I was sad to hear that Joe Barbera died today aged 95. I was born in 1974 and never lost my love of the cartoon and anyone of my generation whenever they think of cartoons thinks of either Warner Bros. and their Looney Tunes format or the Hanna-Barbera studio creations. Both studios are technically before my time but in the UK it's what's on TV that counts as current. Looney Tunes made me laugh more but it's the Hanna-Barbera format that kept me entertained as a kid (and still do today, who says I have to grow up?).
As a kid I couldn't get enough of Top Cat, Scooby Doo, Hong-Kong Phooey and the rest. There were some that I could take or leave like The Flintstones or Hucklerberry Hound but on the whole the studio was more hit than miss. As I grew older and became more discerning in my toon tastes I came to look into who was making my toons and when. I was very surprised to find that Joe was behind Tom and Jerry, the greatest cartoon double act ever. That was in the 40's! Wasn't he dead yet?! Scoob and the gang first appear in 1969! I began to notice that while T&J could do no wrong while he was behind them, Chuck Jones hadn't a clue when MGM gave him the chance. Go figure. A genius with Rabbits and Ducks, clueless with cats and mice. Just goes to show how much love tells with a creation.
I thought of putting a link to the Wikipedia page but it doesn't do him justice. IMDB does it far more eloquently....
Joe Barbera 24-03-1911 to 18-12-2006
Blogging on and off since January 2004.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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