Bob Clampett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Clampett
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Clampett drawing Bugs Bunny
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| Born |
Robert Emerson Clampett
May 8, 1913 San Diego, California, U.S.
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| Died | May 2, 1984 (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Otis College of Art and Design |
| Occupation | Animator, director, producer, puppeteer |
| Years active | 1931–1984 |
| Employer |
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| Spouse(s) |
Sody Clampett
(m. 1955–1984) |
| Children | 3 |
Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer, and puppeteer. He was famous for his work on the Looney Tunes cartoons from Warner Bros.. He also created the TV shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil.
Bob Clampett grew up near Hollywood. He was interested in animation and puppets from a young age. In 1931, he joined Harman-Ising Productions. There, he started working on early Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
In 1937, Clampett became a director. Over 15 years, he directed 84 classic cartoons. He also helped design famous characters like Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Tweety. Some of his most well-known films include Porky in Wackyland (1938) and The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946).
He left Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1945. Then, he focused on television. He created the puppet show Time for Beany in 1949. Later, an animated version called Beany and Cecil aired on ABC from 1962 to 1967. This show was special because it was one of the first TV series fully created by one person.
In his later years, Clampett gave talks at colleges and animation festivals. He shared his knowledge about animation history. His Warner cartoons are still praised today. People love their surreal style, wild animation, and funny wordplay. Animation expert Jerry Beck said Clampett helped put the "looney" in Looney Tunes.
Early Life and Creative Beginnings
Bob Clampett was born in San Diego, California. His parents were Robert Caleb Clampett and Mildred Joan Merrifield. His father came from Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland.
Bob showed artistic talent by age five. He was inspired by silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. When he was 12, he started making short films in his garage. He even lived next door to Charlie Chaplin for a while.
As a teenager, Clampett became very interested in animation. He made hand puppets as a child. One of his early puppets was a dinosaur sock puppet. This puppet later became Cecil from Beany and Cecil.
In high school, Clampett drew a comic about a cat. It was published in the Los Angeles Times. King Features noticed his talent and offered him a job. They also paid for him to attend Otis Art Institute. There, he learned to paint and sculpt.
Clampett went to high school in Glendale. He left school just before graduating in 1931. He then worked at a doll factory owned by his aunt, Charlotte Clark. Clampett suggested making Mickey Mouse dolls. He sketched the character at a movie theater.
He and his aunt visited the Disney studio. Walt and Roy Disney loved the idea. They set up a business near the studio. Clampett even helped Walt Disney load the Mickey dolls into his car.
Starting His Animation Career
Clampett was fascinated by sound cartoons. He wanted to work for Disney, but they had enough animators. So, in 1931, he joined Harman-Ising Studios. He earned ten dollars a week.
Leon Schlesinger saw one of Clampett's films and was impressed. He offered Clampett an assistant job. Clampett's first work was animating characters in Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (1931). He also started attending story meetings. He even submitted an idea for Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!.
Harman-Ising produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies until 1933. Then, they split into Leon Schlesinger Productions. In his early years, Clampett worked mostly for Friz Freleng. He became a skilled animator under Freleng's guidance. Bob Clampett was only 17 when he joined Harman-Ising.
Creating Famous Characters
By 1934, Schlesinger wanted a new cartoon star. Clampett drew a pig (Porky) and a black cat (Beans). He called them "Clampett's Porky and Beans." Porky Pig first appeared in I Haven't Got a Hat in 1935.
Around this time, Schlesinger held a contest for the best original story. Clampett won first prize for his story, which became My Green Fedora.
Clampett felt inspired and wrote more stories. Schlesinger decided to create another animation team. He paired Clampett with Tex Avery. They worked in a small, old building used for storage. They called it "Termite Terrace" because it had termites. This name later became famous for the whole studio.
Avery and Clampett developed a new, funny animation style. This style made Warner Bros. cartoons unique. Other animators like Chuck Jones joined them. They worked freely and created groundbreaking humor. The studio was a fun and wild place.
Becoming a Director
Clampett directed a sales film on the side. He even used himself as a live-action model for animation. Schlesinger offered him a promotion to director if he stayed. Clampett became a director in late 1936. His first cartoon with a director credit was Porky's Badtime Story.
At Warner Bros., Clampett had creative control over his films. He had to work with a budget of $3,000 and four weeks per short. In 1937, during Porky's Duck Hunt, Tex Avery created a character who became Daffy Duck. Clampett animated Daffy for the very first time.
Clampett's cartoons were very popular. Schlesinger told other directors to copy his style, focusing on jokes and action. When Tex Avery left in 1941, Clampett took over his team.
