About
"Smurfette felt so real to me because I created her voice, so I could feel her emotions. It may sound strange but it's true. We have to think like the character and it takes over. That's what I tell my students, too. You must lose yourself if you want to be successful in animation and be the character."
In her two-and-a-half-hour interview, Lucille Bliss (1916-2012) talks about her early work in USO shows in San Francisco and her first big break as a voice artist on Walt Disney's Cinderella as stepsister "Anastasia." She describes the creation of the television series The Happy Birthday to You Show, a local children's show that she hosted in San Francisco. She talks about the format of the show, memorable moments as host, and how it inspired The Mickey Mouse Club. Bliss speaks in great detail about her part as the voice of the title character in television's very first cartoon, Crusader Rabbit. She talks of the premise of the show, the contributions of collaborators Alex Anderson and Jay Ward, and how her part came to be recast for the later version of the series. Bliss also recalls the difficulties of battling occasional rejection and bad breaks, which for her included the loss of a lucrative contract at Hanna-Barbera for Ruff and Reddy, and her replacement as the voice of "Elroy" on The Jetsons. She then details her most well-known role, as "Smurfette" on the 1980s animated hit, The Smurfs. She discusses how she won the role, describes her character, and talks about her work with the ensemble cast that included Paul Winchell as the villainous "Gargamel." Finally, she talks about her later work both on camera and as a voice artist, including on the cult animated series Invader ZIM. B-roll consists of stills from The Happy Birthday to You Show (illustrating the Disney merchandise that the series was given by the studio), as well as a few stills from Bliss' early career. Gary Rutkowski conducted the interview on August 26, 2005 in Universal City, CA.
Highlights
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of "Smurfette's" voice on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on becoming "Charlie McCarthy's" sweetheart
Lucille Bliss on getting fired from voicing "Elroy" on The Jetsons
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of the voices of "Rags" and "Crusader Rabbit" on Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on advice to an aspiring voiceover artist
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her childhood and early influences; on wanting to be an actress from a young age; on studying advertising
On her start in professional acting on radio serials; on discovering she had a talent for doing voices; on writing a radio column and meeting celebrities; on performing at Armed Forces Talent Shows during World War II
On working as "Charlie McCarthy's" sweetheart with Edgar Bergen; on auditioning for Disney's "Cinderella"
Chapter 2
On coming to Hollywood to work at Disney; on voiceover tips from Walt Disney when she played "Anastasia" in "Cinderella"; on her special diet for her voice
On her early memories of television; on creating and hosting a local San Francisco children's TV show - The Happy Birthday to You Show; on her show being the inspiration for The Mickey Mouse Club
On packaging The Happy Birthday to You Show and dealing with sponsors; on working with children on the show
Chapter 3
On auditioning for the voice of Crusader Rabbit; on show creators Jay Ward and Alex Anderson and controversy with Shull Bronsall at Metromedia
On production of and the characters on Crusader Rabbit
On the popularity of Crusader Rabbit; on recording the show and syndication; on the show's legacy; on voicing characters in commercials
Chapter 4
On her involvement with voices in Disney's "101 Dalmations"; on working with animator Friz Freleng; on voicing characters on The Flinstones
On getting fired from voicing "Elroy" on The Jetsons; on falling ill, her process of auditioning, and her demo reel
On getting the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs; on the premise and plot of The Smurfs; on the show's theme song and popularity
Chapter 5
On her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs; on her favorite episodes, a typical production week, and the popularity of the show
On Smurf figurines and toys; on voice actors that worked on The Smurfs; on negotiations for a movie of The Smurfs; on specials of the series and why The Smurfs ended
On working on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City; on commuting from San Francisco to Los Angeles
On being a founding member of the San Francisco Chapter of the Screen Actors Guild
On voicing a character on Invader ZIM
On her proudest career achievement; on the most difficult character she ever played
Chapter 6
On her diet and rituals to maintain her voice; on advice to an aspiring voiceover artist
On how she'd like to be remembered
On B-roll photos from her career - from The Happy Birthday To You Show, The Edgar Bergen Show, and her involvement with the San Francisco SAG chapter
Shows
Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City
Lucille Bliss on working on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City
Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on the creation of the animated show Crusader Rabbit by Jay Ward and Alex Anderson
Lucille Bliss on production on and the characters of the animated show Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on the popularity, recording, and legacy of the animated show Crusader Rabbit
Flintstones, The
Lucille Bliss on voicing characters on The Flinstones
Happy Birthday To You Show, The
Lucille Bliss on creating and hosting the children's show, The Happy Birthday to You Show
Lucille Bliss on packaging The Happy Birthday to You Show and dealing with sponsors
Lucille Bliss on working with children on The Happy Birthday to You Show
Lucille Bliss on photos from The Happy Birthday To You Show
Invader Zim
Lucille Bliss on voicing a character on Invader Zim
Jetsons, The
Lucille Bliss on getting fired from voicing "Elroy" on The Jetsons
Mickey Mouse Club, The
