Michael Maltese

2/25/2014

 
Michael "Mike" Maltese  (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was a long-time American storyman for classic animated cartoon shorts.


FIrst work on Chuck Jones unit

In 1941, Maltese was hired by Leon SchlesingerProductions, which three years later became Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. (Maltese had actually appeared on camera in a 1940 Porky Pig cartoon as a live-action guard at the Warner Brothers entrance gate, who winds up chasing the animated Porky around the Warners lot; the short is entitled You Ought to Be in Pictures and was directed by Friz Freleng). He first worked for Freleng until 1945, but after that he worked mostly for Chuck Jones, contributing stories to other directors at times. He and Jones collaborated on classic cartoons like the Academy Award-winning For Scent-imental Reasons and the animated public health documentary, So Much for So Little which won that same year for "Best Documentary Short Subject." Maltese was also the voice of the Lou Costello-esque character in Wackiki Wabbit.

Some of his earlier works included The Wabbit Who Came to Supper and Fresh Hare, Hare Trigger(which introduced Yosemite Sam), Baseball Bugsfor Freleng; Bear Feat, Rabbit of Seville, and Rabbit Fire for Jones. Some of his best known cartoons areFeed 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 worked on One Froggy Evening, the first appearance of future Warner Brothers mascot Michigan J. Frog.

Beginning in 1958 Maltese started working on the Friz Freleng unit. Till 1959 cartoons were withheld from release. Among the cartoons that had the strongest issues of production where maltese wrote was "Person to Bunny" a 1959 cartoon where the final production for Arthur Q. Bryan to work on Elmer Fudd. The main issue was making productions of theatrical release when Edward R. Murrow left "Person to Person" in 1959 where he was to be replaced by Charles Collingwood.  The cartoon was withheld from theatrical release. Other cartoons he worked on with Freleng were "Goldimouse and The Three Cats", "Horse Hare" and Here Today Gone Tamale were also made in 1959, but also out of date by 1960


Later work

From 1958 until 1970, he worked at Hanna-Barbera Productions on television cartoons such as The Quick Draw McGraw Show, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Wacky Races.

Maltese also did scripts for comic books published by Western Publishing, including for many of the same Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera characters whose animated exploits he scripted.
Death

Maltese died on February 22, 1981 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles after a six-month bout with cancer.

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