Saturday Morning Cartoon King William Hanna, at Age 90 Died In

Saturday morning cartoon King afternoons. He’d barbeque, put there’s a cereal bowl with my face William Hanna, at age 90 died in on some jazz. It was nice. North on it for sale on EBay. It’s going his Hollywood home in March of Hollywood was like a small town, for $325. So, you tell me. 2001. What follows are excerpts people didn’t really gossip much, then. It was no big deal to have Snagglepuss: He never once from a never finished British asked me about my private life. television documentary, an oral- cartoon characters over to the house. He never treated us two- He didn’t care. Heavens to history account of the glory days dimensionally. Murgatroyd, why should anyone of Hanna-Barbera animation care? At his parties, up at the studios. Top Cat: He did have his house, I’d bring Sylvester with me favorites. I don’t think I was one. and nobody gave a [expletive]. Jerry: I wasn’t quite sure of the I mean what am I? A yellow cat concept. You have to remember with a vest on. I said, “Bill, I can Boo Boo Bear: The wonderful this was the 1940s, and I’m just do more than scrounge around thing with the cartoons that Bill this mouse from the Midwest, and bebop.” I always wanted and Joe did was that they were right? What did I know: I knew some adventure. about us, the characters. It had to one thing—I didn’t want to work be, because too much action was with cats, I didn’t care how much hard to draw. That’s why the they paid me, which was $65 a same pine trees keep going by as I week, by the way. I was scared. walk in the forest. The focus was But Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera on the acting, not on the knew it would work. So I get to backgrounds. Leave that whole the set and orchestra’s ready to go, they’ve built this enormous Wagnerian forest thing to the Quick Draw McGraw: It’s true, kitchen…and I’m just petrified. Bill snobs at Warner, you know what the cartoons we did were cheaper. Hanna came over and talked to I’m saying? me, calmed me down. He said, Over at Warner Bros., they Take for example, a picnic basket: “Jerry, just relax. You’re not going worked those characters until they You had to see the picnic basket, to die. The cat is not going to eat were exhausted—day and night. you.” I know it sounds crazy now, Sure, you could go work for Chuck feel the presence of the picnic but this was very early in the cat- Jones, and a lucky few go on the basket. Whether or not there and-mouse thing. I trusted Bill. Disney gravy train, but sooner or really was a picnic basket. The Everything was Ok. later you would be strung out. magic happens inside of you. Bill Bugs, Daffy, Wile E.—I’d bump taught us that. Wilma Flintstone: I said to him one day, “Bill, you really oughta into them at the Brown Derby or Astro: Bill ras reat. Ren I ras patent this stuff.” I mean, the somewhere around town and they reeling really rad, Rill understood. little woolly mammoth who looked awful, just completely Re rame to ree me ren I ras at the vacuumed the carpet? I would wasted, taking one pill to get out Retty Rord Rinic. Robody relse have bought six of them to give as of bed, and another pill so they did, rot even Reorge Retson. wedding presents or something! could get an anvil in the head. People don’t know this, but Bill Sad, is what it was. Papa Smurf: Turns out he was was the king of the modern Stone making sure we’d all be taken care Age household gadgets. The This is what I liked about Bill: He of in our old age. They were knew the value of the nine-hour décor, the look—that was him. talking about a 24 hour cartoon workday. His thinking was “Why Those houses were solid. He did channel. There’d be royalty let me keep one of the boulder do something in 500 drawings payments and we’d go on forever. sofas. I think he could have been when you can do it in 150?” I’m sure that’s what Bill wanted – another Rock Lloyd Wright, but he That’s why we lasted so long. We was so brilliant already at the weren’t drawn to death. for us to go on doing our thing! cartoons. Yogi Bear: People said the cartoons were cheap, that they Huckleberry Hound: Sometimes we’d all go over to Bill and Violet wouldn’t last, that nobody would Hanna’s place, on Sunday cherish them. Just the other day .

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