| Saturday, May 30, 2009 |
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| Mel Blanc |
SpotlightThe man who gave voice to hundreds of cartoon characters, Mel Blanc, was born on this date in 1908. From Porky Pig to Daffy Duck to Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Speedy Gonzales and both Tweety and Sylvester, Blanc created voices that became instantly recognizable to generations of cartoon fans. He had his own radio shows and was a regular on the Jack Benny Program. Blanc said that Yosemite Sam was hardest on his throat, since his voice was so loud. In later years, he also voiced Barney Rubble and The Jetsons' Mr. Spacely.
Question of the DayWhy is Daffy Duck black?
Daffy may well be an American Black Duck (Anas rubripes), which would account for at least two of his principal features: he is black (by observation) and he is American (based on accent and location of most of his cartoons). It does however confuse issues, as "duck" refers to the female of the species. "Drake" refers to the male. This gender malapropism is also evident for the other famous duck (Donald Duck) and cannot be resolved.
On the other hand, Daffy appeared first in black and white cartoons where black was one of the three optional colours (black, white and gray) used for all characters. Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Felix the Cat and Krazy Kat were assigned the same colour as Daffy; perhaps this may have been to make them more evident as the character to watch in the mostly white and gray scenes.
Thirdly, the other Ducks (Donald and Daisy and the nephews) had appropriated the white coloration and the studio may have wished to add some product differentiation by using black for Daffy.
Word of the daymano a mano
n.
1. A bullfight in which two rival matadors take turns fighting several bulls each.
2. A face-to-face confrontation or competitive struggle: a mano a mano between the presidential candidates.
adj.
Being or suggestive of a face-to-face encounter or contest: a mano a mano duel between golf pros.
adv.
In direct competition: an industry gearing up to go mano a mano with a rival.
It being the month of May, it may be appropriate to examine a week's worth of words that start as MAy does.
Today's History
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| The Goddess of Democracy |
- Joan of Arc: French heroine was burned at the stake for heresy (1431)
- Indy 500: the first was held; it was won by Ray Harroun driving a car fitted with a revolutionary rear-view mirror (1911)
- Lincoln Memorial: US presidential memorial, styled after a Greek temple, was established to honor Abraham Lincoln (1922)
- Goddess of Democracy: 30-ft. statue was erected by demonstrators at Tiananmen Square, Beijing (1989)
- Ground Zero: recovery effort officially ended with the removal of the last remaining piece of structural steel (2002)
Today's Birthdays
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| Wynonna Judd |
- Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964): cubist sculptor
- Howard Hawks (1896-1977): classic filmmaker, Bringing up Baby; movie executive Irving Thalberg (1899-1936) was also born today
- Alexey A. Leonov (75): cosmonaut who became the first person to walk in space
- Gale Sayers (66): youngest NFL hall-of-famer; team player Manny Ramirez (37) was also born on this date
- Wynonna Judd (45): country singer; plus, musicians Benny Goodman (1909-1986), Lenny Davidson (65) and Cee-Lo (35)
- Idina Menzel (38): actor, Wicked, Enchanted; other actors born on this date include Clint Walker (82), Keir Dullea and Ruta Lee (both 72), Michael J. Pollard (70), Stephen Tobolowsky (58), Colm Meaney (56) and Tonya Pinkins (47)
