WDTCF- June Bellamy

Ah….it’s time again for another episode of WDTCF (Where Did That Come From?) or as I like to call it, Hey…I Don’t Remember That! or HIDRT!

It’s pretty easy to not remember something or someone with more than 600 episodes to choose from.  And although, EA can’t seem to find it in their hearts to give us characters we actually remember, (Like Sarah Wiggum), they seem to have no issue whatsoever giving us obscure, one-offs.

But, this time…I have a sense that the writers and maybe even the “Voice Actors” had something to do with this choice. Because the character in play, is the one, and only (as in, she was only in one episode) June Bellamy!

Don’t remember June?  Well like most voice actors, you may not know them by their faces (I mean can anyone tell me what Tress McNeal looks like??)

No? Well Tress is a real person, and is on more Simpsons episodes than almost any of the “star actors”…and so if you don’t remember what Tress looks like,  it may be even harder to remember who June is, because she is only BASED on a real person. Kinda.

Here’s Tress… and Here’s June. They look nothing alike. Right?

And that’s because June has nothing to do with Tress! As it turns out, June Bellamy is based on another Real Life Voice Actor, June Foray!

June Foray (September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She appeared in “Some Enchanted Evening” as the receptionist for the Baby Buggy Bumper Babysititng Service.

Foray was most famous for her multitude of voice-over characters including Granny and Witch Hazel for Warner Bros., Rocky the Flying Squirrel for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, and Grandmother Fa from the 1998 Disney movie Mulan.

And THIS is what the REAL June looked like (when she was younger…I mean gosh…she lived to be 100!)

However, the episode in which this character (June) appears is laden with “behind the scenes looks” at how cartoon shows are made.  Casting, writing, recording…it’s all there! (except for the part where they ship the whole thing off to Korea for cheap labor to do all of the colorizing and filler animation).

The Episode, is appropriately called “The Itchy & Scratchy & Pootchy Show.”  (S8E14).

To break it down in short…
When Itchy & Scratchy’s ratings start to fall the producers decide to introduce a new character, Poochie. They hold auditions for the voice of the new dog and Homer wins the job.

Homer does the job…but the debut is awful…and Pootchy is killed off in the second episode, much to Homer’s dismay.

While June does her best to try and give Homer a shot at pleading his case…Pootchy is a “two note wonder.” Boom. Gone.

There are some pretty funny, and poignant lines in this episode.

Comic Book Guy: Last night’s Itchy and Scratchy was, without a doubt the worst episode ever! Rest assured that I was on the Internet within minutes registering my disgust throughout the world.
Bart: Hey, I know it wasn’t great, but what right do you have to complain?
Comic Book Guy: As a loyal viewer, I feel they owe me.
Bart: What? They’ve given you thousands of hours of entertainment for free.
What could they possibly owe you? I mean, if anything, you owe them.
Comic Book Guy:Worst episode ever.

Hmmm…sound familiar?

June Bellamy:  I started out as Roadrunner. “Meep.”
Homer: ” You mean “meep-meep”?
June Bellamy: No. They only paid me to say it once. Then they doubled it up on the soundtrack. Cheap bastards.

At A Fan Gathering Meet and Greet
Comic Book Guy: You folks ready to begin?
Homer: Uh, I guess. Is this episode going on the air live?
June: No, Homer. Very few cartoons are broadcast live. It’s a terrible strain on the animators’ wrists.
Super Fan: Question for Miss Bellamy. In episode 2F09, when Itchy plays Scratchy’s skeleton like a xylophone he strikes the same rib twice in succession yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we- to believe that this is some sort of a- [Chuckles] a magic xylophone or something? Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.
June: Uh, well, uh-
Homer: I’ll field this one. Let me ask you a question. Why would a man whose shirt says “genius at work” spend all of his time watching a children’s cartoon show?
Super Fan:I withdraw my question.

Oh…how I wish I could ask the same question to over-zealous TSTO fans.

Anyway…THAT’S really all there is to June’s big shot at “being seen.” Funny stuff…and now YOU can have her walking around in your town!!

Interestingly enough…and in a stroke of irony so heavy it makes me want to sit down and rest…This VOICE-OVER CHARACTER ISN’T VOICED!!!!!!!!

Man. All they would have had to do is add some Itchy/Scratchy Dialogue. EALPish EA. Just plain EALPish!

That’s it. June. Have fun if you get her…

I did. Because I always like supporting the “little people” who do all of the real hard work. I mean…no offense to “our creator,” but has Matt Groening ever voiced anything on the show??

I think you get my point.