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Famous Studios

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Paramount Cartoon Studios
FormerlyFamous Studios (1942–1957)
PredecessorFleischer Studios
FoundedMay 24, 1941;83 years ago(May 24, 1941)
FoundersSam Buchwald
Seymour Kneitel
Isadore Sparber
DefunctDecember 31, 1967;56 years ago(December 31, 1967)
FateShut down byParamount Pictures
SuccessorsStudio:
Paramount Animation
Library:
Paramount Pictures
(throughMelange PicturesandParamount Animation)
(August 1942-October 1950 and March 1962-December 1967 cartoons only)
Universal Pictures
(throughDreamWorks AnimationandDreamWorks Classics)
(November 1950-February 1962 cartoons underHarvey Filmsonly)
Warner Bros.
(throughTurner Entertainment Co.andDC Entertainment)
(Popeye the SailorandSupermanonly)
HeadquartersMiami,Florida(1941–1943)
New York City,New York(1943–1967)
Key people
Sam Buchwald
Seymour Kneitel
Isadore Sparber
Dan Gordon
Howard Post
Ralph Bakshi
Max Fleischer
Dave Fleischer
ProductsAnimated cartoons
OwnerParamount Pictures
(Gulf+Western)
Number of employees
Approx. 50

Famous Studios(renamedParamount Cartoon Studiosin 1956) was the firstanimationdivision of the film studioParamount Picturesfrom 1942 to 1967. Famous was established as a successor company toFleischer Studios,after Paramount seized control of the aforementioned studio amid the departure of its founders,MaxandDave Fleischer,in 1942.[1]The studio's productions included three series started by the Fleischers—Popeye the Sailor,Superman,andScreen Songs—as well asLittle Audrey,Little Lulu,Casper the Friendly Ghost,Honey Halfwitch,Herman and Katnip,Baby Huey,and theNoveltoonsandModern Madcapsseries.

TheFamousname was previously used byFamous Players Film Company,one of several companies which in 1912 becameFamous Players–Lasky Corporation,the company which founded Paramount Pictures.[1]Paramount's music publishing branch, which held the rights to all of the original music in the Fleischer/Famous cartoons, was namedFamous Music,and a movie theater chain in Canada owned by Paramount was called Famous Players.

The library of Famous Studios cartoons is currently divided between three separate film studios (via various subsidiaries):

History

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Fleischer Studios dissolution

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See also:Fleischer Studios

Fleischer Studioswas a successful animation studio responsible for producing cartoon shorts starring characters such asBetty BoopandPopeye the Sailor.The studio moved its operations from New York City toMiami,Florida in 1938, followingunionproblems and the start of production on its first feature film,Gulliver's Travels(1939).[2]WhileGulliverwas a success, the expense of the move and increased overhead costs created financial problems for the Fleischer Studios. The studio depended upon advances and loans from its distributor,Paramount Pictures,in order to continue production on its short subjects and to begin work on a second feature,Mr. Bug Goes to Town(also known asHappily Goes to Town).[3]

Compounding the problems the studio was facing was the fact that the studio's co-founders, brothersMax FleischerandDave Fleischer,were becoming increasingly estranged, and by this time were no longer speaking to each other due to personal and professional disputes.[4]On May 25, 1941, Paramount assumed full ownership of Fleischer Studios, and required the Fleischer brothers to submit signed letters of resignation, to be used at Paramount's discretion.[3]Following the unsuccessful release ofMr. Bugin December 1941,[3]Max Fleischer sent Paramount a telegram expressing his inability to cooperate with Dave.[4]Paramount responded by producing the letters of resignation, severing the Fleischer brothers from control of their studio.[3]

Paramount renamed the studioFamous Studios.Paramount owned the company but Famous remained a separate entity.[3]Three top Fleischer employees were promoted to run the animation studio: business manager Sam Buchwald, storyboard artistIsadore Sparber,and Max Fleischer's son-in-law, head animatorSeymour Kneitel.[1]Buchwald assumed Max Fleischer's place asexecutive producer,while Sparber and Kneitel shared Dave Fleischer's former responsibilities as supervising producers and credited directors.[3]A third animation director,Dan Gordon,remained only briefly before being fired shortly after the move to New York.[4][5]Although the Fleischers left the studio at the end of 1941, Famous Studios was not officially incorporated until May 25, 1942, after Paramount's contract with Fleischer Studios had formally run its course.[3]The first Famous Studios cartoon was the Popeye shortYou're a Sap, Mr. Jap,released on August 7, 1942.[citation needed]

