording engineer for Mel Blanc, narrates his own book superbly. He has had 50 years in the business, and 40 years doing voice over work, so he knows how to make it good! Not only do you hear the stories and histories of people in the business, but you also get to hear from Mel Blanc himself, with a few never before heard or published recordings. Chuck not only talks about his time with Mel, but also of other big radio/tv personalities, and gives little known insights to their lives during that period of time. I loved listening to this book! It is humorous, shocking, enlightening, entertaining and touching. Excellent read!

One of a kind!

This is one of the best Audible books I have ever listened too. Growing up I'm a 1980s and 1990s kids I LOVED Looney Tunes and classic cartoons etc. This book gives us a real inside story and some hard truths about the one and only Mel Blanc. He will never be forgotten and he was truly one of a kind. And I loved hearing about other legends in the voice acting world. Thank you Chuck for telling us your story and being honest. You have my full respect. This book makes the man behind Bugs, Daffy, and Tweety even more of a legend now. I LOVED this book!

Mediocre At Best

The author's gee-whiz attitude toward all things Hollywood wears very thin in this disappointing book. If Chuck McKibben had attempted just one more impression of Mel Blanc, Noel Blanc or anyone else, I would have driven off the road just to make it stop. There are points in the book that sound more like a desperate demo reel than any kind of recounting of what it was like to work for the great Mel Blanc. Also maddening is how little the author, who describes himself as a radio broadcaster, voice over talent and long-time New York Producer, actually knows about any of these areas of expertise. Pass on this and try Mel Blanc's Autobiography.