Chuck Jones | |
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.jpg) Jones in 1978 | |
| Born | Charles Martin Jones (1912-09-21)September 21, 1912 Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | February 22, 2002(2002-02-22) (aged 89) |
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| Alma mater | Chouinard Art Institute |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1931–2001[1] |
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| Notable work | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | chuckjones |
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an Americananimator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work withWarner Bros. Cartoons on theLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies series of shorts. He wrote, produced, and/or directed many classicanimated cartoon shorts starringBugs Bunny,Daffy Duck,Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner,Pepé Le Pew,Marvin the Martian, andPorky Pig, among others.
Jones started his career in 1933 alongsideTex Avery,Friz Freleng,Bob Clampett, andRobert McKimson at theLeon Schlesinger Production'sTermite Terrace studio, the studio that madeWarner Brothers cartoons, where they created and developed the Looney Tunes characters. During theSecond World War, Jones directed many of thePrivate Snafu (1943–1946) shorts which were shown to members of theUnited States military. After his career at Warner Bros. ended in 1962, Jones startedSib Tower 12 Productions and began producing cartoons forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a new series ofTom and Jerry shorts (1963–1967) as well as the television adaptations ofDr. Seuss'sHow the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) andHorton Hears a Who! (1970). He later started his own studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises, where he directed and produced the film adaptation ofNorton Juster'sThe Phantom Tollbooth (1970).
Jones's work along with the other animators was showcased in the documentaryBugs Bunny: Superstar (1975). Jones directed the first feature-length animatedLooney Tunes compilation film,The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979). In 1990 he wrote his memoir,Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist, which was made into a documentary film,Chuck Amuck (1991). He was also profiled in theAmerican Masters documentaryChuck Jones: Extremes & Inbetweens – A Life in Animation (2000) which aired onPBS.
Two Warner Brothers cartoons that Jones directed,For Scent-imental Reasons andSo Much for So Little, won Academy Awards forBest Animated Short Film, though at this time it was customary for the statuette to be given to a cartoon's producer, not the director. Jones did not receive aBest Animated Short Film Oscar of his own until winning for theThe Dot and the Line in 1966.Robin Williams later presented Jones with anHonorary Academy Award in 1996 for his work in the animation industry. Film historianLeonard Maltin has praised Jones's work at Warner Bros., MGM and Chuck Jones Enterprises. InJerry Beck's 1994 bookThe 50 Greatest Cartoons, a group of animation professionals rankedWhat's Opera, Doc? (1957) as the greatest cartoon of all time, with ten of the entries being directed by Jones includingDuck Amuck (1953),Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953),One Froggy Evening (1955),Rabbit of Seville (1950), andRabbit Seasoning (1952).[3]
Charles Martin Jones was born on September 21, 1912, inSpokane, Washington, to Mabel McQuiddy (née Martin) (1882–1971) and Charles Adams Jones (1883–?).[4] When he was six months old, he moved with his parents and three siblings toLos Angeles, California.[5]
In his autobiography,Chuck Amuck, Jones credits his artistic bent to circumstances surrounding his father, who was an unsuccessful businessman in California in the 1920s. He recounted that his father would start every new business venture by purchasing new stationery and new pencils with the company name on them. When the business failed, his father would quietly turn the huge stacks of useless stationery and pencils over to his children, requiring them to use up all the material as fast as possible. The children drew frequently, owing to the abundance of high-quality paper and pencils. Later, in one art school class, the professor gravely informed the students that they each had 100,000 bad drawings in them that they must first get past before they could possibly draw anything worthwhile. Jones recounted years later that this pronouncement came as a great relief to him, as he was well past the 200,000 mark, having used up all that stationery. Jones and several of his siblings went on to artistic careers.[6][7]