Early years

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Shortly after the takeover, Paramount began plans to move a significantly downsized Famous Studios back to New York, a move completed early in 1943.[1]Virtually all of the Famous staff, including voice artist/storymanJack Mercer,storyman Carl Meyer, voice artistMae Questel,and animators such asMyron Waldman,David Tendlar,Thomas Johnson, Nicholas Tafuri, andAl Eugster,were holdovers from the Fleischer era. These artists remained with Famous/Paramount for much of the studio's existence. As at Fleischer, the head animators carried out the tasks that were assigned toanimation directorsat other studios, while the credited directors—Kneitel, Sparber, Gordon, and Disney/Terrytoons veteranBill Tytla—acted more as supervisors.[6]Sammy Timbergserved as musical director until he was succeeded in 1944 byWinston Sharples,who formerly worked with theVan Beuren Studios.

Continuing series from the Fleischer period includedPopeye the SailorandSuperman,both licensed from popularcomicscharacters. The expensiveSupermancartoons, having lost their novelty value with exhibitors, ended production in 1943, a year after Famous' inception. They were replaced by a series starring theSaturday Evening Postcomic-strip characterLittle Lulu.Also in 1943, Famous began producing the formerly black-and-whitePopeyecartoons inTechnicolor,and began a new series of one-shot cartoons under the umbrella titleNoveltoons(similar in respects to theColor Classicsseries from Fleischer Studios, and also theLooney TunesandMerrie Melodiesseries fromWarner Bros.).[7]

TheNoveltoonsseries introduced several popular characters such asHerman and Katnip,Baby Huey,andCasper the Friendly Ghost.Casperwas created by writerSeymour Reitand Famous animatorJoe Orioloin the late 1930s as a children's-book manuscript, and was sold to Famous duringWorld War II.It became the studio's most successful wholly owned property.[6]

In 1947, Paramount decided to stop payingLittle LulucreatorMarge Buelllicensing royalties, and created another "mischievous girl" character,Little Audrey,as a replacement.[7]That same year Famous resurrected an old Fleischer series,Screen Songs,introducing a new series of musical cartoons featuring a "bouncing ball"sing-along.[6]In 1951, the Screen Songs became "Kartune Musical Shorts," which ended in 1953 after Max Fleischer claimed ownership of the "bouncing ball" trademark. Only two more musical cartoons were released (as one-shot Noveltoons): 1954'sCandy Cabaretand 1963'sHobo's Holiday.

Although the studio still carried much of the staff from the Fleischer regime,animationfans and historians note that its films soon diverged from the Fleischer style.[1]Many historians, includingLeonard Maltin,derided the company style for being highly formulaic and largely oriented toward a children's audience, with none of the artistic ambition or sophistication that the management under the Fleischer brothers strove for.[1][6]

Later period and sales of cartoon libraries

[edit]

Sam Buchwald died of a heart attack in 1951.[8]Seymour Kneitel and Isadore Sparber became the production heads of the studio shortly afterward, and Dave Tendlar was promoted to director in 1953.[8]

