THE MEMOIRS OF NORM McCABE

Norm McCabe had one of the longest histories of any director and animator to work at Warner Bros. Animation, from his early days on "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" with the Leon Schlesinger Termite Terrace team in the 1930s  all the way to his work on "Tiny Toons," "Taz-Mania," "Animaniacs," "Freakazoid" and "The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries" at the Warner Bros. Animation offices in Sherman Oaks, CA, in the 1990s.   

Norm's career at Warner Bros. lasted over 65 years!

Starting as an inbetweener in 1932 at Schlesinger's, Norm was animating on the Warner Bros. shorts by 1936, receiving his first on-screen credit for "Porky In The North Woods" (Tashlin, 1936).  

 

Over the next five years, Norm went on to animate on more than 50 Warner Bros. cartoon shorts, working for directors Frank Tashlin and Bob Clampett.  Among the greatest of the shorts Norm animated is the beloved classic "Porky in Wackyland" (Clampett, 1938).  

 

Norm was given his own unit at Schlesinger's in early 1941, and for the next three years, Norm directed about a dozen Looney Tunes.  Among my favorites of these are "The Impatient Patient" (Daffy Duck, 1942), "Daffy's Southern Exposure" (1942) and "The Daffy Duckaroo" (1942).  Being cartoons made in the early 40s, they all include lots of  WW2 references. 

 

In the 60s, 70s and 80s, Norm worked for just about every animation company in town.

Norm returned to Warner Bros. in the late 80s, and worked steadily at Warner Bros. Animation from 1989 to 1998, where he slugged boards and timed exposure sheets. 

In 1991, I managed to talk Norm into directing an episode of "Tiny Toon Adventures" entitled "Lifeguard Lunacy."   

It was around this time that Norm came to me with the first draft of a memoir he had written.   He asked me to hang onto it, and hoped that some day, if anyone was interested,  I would share it with others.   

I told him I was honored...and I would be happy to share it.

Well, "some day" has arrived.   

It's time to share it.   

So, here's Part One of Norm McCabe's Memoir...

I'd be glad to share more if there are a bunch of you interested in Norm and his career and his memoirs.   Let me know.  Please feel free to make comments!  

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

"The Warner Brothers Cartoons" by Will Friedwald and Jerry Beck

‎2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of "the bible" of Warner Bros. cartoons: "The Warner Brothers Cartoons" by Will Friedwald and Jerry Beck.  It offered up plot summaries and credits for every WB short cartoon from 1929 to 1969.  It included overviews of the studio, profiles of the major cartoon stars, the directors, actors, animators and artists, and offered historical context for many of the cartoons.  Packed with intensely researched and invaluable information.  An awesome book.  Infinitely readable.   And published by Scarecrow Press which, at that time, was headquartered in my home town of Metuchen, NJ!    

 

Happy anniversary, Jerry! 

Jerry and Will's "Warner Brothers Cartoons" book has been retitled and repackaged as "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies:  A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons."  Highly recommended!    You can find that book and others by Jerry at this link:   Books by Jerry Beck

Cartoon Constellations Chart from "Film Comment" (1975)

Back in 1975, when I was in the thick of making my first animated cartoon, Film Comment came out with an all-cartoon issue, which included an interview with Chuck Jones, one of my major animation heroes.  This issue also featured a poster-sized wall chart by Joe Adamson (author of "Tex Avery:  King of Cartoons") that highlighted the major cartoon stars from each Hollywood studio during the Golden Era.  This chart went on my wall in '75 and stayed on my wall, wherever I happened to be working, until the early 90's when it started to disintegrate.  I took it down, put it in a drawer, and I never saw it again.  Until today!   I was looking for some papers in a drawer and instead I found, lo and behold, the long-lost "Cartoon Constellations" chart by Joe Adamson!  I spent the last few hours scanning and restoring my old copy of it, cleaning up some of the scratches and pushpin-holes that it's collected over the past 36 years.  I can't find another copy of it on the web, at least at the moment, so I thought I'd share it with you.  I've always found it very inspirational.

