Michael Maltese | |
---|---|
Born | Michael Maltese February 6, 1908 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | February 22, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 73)
Occupation | Storyboard artist, screenwriter |
Years active | 1934-1981 |
Spouse(s) | Florence Sass |
Children | Brenda |
Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of Merrie Melodies cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "What's Opera, Doc?" which is widely regarded by industry professionals as the best animated short of all time.[1][2]
Biography[]
The son of Italian immigrants, Maltese graduated from the National Academy of Design.[3] He married Florence Sass on May 30, 1936;[4][5] writer Warren Foster served as Best Man.[6] The couple moved to Los Angeles, where their first and only child, Brenda, was born on February 20, 1938.[7]
Career[]
In 1941, Maltese was hired by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which three years later became Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. (Maltese had actually appeared on camera in the 1940 Porky Pig cartoon You Ought to Be in Pictures as a live-action guard at the Warner Bros. entrance gate, who winds up chasing the animated Porky around the Warners lot). The first cartoon he wrote for Warners was The Haunted Mouse (1941) by Tex Avery, then credited as Fred Avery. He first worked mainly for Friz Freleng until 1948, but after that he worked mostly for Chuck Jones, contributing stories to other directors at times, including Robert McKimson. He and Jones collaborated on cartoons like the Academy Award-winning For Scent-imental Reasons (1949), featuring the character Pepé Le Pew, and the animated public health documentary, So Much for So Little (1949) which won that same year for "Best Documentary Short Subject." Maltese was also the voice of the Lou Costello-esque character in Wackiki Wabbit (1943) and the Benito Mussolini duck in The Ducktators (1942).
Some of his earlier works include The Wabbit Who Came to Supper and Fresh Hare, Hare Trigger (which introduced Yosemite Sam), Baseball Bugs for Freleng; Bear Feat, Rabbit of Seville, A Pest in the House, and Rabbit Fire for Jones. Some of his best-known cartoons are Feed the Kitty, Beep, Beep, Rabbit Seasoning, Don't Give Up the Sheep, Duck Amuck, Bully for Bugs, Bewitched Bunny, From A to Z-Z-Z-Z, and Beanstalk Bunny. These were all directed by Jones. He also wrote One Froggy Evening, the first appearance of future Warner Brothers mascot Michigan J. Frog.
Some of his later Warner cartoons included Ali Baba Bunny, Robin Hood Daffy, the seminal What's Opera, Doc? and Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century for Jones, Rabbit Romeo and Fox-Terror for Robert McKimson and Person to Bunny (the final occasion Arthur Q. Bryan voiced Elmer Fudd) and Here Today, Gone Tamale (the only Speedy Gonzales cartoon he ever wrote) for Freleng. Maltese also collaborated with Jones on the 1960s Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts released by MGM. During the years of 1954 and 1955, Maltese also worked at Walter Lantz Productions as writer of some Woody Woodpecker cartoons: Helter Shelter, Witch Crafty (co-written with Homer Brightman), Real Gone Woody, Square Shootin' Square and Bedtime Bedlam. He also is the writer of Chilly Willy's Academy Award-nominated theatrical short The Legend of Rockabye Point, directed by Tex Avery.
From 1958 until 1970, he worked at Hanna-Barbera Productions on television cartoons such as The Yogi Bear Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, The Flintstones, and Wacky Races.
Maltese also wrote comic books published by Western Publishing, including for many of the Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera characters whose animated exploits he scripted.
His last work was in Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century, released in 1980.
Death[]
Maltese died on February 22, 1981 at Los Angeles's Good Samaritan Hospital after a six-month bout with cancer, 16 days after his 73rd birthday.[8]
References[]
- ↑ Beck, edited by Jerry (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected By 1,000 Animation Professionals (1st ed.). Atlanta: Turner Pub.. ISBN 1-878685-49-X. https://archive.org/details/50greatestcartoo00beck.
- ↑ "Michael Maltese papers 1907-1981 1941-1981". rmoa.unm.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Michael Maltese and Maurice Noble: Chuck Jones's Crucial Collaborators" by Joe Adamson Film Comment (January–February 1975) via Scribd July 12, 2017
- ↑ "Marriage Record of Michael Maltese" MooseRoots July 12, 2017
- ↑ "Marriage Record of Florence Sass" MooseRoots July 12, 2017
- ↑ "Comics by Michael Maltese" Cartoon Research (January 25, 2017) July 12, 2017
- ↑ "Birth Record of Brenda Maltese" MooseRoots July 12, 2017
- ↑ Obituary, Reading Eagle, February 23, 1981.
