Hugh Harman(1903-1982)
- Producer
- Director
- Animation Department
Hugh Harman was one of the pioneers of
animation. While not a great animator, (compared to co-worker,
Rudolf Ising) he was present during the
early days. He began his work with
Walt Disney in 1922, working on Disney's
early Laugh-o-Gram toons. When that company went bankrupt, Harman and
partner Rudolf Ising tried to start a new
series based on the Arabian Nights, but were unable to obtain funding.
Disney called them back when he began work for Charles Mintz, producing
the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. After a dispute over pricing, Mintz forced
out Disney and kept Harman and Ising on for another year, when they in
turn were forced out (and replaced by a young Walter Lantz). Harman,
Ising, and a few other ex-Disney animators put together a pilot short,
"Bosko the Talkink Kid", which was used by producer
Leon Schlesinger to obtain a contract
with Warner Brothers' studios to produce animated cartoons. Harman and
Ising started the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, and
produced them for several years. After another argument over money
(this time with Schlesinger), Harman and Ising left Warner Brothers for
MGM in 1933. They produced quite a few "Happy Harmonies" for MGM until
yet again they left over another financial arrangement. After MGM,
Harman & Ising formed their own studio, but was not successful. MGM
hired them back, but by this time their faux-Disney style of animation
was out of fashion, and they found themselves eclipsed by the works of
William Hanna &
Joseph Barbera (whom they had hired) &
Fred Tex Avery. In the 40s and 50s,
both men did some work for Walter Lantz Studios.
