Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character who debuted in the Looney Tunes cartoon One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955), written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. In this cartoon, Michigan is a male frog who wears a top hat, carries a cane, sings pop music, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley hits, and other songs from the late 19th and early 20th century while dancing and performing acrobatics in the style of early 20th century vaudeville. He appeared in a later cartoon titled Another Froggy Evening which was released on October 6, 1995.
History
His name comes from the song "The Michigan Rag" (an original song written by Jones, Maltese and musical director Milt Franklyn), which he sings in the cartoon. In a clip from a DVD special, Jones stated that he had come up with the name "Michigan Frog" during the 1970s and was inspired to add the "J." as a middle initial while being interviewed by a writer named Jay Cocks.
The gag in both cartoons is that Michigan's undeniable talent is discovered by some hapless (and greedy) person (who evidently has the same facial features and build as the others), who has visions of making a fortune by putting this great entertainer in front of an audience and profiting from it. He invests all his time, money and eventually his sanity in that cause. He catches on too late that the frog will perform for him and him alone; in front of anyone else, Michigan is just a normal frog and thwarts the man's dreams of wealth. The man in the original cartoon, who discovered the frog in the cornerstone of an 1892 building under demolition, tosses Michigan and the suitcase he came in into the time capsule for the Tregoweth Brown Building, a soon-to-be dedicated skyscraper. In 2056, when a construction company (consisting of men in spacesuits) razes the decrepit building with ray guns, another person discovers the suitcase, with Michigan still alive inside, and the process apparently repeats.
Michigan has also made cameos in episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, and, most recently, as a talent show emcee in an episode of Duck Dodgers. The character can also be seen in 1996's Space Jam in the crowd, Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit in the Maroon Cartoons studio lot, and 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action during the cafeteria scenes.
The identity of the singer who voiced Michigan Frog's original story was unclear and has been shrouded in some degree of mystery. He was definitely not done by Warner's primary voice artist, Mel Blanc. Some identified him as Terrence Monck. The 1998 Rhino compilation Warner Bros. 75 Years of Film Music identified him as Richard Beavers. However, the Looney Tunes Golden Collection unequivocally credits the vocals to Bill Roberts, a nightclub entertainer in Los Angeles in the 1950s who had done voice work for an MGM cartoon earlier. Information in the Internet Movie Database restates what the DVD covered and adds some details.[1]
In Another Froggy Evening, his voice was provided by Jeff McCarthy.
As WB mascot
Michigan J. Frog from 1995 - 2001
Watch The Frog. Michigan J. Frog from 2001 - 2005
Michigan J. Frog, again voiced by McCarthy, was the official mascot of The WB Television Network from its inception in 1995 until 2005. The network's first night of programming on January 11, 1995 began with a debate between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck over who the network should select as a mascot. The camera then panned over to Chuck Jones drawing Michigan on an easel. When Jones finished, Michigan leapt from the drawing to formally launch the WB.
Michigan also would usually appear before the opening of shows, informing the viewer of the TV rating. For example, before Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel, the frog would sing a short monologue suggesting that kids should go to bed, meaning that the show coming on would be for mature audiences only.
On July 22, 2005, Michigan's "death" was announced by WB Network Chairman Garth Ancier at a fall season preview with the terse statement "The frog is dead and buried." The head of programming for the WB Network, David Janollari, stated that "[Michigan] was a symbol that perpetuated the young teen feel of the network. That's not the image we [now] want to put out to our audience."
Various humorous obituaries for the mascot were published with details on Michigan's life and death. His dates were given as December 31, 1955 - July 22, 2005. Despite the announcement by Ancier, Michigan still appeared in some WB affiliate logos and in TV spots, such as KWBF in Little Rock, Arkansas (whose early slogan was "The Frog"; the "F" in KWBF is supposedly for "frog"), during 2006, and WBRL in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Also, WMJF, a small student-run television station at Towson University just outside Baltimore, Maryland, still uses the same call letters (WMJF -Michigan J. Frog) from when the station was a WB affiliate.
When the WB signed off the air for the final time on September 17, 2006, the shadow of the mascot appeared at the end of a montage of stars that appeared on the network during its 11-year history. When the montage ended with "Thank You", Michigan's shadow is shown removing his top hat and bowing to the viewer.
See related
References
- ^ Bill Roberts (VIII)
External links
Other sources
Comics Buyer's Guide #1614 (March 2006; Page 38)
