Ralph Helfer: Trainer of the MGM Lion, Gentle Ben, and Other Animal Actors

PART TWO: Jeff Bergman, The Voice of Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone, and Mr. Potato Head; Dean Martin's Birthday; National VCR Day

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 5-31-2026 Joe celebrates Dean Martin's birthday talking about singing with Dean's daughter Deana Martin at 18 years old and revisits a clip from his Friars Club Podcast interview with John Stamos recalling the one-word career advice he received from Dean Martin. Guest: Jeff Bergman, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Daffy Duck, Barney Rubble, and many other cartoon favorites Topic: Working with Bill Hanna on "Jetsons: The Movie"; Working with Seth MacFarlane on "Family Guy"; Doing voices on the animated 1960s-style "Batman" films; The two voices Jeff would love to do but hasn't yet Joe talks about the merits and pitfalls of VHS and VCRs in honor of National VCR Day, and the strategy Disney used to make a fortune off the technology. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

PART ONE: Jeff Bergman, The Voice of Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone, and Mr. Potato Head; "Estate Planning Gone Wrong: Joe's Parents Edition"

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 5-31-2026 Guest: Jeff Bergman, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Daffy Duck, Barney Rubble, and many other cartoon favorites Topic: Inheriting the role of Mr. Potato Head from Don Rickles for "Toy Story 5"; Meeting Mel Blanc as a student at the University of Pittsburgh; HIs friendship with Noel Blanc; Mastering the voice of Fred Flintstone; Becoming Barney Rubble; Working with Chuck Jones See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Revival of Hanna-Barbera with Fred Seibert

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 5-24-2026 Monologue: How Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera joined forces to create Tom & Jerry and their own cartoon studio Guest: Fred Seibert, Former President of Hanna-Barbera, Founder of Frederator and FredFilms, and Creator of "What a Cartoon!" and "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" Topic: Spearheading the revival of Hanna-Barbera with cartoons such as "Dexter's Laboratory," "The Powerpuff Girls," "Johnny Bravo," and others; Giving a young Seth MacFarlane his start in animation; Working with legends like Ted Turner and Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Remembering Ted Turner with Bill Burke; The Case of the Missing Pee-wee Herman Doll

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 5-17-2026 Monologue: Joe Sibilia talks about his family's estate sale and the vintage items Joe couldn't sell. Guest: Bill Burke, Former General Manager of Turner Classic Movies, Former President of TBS, co-author of Ted Turner's autobiography, "Call Me Ted"; Founder of the Optimism Institute and host of The Blue Sky Podcast Topic: The beginning of Turner Classic Movies; TBS becoming "very funny"; The life of Ted Turner and his marriage to Jane Fonda; Ted Turner's battle with Lewy body dementia The case of the missing Pee-wee Herman DoIl Joe talks about the Pee-wee Herman pull string doll from the 1980s that went missing somtime in the last 22 years. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

From Jane Jetson to Joan Crawford — A Mother’s Day Celebration

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 5-10-2026 Monologue:  Remembering Ted Turner and his legacy with Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies Guest: Steve Randisi, Entertainment historian and the author of "Penny Singleton: A Biography" Topic: Penny Singleton's role as the voice of Jane Jetson on "The Jetsons"; Meeting Joan Crawford and her ex-husband Douglas Fairbanks Jr; His unconventional photo with Shirley Jones of "The Partridge Family" A tribute to Joe's mom and grandmothers on Mother's Day See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.