Lucille Bliss on Disney merchandising on her San Francisco local series The Happy Birthday to You Show that led to development of The Mickey Mouse Club
Smurfs, The
Lucille Bliss on getting the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on the premise and plot of The Smurfs; on the show's theme song and popularity
Lucille Bliss on her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs; on her favorite episodes, a typical production week, and the popularity of the show
Lucille Bliss on voice actors on The Smurfs; on the end of the series
Space Kiddettes, The
Lucille Bliss on voicing a character on The Space Kiddettes
Topics
Characters & Catchphrases
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of the voices of "Rags" and "Crusader Rabbit" on Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on getting the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on "Smurfette's" relationship to her fellow Smurfs on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of "Smurfette's" voice on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Pop Culture
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of the voices of "Rags" and "Crusader Rabbit" on Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on getting the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on "Smurfette's" relationship to her fellow Smurfs on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on the theme song on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of "Smurfette's" voice on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on the popularity of The Smurfs
TV Theme Songs
Lucille Bliss on the theme song on The Smurfs
War
Lucille Bliss on performing at Armed Forces Talent Shows during World War II and auditioning the Marine Corps Band
World War II
Lucille Bliss on performing at Armed Forces Talent Shows during World War II and auditioning the Marine Corps Band
Professions
Actress
Lucille Bliss on wanting to be an actress when she was little
Lucille Bliss on discovering she had a talent for doing voices when she acted in radio serials
Voiceover
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of the voices of "Rags" and "Crusader Rabbit" on Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on her audition process for voiceovers and her demo reel
Lucille Bliss on her advice on being successful at animation
Lucille Bliss on advice to an aspiring voiceover artist
Genres
Animation
Lucille Bliss on the creation of the animated show Crusader Rabbit by Jay Ward and Alex Anderson
Lucille Bliss on production on and the characters of the animated show Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on the popularity, recording, and legacy of the animated show Crusader Rabbit
Lucille Bliss on getting the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on the premise and plot of The Smurfs and on the show's theme song and popularity
Lucille Bliss on her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs; on her favorite episodes, a typical production week, and the popularity of the show
Lucille Bliss on voice actors on The Smurfs; on the end of the series
Lucille Bliss on voicing a character on Invader ZIM
Children's Programming
Lucille Bliss on creating and hosting The Happy Birthday to You Show
Lucille Bliss on packaging The Happy Birthday to You Show and dealing with sponsors
Lucille Bliss on working with children on The Happy Birthday to You Show
People
Alex Anderson
Lucille Bliss on the creation of the animated show Crusader Rabbit by Jay Ward and Alex Anderson
Lucille Bliss on not thinking highly of Shull Bronsall at Metromedia and how he blocked her working for Hanna-Barbera
Lucille Bliss on Jay Ward and Alex Anderson's daily involvement with Crusader Rabbit
Joseph Barbera
Lucille Bliss on William Hanna and Joseph Barbera starting Hanna-Barbera and wanting her for their shows
Lucille Bliss on winning the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss on Joseph Barbera creating the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Jack Benny
Lucille Bliss on writing a radio column and meeting Jack Benny
Edgar Bergen
Lucille Bliss on becoming "Charlie McCarthy's" sweetheart
Lucille Bliss on working with Edgar Bergen as "Charlie McCarthy's" sweetheart
Lucille Bliss on a photo from around the time she was on The Edgar Bergen Show
Shull Bonsall
Lucille Bliss on not thinking highly of Shull Bronsall at Metromedia
Russ Coughlan
Lucille Bliss on Russ Coughlan voicing the evil characters on Crusader Rabbit
Walt Disney
Lucille Bliss on Walt Disney wanting voiceover artists to record on records, not tape for "Cinderella"; on tips from Walt Disney
Jerry Fairbanks
Lucille Bliss on working with Jerry Fairbanks on Crusader Rabbit
Friz Freleng
Lucille Bliss on working with animator Friz Freleng
William Hanna
Lucille Bliss on William Hanna and Joseph Barbera starting Hanna-Barbera and wanting her for their shows
Lucille Bliss on winning the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
Winston Hibler
Lucille Bliss on working for director Winston Hibler when she played "Anastasia" - one of the stepsisters in the Disney film "Cinderella"
Gordon Hunt
Lucille Bliss on production on The Smurfs - directed by Gordon Hunt (father of Helen Hunt)
Lucille Bliss on working with director Gordon Hunt on The Smurfs
Margaret Loesch
Lucille Bliss on NBC executive Margaret Loesch encouraging her to work for Hanna-Barbera
Vern Louden
Lucille Bliss on Verd Louden voicing the tiger "Rags" on Crusader Rabbit
George Lucas
Lucille Bliss on getting cast to voice a character in a George Lucas video game
Alan Oppenheimer
Lucille Bliss on voice actors on The Smurfs
Alan Reed
Lucille Bliss on working with the ensemble team of The Flinstones
Artie Shaw
Lucille Bliss on meeting Artie Shaw and Paulette Goddard
Jay Ward
Lucille Bliss on the creation of the animated show Crusader Rabbit by Jay Ward and Alex Anderson
Lucille Bliss on Jay Ward trying to sell Crusader Rabbit and some of his other shows
Lucille Bliss on Jay Ward and Alex Anderson's daily involvement with Crusader Rabbit
Paul Winchell
Lucille Bliss on Paul Winchell, who voiced "Gargamel" on The Smurfs
Alan Young
Lucille Bliss on voice actors on The Smurfs