Tex Avery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tex Avery
Avery c. 1950s
Born	Frederick Bean Avery (1908-02-26)February 26, 1908 Taylor, Texas, U.S.
Died	August 26, 1980(1980-08-26) (aged 72) Burbank, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills
Nationality	American
Other names	Fred Avery Texas Avery
Occupation	Animator, director
Years active	1928–1980
Employer	Winkler Pictures (1928–1929) Walter Lantz Productions (1929–1935, 1953–1954) Leon Schlesinger Productions (1935–1941) MGM (1941–1953) Cascade Studios (1955–1978) Hanna-Barbera (1979–1980)
Spouse(s)	Patricia Avery ​ ​ (m. 1935; div. 1972)​
Children	2

Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was a famous American animator and director. He was a key figure during the "golden age" of American cartoons. Tex Avery helped create and shape many well-known characters. These include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Droopy.

Avery's cartoons were very different from others at the time, like those by Walt Disney. His style was full of fast-paced action and silly jokes. His characters were often wild and sometimes even knew they were in a cartoon! Tex Avery's unique humor and creative ideas made his work stand out.

Early Life & Education

Avery's yearbook photo, North Dallas High School, 1926

Tex Avery was born in Taylor, Texas. His parents were Mary Augusta "Jessie" Bean and George Walton Avery. He was often called "Tex," "Fred," or "Texas."

Avery finished high school in 1926 at North Dallas High School. A popular saying there was "What's up, doc?". He later used this famous phrase for Bugs Bunny. Tex wanted to draw cartoons for newspapers. He took a short art course but left after only one month.

Tex Avery's Animation Journey

Tex Avery moved to Los Angeles in 1928. He worked odd jobs before starting his animation career. He was hired by Winkler studio, which later became Screen Gems. There, he worked as an inker, tracing drawings for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons.

He then joined Universal Cartoon Studios, known today as Walter Lantz Productions. He quickly moved up from inker to animator by 1930. Avery worked on many Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons from 1931 to 1935. He even said he directed two cartoons during this time.

An Eye-Opening Accident

While working at the Lantz studio, Tex Avery had an accident. A thumbtack or paper clip hit his left eye, causing him to lose sight in it. Some people think this accident might have influenced his unique and wild animation style. However, it did not stop his amazing creative career.

From Drawing to Directing

As an animator, Avery worked under director Bill Nolan. Nolan gave Avery a lot of freedom to animate scenes. Avery started adding his own funny ideas, called sight gags, to the cartoons. He wanted to have more control over the creative process.

Avery asked Nolan if he could create the entire storyboard for a film. Nolan agreed, letting Avery handle the timing and layout. Avery made two films this way. He later said they "were terrible," but they were still released. After a while, Avery left Universal in April 1935.

The "Termite Terrace" Years

In 1935, Avery joined Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became Warner Bros. Cartoons. He convinced producer Leon Schlesinger that he was an experienced director, even though he wasn't. Avery became the third director at the studio.

The animation team grew too big for one building. Avery's new unit got its own small building, a five-room bungalow. The team called it "Termite Terrace" because of all the termites! This nickname later became famous for the entire Warner Bros. cartoon studio. Avery and his team truly shaped the "Warner Bros. cartoon" style.

Avery worked with talented animators like Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones. Their first cartoon was Gold Diggers of '49 (1935). This film featured a redesigned Porky Pig. Avery stopped using the character Beans and made Porky Pig a star. He redesigned Porky to be cuter and more like a cartoon character.

Tex Avery was known for visiting the ink and paint department. He liked to see how his cartoons were coming along. He would answer questions and was always in a good mood. At Warner Bros., animators had a lot of freedom and very little censorship.

Creating Cartoon Stars

Avery, with his team, helped create a style of animation that competed with Disney. They also made many cartoon characters that are still famous today. Avery was very involved in every step. He created jokes, sometimes did voices, and even adjusted the film frames to make sure the timing of a joke was perfect.

Porky's Duck Hunt (1937) introduced Daffy Duck. Daffy was a wild and crazy character, screaming "Hoo-hoo!" in a fast, high-pitched voice. This voice was done by Mel Blanc, who also started voicing Porky Pig in this cartoon. Avery directed two more Daffy Duck cartoons.

Little Red Walking Hood introduced an early version of Elmer Fudd. This character later became famous for hunting Bugs Bunny.

Other directors had tried out a rabbit character before Avery. This rabbit was known as "Bugs' bunny." Avery took this rabbit and made him special in A Wild Hare. He made Bugs a clever, confident rabbit who was always in control.

