June Foray

Voiceover Artist

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her two-hour Archive interview, June Foray (1917-2017) discusses her start in radio and her transition to voiceover work for animation and television. She speaks of several of the characters she voiced for classic Warner Bros. animation, including "Granny" in "Tweety and Sylvester" and "Witch Hazel" (for both Disney and for Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny.) She then talks of voicing perhaps her most famous characters, "Rocket J. Squirrel" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show. Foray also describes working on The Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy, Looney Toons, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (she voiced "Cindy Lou Who"), George of the Jungle, and The Smurfs (she voiced "Jokey.") Karen Herman conducted the interview on February 23, 2000 in Woodland Hills, CA.

"I love everything I do with all of the parts that I do because there's a little bit of me in all of them. We all have anger and jealousy and love and hope in our natures. We try to communicate that vocally with just sketches that you see on the screen and make it come alive and make it human. That's what I enjoy doing."

Highlights

June Foray on voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

00:53

June Foray on providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone: "Living Doll" and the enduring popularity of the episode

02:04

June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

04:37

June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs

03:19

June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

00:57

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On her early years and influences; on wanting to be an actress from a young age; on getting involved with radio

On moving to California at age seventeen; on writing children's stories and performing them on radio as "Lady Make Believe"; on her first paid jobs in radio and recording children's stories for albums

On radio programs she worked on and transitioning to television; on her on-camera work and working with Stan Freberg

On her early memories of television

Chapter 2

On her start in animation; on rotoscoping and voicing "Witch Hazel" for Disney; on being uncredited for her voices in Disney movies

On getting hired on Bugs Bunny to voice "Witch Hazel" and working with director Chuck Jones; on working with directors at Warner Bros.

On theatrical shorts appearing on television; on Warner Bros. characters that she voiced; on fellow voiceover artists with whom she worked

On not being under exclusive contract at Warner Bros.; on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

Chapter 3

On the premise of The Bullwinkle Show; on the longevity of the show and a typical recording session; on catchphrases from the show and working with the creators and producers

On working on Jay Ward's Fractured Flickers and other Jay Ward Productions; on the production office and her recollections of the Hollywood Blacklist

On several of her on-camera appearances: on working on Carson's Cellar; on David Susskind's production of Death of a Salesman

Chapter 4

On career highlights including providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone; on how she was passed over for The Flintstones;

On voicing "Cindy Lou Who" on How the Grinch Stole Christmas; on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List; on voicing characters for The Smurfs, Disney's Adventures of the Gummy Bears, and DuckTales

On her then-current projects; on how animation has changed over the years; on her advice to aspiring voice actors; on how she would like to be remembered

Chapter 5

On B-roll photos from her career: with the creators of The Bullwinkle Show, with Walter Lance, with Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc, and of cells from animated shows on which she's worked

Shows

Bugs Bunny Show, The

June Foray on getting hired on Bugs Bunny to voice "Witch Hazel," and working with director Chuck Jones (and demonstrates voice)

03:10

June Foray on a photo of a cell of "Witch Hazel" and "Bugs Bunny"

00:31

Bullwinkle Show, The

June Foray on voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

00:53

June Foray on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

03:07

June Foray on the longevity of The Bullwinkle Show and a typical recording session

04:22

June Foray on the premise of The Bullwinkle Show

03:04

June Foray on how she would organize the many characters she played on The Bullwinkle Show; on sticking to the scripts

01:31

June Foray on production on The Bullwinkle Show; on her favorite episodes

01:42

June Foray on Jay Ward and promotions for The Bullwinkle Show

04:55

June Foray on producer Bill Scott of The Bullwinkle Show

02:49

June Foray on executive producer Ponsonby Britt of The Bullwinkle Show

00:52

June Foray on a photo of a cell of her characters "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

00:27

June Foray on a photo of a cell from The Bullwinkle Show

00:48

Carson's Cellar

June Foray on working on Carson's Cellar

02:10

Curiosity Shop

June Foray on working with Chuck Jones on Curiosity Shop

01:15

Death of a Salesman

June Foray on appearing in David Susskind's Death of a Salesman

00:51

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas

June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

00:57

June Foray on not being credited on How the Grinch Stole Christmas (but how well-known it is that she provided the voice of "Cindy Lou Who")

00:21

Flintstones, The

June Foray on how she was passed over for The Flintstones after working on the pilot and how it caused a rift between her and Hanna-Barbera for many years

02:15

Fractured Flickers

June Foray on working on Jay Ward's Fractured Flickers

01:17

I Love Lucy

June Foray on her voiceover role in an episode of I Love Lucy

00:45

Smurfs, The

June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs

03:19

Twilight Zone, The

June Foray on providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone: "Living Doll" and the enduring popularity of the episode

02:04

Topics

Characters & Catchphrases

June Foray on "Rocky's" catchphrase "Hoky Smoke" and other catchphrases on The Bullwinkle Show

01:50

Memorable Moments on Television

June Foray on providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone: "Living Doll"

02:04

Pop Culture

June Foray on "Rocky's" catchphrase "Hoky Smoke" and other catchphrases on The Bullwinkle Show

01:50

Richard M. Nixon

June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

04:37

Television Industry

June Foray on how animation has changed over the years

02:52

Television and the Presidency

June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

04:37

War

June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II

01:27

June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II

01:27

World War II

June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II

01:27

Professions

Animation Professionals

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June Foray on the animation technique of rotoscoping, which she worked with as an animation voiceover artist for Disney

00:55

Performers

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June Foray on coming up with voices for her early radio performances

01:31

June Foray on her advice to aspiring voice actors

01:24

Voiceover

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June Foray on coming up with voices for her early radio performances

01:31

June Foray on the animation technique of rotoscoping, which she worked with as an animation voiceover artist for Disney

00:55

June Foray on how early voiceover artists were not given credit for their work

00:43

June Foray on her advice to aspiring voice actors

01:24

Genres

Animation

June Foray on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

03:07

June Foray on getting hired on Bugs Bunny to voice "Witch Hazel," and working with director Chuck Jones (and demonstrates voice)

03:10

June Foray on voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

21:18

June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs

03:19

June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

01:34

People

Steve Allen

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June Foray on working on Smile Time with Steve Allen on radio

02:14

Tex Avery

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June Foray on not working with Tex Avery at Warner Bros.

01:33

Mel Blanc

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June Foray on fellow voiceover artists with whom she worked - Mel Blanc

02:07

June Foray on a photo of her with Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc

00:43

Daws Butler

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June Foray on recording children's stories with Daws Butler

01:42

June Foray on fellow voiceover artists with whom she worked - Daws Butler

00:57

Johnny Carson

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June Foray on working on Carson's Cellar

02:10

Bob Clampett

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June Foray on working with animator Bob Clampett

01:25

Walt Disney

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June Foray on never meeting Walt Disney in person

00:37

Friz Freleng

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June Foray on working with animator Friz Freleng

00:41

Gordon Hunt

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June Foray on Gordon Hunt (Helen's father) hiring her to voice "Jokey Smurf" of The Smurfs

02:42

Chuck Jones

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June Foray on getting hired on Bugs Bunny to voice "Witch Hazel" and working with director Chuck Jones (and demonstrates voice)

05:47

June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas

00:56

June Foray on a photo of her with Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc

00:43

Richard M. Nixon

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June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

04:37

Jay Ward

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June Foray on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show

03:07

June Foray on Jay Ward and promotions for The Bullwinkle Show

02:49

June Foray on Jay Ward

02:06

June Foray on working with Jay Ward

00:15

June Foray on a photo of her with Jay Ward and Bill Scott from The Bullwinkle Show

02:02