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."

People Talking About ...
June Foray
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 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

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

Bullwinkle Show, The

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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

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June Foray on working on Carson's Cellar

Curiosity Shop

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June Foray on working with Chuck Jones on Curiosity Shop

Death of a Salesman

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

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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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

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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

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June Foray on working on Jay Ward's Fractured Flickers

I Love Lucy

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

Smurfs, The

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June Foray on voicing "Jokey" on The Smurfs

Twilight Zone, The

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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

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

Memorable Moments on Television

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

Pop Culture

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

Richard M. Nixon

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June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

Television Industry

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June Foray on how animation has changed over the years

Television and the Presidency

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June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

War

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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

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

Performers

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June Foray on coming up with voices for her early radio performances
June Foray on her advice to aspiring voice actors

Voiceover

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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

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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

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

Tex Avery

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

Mel Blanc

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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

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June Foray on recording children's stories with Daws Butler
June Foray on fellow voiceover artists with whom she worked - Daws Butler

Johnny Carson

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June Foray on working on Carson's Cellar

Bob Clampett

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June Foray on working with animator Bob Clampett

Walt Disney

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June Foray on never meeting Walt Disney in person

Friz Freleng

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June Foray on working with animator Friz Freleng

Gordon Hunt

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

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)
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

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June Foray on appearing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

Jay Ward

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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

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