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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Goodbye Lucille Bliss 1916-2012

SOe may recall her as barel decent Smurfette on Smurfs. But to older generaitons, Lucille Bliss did even more significant characters.

Lucille Blss will be one of those who is generally known for only several chaarcters.
If you remember reall far back-
Crusafder Rabbit
Stepsister Anastasia form Disney's "Cinderella"
Later generations may know her from some Disney records or Hanna-Barbera 60s curio "Space Kiddetts".
Still Later (in  a time that I'd rather forget where animaiton is concerned) as Smurfette in the SMurfs O(though I am being hard here...)
Truth is Lucille Bliss (1916-2012) had many characters in cartoon and old time radio. Originally a native of New York City, she then did various radio spots, before perfomring
offbeat live short/industrial film filmmaker Jerry Fairbanks and cartoon nutso Jay Ward's colla boration with TV distrubtor Alex Anderson in the historic pioneering television daytime cartoon "Crusader Rabbit"
as the title character and maybe as additional onrs (the Obscure Vern Loudin did voice for CR's constant compan Ragland(just call him "Rags'!) T. Tiger.)). Then she did a strepsister form Disney's Cindererella )radio sitocm regular Rhoda Williams palyed the other).
(Note-GeGe Pearson, yet another regular for radio, was the "New Crusader" yet Vernon Loudin does Rags..Roy Whaley narrates both series..)
By the 1950s Lucille Bliss could be heard in MGM, Warnersa, Disneym and other theatrical cartoons. She WAS signed to play H-b's Ruff the KItten opposite Daws Butler's Reddy the dog in
the next television snimstion historical step, "The Ruff and ReddyShow", and to revive "Crusader" in neew series of short,s both of these in 1957, but union politics (LB:on 2ndCR:"It was non-union and I was union"") thern Bill Hann and Joe Barbera reluctantly were forced to replace her as apparently t
new show's studio (Creston?TVS) producer, Shull Bonsall had oublicxly signed Lucille EXCLUSIVELY ONLY TO REJECT HER!! Same roller coaster downfall again happened at HB in 1962 with the Jetsons, as Elroy (Daws butler instead replaced her on both occasions.) Sometimes she'd get a small role on the Flintstones (the boy cave scout episode,for one.)
In 1966 she got a HB role in the rather forgettable, though., Space Kiddetts".  She did busy herself on other things I'll get around to at the end of this article.
Thru the 70s, and 80s she landed on the (IMO not for me again) Smurfs show at HB but Riock Reinert studios, a seemingly up and coming studio, did the unsually rather enjoyable Captain O.G.Readmore series (Will Ryan as OG, Alan Dinehart and Hal Smith, and <ucille Bliss as the girl cat, on the ABC book reading series.)
See Yowp, Luculle Bliss, in the Google, Internet Movie Database, Lucille Bliss, for any sordid details that befell her more..
Now here are obscure roles Lucille did, one time appearances:
"Cinderella" - Walt Disney-as Anastasia.Stepsister
"Tom and Jerry"-Little Nibbles (ou cna see where Hanna and Barbera got their own Pixie and Dixie, an HB ransition to TV thing like the little uck and Spike and Tyke..)
"A Waggily Tale"-a Warner Bros.cartoons where a Jerry Lewis sounding tween abuses his dog and has a nightmare where HE is one (Daws Butler was the kid.You've heard that voice most notably in one of Hanna-Barbera's
"Goofy Guards, Yippie, Yappy, and Yahooey", and in Jay Ward's "QUisp": ads as the little alien himself.) A litle girl buys the boy-turned dog.(Lucille's the little girl.)
"Thumper's Race", Disney record, Luclle narrates and does all of the voices (confirmaiton form Greg Ehrbahr and Tim Hollis, "Mouse Tracks'<2005).

"101 Dalmations"-On the "Kanine Krunchies" ad.:)
"Flinstones:"-One of the Boy Scouts ones has Lucille.
"Robots", a 2005 flick from BlueSky ("the Rio" and "Ice Age" franchise folks) and Twenty-Century Fox in a minor role.
"Courgae the COwardly Dog"-I believe she did a few there.
So,in conclusion, regardless opf which chaacter you love her for (and I met her in person),RIP Lucille, Crusader/Smurfette/cruel Stepsiter/OG Readmore supporting character/Space Kiddette/etc.

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