Wikipedia

Hoyt Curtin

Hoyt Stoddard Curtin(September 9, 1922 – December 3, 2000) was an Americancomposer,music producerand the primary musical director for theHanna-Barberaanimationstudio from its beginnings withThe Ruff & Reddy Showfrom 1957-1965 and again from 1972–1986 until his retirement in 1989.[1][2]

Hoyt Curtin
Born
Hoyt Stoddard Curtin

September 9, 1922
Downey, California,U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 2000(2000-12-03)(aged 78)
Thousand Oaks, California,U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupations
Years active1957–1989
EmployerHanna-Barbera

Curtin composed many of the theme songs for Hanna-Barbera's cartoons, includingThe Flintstones,The Jetsons,The Huckleberry Hound Show,The Yogi Bear Show,Quick Draw McGraw,Top Cat,Jonny Quest,Space Ghost,Super Friends,Josie and the Pussycats,The Smurfs,andThe New Scooby-Doo Movies.In 1960, Curtin also started composing the incidental music for many Hanna-Barberaanimated series.

During his five decade career, Curtin wrote, conducted and produced thousands of uniquetheme songs,musical cues and libraries ofincidental musicused during the production of animated cartoon shows. For instance, there are currently 2,047 of his compositions still registered withBMI[3]and 1,102 of his compositions still registered withASCAP.

Curtin's experience in advertising jingle writing honed his work in creating animation show theme songs. He said "In a commercial you have one minute, or forty seconds, to sell the product. Therefore every single note has got to mean something, and has got to do something. And that’s exactly how I approached one-minute main titles: it was to sell the show".[4]

Hanna-Barbera's co-founder Joseph Barbera said of Curtin "Few people ever have the chance to work with a genius. All of us at Hanna-Barbera who worked with Hoyt are among those few".[5]Hanna-Barbera creative director Bill Burnett praised Curtin's work, saying "Music is so fundamentally important to cartoons. Hoyt (was) one of the two giants of cartoon music. (Burnett citedWarner Bros.'Carl Stallingas the other.) What Hoyt does is absolutely smokin', the greatest pieces of cartoon pastiches that have ever been created ".[6]

In 2002, Jean MacCurdy, then president of Warner Bros. Animation said "Hoyt was the king of jingle-making. His strong suit was coming up with the themes that almost anyone on the street could sing at the drop of a hat. He was really quite remarkable".[1]

ComposerJohn Debneysaid of Curtin, "Hoyt was a jazzer, he was a keyboard player for one of the big bands and he was in the service. That's why his music sounds the way it does, he always loved those jazz chords, and they're fabulous."[7]

Curtin was also an inventor who was granted six US patents for his novel designs of pipe couplings from 1974 through 1981.[8]

Early life and education

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Curtin was born inDowney, California,the third of Mary "Louise" (née Draper) and Frank Montgomery Curtin's three sons.[9]

Starting to play the piano at the age of 5, Curtin quickly began "writing music". He explained "Mozart,I was not. It was mostly gibberish, but I loved how my older brother would play them (his songs), adding to them, making them sound wonderful ".[6]

Curtin graduatedSan Bernardino High Schoolin 1940. While a student there, Curtin formed his own orchestra - the "Cornfed Sextette" and played in local jazz bands.[1]During his senior year, Curtin wrote and conducted new arrangements of show tunes from the movieDown Argentine Wayduring the school's annual musical extravaganza. Curtin was elected vice-president of his high school senior class.[10]

Curtin attended theUniversity of Southern Californiawhere he earned an accelerated bachelor's degree. While attending USC, he was a member ofSigma Alpha Epsilon.[11]Curtin entered theV-7 Navy College Training Programin September 1942.[12]

Military service

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Curtin was 19 when he registered for the draft in 1942. At the time, he listed his employer as the Ken Baker Band at theWindsor HotelinPhoenix, Arizona.[13]

Curtin joined the Navy, was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve with the rank of LTJG and served aboard a destroyer in the Pacific during World War II.[12][14]

