Although Humphrey, the bumbling bruin, made his screen debut in 1950’s Hold That Pose, it wasn’t until 1954 that Humphrey first met the fussy ranger in Grin and Bear It. Altogether, Humphrey appeared in seven cartoon shorts, one of his most memorable appearances debuted on this day in 1954’s In the Bag, in which he assists in cleaning up the park to the catchy tune “Humphrey Hop.” Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore was voiced by Bill Thompson, and if he sounds just a HARE familiar, you may be recognizing his voice as the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. The voice of the ranger was no stranger to Disney, and some of his other vocal work includes Mr. Smee in Peter Pan, King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty, and Professor Owl in Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. BEAR in mind that the voice actor for Humphrey was no newcomer to the industry. Disney’s sound effects wiz, Jimmy Macdonald, was a longtime voice of Mickey Mouse himself, and provided the grunts and growls of Humphrey by utilizing the latest high-tech and most technologically advanced method… he growled into a glass jar!
