Robert Cameron Bruce, Jr., (6 October 1914 - 24 August 2003) was an American voice artist. He is most notable for narrating classic cartoons, such as Looney Tunes.
Early Life[]
Bruce was born in White Salmon, Washington, to Robert Cameron Bruce Sr. (1887-1948) who was a cinematographer and documentary producer and Thora Bruce (née Storlie) (1884-1962). He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in theater.[3]
Career[]
Bruce spent two and a half years doing nine shows a week on WMCA and he later moved to Hollywood where he landed a job on KFWB, the Warner Bros. radio station, and was one of the four regulars on the show alongside Arthur Q. Bryan, Jack Lescoulie, and Alan Ladd. Bruce did four or five shows a week at five dollars a show and got a job providing voice work for Leon Schlesinger's cartoon studio as the building was in the same place where Bruce performed his radio work. Bruce was used as a narrator in most of the cartoons that were directed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, and Chuck Jones most of which being spot gag cartoons. Besides providing narration, Bruce was also heard as several characters in a few cartoons including "Dangerous Dan McFoo" where he voiced a dog with a cigarette and a referee and in "Feline Frame-Up" where he voiced Marc Anthony's master Filbert. Bruce would record his dialogue on an empty stage with the director, writer and engineer in a booth up near the ceiling explaining the cartoon to him and would record his lines afterwards. In addition for working for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Bruce also provided voice work for Walter Lantz's cartoon studio and for George Pal's Puppetoons series. From 1950 to 1951, Bruce was an actor on the TV show NBC Comics where he played characters on two of the shows "Kid Champion" and "Space Barton".[4] Later, he had a company based in Minnesota known as Robert C. Bruce Productions where he produced and wrote industrial films and commercials.[5] He was a former president of Minnesota Heart Association, was president of American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, and was a member of Pioneers of Radio.[3] In the late sixties, he retired to a home in South Carolina.[6]
Looney Roles[]
- Dangerous Dan McFoo (1939) as Narrator, Dog with Cigarette, Referee
- Detouring America (1939) as Narrator
- Land of the Midnight Fun (1939) as Narrator
- Fresh Fish (1939) as Narrator
- The Film Fan (1939) as Coming Attractions Narrator
- Pilgrim Porky (1940) as Narrator
- The Bear's Tale (1940) as Narrator
- The Hardship of Miles Standish (1940) as Radio Personality, Grandpa
- A Gander at Mother Goose (1940) as Narrator
- The Chewin' Bruin (1940) as Old Timer
- Ceiling Hero (1940) as Narrator
- Wacky Wild Life (1940) as Narrator, Tom Cat
- Porky's Snooze Reel (1941) as Narrator, Long John Slither (one line)[7]
- Farm Frolics (1941) as Narrator
- Meet John Doughboy (1941) as Citizen Sugar Cane, Narrator
- We, the Animals - Squeak! (1941) as Narrator
- Aviation Vacation (1941) as Narrator
- The Bug Parade (1941) as Narrator, Caterpillar, Red Ant, Red Ants
- Who's Who in the Zoo (1942) as Narrator
- Crazy Cruise (1942) as Narrator
- Hobby Horse-Laffs (1942) as Narrator
- Fox Pop (1942) as Radio Personality
- Point Rationing of Foods (1943) as Narrator
- Fin 'n' Catty (1943) as Narrator
- What's Cookin' Doc? (1944) as Narrator
- Booby Traps (1944) as Narrator
- A Lecture on Camouflage (1944) as Narrator
- Russian Rhapsody (1944) as Radio Personality
- Buckaroo Bugs (1944) as Narrator, Villagers
- Outpost (1944) as Narrator
- Plane Daffy (1944) as Narrator
- Target Snafu (1944) as Narrator
- Wagon Heels (1945) as Narrator
- Nasty Quacks (1945) as Narrator
- Book Revue (1946) as Henry VIII[8]
- Bacall to Arms (1946) as Narrator
- Of Thee I Sting (1946) as Narrator
- Fair and Worm-er (1946) as Narrator
- Hobo Bobo (1947) as Narrator and New Yorkers
- Crowing Pains (1947) as Barnyard Dawg (one line)[9]
- Swallow the Leader (1949) as Narrator
- Orange Blossoms for Violet (1952) as Narrator
- Punch Trunk (1953) as Narrator, Psychiatrist, Radio Personality
- Feline Frame-Up (1954) as Filbert
- Gone Batty (1955) as Game Announcer
- The Hole Idea (1955) as Narrator
- Bugs' Bonnets (1956) as Narrator
- Dog Tales (1958) as Narrator
- Bonanza Bunny (1959) as Narrator
also see Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Robert C. Bruce
References[]
- ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125272883/catharine-phebe-bruce
- ↑ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/greenvilleonline/name/robert-bruce-obituary?n=robert-bruce&pid=140779797
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/greenvilleonline/name/robert-bruce-obituary?n=robert-bruce&pid=140779797
- ↑ https://www.intanibase.com/gac/toolooney/interviews/bruceinterview.aspx
- ↑ http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/sv000197.xml
- ↑ https://www.newsfromme.com/2004/01/27/robert-c-bruce/
- ↑ http://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2013/12/313-porkys-snooze-reel-1940.html?showComment=1388470752337#c1666378777390533831
- ↑ File:Book Revue Cast.jpg
- ↑ https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/foghorn-leghorn-in-crowing-pains-1947/