Avery said that in Texas, people often said "doc" like "pal" or "bud." In A Wild Hare, Bugs Bunny casually asks Elmer Fudd, "What's up, doc?" This line became Bugs's famous catchphrase. Avery originally wanted to name the rabbit "Jack E. Rabbit," but the studio decided on "Bugs Bunny."

Avery directed only four Bugs Bunny cartoons. He also directed other unique shorts, like funny travelogues and fairy-tale parodies. Avery left the Schlesinger studio in 1941 after a disagreement with the producer.

Speaking of Animals

While at Schlesinger, Avery had an idea to animate animal lip movements onto live-action footage. Schlesinger wasn't interested. So, Avery took his idea to Jerry Fairbanks, who produced short films for Paramount Pictures. Fairbanks liked the idea, and the Speaking of Animals series began. Avery worked on the first three shorts before joining Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Tex Avery at MGM

In 1941, Tex Avery signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was excited to work there because he felt more creative freedom. MGM also offered bigger budgets and better production quality. His team included talented artists who used to work for Disney.

Avery's first MGM cartoon, Blitz Wolf, was released in 1942. It was a funny Adolf Hitler parody of "Three Little Pigs" story. It was even nominated for an Academy Award.

Avery's most famous MGM character, Droopy, first appeared in Dumb-Hounded (1943). Droopy was a small, calm, slow-moving dog who always won in the end. Avery also created a series of cartoons featuring a female character, unofficially called "Red," starting with Red Hot Riding Hood (1943). Other characters he created at MGM include Screwy Squirrel and the duo George and Junior.

Avery's cartoons at MGM became known for their wildness and fast pace. He loved to play with the rules of animation. He started with realistic backgrounds but moved to a more stylized, less realistic look. This new style allowed him to make cartoons that weren't tied to the real world. He even made a series of films about future technology, like The House of Tomorrow.

Tex Avery took a break from MGM in 1950 to recover from overwork. He returned in 1951. His last two original cartoons for MGM were Deputy Droopy and Cellbound, released in 1955. In 1953, Avery was let go from MGM.

After MGM

Avery returned to the Walter Lantz studio in 1954. He directed four cartoons there, including The Legend of Rockabye Point, which helped define the character of Chilly Willy the penguin. Even though two of his cartoons were nominated for Academy Awards, Avery left Lantz due to a salary disagreement. This ended his career in making cartoons for movie theaters.

After that, Avery started working on animated television commercials at Cascade Studios. He created the famous Raid bug killer ads where cartoon insects screamed "RAID!" and fell over. He also worked on ads for Frito-Lay and Kool-Aid, even using the Looney Tunes characters he helped create.

In his later years, Avery became more private. From 1979 until his death, he worked for Hanna-Barbera Productions. He wrote jokes for Saturday morning cartoons like Kwicky Koala. He felt that the animation industry at that time lacked quality.

Tex Avery's Directing Style

Tex Avery's directing style was unique. His cartoons were known for their super-fast pace and over-the-top characters. He encouraged animators to push the limits of what could be done in a cartoon. He often said, "In a cartoon, you can do anything." He also did some voice work in his cartoons, usually for small parts.

Personal Life & Passing

In 1935, Tex Avery married Patricia, who also worked at Universal Studios as an inker. They went on a honeymoon to Oregon.

Tex Avery passed away on August 26, 1980, from lung cancer. He was 72 years old. At the time, he was working on a new character for a Flintstones series. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Tex Avery's Influence and Legacy

Tex Avery's work has had a huge impact on modern cartoons. You can see his influence in shows like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Animaniacs, and SpongeBob SquarePants. There was even a cartoon series called The Wacky World of Tex Avery.

His Droopy cartoons are available on DVD. Many of his other works are also on home video releases of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes shorts.

The Tex Avery Award was created in his honor in 2005. It is given to people who have made great contributions to the animation industry. Famous winners include Brad Bird and Pete Docter.

In 2014, a Texas Historical Marker was placed in his hometown of Taylor, Texas. It honors Avery for "reinventing the American cartoon."

Recently, many of his classic MGM cartoons have been restored and released on Blu-ray. These collections allow new generations to enjoy his amazing and funny work.

Filmography

Many of Avery's cartoons have been released on home video over the years:

Images for kids

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  Avery circa 1950s

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  Avery's yearbook photo, North Dallas High School, 1926

See also

In Spanish: Frederick Bean Avery para niños