Hugh Harman
Hugh Harman | |
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Harman-Ising Productions | |
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Family | Fred Harman (brother) Walker Harman (brother) |
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Hugh Harman (August 31, 1903 – November 25, 1982) was an American animator. He was known for creating the
Career
He began his work with
After a dispute over money, Mintz forced out Disney in 1928 and lured most of his animators, Harman and Ising included, to join him. After
MGM Cartoons and later career
In early 1934, Harman and Ising were hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which launched the "Happy Harmonies" series in color (incidentally replacing fellow 1920s-era Disney veteran Ub Iwerks), in which Harman redeveloped Bosko into a realistic African-American kid. After yet another money-related quarrel, Harman and Ising were fired by MGM in 1937, being replaced by an in-house cartoon studio headed by Fred Quimby.[8][9][10] That same year, Disney borrowed the Harman-Ising Ink and Paint unit for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the studio also outsourced a number of cartoons for the Silly Symphonies series, although Disney ultimately only accepted Merbabies, the other shorts being released by MGM in early 1938, which after a rocky start with the in-house studio, decided to take Harman and Ising back some time later as production supervisors.[11]
After leaving Metro in 1941, Harman founded a new studio with Disney veteran Mel Shaw.[9][12] In 1943, the duo signed a deal with Orson Welles to adapt The Little Prince, in which Welles would play the role of the aviator while a random child actor would portray the prince. A few months later, Welles fell ill with hepatitis, nearly dying while recovering in Florida. After this, the deal fell through and the film was scrapped.[1][11] From 1945 to 1947, his production company would produce various cartoons for the army and for educational films.[13][14] After a two year hiatus, Harman returned to the animation industry with The Littlest Angel, a collaboration between his company and Coronet Films.[15] Harman's final film he did (albeit incomplete and entirely shipped to Coronet, completed by Gordon A. Sheehan) was Tom Thumb in King Arthur's Court. Harman worked on the film extensively with Mel Shaw, but ultimately gave production to Coronet because he couldn't complete it.[16][11]
Later life
After Harman-Ising Studios closed in the early 1960s, Harman fell in a state of abject poverty. He lived in a ramshackle house, no longer being able to afford a car, although he often disguised his precarious state by frequently having breakfast at a Beverly Hills restaurant. He had to constantly borrow money from Ising, as well as colleagues Friz Freleng and Roy O. Disney in the 1970s to keep afloat. He also received a monthly allowance from his brother Fred, until Fred's death in January 1982. After that point, Harman was moved into a house on Chatsworth, the rent being paid by his friends, among them animator Mark Kausler and historian Jim Korkis, who had both met Harman through Bob Clampett in 1973.[17][11]
On November 25, 1982, Harman died after a long illness in his home.[2] He was survived by his son Michael. Harman was married twice, both times ending in divorce. His second wife was a Greek woman named Katia who married him in 1980 but left him soon after gaining her citizenship.[2][17]
See also
- Harman-Ising Productions
References
- ^ a b Barrier, Michael (January 10, 2006). "Hugh Harman, An Interview". michaelbarrier.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Hugh Harman, 79, Creator Of 'Looney Tunes' Cartoons". The New York Times. November 30, 1982.
- ^ Korkis, Jim (March 22, 2017). "The Laugh -O-gram Story: Part One". MousePlanet. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0195037593.
- ^ Korkis, Jim (October 15, 2014). "The History of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Part Two". Mouse Planet.
- ISBN 978-0195037593.
- ^ Harman/ Ising’s “Mischivous Mice” (1934)
- ^ MGM TITLES
- ^ a b Hugh Harman’s “The Field Mouse” (1941)
- ^ Those MGM Jazz Frog Cartoons
- ^ a b c d "Cartoon Logic Episode 10: Mark Kausler Remembers Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising". January 6, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ Thill, Scott (January 7, 2016). "From 'Bambi' to 'The Lion King,' Disney Legend Mel Shaw Lassos a Retrospective". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ Hugh Harman’s “Easy Does It” (1946)
- ^ Hugh Harman’s “Winky the Watchman” – and How to Do a Great Commentary Track
- ^ Coronet Films “The Littlest Angel” (1950)
- ^ Hugh Harman and Gordon Sheehan’s “Tom Thumb in King Arthur’s Court” (1963)
- ^ a b Korkis, Jim. "Animation Anecdotes #292". Retrieved April 15, 2022.
External links
- Hugh Harman at IMDb