Later education

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After WWII ended, he returned to the University of Southern California, earning a master's degree in music.[6]Curtin explained his decision to return to USC, saying "I studied piano all my life, of course, and went to USC’s school of music and studied composition... I was supposed to go toJuilliardafter the war, on the G.I. Bill, and the man who enters you asked me why I was going to Juilliard when USC had people like Ernst Toch and the biggies at the time. Why go to Juilliard?...So I called up my friend who let me enroll late at USC and drove back there at about a hundred miles an hour and went to lake my masters degree. It was great! We had some marvelous teachers. I studied withMiklós Rózsaand I just kept writing all I could, trying to get a job and that's not easy.[15]

Career

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Film scoring

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Curtin originally planned to become a film composer. "I knocked on every door". His first film composition was the score forMesa of Lost Women(1952). Curtis said "It’s the world's worst film, I think. It was really bad when I wrote it but now it’s worse. As I remember, it was about ladies on an alien planet who turned into tarantulas... I didn’t have any budget so I had to do it with two pianos. A friend of mine,Ray Rasch— one of the real great jazz guys — played the other piano. We really had fun doing that ". Curtin's score music was later reused in theEd WoodfilmJail Bait(1954, credited as "Hoyt Kurtain" ).[16]

In 1956 Curtin was musical director for Thrillarama Productions in Houston, Texas.[17][18]He conducted a 38-piece orchestra while recording the score we composed for the company's filmThrillarama Adventure,aCineramastyle travelog which used two cameras and two projectors.[19]Curtin also composed two of the tunes heard in the background in Ed Wood'sPlan 9 from Outer Space(1959), although he was embarrassed by the film's poor quality.

Commercial jingle writer

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Disillusioned with film work, Curtin next found work at an Cascade Pictures, Inc. in Hollywood, which was one of the pioneer commercial production houses in the early stages of television. Curtin said "It was marvelous, with a big orchestra". By the 1950s Curtin had become an in-demand composer for TV commercials.

UPA Studios

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Curtin's experience writing musical jingles for advertising eventually led to his scoring cartoon music atUnited Productions of America,better known as UPA Studios. His first musical score was for Arthur Babbitt's 1950The Popcorn Story,one of theJolly Frolicsseries cartoons.[20]Curtin also scored anotherJolly Frolicsseries cartoon, directorPete Burness'Pete Hotheadin 1952.[21]

Curtin scored the 1954 cartoonWhen Magoo Flewwhich helped the work win anAcademy Awardfor Best Animated Short. Curtin said he greatly enjoyed scoring cartoons. "I viewed the cartoon, wrote the music to fit and scored those atColumbia Pictures,with the Columbia orchestra. You scored to (the) picture and you played along so the producers could see how the music fit ".[6]

Animation Associates

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Owner Rudy Cataldi hired Curtin in 1960 as the composer for the animated seriesQ.T. Hush,one of the first television cartoon series produced in color.[22]

Hanna-Barbera

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Curtin first metWilliam HannaandJoseph Barberain 1957 when theLeo Burnettadvertising agency hired him to write the musical score for aSchlitzbeer commercial Hanna and Barbera were producing at theMGM Studios.[4]

Curtin recalled the beginning of his career scoringHanna-Barberacartoons: "They were just forming their company. It was 1957 and they remembered a jingle I'd done and phoned me with lyrics they'd written toRuff and Reddy... "[6]Hanna and Barbera read the theme song lyrics over the phone to Curtin and asked "Could I write a tune for it? I called back in 5 minutes and sang it to them... silence... uh oh, I bombed out... the next thing I heard was a deal to record it -The Ruff & Reddy Show!".Hanna and Barbera were leaving MGM to start their own cartoon studio and were offering Curtin and his company, Soundtrack Music Inc., an exclusive contract to compose their music.[23]Barbera said "All of our first main titles were done in that fashion.Huckleberry Hound,Quick Draw McGraw,etc. ".[15]"We'd go back and forth like that. We'd all have a good time, and I think the music shows it".[24]

Curtin became Hanna-Barbera’s music director, enjoying a long lasting relationship with the pair. At the start of their relationship, Hanna told Curtin "We’ll put the pictures on it. You make it happy".[25]

