Early animators with Laugh-O-gram Films - Friz Freleng, Hugh Harman, Carmen Maxwell, Rudolf Carl Ising are all tied for my 356th Disney Legend wishlist.
In May 1922, Disney founded Laugh-O-Gram Films. Originally presented as
“Newman Laugh-O-Grams”, Disney’s cartoons became widely popular in the
Kansas City area and through their success, he was able to acquire his
own studio, also called Laugh-O-Gram. He recruited friends with whom he
had worked with at the Kansas City Film Ad Company among others,
including: Carl Ising, Hugh Harman, Friz Freleng and Carmen Maxwell, to
begin the work which set the pattern for the career of the world’s most
successful film producer.
The first work Friz Freleng is credited with was for Disney Studios where he worked as an animator
on the “Alice” series in 1927. He later worked for other studios like Warner Brothers where he animated famous characters such as Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. In the late forties, after Tex Avery and Bob Clampett had left Warner
Brothers, Freleng’s career as a director soared. Though nominated
throughout his career for numerous Academy Awards, it wasn’t until 1947
that he eventually took the Oscar for Tweety Pie. Freleng then won
Oscars for Speedy Gonzalez in 1955, Birds Anonymous in 1957, Knighty
Knight Bugs in 1958, and The Pink Phinkin 1964. In 1963, Freleng along with David De Patie created the
DePatie-Freleng Studio that specialized in short films and television
commercials. It was here that Freleng enjoyed great success with his
Pink Panther television series.
Hugh Harman was one of the pioneers of animation. While not a great
animator, (compared to co-worker, Rudolf Ising) he was present during
the early days. He began his work with Walt Disney in 1922, working on
Disney’s early Laugh-o-Gram toons. When that company went bankrupt,
Harman and partner Rudolf Ising tried to start a new series based on the
Arabian Nights, but were unable to obtain funding. Disney called them
back when he began work for Charles Mintz, producing the Oswald the
Lucky Rabbit. After a dispute over pricing, Mintz forced out Disney and
kept Harman and Ising on for another year, when they in turn were forced
out (and replaced by a young Walter Lantz). Harman, Ising, and a few
other ex-Disney animators put together a pilot short, “Bosko the Talkink
Kid”, which was used by producer Leon Schlesinger to obtain a contract
with Warner
Brothers’ studios to produce animated cartoons. Harman and
Ising started the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, and
produced them for several years. After another argument over money (this
time with Schlesinger), Harman and Ising left Warner Brothers for MGM
in 1933. They produced quite a few “Happy Harmonies” for MGM until yet
again they left over another financial arrangement. After MGM, Harman
& Ising formed their own studio, but was not successful. MGM hired
them back, but by this time their faux-Disney style of animation was out
of fashion, and they found themselves eclipsed by the works of William
Hanna & Joseph Barbera (whom they had hired) & Fred Tex Avery.
In the 40s and 50s, both men did some work for Walter Lantz Studios.
Ising was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and started his career in the early days of Walt Disney’s
Laugh-O-Gram Studio. Ising and his partner Hugh Harman went on to found the animation divisions of Warner Bros and MGM. Harman’s brother Fred worked with Walt Disney at the Kansas City Film Ad Company. When Disney left to start his own animation company, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, Fred was his first employee. When the studio hired additional local animators, including Rudy and Hugh Harman were among them. Laugh-O-Gram Studio eventually went bankrupt. Disney left for California, but Ising, Harman, and Carmen Maxwell stayed behind, attempting to start their own studio. Eventually, however, they made the move to California and worked for the Walt Disney Studio. Harman and Ising left Disney when the studio lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. They joined the studio producing new Oswald cartoons. After they were forced out by a shake up at the company in 1929, Harman and Ising developed the character Bosko with the help of Friz Freleng. Bosko impressed Leon Schlesinger who brought the animators to Warner Bros. Harman and Ising built the new animation studio with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. In 1933, Harman and Ising moved briefly to Van Beuren Studios. In 1934, they signed a deal to produce cartoons for MGM, including new Bosko cartoons. That relationship lasted through 1937. Harman and Ising began freelancing as animators, working both together and apart through the rest of their careers.
Carmen Maxwell began his career at Walt Disney, where, along with Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, and Friz Freleng, was part of the unit that eventually broke away from Disney to form the nucleus of what later became the Warner Bros. animation studio (under contract with Leon Schlesinger). Besides animating for Harman-Ising, Maxwell also performed the voice of their most famous creation, Bosko. Maxwell was also later a production manager in the Cartoon Department of MGM Studios, working there as late as 1953.
