Mel Blanc: Comedy and tragedy

Mel Blanc was known as “the man with a thousand voices” because he created voices for numerous cartoon characters.

For Warner Brothers, Mel was the voice of Wile Coyote, Speedy Gonzales, Pepe LePew, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. “What’s up, doc?” Then, for Hanna Barbera, he was Barney Rubble and Cosmo Spacely.

On occasion, Mel also appeared on Jack Benny’s television program.” In one classic routine, Mel would wear a wide-brimmed sombrero and a serape, acting as if he was from Tijuana. Jack would approach Mel and ask him a...