During production ofLoopy De Loopcartoon episodes in 1959, Curtin expanded his role from simply writing opening theme music to composing a library of "musical cues" used during sequences and could be compiled into a soundtrack heard throughout an entire episode. No longer needing to use "needle drop"music from sources such as theCapitol RecordsHi-Qlibrary allowed Hanna-Barbera to save money. Curtin created show themes, incidental music and musical cues for every Hanna-Barbera show that followed. Every Hanna-Barbara cartoon episode required a total of 22 minutes of musical cues and background music.[26]

Curtin would refer to pre-production storyboards or watch film and videotape previews to make sure his scores fit and enhanced the Hanna-Barbara cartoons' action and mood. Curtin "created memorable themes for dozens upon dozens of series, as well as original underscore music that could be used in any number of situations".[25]

CartoonistMike Kazalehpraised Curtin’s talent which provided editors a novel way to construct cartoon soundtracks. "The music he did was not only well written but designed in such a way that if you cut it into bits and pieces and rearranged them, they would still flow. That’s planning".[25]

Curtin composed the music for nearly 250 of Hanna-Barbera's cartoon series, as well as many of the cartoon series' theme songs, includingThe Flintstones,Top Cat,The Jetsons,Jonny Quest,Super Friends,Josie and the Pussycats,The Smurfs,andThe New Scooby-Doo Moviesand all its spinoffs until 1989. Curtin explained the process of creating theme songs, saying "Yes, I usually received the lyrics and composed using them to create the main titles. 85 were instrumental and 60 had vocals".[15]

The Flintstones

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Recalling how he wrote theFlintstonesthemeMeet the Flintstonesin 1960, Curtin said "I wrote that sucker in a real panic because we were way behind. I did the music first with timpani - boom boom BOOM boom boom boom. Then I decided to go with the jazz band and singers".[26]"It’s a catchy little tune, just a simple thing... I like it, not because it’s popular, but it’s jammed on in clubs in every country because the chord changes are fun to play".[1]"WhenThe Flintstoneswas originally recorded, we didn't have synthesizers at that time. We just had a room full of timpanists, a whole studio full of them, like Swiss bell players! It was wonderful ".[6]

The Jetsons

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Curtin's first attempt at theThe Jetsonstheme song used a small musical combo.William Hannainsisted he use a full orchestra instead.[27]

A Date with Jet Screamerwas the secondThe Jetsonsepisode in which daughter Judy Jetson wins a date with rock star Jet Screamer who performs the song "Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)". The song, written in 1962 by Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna and Joseph Barbara is considered one of the first music videos.[28]In 1986, 24 years after it's original release, the song reached Number 9 on the Billboard Top 100 sales chart, having been "rediscovered" by radio stations throughout the US.[24]The song was later covered byThe Dickiesin 1988 andThe Violent Femmesin 1995. The song is played in a space travel exhibit at theMinnesota History Center.[29]

In 1985, 41 newThe Jetsonsepisodes were ordered to fill a new syndication package that would include the original 1962 era episodes for broadcast in 1986. Curtin once again was musical director and oversaw the production. The theme song was re-recorded, this time in stereo. The new recording featured many of the musicians that played on the original theme song, including trumpet soloistPete Candoli.[30]

The Adventures of Jonny Quest

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Curtin composed the music for the 1964Jonny Questtelevision series. In a 1999 interview Curtin said, "My pianist, Jack Cookerly,[31]invented the synthesizer as we know it forJonny Quest.It was made of orange crates with a keyboard and thousands of vacuum tubes! "

Curtin recalled the Jonny Quest recording sessions took place at the Hollywood RCA studios using "...a regular jazz band of 4 trumpets, 6 trombones, 5 woodwind doublers, 5-man rhythm section including percussion.Alvin StollerorFrankie Cappusually played drums. I always tried to get the same guys where possible. They were the ones who could swing and read like demons ".[15]

Curtin said hisJonny Questtheme was a real test of the trombonists. "I wrote it in a killer key because I know how to play trombone and I know the hardest place to play is all of the unknown, odd positions. There wasn't anything open. Just murder, E-flat minor". He said during the session the trombonists "Killed themselves because nobody wanted to make a mistake. Nobody wanted to get carved."[27]

Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil

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AnimatorBob Clampetthad left MGM to create his own cartoons. He contracted withMattel Toysto produce toys designed around Clampett's new charactersBeany and Cecilwhich would be promoted in the new animated show. Clampett hired Curtin in 1962 to write and produce the show's theme song.[32]

Soundtrack Music. Inc.