External links[]
- Michael Maltese at the Internet Movie Database
- 1940 census record
- Michael Maltese Papers, 1901-1981 at the University of Wyoming - American Heritage Center
- Michael Maltese Papers Document Cartoon History at the AHC blog
Template:Winsor McCay Award 1970s
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies | ||
---|---|---|
Studios | Harman-Ising Productions (1930–1933) • Leon Schlesinger Productions (1933–1944) • Warner Bros. Cartoons (1944–1964) • DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (1964–1967, 1979–1980) • Format Films (1965–1967) • Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (1967–1969) • Chuck Jones Enterprises (1976–1980, 1994–1997) • Warner Bros. Animation (1980–present) | |
People | Tex Avery • Bea Benaderet • Mel Blanc • Bernard B. Brown • Arthur Q. Bryan
• John Burton • Daws Butler • Bob Clampett • Cal Dalton • Arthur Davis • David H. DePatie • Earl Duvall • Milt Franklyn • Stan Freberg • Friz Freleng • June Foray • Ben Hardaway • Hugh Harman • Ken Harris • William L. Hendricks • Cal Howard • Rudolf Ising • Chuck Jones • Jack King • William Lava • Abe Levitow • Michael Maltese • Frank Marsales • Norman McCabe • Robert McKimson • Tom Palmer • Hawley Pratt • Virgil Ross • Leon Schlesinger • Rod Scribner •Edward Selzer • Norman Spencer • Carl Stalling • Frank Tashlin • Ben Washam | |
Characters | Major characters | Bugs Bunny • Daffy Duck • Elmer Fudd • Foghorn Leghorn • Granny • Lola Bunny • Marvin the Martian • Pepé Le Pew • Porky Pig • Speedy Gonzales • Sylvester the Cat • Taz • Tweety • Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner • Yosemite Sam |
Recurring characters | Babbit and Catstello • Barnyard Dawg • Beaky Buzzard • Beans • Bosko • Buddy • Cecil Turtle • Charlie Dog • Claude Cat • Clyde Bunny • Colonel Shuffle • Conrad the Cat • Cool Cat • Egghead Jr. • Foxy • Goofy Gophers • Goopy Geer • Gossamer • Hector the Bulldog • Henery Hawk • Hippety Hopper • Hubie and Bertie • Hugo the Abominable Snowman • Inki • Marc Antony and Pussyfoot • Merlin the Magic Mouse • Michigan J. Frog • Miss Prissy • Nasty Canasta • Penelope Pussycat • Petunia Pig • Piggy • Playboy Penguin • Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog • Slowpoke Rodriguez • Sniffles • Spike the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier • Sylvester Jr. • The Three Bears • Willoughby • Witch Hazel | |
Shorts | 1929–1939 • 1940–1949 • 1950–1959 • 1960–1969 • 1970–present • Featuring Bugs Bunny • Featuring Daffy Duck • Featuring Sylvester • Featuring Porky Pig • Blue Ribbon reissues • Censored Eleven | |
Television | Compilations | The Bugs Bunny Show • The Porky Pig Show • The Road Runner Show • The Merrie Melodies Show • Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends • Bugs 'n' Daffy |
Originals | Tiny Toon Adventures • Taz-Mania • The Plucky Duck Show • The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries • Baby Looney Tunes • Duck Dodgers • Loonatics Unleashed • The Looney Tunes Show • Wabbit/New Looney Tunes • Looney Tunes Cartoons • Tooned Out • Specials | |
Feature films |
Compilations | The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie • The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie • Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales • Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island • Daffy Duck's Quackbusters • The Looney Tunes Hall of Fame |
Live-action/ animation |
Who Framed Roger Rabbit • Space Jam • Looney Tunes: Back in Action • Space Jam: A New Legacy | |
Made for video | Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation • Tweety's High-Flying Adventure • Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure • Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas • Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run • Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam • King Tweety | |
Documentaries | Bugs Bunny: Superstar • Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons • Chuck Amuck: The Movie | |
Music/Songs | "Camptown Races" • "Dance of the Comedians" • "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" • "Merrily We Roll Along" • "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" • "Powerhouse" | |
Other | Video games |