Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Who Framed Roger Rabbit Premieres at Radio City Music Hall

P-p-p-p-p-p-p-please, sit back and read about Charles Fleischer, the voice of the leading man, er, rabbit, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which held its premiere at Radio City Music Hall on this day in 1988. Discovered by Roger Rabbit director Bob Zemeckis while performing in a comedy club, the standup comic/actor took his silly role quite seriously, despite the fact that he was a full-grown man dressed as a rabbit while reading his lines aloud just off-camera. At the time Charles said, “The goal is to make it seem real, not just a funny voice.” But Charles wasn’t just the voice of Roger, he also tooned up and provided the voices of Benny the Cab and two weasels in the film. It was on this day that Charles took his parents to the world premiere of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and while the audience was giving the film a thunderous ovation, his father said to him, “Son, it’s amazing. You said this was going to be the big one all along. You were right.”