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In 1965, Curtin left Hanna-Barbera over a rumored dispute regarding ownership f his musical work and residual payments. He created his own production company, Soundtrack Music, Inc. in Los Angeles. His company employed eight composers[24]and provided music on order for both broadcast programs and commercials.[25]Ted Nichols succeeded Curtin as musical director at Hanna-Barbera. Curtin returned to Hanna-Barbera in 1972.

Battle of the Planets

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In 1977 producerSandy Franknegotiated the rights to the JapaneseanimeseriesScience Ninja Team Gatchaman(1972).[33]While adapting the series, Frank renamed itBattle of the Planetsand planned to expand the existing usable 85 episodes for international markets.[34]Original composer Bobu "Bob" Sakuma's existingScience Ninja Team Gatchamanscore didn't have enough content to cover the planned expansion of episodes.[35]

The production team requested Curtin create themes and a full music library for the production. Since Curtin was contractually bound to Hanna-Barbera, he requested and was given permission to work on the project. Curtin recorded his compositions during four sessions in August, September and October 1978.[36]

Later soundtrack work

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Curtin's later film score credits includeJoniko and the Kush Ta Ka(later retitledThe Wilderness Journey(1969)[37],Timber Tramps(1975),C.H.O.M.P.S.(1979) andHeidi's Song(1982).

Book soundtrack

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In 1998 Curtin composed a soundtrack to accompany Molly James' children's hardcover bookThe Whimsical Verse of Olly-Owhich James reprinted after 30 years. Curtin's music accompanied James' recorded narration on a CD included with the book.[38]

Compositions

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Animation

Live action TV programs

Commercials

  • Schlitz Beer Party(1957)
  • Lysol Spray(1963)
  • Brought to You by P.F Flyers(1963)
  • P.F Flyers - Magic Ring(1963)

Audio recordings

  • Japanese "Robot Spy" Read-Along LP(1965)
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea "Read-Along LP(1965)
  • The Whimsical Verse of Olly-O((1998)

Film soundtracks

Public service

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In September 1975, Curtin's company Soundtrack Music, Inc. sponsored "Children's Music Day" and "Children's Music Week" across the US. The promotion was meant to "concentrate national attention on quality music on TV for the enjoyment of children".[39]

Inventor

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Curtin was granted six US utility patents for his inventions of water-tight pipe couplings for irrigation and sprinkler system plumbing. The couplings were designed for use in in-ground sprinkler systems and included coupling designs for both primary installation and system repair. Among them: US-3857588 "Pipe Coupling", December 31, 1974,[8]US-4035002 "Pipe Coupling", July 12, 1977[40]and US-4260181 "Pipe Coupling", April 7, 1981.[41]

