Maltese & Foster with Hanna-Barbera

[dougc]

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, guys. I missed you. I have been sick for a while, and my mom has too. In fact, my mom was in the hospital last month. Since my dad passed away a few years ago, I have been really worried about her. She's home now, and I really hope and pray that she can stay well.

My question is about the famous Warner Bros. cartoon writers, Michael Maltese and Warren Foster. I noticed when watching a tape of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons last week that Maltese and Foster were credited as writers for some of the segments. If I'm not mistaken, the Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and Quick Draw McGraw episodes were made before the closing of the Warner Brothers cartoon studio in the '60's, so both must have left sometime in the '50's.

Can anyone tell me when and why Maltese and Foster left Warner Bros., and how they hooked up with Hanna-Barbera? How long did they stay with H-B?

dougc

[J Lee]

Doug --

Hope your mom will do better. I know from experience having one surviving parent in the hospital can be a very stressful situation.

As for your question, accoridng to Mike Barrier's book, Foster left Warners early in 1958 to take a job at the John Sutherland studio, while Maltese left in October of that year and went directly to Hanna-Barbera, with Foster coming over a short time later. They were put to work developing the "Quick Draw McGraw" show, and later were the main writers for the first two seasons (the good seasons) of "The Flintstones."

Because of the backlog of WB shorts and the fact that full credits weren't given to departinger personnel, Foster's last credit on a WB cartoon was for Bob McKimson's "A Fractured Leghorn" from September, 1959. Maltese's credits run through 1961's "The Mouse on 57th St.," though he and/or Foster probably did story work on some 1960s releases that contain no story credit. Warner's decision to give Jones and Freleng production control of the studio with Dave DePatie in 1960 probably explains the 1961 Maltese credit, and also his and Foster's appearance in the credits for "The Bugs Bunny Show," though Warren may not have wanted his name in the credits for 1963's "Devils Feud Cake."

[Matthew Hunter]

I didn't catch the writers on it...but there was a Flintstones episode on Saturday night after the Acme Hour that cracked me up..I seldom laugh at the Flintstones...but this was great! Fred deposits the family vacation money in the bank, opting to spend some time at home. Wilma sees it as an opportunity to buy a fur and takes it OUT of the bank. Then a rock band convention comes to town and annoys the Flintstones, who decide to leave after all...so Wilma needs the money back before Fred notices. She offers to rent out the house to a band of Swedish rock stars for the 80 dollars, and the Flintstones go to Jellyrock National Park. They then get annoyed by dynamite blasts, tree thinning, storms, and...get this...YOGI BEAR! Yogi steals the picnic basket and says "I'm smarter than the average Fred Flintstone, hey hey hee!"
Hilarious stuff.
-Matthew

[Jack]

I don't think I've ever seen that one, Matthew (drat! it sounds hilarious!). I know the Flintsones had another Yogi reference, though. Wilma or Betty comments that "That Yogi Cavebear Show cracks me up!" after hearing some extra-cartoony H-B style music and sounds. from the TV.

Who else left WB for Hanna-Barbera? I'm pretty sure Richard H. Thomas is one. I think H-B actually paid more than Warner Brothers did at the time.


Jack :D

[Greg Method]

I first caught that Yogi cameo episode only recently, and it was definitely a pleasant surprise. A lot of the early H-B cartoons have interstudio references (I remember one Quick Draw short in which he announced he was going to "make like Snagglepuss and exit, stage left")....which may have been a trait that Maltese and Foster brought along from Warners.

[Thad Komorowski]

I can't put my two cents in on the H-B shorts, but I do know Maltese wrote some scripts at Lantz for some Woody Woodpecker cartunes. Two that come to mind are "Helter Shelter" and "Witch Crafty".


-Thad

[lislebartman]

He also wrote "Square Shooting Square" and "The Legend of Rockabye Point". I think he also wrote the Chilly Willy short "I'm Cold".

[J Lee]

Maltese did his writing for Lantz during the Warners 3-D closure, while Foster and Freleng managed to stay on the WB payroll while the studio was shut down.

The Avery-Maltese "The Legend of Rockabye Point" was nominated for an Oscar in 1955, but it was the studio's other furloughed writer, Tedd Pierce, who picked up an Oscar while on forced leave from Warner's, for the 1954 UPA cartoon "When Magoo Flew"

[Matt Yorston]

Many cartoon fans do know that Mike Maltese spent a brief time at Lantz during the Warners 3-D shutdown... but how many know that longtime Warners writer Tedd Pierce ALSO worked at Lantz (albeit for a very brief time)? The difference is that, at Lantz, he never wrote solo. All his story credits at Lantz are shared with another writer, Bill Danch (who receives story credit with Pierce on WB's "Hawaiian Aye Aye").

