Remembering June Foray

I'll let Mark Evanier do to honors on this one, since he was such a close friend of June Foray -- the voice of relentless voices in cartoon, movies, TV, even toys and more, Natasha, Nell, Granny, Smurfs and on and on, but at the top of the list will always be Rocky the Flying Squirrel -- , who passed away at the age of 99.  You can read Mark's long and eloquent remembrance here.

I will say that I had the lucky chance to meet June Foray twice, She was absolutely charming both times.  Because I knew she'd be where I was going the second time -- to a Writers Guild event -- I brought along a special item for her to sign, and it stunned her.  It was a .45 RPM record she'd done with Stan Freberg in the late 1950s that was about an 8-minute promotional sketch for a ladies swimsuit company, Rose Marie Reid.  It was hilarious and rare to have.  (I got it from my uncle who worked in the clothing industry.)  When she saw the record, she couldn't believe a copy still existed, and was gracious in signing.  (A few years later, I met Stan Freberg at a recording session Mark was directing, so I got him to sign the record, as well.  He was just as amazed to see it -- but really pleased to see June Foray's name on the record.)

The first time was memorable, too, because she did the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel for me.  But then, I suspect she did the voice of Rocky for most anyone.

Now, go check out Mark's wonderful and impressive words about her life and career.