A few were published in an article on the studio in Hollywood Studio magazine’s issue of April 1967. I’m sure you’ve seen clearer copies of the photos of writers Tony Benedict and Warren Foster. But there are also pictures of two of the studio’s sound cutters which I don’t remember seeing before.
Greg Watson worked with Hanna and Barbera at MGM. He was the junior film editor under Jim Faris and moved over to H-B in 1957 (Warner Leighton was hired for the H-B sound department the same year). Watson, Hanna and Barbera brought some of the MGM cartoon sound effects with them; Fred MacAlpin was MGM’s original sound editor in 1937 and some of his effects can be heard in early H-B cartoons. Among Watson’s creations, according to a 1994 USA Today article, was the pitter-patter of Fred Flintstone’s feet while starting the Flintmobile. It was made by Watson pounding the palms of his hands on Hanna’s leather couch.
Also pictured is Don Douglas. Watson told Fred Seibert about him in 1995: “He most recently was working at Universal, and he created a thing by combining violin plucks, you know, pizzicato, and a couple of other sounds, and we called it ‘Pixie and Dixie Hop’.”
Watson has passed away. I don’t know about Douglas.
Though the article was written in 1967, the photos are several years old. You’ll notice the cinder block walls in the back of the sound cutting room. They’re from the second Hanna-Barbera studio in the windowless “bunker” studio at 3501 Cahuenga Blvd., down the street from where they constructed the studio familiar to fans.
I’m not going to re-post the article as it deals with mid ‘60s Hanna-Barbera cartoons, but you can read it at on this site.
Note: This is post 1,400 on Yowp. I can’t say it’s the last as I have things from Earl Kress I’d like to post but I can’t find the time to write. Posts on my other blogs were written months ago.
It's still a treat to read these, every time you post something. I miss your regular posts, but appreciate all the hard work you've put in over the years.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your posts Don. I learn so much about the Golden Age Animators. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the comments above! Thanks for posting this! You are so right that there is something very pleasurable in seeing these pictures! Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteFavorite part: voice tapes.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It would have been interesting to see who’s demo was on the tape they pulled.
DeleteYep, I remember reading about those sound effect stories in the linear notes booklet in the first disc on Sound Ideas's Hanna-Barbera SoundFX Library. It's really fascinating reading about all of that, along with how they used to have the sound effects on 35mm optical sound film and lay them in the old Moviolas to see if they work or not. Plus, it's such a fun sound effects library to work with, along with Sound Ideas's Warner Bros. library and the Hollywood Edge Cartoon Trax sound library (the latter of which has many classic Disney sound effects)
ReplyDeleteYep, Used to have that both demos from " Sound Ideas " " Hollywood Edge "in the Production Room at the stations where I work. Some very familiar SFX on those demos.
ReplyDeleteFilm editor Donald Douglas died on October 3rd 2020. After leaving Hanna-Barbera, he co-edited with Hal Geer the last two cartoons released by Warner Brothers in 1969. He did edit on and off at Universal from the mid 1970's to the early 1990's.
ReplyDeleteStephen, thanks for the additional information.
DeleteHi yowp, i just wanted to ask you if you could do a post about the stock music "on the run" by jack shaindlin, i've been searching that one for so many years, and i would really appreciate if you could do that for me please, i'm begging you :'(
ReplyDeleteCB, the late Earl Kress searched high and low for this cue. It was his favourite Shaindlin piece in cartoons (mine is Toboggan Run) but he was unable to locate it. Cinemusic doesn't have it.
DeleteTrade ads in Television Age from 1959 tell me the Langlois Filmusic library was available on tape as well as film and I hope some day reels will show up somewhere.