MICHIGAN J. FROG
Name: Michigan J Frog
Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character who debuted in the Looney
Tunes cartoon One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955), written by Michael Maltese
and directed by Chuck Jones. In this cartoon Michigan is a male frog who
occasionally wears a top hat, carries a cane, sings pop music, ragtime, Tin Pan
Alley hits, and other songs from the late 19th and early 20th century while
dancing and performing acrobatics in the style of early 20th century vaudeville.
The character appeared in a later cartoon entitled Another Froggy Evening which
was released on October 6, 1995.
His name comes from the song "The Michigan Rag" (an original song written by
Jones, Maltese, and musical director Milt Franklyn), which he sings in the
cartoon. In a clip from a DVD special, Jones stated that he had come up with the
name "Michigan Frog" during the 1970s and was inspired to add the "J." as a
middle initial while being interviewed by a writer named Jay Cox.
The gag in both cartoons is that Michigan's undeniable talent is discovered by
some hapless (and greedy) person, who has visions of making a fortune by finding
this great entertainer an audience and profiting from it. He invests all his
time, money and eventually his sanity in that cause. He catches on too late that
the frog will perform for him and him alone; in front of anyone else, Michigan
will turn back into a normal frog and thwart the man's dreams of wealth. The man
tosses Michigan and the suitcase in which he came into the time capsule for a
soon-to-be dedicated skyscraper. In 2056, a century later, when a construction
company consisting of men in spacesuits razes the decrepit building with ray
guns, another person discovers the suitcase, with Michigan still alive inside,
and the process repeats.
Michigan has also made cameos in episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures, The Sylvester
and Tweety Mysteries, Animaniacs, and, most recently, as a talent show emcee in
an episode of Duck Dodgers. The character can also be seen in Space Jam, Who
Framed Roger Rabbit and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
The identity of the singer who voiced Michigan Frog's original story was unclear
and has been shrouded in some degree of mystery. He was definitely not done by
Warner's primary voice artist, Mel Blanc. Some identified him as Terrence Monck.
The 1998 Rhino compilation Warner Bros. 75 Years of Film Music identified him as
Richard Beavers. However, the Looney Tunes Golden Collection unequivocally
credits the vocals to Bill Roberts, a nightclub entertainer in Los Angeles in
the 1950s who had done voice work for an MGM cartoon earlier. Information in the
Internet Movie Database restates what the DVD covered and adds some details.
In Another Froggy Evening, his voice was provided by Jeff McCarthy.
Name: Michigan J Frog
Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character who debuted in the Looney
Tunes cartoon One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955), written by Michael Maltese
and directed by Chuck Jones. In this cartoon Michigan is a male frog who
occasionally wears a top hat, carries a cane, sings pop music, ragtime, Tin Pan
Alley hits, and other songs from the late 19th and early 20th century while
dancing and performing acrobatics in the style of early 20th century vaudeville.
The character appeared in a later cartoon entitled Another Froggy Evening which
was released on October 6, 1995.
His name comes from the song "The Michigan Rag" (an original song written by
Jones, Maltese, and musical director Milt Franklyn), which he sings in the
cartoon. In a clip from a DVD special, Jones stated that he had come up with the
name "Michigan Frog" during the 1970s and was inspired to add the "J." as a
middle initial while being interviewed by a writer named Jay Cox.
The gag in both cartoons is that Michigan's undeniable talent is discovered by
some hapless (and greedy) person, who has visions of making a fortune by finding
this great entertainer an audience and profiting from it. He invests all his
time, money and eventually his sanity in that cause. He catches on too late that
the frog will perform for him and him alone; in front of anyone else, Michigan
will turn back into a normal frog and thwart the man's dreams of wealth. The man
tosses Michigan and the suitcase in which he came into the time capsule for a
soon-to-be dedicated skyscraper. In 2056, a century later, when a construction
company consisting of men in spacesuits razes the decrepit building with ray
guns, another person discovers the suitcase, with Michigan still alive inside,
and the process repeats.
Michigan has also made cameos in episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures, The Sylvester
and Tweety Mysteries, Animaniacs, and, most recently, as a talent show emcee in
an episode of Duck Dodgers. The character can also be seen in Space Jam, Who
Framed Roger Rabbit and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
The identity of the singer who voiced Michigan Frog's original story was unclear
and has been shrouded in some degree of mystery. He was definitely not done by
Warner's primary voice artist, Mel Blanc. Some identified him as Terrence Monck.
The 1998 Rhino compilation Warner Bros. 75 Years of Film Music identified him as
Richard Beavers. However, the Looney Tunes Golden Collection unequivocally
credits the vocals to Bill Roberts, a nightclub entertainer in Los Angeles in
the 1950s who had done voice work for an MGM cartoon earlier. Information in the
Internet Movie Database restates what the DVD covered and adds some details.
In Another Froggy Evening, his voice was provided by Jeff McCarthy.