The mid- and late-1950s brought a number of significant changes for Famous Studios. In 1955, Paramount sold most of its 1942–1950 shorts and cartoons (except for thePopeyeandSupermanshorts) toU.M. & M. TV Corporationfortelevisiondistribution. ThePopeyecartoons were acquired byAssociated Artists Productions,and theSupermancartoons had already reverted to Superman's ownersNational Comicsafter the studio's film rights to the character had expired. On October 1, 1956, Famous Studios was downsized and reorganized. Paramount assumed full control of the studio, integrating it as a division namedParamount Cartoon Studios.[8]Around the same time, Isadore Sparber was fired, leaving Seymour Kneitel in sole charge of the studio. In addition, because of studio budget cuts, the animation quality of the shorts began to drop sharply; by 1959 everything that the studio was turning out began to look noticeablycheap, with limited animation.Paramount also ceased usingTechnicolorby this time in favor of less expensive color processes. The last Famous Studios short to use Technicolor wasKatnip's Big Day,the finale of theHerman and Katnipcartoon series. Despite the studiosubmitting some of their shortsforAcademy Awardconsideration, none received a nomination.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Paramount sold its remaining cartoon film library and the rights to its established characters toHarvey Comicsin 1959; however, the final theatrical cartoon to have any of their established characters already acquired by Harvey Comics since wasTurtle Scoopfeaturing Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare (both uncredited and redrawn) in 1961.[8]Paramount's attempts at creating replacement characters, among themJeepers and CreepersandThe Cat,proved unsuccessful. Nonetheless, television animation production outsourced fromKing FeaturesandHarvey Filmsbrought the company additional income. Ironically, these arrangements had Paramount working on new television cartoons starring Casper, whom they had originally created, and Popeye and Little Lulu, characters they had previously licensed for theatrical cartoons.[8]In the case of King Features'PopeyeandKing Features TrilogyTV cartoons, Paramount was one of several animation studios, among themJack Kinney ProductionsandRembrandt Films,to which King Features subcontracted production.[8]The first of only two all-newLittle Lulucartoons after the character's 13-year hiatus off-screen,Alvin's Solo Flight,was released as part of theNoveltoonsseries in 1961, while twelve of theKing Features Trilogycartoons, starring characters such asKrazy Kat,Little Lulu,Beetle Bailey,andSnuffy Smith,were released theatrically by Paramount in 1962 under the titleComic Kings.[8]

Seymour Kneitel died of aheart attackin 1964, and Paramount brought in comic-book veteranHoward Postto run the cartoon studio.[17]Under Post's supervision, Paramount began new cartoon series and characters such asSwifty and ShortyandHoney Halfwitch(the latter having originated from theModern Madcapsseries in the 1965 shortPoor Little Witch Girl), and allowed comic strip artistJack Mendelsohnto direct two well-received cartoons based upon children's imaginations and drawing styles:The Story of George WashingtonandA Leak in the Dike(both 1965).[17]

However, Post left the studio due to internal conflicts with the Paramount staff. His replacement wasShamus Culhane,a veteran of theFleischer Studios.[17]Culhane completed a few films that Post started and then ignored the rule book and made films that were very different from the previous regime.[18]In 1966, the studio subcontractedThe Mighty Thorcartoons fromGrantray-Lawrence Animation,producers of the animated television seriesThe Marvel Super Heroes.[19]In 1967, Culhane directed another short based on children's art,My Daddy, the Astronaut,[16]which became Paramount's first film to be shown at ananimation festival.[19]However, when Paramount's board of directors rejected a proposal to produce episodes for a second Grantray-Lawrence series,Spider-Man,Culhane quit the studio, and was succeeded by formerTerrytoonsanimatorRalph Bakshiin mid-1967.[19]

In 1967 Paramount radically revamped its short-subject release schedule to reflect all-new attractions. Black-and-white subjects were discontinued, as were all cartoon reissues (such as the "Popeye Champions" ). The studio retired theNoveltoonsandModern Madcapsseries, replacing them withGo Go Toons,Merry Makers,andFractured Fables.[20]Ralph Bakshi quickly put several shorts into production, experimenting with new characters and ideas, but by late 1968 Paramount's new owners,Gulf+Western,had decided to shut down the animation studio, a task completed in December. The last cartoon from Paramount Cartoon Studios,Mouse Trek,the finale of theFractured Fablesseries, premiered on December 31, 1967.[21]

Legacy

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Despite the reputation of the studio in recent years, the Famous shorts have since gained acult followingon both public-domain home media and in animation circles.[22]

The 1961 shortAbner the Baseballis displayed at theBaseball Hall of Fame.[23]

Ownership and licensing

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Throughout the 1950s, most of the major Hollywood studios sold off their film libraries to various television companies. In the case of Paramount, throughout the decade, they sold off the Famous Studios library to various different TV syndication companies resulting in multiple studios owning different cartoons.

U.M. & M. TV Corporation

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In January 1956, Paramount sold the February 1942-October 1950 Fleischer and Famous Studios cartoons (excludingPopeyeandSuperman) toU.M. & M. TV Corporationfor $3 million, equal to $33,620,563 today.[24]In 1957, U.M & M was bought out byNational Telefilm Associates(NTA). In the 1980s, NTA changed its name toRepublic Picturesafter the original studio of that name, whose library NTA had also acquired. After a brief period of ownership bySpelling Entertainmentin 1994, Republic Pictures was purchased by Paramount's parent companyViacomin 1996, placing the shorts back in Paramount's control (Republic Pictures was renamed Melange Pictures LLC. in 2006).