Here is a complete list of Lantz shorts written by Pierce & Danch...

"Woody's Kook-Out"
"The Case of the Red Eyed Ruby"
"Rocket Racket"
"Phony Express"
"Voo-Doo Boo-Boo"
"Crowin' Pains"
"The Case of the Cold Storage Yegg"

Danch also wrote without Pierce on these Lantz shorts...

"Mackeral Moocher"
"Hyde and Sneak"
"Punchy Pooch"

And, just to clear up a misconception, Bill Danch's surname is NOT spelled with a U. EVERY screen credit I've seen with his name on it spells his last name "D-A-N-C-H" (including "Hawaiian Aye Aye"). The spelling of his name, "Daunch", was a typo made by Beck/Friedwald in their LT & MM book.

[Sogturtle]

Originally posted by Matt Yorston
Many cartoon fans do know that Mike Maltese spent a brief time at Lantz during the Warners 3-D shutdown... but how many know that longtime Warners writer Tedd Pierce ALSO worked at Lantz (albeit for a very brief time)? The difference is that, at Lantz, he never wrote solo. All his story credits at Lantz are shared with another writer, Bill Danch (who receives story credit with Pierce on WB's "Hawaiian Aye Aye").

Here is a complete list of Lantz shorts written by Pierce & Danch...

"Woody's Kook-Out"
"The Case of the Red Eyed Ruby"
"Rocket Racket"
"Phony Express"
"Voo-Doo Boo-Boo"
"Crowin' Pains"
"The Case of the Cold Storage Yegg"

Danch also wrote without Pierce on these Lantz shorts...

"Mackeral Moocher"
"Hyde and Sneak"
"Punchy Pooch"

And, just to clear up a misconception, Bill Danch's surname is NOT spelled with a U. EVERY screen credit I've seen with his name on it spells his last name "D-A-N-C-H" (including "Hawaiian Aye Aye"). The spelling of his name, "Daunch", was a typo made by Beck/Friedwald in their LT & MM book.

Matt Yorston~

A pretty good list... Not quite complete... And I have seen ONE SCREEN CREDIT with Bill Danch spelled as Bill DAUNCH (I'm not a big reader of animation books even though I own a lot of them).

[Joe Tully]

Originally posted by Matthew Hunter
I didn't catch the writers on it...but there was a Flintstones episode on Saturday night after the Acme Hour that cracked me up..I seldom laugh at the Flintstones...but this was great! Fred deposits the family vacation money in the bank, opting to spend some time at home. Wilma sees it as an opportunity to buy a fur and takes it OUT of the bank. Then a rock band convention comes to town and annoys the Flintstones, who decide to leave after all...so Wilma needs the money back before Fred notices. She offers to rent out the house to a band of Swedish rock stars for the 80 dollars, and the Flintstones go to Jellyrock National Park. They then get annoyed by dynamite blasts, tree thinning, storms, and...get this...YOGI BEAR! Yogi steals the picnic basket and says "I'm smarter than the average Fred Flintstone, hey hey hee!"
Hilarious stuff.
-Matthew

I remember that one. One of the Swedish rock stars is the namesake of Sven Hoek, Ren's cousin. When Sven Hoek first shows up in that episode of Ren & Stimpy, he says (if I remember it right) "He is Olaf, you are Sven. He is Olaf, you are Sven." Which is exactly what that Sven character from that episode of the Flintstones said.

Yup, that's a great episode. I'm sorry that I missed it.

[chuckamuck43]

"Vilma...Ay yi yi Vilma..."

This is one of my favorite Flintstone episodes, for the music as well as the story and Yogi cameo.

"When we say its pretty, we mean pretty LOUD!"

[lislebartman]

Originally posted by Joe Tully


I remember that one. One of the Swedish rock stars is the namesake of Sven Hoek, Ren's cousin. When Sven Hoek first shows up in that episode of Ren & Stimpy, he says (if I remember it right) "He is Olaf, you are Sven. He is Olaf, you are Sven." Which is exactly what that Sven character from that episode of the Flintstones said.

Yup, that's a great episode. I'm sorry that I missed it.


I wonder if this particular "Flintstones" episode was the inspiration for the Shmenge Brothers (John Candy & Eugene Levy) on the old SCTV show...