June Foray Stories Part 1

Thanks to all who participated and sent your stories. I am posting every story sent. I have also asked many well known figures that knew June. Kept sending stories to comicspies@gmail.com.


My Story: As many of you know, I am very young. My story about June is very special. When I was 9, I had a large cabinet of books on animation. I had tried to read each one of them but they were all so complicated. I couldn’t get through 2 pages of Chuck Amuck or any book by Jerry Beck because they were so complicated to me. Then, my sister gave me June’s autobiography. It was the first book on animation that I had ever read because of how easy it was read. Later, I told June on the phone that her autobiography this story and she said “it figures”. I laughed.
Carol Erickson:

How did you meet June Foray?

I was around June many times from the mid-90's to the last time in about 2014. I first met her at an event at the Chuck Jones Gallery in Newport Beach. She was a delight and a treat to be around. Subsequently, I saw her at a Gallery event with Phil Roman in Fashion Island, by herself in Orange, at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2012 when she was recognized by the Chuck Jones family as part of the celebration of Chuck's 100th birth anniversary. The last time I saw her was at the Hollywood Bowl for Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. The photo of the two of us together is a treasure. Do you have any memories with her? My fondest memories of June is when I didn't know her as "June", but as the voice of Rocky, and Natasha, and Witch Hazel and Cindy Lou Who. At the Newport Beach film festival, I was charged with waiting for her car and driver and escorting her to the venue along with David N. She is such a time little thing, and starting to get a little frail at that time, but she was so warm and welcoming and so darn funny. Do you have or know of any stories that involve her that my readers may not know? Nothing in particular.


Robert Patrick:

My "story" about June Foray are pretty pedestrian -- I met her through work in the late 1990s at a Jones Family Gathering here in Orange County. She joined us for dinner at a restaurant on Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach where the waitstaff sang opera. As you know, she was a tiny woman, so Craig had to lift her up onto the bar stool where she held court for the better part of the evening. 

Of course, she slipped in and out of her many characters--it was amazing to look at her and hear Witch Hazel or Rocket J. Squirrel or a Smurf talking. She was lively, funny, a bit bawdy, and so endearing. Everyone came away loving her. It was easy to see why Chuck Jones enjoyed working with her so much. 

Over the years since then, we met at work functions and my contact was limited to simple pleasantries.