Clampett's cartoons became even wilder and more experimental. He created the character of Tweety, who first appeared in A Tale of Two Kitties in 1942. His cartoons were often violent, silly, and surreal. They didn't follow real-world physics. His characters were very stretchy and wacky.
Clampett was influenced by the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. This is clear in Porky in Wackyland (1938). The whole cartoon takes place in a Dalí-like world with melting objects. Clampett's work helped Warner Bros. move away from Disney's animation style. He also liked to include modern culture in his cartoons, especially jazz.
Clampett left Warner Bros. in May 1945. His last cartoon with the studio was The Big Snooze. Some say he left for more artistic freedom. Others believe he was fired because his style was becoming too different from the other directors. Warner Bros. had just bought the studio from Schlesinger. Clampett was ready for new challenges.
Television Success with Beany and Cecil
After leaving Warner Bros., Clampett worked at Screen Gems. This was the cartoon part of Columbia Pictures. He wrote scripts and gags there. In 1947, he directed a cartoon called It's a Grand Old Nag for Republic Pictures.
In 1949, Clampett created the famous puppet show Time for Beany for television. Voice actors Stan Freberg and Daws Butler worked on the show. Time for Beany won Clampett three Emmys. Famous people like Groucho Marx and Albert Einstein were fans of the show.
In 1952, he created the Thunderbolt the Wondercolt TV series. He also made a 3D cartoon for the movie Bwana Devil featuring Beany and Cecil. In the late 1950s, Clampett helped organize the old Warner cartoons for Associated Artists Productions.
He then created an animated version of his puppet show, Beany and Cecil. The show had 26 episodes. It first aired on ABC in 1962 and was rerun for five years.
In his later years, Bob Clampett traveled to colleges and animation festivals. He gave talks about the history of animation. In 1974, he received an Inkpot Award. In 1975, he was featured in a documentary called Bugs Bunny: Superstar. This film was the first to explore the history of Warner Bros. cartoons. Clampett provided many drawings and home movies for the film.
Different Views on His Legacy
Bob Clampett made huge contributions to Warner Brothers animation. However, some of his former colleagues had different opinions. Chuck Jones, another famous Warner Bros. director, did not often mention working with Clampett.
There were disagreements about who created Bugs Bunny. Clampett often said he was the "creator" of Bugs. He said he was inspired by Clark Gable eating a carrot in the movie It Happened One Night. Other directors like Tex Avery and Robert McKimson also played big roles. Many believe Bugs Bunny's character developed over time. It was a team effort by many talented people.
Animation historian Milton Gray wrote about the disagreements between Clampett and Jones. Gray, a friend of Clampett, said Clampett was a "kind, generous man." He felt Clampett was hurt by some of the accusations. Other Warner Bros. colleagues, like Carl Stalling and Tex Avery, supported Clampett.
Death and Lasting Impact
Bob Clampett passed away from a heart attack on May 2, 1984. He was in Detroit, Michigan, promoting the home video release of Beany & Cecil cartoons. He was almost 71 years old. He is buried in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.
Since 1984, the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award is given each year at the Eisner Awards. This award honors people who do good things for others.
Clampett's cartoon Tin Pan Alley Cats (1943) was chosen by the Library of Congress. It was seen as a great example of music and culture from its time. A copy was buried in a time capsule in Washington, D.C.. Porky in Wackyland (1938) was also added to the National Film Registry in 2000. It was recognized for its cultural, historical, or artistic importance.
John Kricfalusi, who created The Ren & Stimpy Show, was inspired by Clampett. Kricfalusi calls Clampett his favorite cartoon director. He says The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946) changed his life.
Animation historian Leonard Maltin called Clampett's cartoons "unmistakable." Milton Gray believes Clampett helped save the black and white cartoon division at Warner Bros. Maltin described Clampett's work as having "a level of wackiness few moviegoers had ever seen."
Charles Solomon noted the stretchy, flexible animation in Clampett's shorts. Maltin also pointed out their "energetic, comic anarchy." For a long time, Clampett's cartoons were not as well known on TV. This was because TV channels only had rights to cartoons made after 1948. But in recent years, his creations have become much more famous and praised.
Martha Sigall, an animator, remembered Clampett as an "enthusiastic and fun type of guy." She said he was always kind and generous. She heard many stories about how Clampett helped and mentored new animators.
Bob Clampett's three children continue to preserve his work. They are Robert Clampett Jr., Ruth Clampett, and Cheri Clampett.
Images for kids
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Porky in Wackyland was recognized for its cultural importance.
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Clampett speaking at the 1976 San Diego Comic Convention.
See also
In Spanish: Bob Clampett para niños
