"This Is It!" composer Jay Livingston dies

[J Lee]

This just came over the wire tonight. Livington along with Mack David, wrote the theme sone to "The Bugs Bunny" Show back in 1960, though he was best known for collaborating with Ray Evans. Back in 1950 while working for Paramount, they wrote the theme song for "Casper the Friendly Ghost."

Composer Jay Livingston dies at 86 (http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011017/en/obit_livingston_1.html)

[Brandon Pierce]

Yep, CN should REALLY try airing "This Is It", just to be polite.

[BobChief]

"This is It", the Bugs Bunny Show theme, has historically been credited to Mack David and Jerry Livingston. "Casper" is likewise credited to Mack & Jerry.

I don't tend to know for sure, but it is my considered opinion that Jay and Jerry are two different folks.

[J Lee]

I'm going by the credit notice in the back section of Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald's book "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies" for the Jay Livingston refrence. Jerry Beck also has a notice posted on his Cartoon Research (http://www.cartoonresearch.com) website about the death -- you could be right, but he seems pretty certain about his information.

[J Lee]

Addentium to m last post, BobChief:

As I check Jerry's website, just now, the reference to Jey Livinston is gone, but a reference to the death of the Huckelberry Hound-Yogi Bear theme song writer Raoul Kraushaar (http://www.cartoonresearch.com/news.html) is there in its place.

So sombody who wrote a cartoon theme for a big, successful late 50s-early 60s TV show has died, anyway (and if the other one turns out to be wrong, I'll pencil in the corrected name on Pg. 373 of Jerry and Will's book, to go along with crossing out Ben Hardaway's name and putting it Cal Howard's on "Katnip Kollege" -- I guess with over 1,000 titles and other shorts and shows, there are bound to be a few mistakes).

[Jerry Beck]

J Lee and I are wrong.

Jay Livingston DID NOT write "THIS IS IT". It was indeed Jerry Livingston and Mack David (the same duo who wrote CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST theme song).

I've removed it from my website - and replaced it with another cartoon composer who also passed away recently.

My book has Jay Livingston and Mack David - it should be corrected to Jerry Livingston.

[BobChief]

I knew this was going to happen, so I checked the song-licensing orgs straightaway, and found the proper names at ASCAP.