During his artistic education, he worked part-time as a janitor. After graduating fromChouinard Art Institute, Jones got a phone call from a friend named Fred Kopietz, who had been hired by theUb Iwerks studio and offered him a job. He worked his way up in the animation industry, starting as a cel washer; "then I moved up to become a painter in black and white, some color. Then I went on to take animator's drawings and traced them onto the celluloid. Then I became what they call an in-betweener, which is the guy that does the drawing between the drawings the animator makes".[8] While at Iwerks, he met a cel painter named Dorothy Webster, who later became his first wife.[9]
Jones joinedLeon Schlesinger Productions, the independent studio that producedLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies forWarner Bros., in 1933 as an assistant animator. In 1935 he was promoted to animator and assigned to work with a new Schlesinger director,Tex Avery. There was no room for the new Avery unit in Schlesinger's small studio, so Avery, Jones, and fellow animatorsBob Clampett,Virgil Ross, andSid Sutherland were moved into a small adjacent building they dubbed "Termite Terrace". In 1937, Jones' old bossUb Iwerks was subcontracted to produce severalLooney Tunes shorts for Schleshinger, with Clampett and Jones brought in to assist him. Iwerks completed only two shorts before he left, with Clampett taking his position soon after.[10] Jones worked alongside Clampett as an animator and an uncredited co-director (or "supervisor", the original title for an animation director in the studio) before becoming a main director himself in 1938 whenFrank Tashlin left the studio,[11] a position that was initially offered to animatorRobert McKimson. The following year, Jones created his first major character,Sniffles, a cute Disney-style mouse, who went on to star in twelve Warner Bros. cartoons.[12]
Jones initially struggled in with his directorial style in his formative years. Unlike the other directors in the studio, Jones wanted to make cartoons that would rival the quality and tone to that of ones made byWalt Disney Productions.[13] However, his cartoons suffered from sluggish pacing and confusing gags, with Jones himself later describing his early conception of timing and dialog to have been "formed by watching the action in theLa Brea Tar Pits".[14] Schlesinger and the studio heads were unsatisfied with his Disney-esque style and demanded him make cartoons that were more funny.[15] Jones began to change of directorial style starting with the 1942 shortThe Draft Horse, but the cartoon that was generally considered his true turning point wasThe Dover Boys later that year. The short became highly-regarded in recent years for its quick-timed gags and extensive use oflimited animation. Despite this, Schlesinger and the studios heads were still dissatisfied and begun the process to fire him, but they were unable to find a replacement due to a labor shortage stemming fromWorld War II, so Jones kept his position.
He was actively involved in efforts to unionize the staff ofLeon Schlesinger Studios. He was responsible for recruiting animators, layout men, and background people. Almost all animators joined, in reaction to salary cuts imposed byLeon Schlesinger. TheMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio had already signed a union contract, encouraging their counterparts under Schlesinger.[16] In a meeting with his staff, Schlesinger talked for a few minutes, then turned over the meeting to his attorney. His insulting manner had a unifying effect on the staff. Jones gave a pep talk at the union headquarters. As negotiations broke down, the staff decided to go on strike. Schlesinger locked them out of the studio for a few days, before agreeing to sign the contract.[16] A Labor-Management Committee was formed and Jones served as a moderator. Because of his role as a supervisor in the studio, he could not himself join the union.[16]
DuringWorld War II, Jones worked closely with Theodor Geisel, better known asDr. Seuss, to create thePrivate Snafu series of Army educational cartoons (the character was created by directorFrank Capra). Jones later collaborated with Seuss on animated adaptations of Seuss' books, includingHow the Grinch Stole Christmas! in 1966. Jones directed such shorts asThe Weakly Reporter, a 1944 short that related to shortages and rationing on the home front. During the same year, he directedUPA's second short subjectHell-Bent for Election, a propaganda campaign film forFranklin D. Roosevelt.[17]
Jones created characters through the late 1930s, late 1940s, and the 1950s, which include his collaborative help in co-developingBugs Bunny and also included creatingClaude Cat,Marc Antony and Pussyfoot,Charlie Dog,Michigan J. Frog,Gossamer, and his four most popular creations,Marvin the Martian,Pepé Le Pew,Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Jones and writerMichael Maltese collaborated on the Road Runner cartoons,Duck Amuck,One Froggy Evening, andWhat's Opera, Doc?. Other staff at Unit A whom Jones collaborated with include layout artist, background designer, and co-directorMaurice Noble; animator and co-directorAbe Levitow; and animatorsKen Harris andBen Washam.
