Here’s a press photo from one of Arthur Q. Bryan’s many live-action performances.

It is certain that the Warner Bros. cartoon shorts (now referred to as “classic”) are as popular today as when they played in movie houses across America. No one can fail to recognize the immortal stars spawned in Termite Terrace. Books, videotapes, laserdiscs and DVDs have exposed Bugs, Daffy, Tweety and even Sniffles to a wider audience than Leon Schlesinger could ever have imagined. Thanks to television special features and the copious archival material now available on DVD, even casual fans are acquainted with the artists and directors behind the films, not to mention the voice artists who helped the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies come alive.

In the latter case, the spotlight belongs mainly to Mel Blanc, renowned as the man who created virtually every voice belonging to the Warners characters. Even the venerable Mr. Blanc, however, must concede a few rays of fame to his Warner Bros. colleague of 20 years… Arthur Q. Bryan. This gentleman, as many aficionados may already know, was the voice of Elmer Fudd. Bryan accomplished more than that, however, and few realize how prolific and fascinating his career truly was. Before his endeavors ended, Bryan would work in both animated and live film, radio, television, movies and recording.

Bryan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 8, 1899. By all accounts, Bryan was a star-struck young man who always saw a future for himself in show business. Such individuals often set out in search of studios and stardom during the early days of the motion picture industry. What Bryan did not possess were the devastatingly handsome features sought by studio executives, and he tended to be on the portly side, but he could act, sing and owned a marvelous speaking voice. Narrators and character actors were in demand, and these roles seemed to be suited for Bryan. The earliest known work by the aspiring actor was, in fact, as the narrator of a little-known film called Killing to Live (1931).

Bryan was never part of the contractual studio arrangement known in Hollywood as the “Star System.” The young performer was, for his entire career, a freelancer who answered auditions at many studios. It was apparent that Bryan had a natural knack for comedy, a trait that would serve him in good stead in years to come. Bryan eventually worked his way into films, first appearing on the silver screen as “Mr. Smith” in the 1938 Warner Bros. film The Great Library Misery. Within a year, he would find a role that would endear him to generations of animation fans and define his place in movie history.

The Warner Bros. studio was an exciting place to be during the late 1930s. The company was perfecting the art of the gangster film and producing gritty, realistic dramas that were drawing critical acclaim. The animation house, under Leon Schlesinger, was enjoying an artistic expansion. Gone were the days of primitive cartoons featuring Bosko, Foxy and Buddy.

Young directors such as Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones and Frank Tashlin joined veterans like Friz Freleng and in the process would create some of America’s liveliest animated shorts. As characters such as Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and the rambunctious rabbit that morphed into Bugs Bunny developed, it became obvious that a new level of sophistication was needed in all areas of cartoon production. Up until that time, studio employees or Warners’ bit actors provided the cartoon voices whenever needed at Schlesinger’s department. Before long, all that would change.

Bryan worked alongside famed voice-actor Mel Blanc on many films.

Blanc came to Warner Bros. in 1937 as one voice artist who supplanted the unprofessional efforts hindering the animated shorts. Blanc would eventually define the art of animated voice acting. At the time, director Tex Avery was using a character named Egghead; a man named Cliff Nazarro did little for the character’s voice but imitate comedian Joe Penner. Egghead evolved into a character first identified as “Elmer Fudd, Peacemaker” in the 1938 short, A Feud There Was. This transitional character was named Dangerous Dan McFoo in the 1939 cartoon short of the same name, but for the first time he was voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan, who successfully auditioned for the studio earlier that year. Bryan developed a soppy milquetoast’s voice for McFoo, and Avery loved the portrayal. Bryan found himself on the studio list for future work.

Bryan spent the rest of that year doing bit parts in unremarkable live-action films such as I Stole a Million and Dad for a Day before returning to the cartoon studio for Chuck Jones’ cartoon Elmer’s Candid Camera (1940). This cartoon was arguably the first true appearance of Elmer Fudd (who yet retained vestiges of Egghead’s character design). There was nothing remaining of Egghead’s former voice, however. Bryan had perfected his interpretation of the character, with a prominent voice impediment added. Elmer tended to pronounce the consonants “L” and “R” as “W.”

Elmer informed the audience that he would be photographing “wildwife,” but after an encounter with a prototypical version of Bugs Bunny, he is soon cursing “wabbits.” As insensitive as this may sound by today’s standards, this was typical of Warner Bros. cartoons of the time; Daffy Duck manifested a slurpy lisp and Porky Pig was famous for his fussy stuttering.

Elmer Fudd continued to undergo evolution as a character throughout 1940. Bryan voiced the Fudd character as “John Alden” in The Hardship of Miles Standish and as “Ned Cutler” in Confederate Honey, but both creation and voice artist merged forever in A Wild Hare later that same year. In this historic short, definitive versions of both Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny appeared for the first time. Director Tex Avery outlined a relationship between the characters that would last for decades, and in doing so brought Fudd into his own.