Joe Adamson's book on Tex can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Tex-Avery-King-Cartoons-Paperback/dp/0306802481

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 18 --Daffy, Yogi, Scooby and Gossamer

Two more images from the "Mixed Nutz" pitch.

Daffy and Yogi argue over their own respective studliness and the kind of music they want to listen to during a cross-country trek in this segment from "Mixed Nutz."

Scooby encounters Looney Tunes monster star Gossamer, who's the pet of the local mad scientist veterinarian, in this "Mixed Nutz" sequence.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 14 -- Daffy Vs. Everyone

A few more images from "Mixed Nutz," the animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros back in 2008.  In "Mixed Nuts," the cartoon worlds of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters come together, resulting in some unique pairings and some new variations on the classic themes.

Of course, Daffy Duck would demand plenty of air time on "Mixed Nuts."   As he put it, "A star of my stature should expect nothing less."   But in this show, Daffy would find himself constantly outflanked by scene-stealers like Yogi Bear...

  ...and upstaged by spotlight-hogging hams like Snagglepuss.  

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nuts" -- Part 9 -- Yogi with Daffy and Taz

More images from "Mixed Nutz" (2008), the animated TV series I proposed to Warner Bros. that would have teamed up Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera stars.

In "Mixed Nutz," Yogi was cast in a starring role... and his laid back demeanor would prove to be a source of great frustration for Daffy.

In this segment (above) from "Mixed Nutz," the Bugs/Daffy/Elmer "Hunting Season Trilogy" gets a new chapter during "Bear Season."  

Even Yogi can learn a few lessons about the consumption of edible goodies when Taz makes an unscheduled stop at Jellystone Park.
 

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 8 -- Bugs Meets Scooby, Daffy Meets Dino

More  proposed segments for "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- the animated show I pitched to Warners Bros. that matched up characters from Looney Tunes with stars from the Hanna-Barbera universe.

 

Bugs Bunny upstages and confuses the daylights out of Scooby and the gang during a spooky mystery that takes place inside the Motion Picture Hospital and Animators' Retirement Home in Calabasas.

After Daffy replaces an injured Shaggy in the Scooby Doo series, Scooby quits in protest, and is replaced by Dino, much to Daffy's consternation.

More to come... 

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 3 -- Snooper, Blabber, Daffy, Top Cat & Wile E. Coyote

More images from "Mixed Nutz," a proposed animated TV show that teams the Looney Tunes characters with the classic Hanna-Barbera stars.  

I pitched "Mixed Nutz" to Warner Bros. back in 2008, and they green-lit it to pilot.  Then they withdrew the green-light when a new regime was hired to run Warner Bros. Television Animation.   

So the pilot was never made.  All that remains of "Mixed Nutz" are these pieces of cartoon art that I pulled together at the time...along with some written material, including the show bible, springboards, some scripted segments, and a first draft of the pilot script featuring Bugs, Daffy, Yogi and other cast members.  

Above:  Duck Twacy teams up with detec-a-tives Snooper, Blabber and Huckleberry Hound in this comedy spin on the "Law and Order" franchise.


 

After years of failure out in the desert, Wile E. Coyote tries his luck at finding food in the suburbs, only to encounter Top Cat and his gang, who have fled the city in search of greener pastures...and easier marks.  

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 2

More images from my 2008 pitch to Warner Bros. for a new animated TV series starring not only the Looney Tunes but the Hanna-Barbera stars as well:  "Mixed Nutz."

In "Mixed Nutz," Yogi's pic-a-nic basket filching has brought him fame as "the world's most successful moocher."  He travels the globe giving seminars on pan-handling, like a grifter-version of  Tony Robbins.  Above:  When Yogi overstays his welcome at Bugs' Malibu beachfront home, the rabbit gives the bear a nudge toward the door.  

I kept Daffy and Porky together as a team for this parody of "The Terminator."  Rosey the Robot returns from the future to prevent Daffy from screwing up the world.

In the southwest, El Kabong is hired by the Highway Patrol to put the kibosh (and the "kabong") on the freeway speeder...the Roadrunner.

(I do so love El Kabong's rope from nowhere.)

More to come...