Emphasis 1976

Ferguson Center

Mark Franco’s turn as Emphasis chairman was notable. During his tenure, Franco, booked a series of excellent speakers, each with their special brand that seemed to walk into the room before they did. Mel Blanc was among the most impressive. His career spanned over 60 years working in radio and then transitioning to television in various formats. Known to the world as “The Man of a Thousand Voices,” Blanc is most famous as the voice of Warner Bros. cartoon characters like Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam (“he’s the most demanding,” Blanc told the group), Daffy Duck, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, plus, on occasion, Elmer Fudd and Porgy Pig, and the main attraction, Bugs Bunny. Later, Blanc voiced a coterie of Hanna-Barbera’s characters, including Barney Rubble of ”The Flintstones,” and Mr. Spacely, George Jetson’s finicky boss on “The Jetsons.” He explained how he moved from radio shows working with stars such as Jack Benny, Burns & Allen, and Abbott and Costello, to the early days on TV, and into animation. Small in stature, and completely unassuming, Blanc wowed the crowd with vivid impersonations and stories about his experiences. But the well-known character voices he performed in front of a microphone at Ferguson Center completely captivated the audience. Blanc died in 1989, laid to rest in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery with the phrase “That’s All Folks!” emblazoned on his headstone. Daniel Schorr began working as a reporter at age 13 when he reportedly witnessed a woman fall from a building and sold his eyewitness account to a local paper for $5. In the early 1950s, he was hired at CBS News by legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow and considered one of the famed group of recruits known as “Murrow’s Boys,” which included Eric Savareid, Charles Collingwood, Howard K. Smith, and others. As one of the journalists on Richard Nixon’s infamous list of enemies in the national press, Schorr was indignant in the face of accusations. He eventually resigned from CBS but continued his work as a journalist reporting primarily on politics and was decorated with national Emmy Awards several times in the 1970s. When he spoke at the University of Alabama, Schorr was 60 years old. A few years later in 1980, his career would take another sharp turn when he helped launch CNN as its senior Washington correspondent. Born in 1910 in Hartsell, Alabama, author William Bradford Huie wrote 21 books, 14 of which were bestsellers, reportedly selling over 30 million copies worldwide. Several of his books were made into motion pictures. He also wrote hundreds of articles that appeared in many magazines and newspapers, many of which focused on controversial subjects such as World War II, and the Civil Rights movement. The University of Alabama graduate was disparaged in some circles for his criticism of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” He was also accused of using “checkbook journalism” in some of his reporting. But Huie’s career was certainly productive, and memorable. During his life, he reported on important stories, including the murder of Emmitt Till, and various Ku Klux Klan activities throughout his home state and the South. When Vincent Bugliosi appeared in Tuscaloosa, he was in a publicity blitz for a book he co-wrote, “Helter Skelter.” It became a bestseller chronicling his work as Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles prosecuting the sensational Charles Manson murder trial. During his eight years in the D.A.’s office, Bugliosi successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, which included 21 murder convictions. After he left the District Attorney’s office, he became an author. “Helter Skelter” was his first book, released in 1974. During his lecture at Ferguson Center, Bugliosi recounted sensational tales about Manson, and his convicted accomplices Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, and Susan Atkins.