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Dean Elliott | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Lorenzo Bunt (1917-05-11)May 11, 1917 Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1999(1999-12-31) (aged 82) Incline Village, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Years active | 1950–1992 |
| Spouse | |
William Lorenzo Bunt (May 11, 1917 – December 31, 1999), known professionally asDean Elliott, was an American television andfilm composer.
Elliott was born William Lorenzo Bunt on May 11, 1917, inSioux City, Iowa to George Leroy Bunt and Odessa Rouine Bolyard.
Educated at theUniversity of Wisconsin, Elliott's first composing work was forFour Star Revue an early comedy program which debuted in 1950. From here, he went on to compose for various cartoon series, most prominentlyMr. Magoo in the 1950s, but later he struck an alliance with master Animation directorChuck Jones and went on to compose the scores for many of hisTom and Jerry cartoons between 1965 and 1967, starting withDuel Personality and finishing withAdvance and Be Mechanized,Chuck Jones' second-to-lastTom and Jerry cartoon in 1967. He also composed a few film scores, includingCollege Confidential (1960),Sex Kittens Go to College (1960),The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966), andThe Phantom Tollbooth (1970).
In 1962, Elliott released anLP onCapitol Records entitledZounds! What Sounds!, credited to "Dean Elliott and His Swinging Big, Big Band."[1]Archived September 30, 2007, at theWayback Machine The LP header read "Music and Sound Effects in aStereo Spectacular!" and the subtitle captured the basic goals, sound, and feel of the album well:
A Sonic Spectacular Presenting MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! With these special Percussion Effects! Cement Mixer, Air Compressor, Punching Bag, Hand Saw, Thunderstorm, Raindrops, Celery Stalks (the crunchiest), 1001 Clocks, Bowling Pins andMany Many More!!
The LP was made with the assistance ofPhil Kaye, a sound effects virtuoso who worked with Elliott on the Tom and Jerry cartoons.[1] The LP is now firmly ensconced in the pantheon of "space age pop" orlounge classics, having been cited inRE/SEARCH #14:Incredibly Strange Music (1993)[2] which played a large part in the lounge revival of the 1990s. A track from the album ("Will You Still Be Mine") was later anthologized on one ofRhino Records' influentialCocktail Mix CDs.[3] As the space age pop/lounge revival grew in popularity, two more tracks from the album ("You're the Top" and "The Lonesome Road") were anthologized on one of the many volumes ofCapitol Records'Ultra-Lounge series.[4]
After this, Elliott went on to compose for a number ofDr. Seuss' cartoons before joiningDePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1975 to commence work on theirReturn to the Planet of the Apes series for which he provided incidental music. He also wrote all the music for the cult animatedNew Fantastic Four series in 1978 before moving to Warner Brothers withChuck Jones where he provided all the music for Jones'The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie in 1979, and later forDuck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century andBugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over in 1980, the latter of which was nominated for an Emmy. He also was musical director forRuby-Spears Productions from 1978–1987, where he was contracted to contribute music for the likes of such shows asFangface,The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show,Heathcliff,Saturday Supercade, andAlvin and the Chipmunks series.
In 1980, he again teamed up with Chuck Jones to score Jones' television special (for W-B!)Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over, in which the "Merrie Melodies" shortSoup or Sonic (now insyndication) was derived. Hismusical score has distinctive Elliott themes, similar to his previous work in the 1960s forTom and Jerry cartoons during the Chuck Jones Productions era; however, in this cartoon he employedMilt Franklyn-esque overtones with a littleWilliam Lava-ish influence.
In 1983, he scored the additional music for the Peanuts specialWhat Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?.
His music has re-appeared in various productions including:The Bugs n' Daffy Show,That's Warner Bros!,Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends, andThe Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show.
On January 30, 1949, Elliott married Lila Lee Fisher Elliott (1924-1962); Lila was killed in a car crash involving a geyser in 1962.[5]
Elliott died on December 31, 1999, inIncline Village, Nevada, at the age of 82.[6]
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