Due to poor attention to then-required copyright renewals over the decades, many of these cartoons are now in thepublic domain.

PopeyeandSuperman

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In June 1956, Paramount sold the entirety of the Fleischer/Famous StudiosPopeyecartoons from 1933 to 1957 toAssociated Artists Productions(which had also recently purchased much of theWarner Bros.back catalog) for $1.25 million.[25]The assets of A.A.P. were in turn purchased byUnited Artistsin 1958. In 1981, United Artists merged withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerto form MGM/UA. In 1986,Ted Turner'sTurner Broadcasting Systemattempted to acquire MGM/UA, but due to debt concerns, Turner was forced to sell the company back to its previous ownerKirk Kerkorian.However, Turner kept most of the pre-May 1986 MGM library as well as a few portions of the United Artists library, including the former A.A.P. library, and formed his own holding companyTurner Entertainment Co.to manage the rights. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting merged withTime Warner(nowWarner Bros. Discovery). Since then,Warner Bros.controls the rights to the theatricalPopeyecartoons via Turner Entertainment Co.

As per their original contract, the rights to theSupermancartoons reverted toNational Comicsafter Paramount's deal expired in 1947. While the cartoons themselves are now in thepublic domainafter their original copyrights were not renewed, the ancillary rights are still owned byDC Comics,and the cartoons (in authorized editions from the original negatives) are distributed by Warner Bros., which has owned DC since 1969.

Harvey Comics and Harvey Films

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In July 1958, Paramount sold off the Famous Studios cartoons made between November 1950 and February 1962, as well as the rights to all original characters created by Famous Studios (Casper, Baby Huey, Herman and Katnip, Little Audrey, etc.) toHarvey Comicsfor $1.7 million,[26]who in turn createdHarvey Filmsto handle the rights and rebranded the cartoons asHarveytoons.The deal also gaveABCtelevision distribution rights to the cartoons for the next 30 years (the rights reverted back to Harvey in 1989) while Paramount retained theatrical rights.[27]

In 2001, Harvey Comics was purchased by the holding companyClassic Media.In 2012, Classic Media was purchased byDreamWorks Animation,which retains ownership of the cartoons. In 2016, DreamWorks Animation was purchased byComcast'sNBCUniversal,withUniversal Picturesassuming the distribution of the cartoons on behalf of DreamWorks.

However, while NBCUniversal and DreamWorks Animation own the bulk of the rights to theHarveytoonscatalog, as per their original 1958 contract, Paramount still retains theatrical rights to the cartoons and thus also controls the original camera negatives. However, the contract also stipulates that Harvey (and by extension, DreamWorks and NBCUniversal) are allowed to access the original film elements from Paramount whenever they feel the need to update their prints.[28][29]

The later cartoons

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Paramount continues to own the rights to the cartoons made from March 1962 to December 1967.

Home media

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As of 2021, there has been no official release of the Paramount-owned Famous Studios library. Many of the cartoons are in the public domain and widely available (albeit usually in poor quality) in several low-budget DVDs and Blu-Rays sold in supermarkets and department stores. In 2012, Thunderbean Animation restored and released a collection of public-domainNoveltoonson DVD entitledNoveltoons Original Classics.

In 2008,Warner Home VideoreleasedPopeye the Sailor: 1941–1943, Volume 3,the third volume of a series of Popeye DVDs. It contained all the black & white Famous StudiosPopeyecartoons alongside the last of the Fleischer shorts. In 2018,Warner ArchivereleasedPopeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1which continued where the previous set left off and contained the first 14 Technicolor Famous Studio cartoons from 1943 to 1945. Warner Archive continued the collection withPopeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 2andPopeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3officially collecting all the Popeye cartoons from the 1940s. The remaining Famous Studios Popeye cartoons from the 1950s have yet to be released.