Jones remained at Warner Bros. throughout the 1950s, except for a brief period in 1953 when Warner closed the animation studio. During this interim, Jones found employment atWalt Disney Productions, where he teamed withWard Kimball for a four-month period. According to Kimball, Jones expected to work at Disney at a higher salary rate then at Warner Bros., but was instead employed at the same salary despite numerous negotiations withWalt Disney. Furthermore, Jones was not given any directorial assignments but was instead assigned to assists Kimball on the filmSleeping Beauty (1959),[18] which at the time was going through production delays. Upon Warner Bros. Cartoons reopening, Jones was rehired and reunited with most of his unit. Despite the unsatisfying tenure, Jones still holds the Disney studio to high regard, but later joked that the only job he wanted from Disney's was the position held by Walt.[18]
In the early 1960s, Jones and his wife Dorothy wrote the screenplay for the animated featureGay Purr-ee. The finished film featured the voices ofJudy Garland,Robert Goulet andRed Buttons as cats in Paris, France. The feature was produced byUPA and directed by his former Warner Bros. collaborator, Abe Levitow. Jones moonlighted to work on the film since he had an exclusive contract with Warner Bros. UPA completed the film and made it available for distribution in 1962; it was picked up by Warner Bros. When Warner Bros. discovered that Jones had violated his exclusive contract with them, they terminated him.[19] Jones's former animation unit was laid off after completing the final cartoon in their pipeline,The Iceman Ducketh, and the rest of the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio was closed in early 1963.[19]
With business partner Les Goldman, Jones started an independent animation studio, Sib Tower 12 Productions, and brought on most of his unit from Warner Bros., including Maurice Noble and Michael Maltese. In 1963, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contracted with Sib Tower 12 to have Jones and his staff produce newTom and Jerry cartoons as well as a television adaptation of allTom and Jerry theatricals produced to that date. This included major editing, including writing out the African-American maid,Mammy Two-Shoes, and replacing her with one of Irish descent voiced byJune Foray. In 1964, Sib Tower 12 was absorbed by MGM and was renamedMGM Animation/Visual Arts. His animated short film,The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics, won the 1965Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Jones directed the classic animated shortThe Bear That Wasn't.[17]
As theTom and Jerry series wound down (it was discontinued in 1967), Jones produced more for television.[citation needed] In 1966, he produced and directed the TV specialHow the Grinch Stole Christmas!, featuring narration byBoris Karloff.[20]
Jones continued to work on other TV specials such asHorton Hears a Who! (1970), but his main focus during this time was producing the feature filmThe Phantom Tollbooth, which did lukewarm business whenMGM released it in 1970. Jones co-directed 1969'sThe Pogo Special Birthday Special, based on theWalt Kelly comic strip, and voiced the characters of Porky Pine and Bun Rab. It was at this point that he decided to start ST Incorporated.[17]
MGM closed the animation division in 1970, and Jones once again started his own studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises. He produced a Saturday morning children's TV series for theAmerican Broadcasting Company calledThe Curiosity Shop in 1971. In 1973, he produced an animated version of theGeorge Selden bookThe Cricket in Times Square and subsequently produced two sequels.[17]
Three of his works during this period were animated TV adaptations of short stories fromRudyard Kipling'sThe Jungle Book:Mowgli's Brothers,The White Seal andRikki-Tikki-Tavi. During this period, Jones began to experiment with more realistically designed characters, most of which had larger eyes, leaner bodies, and altered proportions, such as those of theLooney Tunes characters.[21]
Jones resumed working with Warner Bros. in 1976 with the animated TV adaptation ofThe Carnival of the Animals with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Jones also producedThe Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979), which was a compilation of Jones's best theatrical shorts, new Road Runner shorts forThe Electric Company series andBugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979). New shorts were made forBugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over (1980).[17]
From 1977 to 1978, Jones wrote and drew the newspaper comic stripCrawford (also known asCrawford & Morgan) for theChicago Tribune-NY News Syndicate. In 2011IDW Publishing collected Jones's strip as part of their Library of American Comic Strips.[22]
In 1978, Jones's wife Dorothy died. He married Marian Dern, the writer of the comic stripRick O'Shay in 1981.[22]
