Show Biz Bear Background

Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, I’m sure, didn’t mind it when writer Warren Foster opened a cartoon with a slow pan over a background painting. No animation was required, which saved a buck or two.

Show Biz Bear (1959) opened with Don Messick’s narration over two backgrounds, one dissolving into another. The camera movement took up the first 14 seconds of the cartoon.

Here’s the first background of Jellystone Park snipped together.



The background is by Dick Thomas, perhaps best-known for his work with the Bob McKimson unit at Warner Bros. He had been Bob Clampett's background artist when Clampett was still making black-and-white Looney Tunes.

The plot of the star-struck civilian being suddenly put in front of film cameras and getting physically abused was a little shopworn, but Show Biz Bear is still a fun cartoon. No Boo Boo, no Ranger Smith, no pic-a-nic baskets.

Here are the frames of Yogi taking a long step and zipping into the scene. The director has those isosceles-triangle closed eyes Patterson liked to draw.



The animation in this cartoon is by Don Patterson, who directed some cartoons for Walter Lantz in the early '50s, then was demoted to animator when Tex Avery was brought in. When Tex left, Patterson directed Flea For Two (released in 1955) which, judging by the production number, was doubtlessly started by Avery. Lantz then hired Alex Lovy and Patterson never directed again for Lantz again. Too bad. Both Patterson and Lovy ended up at H-B Enterprises in 1959.

Patterson settled in for a long career at Hanna-Barbera, animating on The Flintstones, Top Cat, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest and then into the Saturday morning TV era.