Accolades

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Death

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Curtin died on December 3, 2000, inThousand Oaks, California,at age 78 after a long illness. His body was buried at Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcdeWoo, Elaine (December 11, 2000)."Hoyt Curtin; Composer of Cartoon Music".LA Times.Retrieved2010-08-24.
  2. ^Doll, Pancho (June 2, 1994)."REEL LIFE / FILM & VIDEO FILE: Music Helped 'Flintstones' on Way to Fame".The Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2010-11-10.
  3. ^"Writer / Composer Curtin Hoyt S".RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  4. ^abMallory, Michael (March 15, 2012)."Hoyt Curtin's Jug Band Session".RetrievedJanuary 24,2025.
  5. ^"Hoyt Curtin".Variety.December 14, 2000.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  6. ^abcdefMendoza, N.F. (July 23, 1995)."SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO: Hoyt Curtin has a modern Toon Age melody".Los Angeles, California:Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 21,2025.
  7. ^"YOWP Stuff About Early Hanna-Barbara Cartoons".RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  8. ^ab"Pipe Coupling, December 31, 1974"(PDF).RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  9. ^"Hoyt S Curtin in the 1940 United States Federal Census".Ancestry.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  10. ^"Hoyt Curtin in the U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-2016".ancestry.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  11. ^"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016, California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, 1943".ancestry.p. 357.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  12. ^ab"Hoyt Curtin at Destroyer Base".San Bernardino Sun.June 6, 1944. p. 11.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  13. ^"Hoyt Stoddard Curtin in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947".ancestry.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  14. ^"Hoyt Stoddard Curtin in the U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985".ancestry.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  15. ^abcdWharton, David (May 1999)."A Conversation with Hoyt Curtin".ClassicJQ.RetrievedJanuary 24,2025.
  16. ^Dennis Grisbeck (July 2006)."Mesa of Lost Women (1953)".The Monster Shack.RetrievedNovember 23,2013.
  17. ^"7th Annual Production Review".Turner Classic Movies, Inc. p. 141.RetrievedJanuary 23,2025.
  18. ^"Thrillarama Adventure 1956".Turner Classic Movies, Inc.RetrievedJanuary 23,2025.
  19. ^"Thrillarama Well Liked At Houston Premiere".The American WideScreen Museum.RetrievedJanuary 23,2025.
  20. ^"JOLLY FROLICS / THE POPCORN STORY".Los Angeles, California:Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.RetrievedJanuary 24,2025.
  21. ^"JOLLY FROLICS / PETE HOTHEAD".Los Angeles, California:Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.RetrievedJanuary 24,2025.
  22. ^Perlmutter, David (2018).The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 486.ISBN978-1538103739.
  23. ^Myrick, Jane Elizabeth (April 30, 2019).Imagining the Future into Reality: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of The Jetsons(Honors Baccalaureate of Arts in English; Honors Baccalaureate of Arts in Education thesis). Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  24. ^abcWharton, David (August 28, 1986)."Revival Brings Limelight to Composer".Los Angeles, California:Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 24,2025.
  25. ^abcdMesker, Alex (March 2017).The Limited Soundtrack - The sound and music of Hanna-Barbera from 1957–1973(Doctor of Philosophy thesis). Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: Macquarie University.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  26. ^ab"Farewell To A 'Toon Tunesmith".New York, New York: New York Daily News. December 15, 2000.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  27. ^ab"Hoyt Curtain".spaceagepop.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  28. ^"Hanna-Barbera brought in a special animator to craft the colorful, surreal sequence for Jet Screamer's song" Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah "".February 26, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  29. ^Novak, Matt (October 1, 2012)."Recapping" The Jetsons ": Episode 02 – A Date With Jet Screamer".Washington, D.C.:Smithsonian Magazine.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  30. ^"Jetsons Make Comeback".Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada: Lethbridge Herald. January 16, 1985. p. 32.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  31. ^"Jack Cookerly".
  32. ^Evanier, Mark (August 8, 2024)."ASK me: Funday Funnies".RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  33. ^Erickson, Hal (2005).Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003(2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp.122–124.ISBN978-1476665993.
  34. ^"From 'Speed' to outer space".Japan Times.RetrievedJuly 28,2010.
  35. ^"Music".Battle Of The Planets Info.Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. August 8, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  36. ^"Battle of the Planets [2 Disc Silva] Original Soundtrack".allmusic.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  37. ^"Liberty Theatre - Now Showing".Walla Walla, Washington: Walla Walla Union Bulletin. April 16, 1969. p. 10.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  38. ^Roberts, Lesley K. (September 10, 1998)."$10,000 Well Spent".The Laguna Hills, California: The Laguna Hills Leisure World News. p. 101.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  39. ^"Tomorrow - September 21 - Monday".Sikeston, Missouri: Sikeston Daily Standard. September 20, 1975. p. 3.RetrievedJanuary 25,2025.
  40. ^"Pipe Coupling, July 12, 1977"(PDF).RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  41. ^"Pipe Coupling, April 7, 1981"(PDF).RetrievedJanuary 22,2025.
  42. ^Collins, Pat."The man responsible for bringing cartoons to life"(PDF).Internet Archive.
  43. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1954 -".cartoonresearch.
  44. ^"Hall Of Fame".thescl.
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