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Michael R. Maltese was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts, best known for working in the 1950s on a series of Merrie Melodies cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "What's Opera, Doc?" which is widely regarded by industry professionals as the best animated short of all time.

Background[]

Biography[]

The son of Italian immigrants, Maltese graduated from the National Academy of Design. He married Florence Sass on May 30, 1936; writer Warren Foster served as Best Man. The couple moved to Los Angeles, where their first and only child, Brenda, was born on February 20, 1938.

Career[]

In 1937, Maltese was hired by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which three years later became Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. (Maltese had actually appeared on camera in the 1940 Porky Pig cartoon You Ought to Be in Pictures as a live-action guard at the Warner Bros. entrance gate, who winds up chasing the animated Porky around the Warners lot). The first cartoon he wrote for Warners was The Haunted Mouse (1941) by Tex Avery, then credited as Fred Avery. He first worked mainly for Friz Freleng until 1948, but after that he worked mostly for Chuck Jones, contributing stories to other directors at times, including Robert McKimson. He and Jones collaborated on cartoons like the Academy Award-winning For Scent-imental Reasons (1949), featuring the character Pepé Le Pew, and the animated public health documentary, So Much for So Little (1949) which won that same year for "Best Documentary Short Subject." Maltese was also the voice of the Lou Costello-esque character in Wackiki Wabbit (1943) and the Benito Mussolini duck in The Ducktators (1942).

Some of his earlier works include The Wabbit Who Came to Supper and Fresh Hare, Hare Trigger (which introduced Yosemite Sam), Baseball Bugs for Freleng; Bear Feat, Rabbit of Seville, A Pest in the House, and Rabbit Fire for Jones. Some of his best-known cartoons are Feed the Kitty, Beep, Beep, Rabbit Seasoning, Don't Give Up the Sheep, Duck Amuck, Bully for Bugs, Bewitched Bunny, From A to Z-Z-Z-Z, and Beanstalk Bunny. These were all directed by Jones. He also wrote One Froggy Evening, the first appearance of future Warner Brothers mascot Michigan J. Frog.

Some of his later Warner cartoons included Ali Baba Bunny, Robin Hood Daffy, the seminal What's Opera, Doc? and Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century for Jones, Rabbit Romeo and Fox-Terror for Robert McKimson and Person to Bunny (the final occasion Arthur Q. Bryan voiced Elmer Fudd) and Here Today, Gone Tamale (the only Speedy Gonzales cartoon he ever wrote) for Freleng. Maltese also collaborated with Jones on the 1960s Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts released by MGM. During the years of 1954 and 1955, Maltese also worked at Walter Lantz Productions as writer of some Woody Woodpecker cartoons: Helter Shelter, Witch Crafty (co-written with Homer Brightman), Real Gone Woody, Square Shootin' Square and Bedtime Bedlam. He also is the writer of Chilly Willy's Academy Award-nominated theatrical short The Legend of Rockabye Point, directed by Tex Avery.

From 1958 until 1970, he worked at Hanna-Barbera Productions on television cartoons such as The Yogi Bear Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, The Flintstones, and Wacky Races.

Maltese also wrote comic books published by Western Publishing, including for many of the Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera characters whose animated exploits he scripted.

His last work was in Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century, released in 1980.

Death[]

Maltese died on February 22, 1981 at Los Angeles's Good Samaritan Hospital after a six-month bout with cancer, 16 days after his 73rd birthday.

Acting credits[]

Warner Bros. Roles[]

External Links[]

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