Lucille Bliss is a prime example of a below-the-radar television pioneer whose story belongs in the Archive of American Television. This 'Lady Of A Thousand Voices" began her unusal career in San Francisco, performing on many local and network radio programs. She moved to Hollywood, where she worked with Walt Disney, portraying one of Cinderella's wicked stepsisters. She later was featured in Tom & Jerry and Droopy cartoons.
As a teenager, Lucille provided the voice of the title character on "Crusader Rabbit," the first animated cartoon series produced for the new burgeoning medium know as television.
The show debuted in October 1950, and revolved around the adventures of a plucky little rabbit and his faithful pal Rags the Tiger (Voiced by the late Vern Louden) and their nemesis Dudley Nightshade (Voiced by the late Russ Coughlan). Incidentally all are Silver Circle members and also members of Broadcast Legends.
One of the two producers was Jay Ward , who would later place his name in the annals of cartoon history with another dynamic duo, Rocky & Bullwinkle.
The five-minute Crusader Rabbit segments aired weekdays from 6:40-6:45PM on NBC. Lucille, whose long career as a voice-over artist has ranged from Hanna Barbera's "The Flintsones" to Nickelodeon's "Invader Zim," remembers earning $5 per episode at the outset.
"We used to record them in a studio in San Francisco where we'd work from 9 (p.m.) to 4 (a.m.)," she recalls. "There was a bed in the back and we'd all take turns using it."
She was also featured with her own shows seen on KRON-TV, KGO-TV, and KPIX, as well as dramatic on-camera series for KQED-TV. She became the voice of Smurfette, female star of the National EMMY Award-winning Smurf cartoon series. She also teaches and conducts seminars on an ongoing basis.