Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese ( Mike Maltese, born February 6, 1908 in New York; † February 22, 1981 in Los Angeles ) was an American writer and storyboard artist. Maltese write the screenplays for numerous cartoons of the Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies - series before joining Warner Bros. Hanna -Barbera and there worked on several animated television series.
Life
Michael Maltese grew up as the son of Italian immigrants in New York. He was interested in early for animated films and found after several attempts finally in July 1935, a job in the New York Fleischer Studios. He rose quickly from Bemaler the cels on the Inbetweener, but was in 1936 released. Maltese then tried his luck with an animation studio in Detroit before he finally went to California.
In Hollywood, he was hired by Leon Schlesinger as inbetweener for his Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies - Animated Movies in May 1937. Michael Maltese initially sought a career as an animator, but he soon moved into the story department at Schlesinger. Malteses name was first mentioned in 1941 in the opening credits of the cartoon The Haunted Mouse. While initially worked an author pool with the different directors, solid team of director and writer were formed soon. Maltese initially worked with Friz Freleng. Together they developed with Yosemite Sam a new character who became one of the most popular antagonist of Bugs Bunny.
The mid 1940s moved Maltese Frelengs Department of Chuck Jones. It is a long-standing partnership in which Jones and Maltese developed numerous cartoon classics for Warner Bros. created. While Maltese developed the gags in his storyboards, Jones was able to concentrate on the development of the characters. Among her best-known films include the published 1951-1953 Hunting Trilogy with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, the opera parodies Rabbit of Seville ( 1949) and What 's Opera, Doc? (1957 ) and Daffy Duck Films The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950), Duck Amuck (1953) and Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½ th Century ( 1953). 1950, written by Michael Maltese Pepé le Pew cartoon skunk Beloved (For Scent - imental Reasons ) was awarded the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
1948 Maltese invented the characters Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, he had conceived as a parody of the then popular pursuits in cartoons. Maltese remained the next ten years the sole author of these figures, which were set by Chuck Jones in scene. 1952 had the dog Marc Antony and Pussyfoot the kitten her first appearance in the cartoon Feed the Kitty. Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese were both in a total of five films occur. For the published 1955 One Froggy Evening Maltese short film created the (not always) Singing Frog Michigan J. Frog, the mid-1990s became the Maskottenchen the TV channel The WB. For this cartoon Maltese wrote with the composer Milt Franklyn the Ragtime The Michigan Rag.
When Warner Bros. closed the animation studio for several months in June 1953, Michael Maltese Walter Lantz joined Productions, where he worked with Tex Avery. Malteses stint with Lantz ended after 14 months and resulted only in a short film, the Chilly Willy cartoon The Legend of Rockabye Point. Maltese returned to Warner Bros. and again worked with Chuck Jones, who was temporarily staying with Disney.
In October 1958 Maltese finally left Warner after he had worked for 20 years at around 200 films. He joined, founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera studio Hanna -Barbera, who had specialized in the production of animated TV series. Maltese wrote episodes for the series Huckleberry Hound and his friends, The Yogi Bear Show, Quick and his friends, The Flintstones and The Jetsons. For the series Wacky Races - Car Racing Total, in 1968 their debut, as well as their spin -off Flying Men in daring boxes Maltese provided numerous ideas, which reminded some of its Road Runner stories. His last work for Hanna -Barbera in 1971, the series The Funky Phantom.
Michael Maltese died shortly after his 73rd birthday in Los Angeles.