Speechless Part 6--The History of the Art Piece

        Speechless. This art piece is widley recognized but has never been acknowledged properly. Speechless is an art piece about a man who left a legacy. This is a tribute to Mel Blanc the man who voiced Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Sylvester, and all of the Looney Tunes. He died in 1989.
       Bob Bergen put it pefectly and says "he was an original.  None of us come close to his genius.  And he wasn’t the man of 1000 voices.  He was the man of 1000 characters.  Distinct, layered, individual characters.  As an actor he ranks up there with Streep, Olivier, Hanks, etc.  And he only had his voice to relay his acting, character, personality, and emotions."
        This piece was created by the Clampett Studios for Warner Bros Animation. Kathy Helppie was the Warner Bros Animation Executive in charge of this piece. It was drawn and designed by Darrell Van Citters, who later would direct Box-Office Bunny.
       It was made the day after his passing. Magazines took whole sections out just to show it. It wasn't creddited by anyone. No one is labeled as the artist. Darrell Van Citters did it though according to Ruth Clampett and Jerry Beck.
     In one magazine however, someone else drew Speechless which marked the beginning. It was in a drawing that was drawn poorly by the journalist.
     Ruth Clampett tells the story behind it's sales:
        "When Mel died the classic animation department at Warner brothers was asked to create art to go into the trade magazine's to commemorate his life. I believe that Darryl Van Citters the animation director did the original drawing for Speechless. What happened next is that fans of Mel wanted copies of the art and there were so many requests that the Warner Brothers Studio Store decided it would be good to sell it as a print. The amazing thing is that it ended up being  the single best selling item in the history of the Warner Brothers Studio Stores. When the Studio Stores closed I opened Clampett Studio Collections and we acquired the unframed art from the Studio Stores including the Speechless prints and to this day we still get orders for that print."
        Today, it is still widely distributed. It has been sold in all forms. The piece has also been copied by everyone. The idea of characters standing by a microphone silent is today considered generic. Artists constantly parody an idea created for Mel. This is the American Gothic of Animation Art. The problem though is that it's not properly recognized today. Everytime a voice artist dies it has been used by journalists. Some of them aren't voice actors. Sometimes it's not a microphone. It's been a headstone or something else. What makes them parodies? It's the same position, and same form. Fanart has been created for literally every voice actor ever. Community, Jim Henson, and June Foray are examples. There isn't anything wrong with copying the idea. It is wrong when no credit is given and it's treated as something brand new. This series is to make sure that people realize the importance of speechless. I'll also be mentioning tributes of other animators and artists.
     

Credits:

Jerry Beck
Bob Bergen
Ruth Clampett
Noel Blanc