Norman Rockwell Museum exhibit honors Hanna-Barbera

Date: 11/18/2016

STOCKBRIDGE – For many Americans ranging from Baby Boomers to Generation Xers, Saturday morning meant one thing: cartoons. And Saturday morning cartoon shows on the three networks were dominated by one studio: Hanna-Barbera.

The shows created under studio chiefs Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera featured characters that include Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest and Scooby Doo, among many, many others.

Hanna and Barbara, as well as the artists and writers who worked for them, are the subject of a major exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum, “Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning.” The exhibit features rare original artwork – cels, model sheets and storyboards – chronicling the history of the studio as well as its contributions to American pop culture.

As animation historian Jerry Beck, who contributed to the development of the exhibit, said in his introductory talk the two men were able to develop a limited style of animation that made cartoons made for television economically possible.

Hanna and Barbera formed their studio in 1957 after MGM, their long-time employers, decided to eliminate its theatrical cartoon production. The pair had won seven Academy Awards for their cartoons featuring Tom and Jerry.

Beck noted that after initial success with “Ruff and Ready,” and then “Huckleberry Hound “ and “Yogi Bear” in the late 1950s, Hanna and Barbera won additional success with the first made for television animated prime time series “The Flintstones” in 1960.

He recalled how he as a child he awoke one night to find his parents watching the show. It built into my brain that cartoons were for everyone, not just for kids.”

“The Flintstones” were scheduled at 8:30 p.m. and was sponsored by Winston cigarettes, Beck added, definitely geared to adults.

He explained especially in the early season the show was “pitched up” to adults. “Aim up for grownups and the kids will follow,” Beck added.

The success of ‘The Flintstones” led to a group of other prime time animated shows, including Hanna-Barbera’s “The Jetsons” and “Jonny Quest.”

Beck said the success of the early cartoons was due to having many of the staff artiest and writers the two men had at MGM follow then over to the new television production.

The vocal performers were also part of the success, beck noted with Daws Butler (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss and Quick Draw McGraw) and Don Messick (Boo-Boo bear, Scooby Doo, Dr. Benton Quest), among the actors heard the most.

He said that Hanna and Barbera were like Walt Disney in that they didn’t rest in their successes but asked the question of what was next. Animated feature films, as well as children’s shows that mixed animation with live action, were productions that came from the busy studio.

Veteran Hanna-Barbera artist and writer Tony Benedict attended the opening on Nov. 12. He worked at the studio from 1960 through 1967 and then came back to work on the reboot of the “The Jetsons” that was produced in the 1980s.

Benedict recalled how the studio hired traditional live action comedy writers since there “were not enough cartoon writers.” The issue was whether or not situation comedy writers understood the potential of the medium.    

“I spent time writing visual gags to fill into the scripts. Benedict told Reminder Publications.

Hanna-Barbera became known as using other properties as inspiration for many of its shows. “The Flintstones” was a takeoff on Jackie Gleason’s “The Honeymooners,” while “Top Cat” used ‘The Phil Silvers Shows” as a template.

When asked if the source material was ever acknowledged, Benedict said neither Hanna nor Barbera spoke about it. “Joe said just do it,’ Benedict recalled with a smile. If anything the cartoon series would be described as “an improvement”on the original.

Benedict said of the exhibit, “I absolutely love it. I think it’s just great.” He credited Museum Curator of Exhibitions Jesse Kowalski for the exhibit’s success.

“Jesse deserves some kind of Oscar,” Benedict added.

Kowalski said there has never been an exhibit of Hanna-Barbera material before and said the exhibit was “kind of a dream of mine.”

About half of the artwork came from the Warner Brothers archive – that company now owns the Hanna-Barbera properties – and the rest came from private collectors.

The exhibit includes an original presentation painting by Doug Wildey to help sell “Jonny Quest” and original model sheets by noted illustrator Alex Toth. There is a storyboard Barbera wrote and drew in the mid-1930s during a short stint at the Terrytoon Studio. The evolution of characters and show concepts is a key part of the exhibit.

The exhibition will be on view through May 29, 2017. There will be special events planned for the exhibit including a screening of cartoons on Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. The screenings are free with Museum admission, or $5 for cartoon programs only. Upcoming screenings will be presented on Dec. 10, Jan. 14, 2017 and Feb. 11, 2017. The program is sponsored in part by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

Museum Curator of Exhibitions Jesse Kowalski will also speak about the exhibit on Nov. 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. and its golden age from 1958 to 1969, The talk is free for Museum members, or included with museum admission; program only, $10. Upcoming Cartoon Conversations include: “The Development of the Animation Short for Television” (Dec. 10); “Full Animation vs. Limited Animation: How Are They Different?” (Jan. 14, 2017); and “Television Sit-Coms as Inspiration for Animated Programs” (Feb. 11, 2017).

For more information, go to www.nrm.org.