Bronk & Bongo

There are no small parts, only small actors. Boy is this true, and never has this been made more clearer than by JEFF BENNETT at our voice over session.

Everyone was brilliant that day but I have to go out of my way to give a special tip of the hat to JEFF BENNETTwho played all of the back ground characters who had the fewest lines and screen time. He managed to give every character a thoughtful characterization and personality. Sometimes with as little as one line!

I was floored at not only his versatility, but his innovation at making even one line special and the incredible difference of each vocal performance. At times it sounded like there were 20 people in the booth instead of 4. It reminded me a famous story about Daws Butler. There was a director who during a Hanna-Barbera recording session had asked the actors in the [Read more…]

Well the time to record was finally upon us. Last Thursday Alan and I and the 3 lead actors and our ancillary fourth VO actor JEFF BENNETT all arrived at the sound studio for the Bronk and Bongo record. We were then joined by Meredith, Eric Homan, Gary Conrad, Larry Huber, Therese Trujillo, Jack Kinman, big Petey, little Petey, meaty Petey, re-Petey and Joey Bag of Donuts and the kitchen sink. It was like the VIACOM holiday party in there. People everywhere I looked, filling out paper work, signing contracts, exchanging hellos, reading scripts and smelling candles. Thanks again Steve!
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Finally after a year of pounding away on BRONK and BONGO Alan and I finally got to meet the Gary Conrad in person. I was shocked to discover he wasn’t a 2 foot tall Nigerian pigmy as I was lead to believe!

It’s nice to finally attach a face to the humorous voice and e-mails. After finally cornering him and leaving him with no visible ways of escape, he relented his futile attempts at ignoring us and we sat down and talked about everything from BLOOMING ONIONS™ to Jock straps. After 7 hours of that we thought, maybe we should talk about the cartoon. Here you see Alan discussing exactly how Bongo would react when covered with caramel and set on fire, which isn’t in the cartoon but is a running theme with Alan. Gary’s only response was to do his head scratching chimp impression.
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So after my excruciatingly delayed plane ride in to LAX, Alan and I got together with the cast to grab a bite to eat and go over the script and answer any questions they might have the night before the voice record. I can’t remember when I’ve hung around a better bunch of guys. We gossiped about Hollywood. Who knew there was such a seamy underbelly to tinsel town? We reminisced about Abbott and Costello. We talked about our bad backs and torn knee joints. We smelled Root Beer scented candles and ate burgers with slices of Cranberry gelatin discs on top. We laughed. We cried. We laughed again. We got the bill. We cried again.

Above you see Joel McCrary telling Adam Busch to pull his finger and that for some reason Steve Purnick would fart. That’s how good the chemistry is between these guys. One gets kicked in the [Read more…]

Mere moments before they bolted the door to Alan’s JFK Delta flight, Manny called to say his Newark flight was being delayed indefinitely. They had just announced over the loudspeaker that rain had caused the pansy assed American Airlines crew to crawl into corners of the terminal with those thin in flight blankets, where they sat crying and sucking their thumbs. (Not sure that’s a direct quote. While Manny was talking, the Delta flight attendant was whipping the cell phone from Alan’s hand to slap him across the face with it. All these new regulations are confusing, but apparently corporal punishment is okay again). Here, photographed just hours ago, Alan wanders the terminal at LAX.. . but he will achieve his goal of drinking coffee in every time zone in America today. Bloggingly yours, Manny and Alan

So we’re off to Burbank tomorrow for the Bronk and Bongo voice record! I can’t believe the time has finally come. We’ll try to post from out there, but most likely we’ll be spending every single second on perfecting our vocal takes, eating free bagels and stalking celebrities like Corey Haim and Feldman, why stop at one Corey?

And for all our friends at the LA studio, please make some time to say hello to Alan and I. I’m looking forward to meeting all my Blog Buddies in person. Oh, please remember, if you must smile at Alan, don’t show any teeth, he views it as a sign of aggression.

Bloggingly yours, Alan and Manny.

Yes Bronk may call the shots but Bongo wears the pants. I’ve been asked why BONGO wears pants so often it’s getting a little uncomfortable. I mean, why do you wear pants?

Aside from him being modest, Bongo thinks it makes him more respectable. And when you’re looking for a job your chances increase if you’re wearing pants. Trust me, Alan and I have tried it the other way and not once have we gotten the job. More often than not all it got us was pepper spray in the eyes and the occasional “What the hell!”.

Above we see Bongo how God intend him to be, in all his nakey glory. And for all you twisted little ladies out there trying to sneak a peak at his, Hootchie cootchie, his “KIBBLES and BITS”, his gravy train, his rawhide and squeaky toys, his……er…..you get the idea. I’m sorry to tell [Read more…]

So the lead character voices have been selected, contracts have been drawn, blood has been spilled and firstborn children have exchanged hands. We are as excited, as excited can be I must say to announce STEVE PURNICK as the voice of BRONK.

JOEL McCRARY as the voice of BONGO.

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I was saddened to hear that one of my favorite illustrators passed away a few days ago, on May 27th. ALEX TOTH was responsible for designing hundreds, I mean hundreds of Hanna Barbera characters from the 1960’s through the 70’s. It was his job to quickly come up with visuals for the daily pitch sessions Hanna Barbera would have with the networks as well as designing model sheets and props for the many series constantly being churned out by the studio. Space Ghost is probably one of his most popular creations but he also designed the SUPERFRIENDS, as well as countless other characters and incidentals.
He was a huge inspiration to many of today’s modern animation talents like BRUCE TIMM as well as countless comic book artists. His economy of line and elegance of design was unparalleled. If you don’t know who Alex Toth is, or you aren’t familiar with his [Read more…]

Next week, Manny and Alan fly to LA to record voices for the Bronk & Bongo pilot, but tomorrow night we’re going out in NY to hear one of those voices in concert!

Adam Busch, who was a lead in Alan’s 1990s Nickelodeon series “Shelby Woo,” is a name many will know for his recurring role as Warren Meers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Next Thursday, in all his nasal splendor, he’ll voice the part of Jerry Generic for us. This week, Common Rotation, the band he fronts with Eric Kufs, finishes the East Coast leg of their Spring 2006 tour. Common Rotation is a riotous folk/rock band with a couple of CDs to their name, tours with They Might Be Giants under their belt, and a fanatical following everywhere they’ve traveled. (The image above is from their 2004 UK tour).

I’ve seen them many times in NY and watched [Read more…]