About
"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."
In her two-hour 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.
Highlights
June Foray on voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone: "Living Doll" and the enduring popularity of the episode
June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List
June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs
June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
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 Tom Slick; 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)
June Foray on a photo of a cell of "Witch Hazel" and "Bugs Bunny"
Bullwinkle Show, The
June Foray on voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on the longevity of The Bullwinkle Show and a typical recording session
June Foray on the premise of The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on how she would organize the many characters she played on The Bullwinkle Show; on sticking to the scripts
June Foray on production on The Bullwinkle Show; on her favorite episodes
June Foray on Jay Ward and promotions for The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on producer Bill Scott of The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on executive producer Ponsonby Britt of The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on a photo of a cell of her characters "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on a photo of a cell from The Bullwinkle Show
Carson's Cellar
June Foray on working on Carson's Cellar
Curiosity Shop
June Foray on working with Chuck Jones on Curiosity Shop
Death of a Salesman
June Foray on appearing in David Susskind's Death of a Salesman
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
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")
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
Fractured Flickers
June Foray on working on Jay Ward's Fractured Flickers
I Love Lucy
June Foray on her voiceover role in an episode of I Love Lucy
Smurfs, The
June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs
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
Topics
Characters & Catchphrases
June Foray on "Rocky's" catchphrase "Hoky Smoke" and other catchphrases on The Bullwinkle Show
Memorable Moments on Television
June Foray on providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone: "Living Doll"
Pop Culture
June Foray on "Rocky's" catchphrase "Hoky Smoke" and other catchphrases on The Bullwinkle Show
Richard M. Nixon
June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List
Television and the Presidency
June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List
Television Industry
June Foray on how animation has changed over the years
War
June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II
June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II
World War II
June Foray on writing scripts for the Office of Civilian Defense during World War II
Professions
Animation Professionals
June Foray on the animation technique of rotoscoping, which she worked with as an animation voiceover artist for Disney
Performers
June Foray on coming up with voices for her early radio performances
June Foray on her advice to aspiring voice actors
Voiceover
June Foray on coming up with voices for her early radio performances
June Foray on the animation technique of rotoscoping, which she worked with as an animation voiceover artist for Disney
June Foray on how early voiceover artists were not given credit for their work
June Foray on her advice to aspiring voice actors
Genres
Animation
June Foray on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on getting hired on Bugs Bunny to voice "Witch Hazel," and working with director Chuck Jones (and demonstrates voice)
June Foray on voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs
June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
People
Steve Allen
June Foray on working on Smile Time with Steve Allen on radio
Tex Avery
June Foray on not working with Tex Avery at Warner Bros.
Mel Blanc
June Foray on fellow voiceover artists with whom she worked - Mel Blanc
June Foray on a photo of her with Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc
Daws Butler
June Foray on recording children's stories with Daws Butler
June Foray on fellow voiceover artists with whom she worked - Daws Butler
Johnny Carson
June Foray on working on Carson's Cellar
Bob Clampett
June Foray on working with animator Bob Clampett
Walt Disney
June Foray on never meeting Walt Disney in person
Friz Freleng
June Foray on working with animator Friz Freleng
Gordon Hunt
June Foray on Gordon Hunt (Helen's father) hiring her to voice "Jokey Smurf" of The Smurfs
Chuck Jones
June Foray on getting hired on Bugs Bunny to voice "Witch Hazel" and working with director Chuck Jones (and demonstrates voice)
June Foray on being a favorite of Chuck Jones who cast her as "Cindy Lou Who" in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
June Foray on a photo of her with Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc
Richard M. Nixon
June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List
Jay Ward
June Foray on meeting Jay Ward and voicing "Rocky" and "Natasha" on The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on Jay Ward and promotions for The Bullwinkle Show
June Foray on Jay Ward
June Foray on working with Jay Ward
June Foray on a photo of her with Jay Ward and Bill Scott from The Bullwinkle Show