During the 1990s, Harvey Entertainment producedThe Harveytoons Show,which collected most of the Harvey-owned Famous cartoons, first aired in syndication with the series being consulted by animation historianJerry Beck.[30][31]In 2006, Classic Media released 52 of the show's 78 episodes on a four-disc DVD set titledHarvey Toons – The Complete Collection.In 2011,Vivendi Entertainmentand Classic Media released all Herman and Katnip cartoons on a single-disc DVD set titledHerman and Katnip: The Complete Collection.Also in 2011,Shout! Factoryunder license from Classic Media released 61 of 78 Casper cartoons fromThe Harveytoons Show,on a three-disc DVD set titledCasper the Friendly Ghost: The Complete Collection.On November 2, 2021,Universal Pictures Home Entertainment(through Studio Distribution Services joint venture label) released all of the Harvey-owned Famous Studios cartoons on a three-disc DVD boxset titledThe Best of the Harveytoons Show.

Filmography

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Theatrical short film series

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Television series

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Industrial shorts

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  • Electronics At Work(1943)[36]
  • It's CSP for Me(1950)[37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefMaltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987).Of Mice and Magic.New York: Plume. Pg. 311
  2. ^Maltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). Pg. 116
  3. ^abcdefgBarrier, Michael (1999).Hollywood Cartoons.New York: Oxford University Press. Pgs. 303–305.ISBN0-19-516729-5.
  4. ^abcBeck, Jerry."Fleischer Becomes Famous Studios".Cartoon Research.Archived fromthe originalon June 26, 2015.RetrievedJune 21,2007.
  5. ^Animation Profiles: DAN GORDON|Cartoon Research
  6. ^abcdMaltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). Pg. 313 – 316
  7. ^abMaltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). Pg. 312
  8. ^abcdefgMaltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1988). Pg. 316–319
  9. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1948 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  10. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1953 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  11. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1956 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  12. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1954 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  13. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1958 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  14. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1959 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  15. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1961 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  16. ^ab"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award 1967 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  17. ^abcMaltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1988). Pg. 319–321
  18. ^Think or Sink: The Flebus of Famous Studios|Cartoon Brew
  19. ^abcMaltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1988). Pg. 321–322
  20. ^Boxoffice,"Paramount Release 46 Shorts for" 66-'67 ", July 25, 1966, p. 7.
  21. ^Mouse Trek (1967) – Fractured Fables Theatrical Cartoon Series|BCDb[dead link]
  22. ^The Cult of "Noveltoons" |Cartoon Research
  23. ^#Shortstops: Baseball cartoons tell story of the game's popularity|Baseball Hall of Fame
  24. ^Beck, Jerry (August 31, 2015)."Famous Studios 1955-56".Cartoon Research.cartoonresearch.com.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.
  25. ^Beck, Jerry (August 31, 2015)."Famous Studios 1955-56".Cartoon Research.cartoonresearch.com.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.
  26. ^Beck, Jerry (September 21, 2015)."Paramount Cartoons 1958-59".Cartoon Research.cartoonresearch.com.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.
  27. ^Beck, Jerry (September 21, 2015)."Paramount Cartoons 1958-59".Cartoon Research.cartoonresearch.com.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.
  28. ^Beck, Jerry (September 21, 2015)."Paramount Cartoons 1958-59".Cartoon Research.cartoonresearch.com.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.
  29. ^Beck, Jerry (January 23, 2023)."Baby Huey in" Swab The Duck "(1956)".Cartoon Research.cartoonresearch.com.RetrievedMarch 24,2023.
  30. ^Cooke, Jon (2007)."GAC Review: Harveytoons – The Complete Collection".Golden Age Cartoons.RetrievedSeptember 20,2014.
  31. ^Beck, Jerry(October 26, 2006)."The" Complete "Harveytoons".Cartoon Brew.RetrievedSeptember 20,2014.
  32. ^Kartune Theatrical Series–Famous Studios|BCDB[dead link]
  33. ^"Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award–1961 -".cartoonresearch.com.
  34. ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999).The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons.Checkmark Books. p. 93.ISBN0-8160-3831-7.RetrievedJune 6,2020.
  35. ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999).The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons.Checkmark Books. p. 106.ISBN0-8160-3831-7.RetrievedJune 6,2020.
  36. ^""Electronics at Work" (1943) by Famous Studios ".September 19, 2012.
  37. ^"Business screen magazine".1946.
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