Wikipedia

Dennis Marks (screenwriter)

For other people named Dennis Marks, seeDennis Marks (disambiguation).

Dennis Marks(August 2, 1932 – January 10, 2006) was an Americanscreenwriter,producer and voice actor, mainly for children's animations.[1]Marks wrote for several big production companies during the 1960s through to the 1990s, including Hanna-Barbera, DC and Marvel. He wrote screenplays and stories for many popular animation shows includingBatfink,The Beatles,Dungeons & DragonsandSpider-Man,providing the voice for theGreen Goblinin the latter. He also worked as a producer for Children's TV showWonderama,chat showA.M. New YorkandSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Dennis Marks
Born(1932-08-02)August 2, 1932
New York City, New York
DiedJanuary 10, 2006(2006-01-10)(aged 73)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, producer, voice actor
Years active1963–1992
ChildrenAmanda Marks

Career history

edit

Early career

edit

Marks was born in New York City in 1932. His parents were vaudevillians, though Marks did not follow them to the stage despite showing a strong interest in performing magic tricks.[2]He was awarded a bachelor's degree fromDuke Universityin North Carolina, before serving in theUnited States Navyaboard theLexingtonas a public information officer.[2]

Marks began his career in entertainment writing with Alan Friedman as a song writing team. Their first song together was used in the off-Broadway revueFallout(1959), which also included the first material byMartin Charnin.[3]The pair were also signed by theBMIMusical Comedy program, but when Marks' agent offered him work in cartoons he took the offer alone. In a 2002 interview, Marks stated that he had been an avid comic book reader as a child and happily took the job.[3]

Early cartoon shows (1960s)

edit

Marks was hired by head of King Features TV,Al Brodax,to bring to television the comic strips ofWilliam Randolph Hearst,which the company handled. The first script Marks wrote was for a six-minute short ofBarney Google and Snuffy Smithin 1963. It was accepted by the company and Marks began writing further cartoon scripts, completing at least eight more Snuffy Smiths and work on someBeetle Baileycartoons.[3]In between Marks had, with Friedman, continued to write songs for a Sherlock Holmes musical,[4]and was hired as a junior screenwriter on theAmerican Scene MagazineforThe Jackie Gleason Show.Though after returning to New York from his honeymoon, Brodax offered Marks the screenwriting duties for acartoon based on The Beatles,which decided Marks' career choice as a cartoon writer.[3][5]Although uncredited, Marks, along withJack Mendelsohn,Heywood Klingand Bruce Howard, wrote all 39 episodes of the Beatles' cartoon.[5]In 1965, the Sherlock Holmes musical he had helped create, opened on Broadway asBaker Street,but without Marks on board.

In the late 1960s, Marks continued writing for various shows, includingThe Batman/Superman HourandAquaman,his first foray into superhero cartoons for DC. Marks stated that his preference in comic books lay inDC Comicsbecause his mother had been a friend ofHarry Donenfeld,the owner of DC, who sent him free comics for several years.[3]It was during this period that Marks wrote half of the hundred episodes toHal Seeger'sBatfinkand worked on scripts forMax, the 2000-Year-Old Mouse.[3]

Wonderama and A.M. New York

edit

By 1971, there was little scope for cartoon writing in New York and Marks left for Los Angeles finding work forHanna-Barbera.[3]He worked onThe Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan(as Dennis Marx),Josie and the PussycatsandThe Barkleys,the later of which he was joined by Kling, who had also written with Marks on both The Beatles and Batfink.[3]Marks was on the verge of settling in Los Angeles, when a meeting withBob McAllisterled to a job producing the weekly children's showWonderama.[3]Wonderama was a long running show broadcast byMetromediaacross five stations. Marks remained with the show for four years before switching to 'A.M. New York', a one-hour daily talk show. This lasted only two years, and by its end, Marks was again looking for work in cartoon screen writing.[3]He headed back to Los Angeles, and got a short-term staff position at Hanna-Barbera. This was followed by a one-year contract withFilmation,writing forThe Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour.[3]

Work with Marvel

edit

In the early 1980s, Broadax recommended to Marks that he should try writing forMarvel Productions,who were looking to bring Spider-Man back to the screen.[3]Marks had met with Marvel's creative figurehead,Stan Lee,when he had appeared on Wonderama; and after a couple of presentations, Marks was hired.[3]He wrote for the 1981Spider-Manseries, produced and wrote forSpider-Man and His Amazing Friendsand wrote forThe Incredible Hulk.[6]In all three he also provided voices, he acted the role of theGreen Goblin[3]in both Spider-Man series, wasDr Faustusin one episode of Amazing Friends and provided several additional voices for The Incredible Hulk.

Marks later acquired the rights to the Dungeon & Dragons role-playing game brand for a television show. Marks made a verbal and written pitch to Dungeon & Dragons creatorGary Gygax,which was accepted.[3]This led to the creation of Marvel'sDungeons & DragonsTV series. Although heavily involved in its creation, and by his own account creating the concept of the series protagonists being lost in a fantasy world through a fairground ride; he would not see the production through.[3]Marvel fired Marks in 1983, after disagreements with the TV networks.[3]

Later work

edit

Marks continued writing and producing stories for cartoon shows, and in the second half of the 1980s worked onGaltar and the Golden Lance(1985),The Transformers(1985) and several short animated retellings of Christian stories. He also wrote the story for 1987 animated television filmYogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose[3]to which he also provided the soundtrack and lyrics, and was a writer for a few episodes ofFoofur.

His work in the 1990s saw the release ofJetsons: The Movie(1990), his only original story that was released to cinemas. He wrote forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1990–1991), and his work onTom & Jerry Kids(1990) led to his screenplay forTom and Jerry: The Movie.He died at his home in Los Angeles in 2006 ofpancreatic cancer.[2]

Screenwriting credits

edit

Television

edit

Films

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^"Dennis Marks".behindthevoiceactors.com.RetrievedJune 2,2011.
  2. ^abc"Dennis Marks, 73; Wrote and Produced Animated TV Shows and Movies".Los Angeles Times.January 19, 2006.RetrievedJune 2,2011.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnopqr"An Interview with Dennis Marks".spider-friends.com.June 2002.RetrievedJune 2,2011.
  4. ^"Baker Street Co. Files for offering"(PDF).Securities and Exchange Commission: News Digest.August 16, 1963.RetrievedJune 2,2011.
  5. ^abMarcus, Laurence (February 14, 2004)."The Beatles (cartoon Series): Cartoon adventures of the world's most famously successful group".televisionheaven.co.uk.RetrievedJune 2,2011.
  6. ^Vincent Terrace (1985).Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials.VNR AG. p. 388.ISBN978-0-918432-61-2.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_Marks_(screenwriter)&oldid=1240368162"