Posted on 09/15/2013 12:21:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show featured a fearless flying squirrel and his slow-witted moose sidekick. They did battle with two scheming but incompetent Soviet spies named Boris and Natasha.
The cartoon is an American classic, beloved for a wry sense of humor that appeals to kids and their parents. It originally aired from 1959 until 1964, but has been in syndication ever since, most recently on the Cartoon Network and Boomerang.
June Foray was the voice behind Rocky the Squirrel, and the evil Natasha. Now 95, she's receiving the prestigious Governor's Award Sunday at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Foray is not just known for her Bullwinkle characters. She also played Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Jokey Smurf on The Smurfs and Granny, the overprotective owner of Tweety and Sylvester. She even provided the voice for the Chatty Cathy doll.
Foray tells Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin that she never expected the Bullwinkle characters would become so iconic. "All I wanted to do was work," she says.
Foray also reveals that femme fatale Natasha — who rolled her Rs with captivating Slavic flair — is not actually Russian.
Interview Highlights
How she got her voice work
They would just call me. I didn't have to audition, for which I was most grateful. I'd say, "Well is she heavy? Is she nice? is she meek? What kind of character? And I'd read a line and they'd say, "Oh, that's just fine."
How she came up with Natasha's voice
Well, I thought with Boris and Natasha, it was Russian, and [Bullwinkle producer] Jay Ward said, "No no no, they're from Pottsylvania. Don't make them from Russia" — because we had enough problems as it was. So I made her sort of continental.
A well-deserved award. June Foray is one of the greatest voice actors, up there with Mel Blanc - in fact, most referred to her as the female Mel. Many current female voice actors credit her as their inspiration for getting into the business.
My favorite cartoon show. Evah!
At the time, I didn’t understand why my father watched Rocky & Bullwinkle with my little brother and me.
I feel so sorry for kids today.
I still watch the cartoons from the 1950’s. Now that I’m in my 50’s I can get the jokes! They were not made for kids back then.
Today’s cartoons are too PC and bland.
One of my all time favorite episodes was when R/B were talking about the peace core (don’t remember why), and in the distance a nuke explosion went off (was supposed to be South America).
Bullwinkle looked at Rocky and said, “what was that?”
Rockey said “we taught them how to do that”
Then Fractured History came on.
Didn’t that show have Fractured Fairy Tales?
She reminds me of actress Debi Mazar.
-PJ
I have always loved Rocky and Bullwinkle,,,, but Ren and Stimpy just destroy me!
Didn’t Bullwinkle do a hat trick which the hat gets ruined? Then after the hat trick he said...I need another hat?
When I was a little girl I wanted to grow up to be like Mel Blanc and June Foray. She dd some fun voice overs that were uncredited, the talking doll in a Twilight Zone episode, and a voice in a Married With Children episode.
She reminds me of an ex-girlfriend. Ok, so there, I’m biased.
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