On December 11, 1975,[23] shortly after the release ofBugs Bunny: Superstar, which prominently featuredBob Clampett, Jones wrote a letter toTex Avery, accusing Clampett of taking credit for ideas that were not his, and for characters created by other directors (notably Jones's Sniffles andFriz Freleng'sYosemite Sam). Their correspondence was never published in the media. It was forwarded toMichael Barrier, who conducted the interview with Clampett and was distributed by Jones to multiple people concerned with animation over the years.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Jones was painting cartoon and parody art, sold through animation galleries by his daughter's company, Linda Jones Enterprises.[5] Jones was the creative consultant and character designer for twoRaggedy Ann animated specials and the firstAlvin and the Chipmunks Christmas specialA Chipmunk Christmas. He made a cameo appearance in the filmGremlins (1984)[24] and he wrote and directed the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck animated sequences that bookend its sequelGremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).[25] Jones directed animated sequences for various features such as a lengthy sequence in the filmStay Tuned (1992)[26] and a shorter one seen at the start of theRobin Williams vehicleMrs. Doubtfire (1993).[27] Also during the 1980s and 1990s, Jones served on the advisory board of theNational Student Film Institute.[28][29]
Jones's final Looney Tunes cartoon wasFrom Hare to Eternity (1997), which starred Bugs Bunny andYosemite Sam, withGreg Burson voicing Bugs. The cartoon was dedicated toFriz Freleng, who had died in 1995. Jones's final animation project was a series of 13 shorts starring a timber wolf character he had designed in the 1960s named Thomas Timber Wolf. The series was released online by Warner Bros. in 2000.[30] From 2001 until 2004,Cartoon Network airedThe Chuck Jones Show which features shorts directed by him. The show won theAnnie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Special Project.[31]
In 1997, Jones was awarded theEdward MacDowell Medal.[32]
In 1999, he founded the non-profit Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, in Costa Mesa, California, an art education "gymnasium for the brain" dedicated to teaching creative skills, primarily to children and seniors, which is still in operation.[33]
In his later years, he recovered from skin cancer and received hip and ankle replacements.[34]
Jones died ofcongestive heart failure on February 22, 2002, at his home inCorona del Mar, Newport Beach at the age of 89. He wascremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.[5] After his death,Cartoon Network aired a 20-second segment tracing Jones's portrait with the words "We'll miss you". Also, the Looney Tunes cartoonDaffy Duck for President, based onthe book that Jones had written and using Jones's style for the characters, originally scheduled to be released in 2000,[35] was released in 2004 as part of disc three of theLooney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set.
| Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Best Animated Short Film | Mouse Wreckers | Nominated | [36] |
| 1950 | Best Documentary Short Film | So Much for So Little | Won | [37] |
| Best Animated Short Film | For Scent-imental Reasons | Won | ||
| 1954 | From A to Z-Z-Z-Z | Nominated | [38] | |
| 1960 | High Note | Nominated | [39] | |
| 1962 | Beep Prepared | Nominated | [40] | |
| Nelly's Folly | Nominated | |||
| 1963 | Now Hear This | Nominated | [41] | |
| 1966 | The Dot and the Line | Won | [40] | |
| 1996 | Honorary Academy Award | Lifetime Achievement | Won |
Jones received anHonorary Academy Award in 1996 by the board of governors of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for "the creation of classic cartoons and cartoon characters whose animated lives have brought joy to our real ones for more than half a century." At that year's awards show,Robin Williams, a self-confessed "Jones-aholic", presented the honorary award to Jones, calling him "TheOrson Welles of cartoons", and the audience gave Jones astanding ovation as he walked onto the stage. For himself, a flattered Jones wryly remarked in his acceptance speech, "Well, what can I say in the face of such humiliating evidence? I stand guilty before the world of directing over three hundred cartoons in the last fifty or sixty years. Hopefully, this means you've forgiven me."[42] He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of Animated Film –Animafest Zagreb in 1988.[43]
Jones was a historical authority as well as a major contributor to the development of animation throughout the 20th century. In 1990, Jones received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[44] He received an honorary degree fromOglethorpe University in 1993.[45] For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Jones has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 7011Hollywood Blvd.[46] He was awarded theInkpot Award in 1974.[47] In 1996, Jones received an Honorary Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards.[48]
Three short films directed by Jones have been inducted into theNational Film Registry by the United StatesFilm Preservation Board:What's Opera, Doc?, inducted in 1992;Duck Amuck, inducted in 1999; andOne Froggy Evening, inducted in 2003.
Jones's life and legacy were celebrated on January 12, 2012, with the official grand opening ofThe Chuck Jones Experience atCircus Circus Las Vegas. Many of Jones's family welcomed celebrities, animation aficionados and visitors to the new attraction when they opened the attraction in an appropriate and unconventional way. Among those in attendance were Jones's widow, Marian Jones; daughter Linda Clough; and grandchildren Craig, Todd and Valerie Kausen.[49]
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