Biography
Tex Avery was a natural artist from a young age, he did a comic book in high school, and he went to an art college. He was famous for producing cartoons during the “Golden Age of Hollywood”. He is most synonymous for the work he did for Warner Bros. (working in the famous “Termite Terrace”) also working for Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios, creating the characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Droopy. His work had a vast far-reaching influence in the 1940’s and 1950’s. “Avery’s directing style broke the mold of strict realism established by Walt Disney”. He died on the job at Hanna Barbera Studios (had been suffering from lung cancer for a year)
Family and early life
Parents, George Walton Avery and Mary Augusta “Jessie” Bean Paternal grandparents, Needham Avery and Lucinda C. Baxley Maternal grandparents, Frederick Mumford Bean and Minnie Edgar Tex’s interest in animation began at an early age. He started drawing comic strips in high school. Where he came up with the famous catch phrase “what’s up doc”. He graduated from high school in 1926.
Career outline
While at Walter Lantz studios, Avery did work on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon series. He left Lantz studios and had the opportunity to lead his own production team with Warner Bros. In 1935, he was assigned the Looney Toons cartoon series. Along with his creative team of Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, and Frank Tashlin, Avery had the almost insurmountable task of dethroning the Walt Disney Studio, who were the kings of short animated film at the time. They succeeded by creating such lunatic, zany characters, like Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny.
“Unlike Disney, Avery cartoons had their own personality”. He later went on to work for MGM in 1941, and created characters like George and Junior, The Wolf, Droopy, and Screwball “Screwy” Squirrel. After MGM, Avery went back to Lantz studios for a short time and directed four cartoons, which introduced the character Chilly Willy the penguin. In the 1960’s Tex got involved in commercials for Raid, and Frito Lay’s. His final employer was Hanna Barbera studio, where he wrote gags for Saturday morning cartoons like Kwicky Koala.
Personal style
Avery had a terrific, zany sense of humor, which showed in his films. His favorite story’s to tell were the American “tall tales”, that were predominant in Texas. Also I found it interesting that he couldn’t see out of his left eye, thus his depth of perception was hindered. But in my opinion it didn’t take away from his films, instead it added a sort of “bizarre directional style”. I also like how Avery disregarded realism in his works, like laws of gravity, and life and death situations. His characters personalities were very dynamic, almost insane at times (good example would be Daffy Duck).
Influences
Walter Lantz Walt Disney Telling his Texas sized “tall tales” and stories. Appealing to grown ups as well as children. The loss of vision in his left eye as a result of “horse play” by his co-workers, instead of hindering him, it inspired him to a “driving perfectionism”.
Honors and awards
Academy Award/Oscar: (1943) Nominated for Best Short Subject, Cartoons for: Wolf Blitz (1942) Annie Award: (1974) Winsor McCay Award
Filmography
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- Director:
- Towne Hall Follies (1935) (uncredited)
- Quail Hunt (1935) (uncredited)
- Gold Diggers of ’49 (1935) (as Fred Avery)
- The Blow Out (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- Plane Dippy (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- I’d Love to Take Orders from You (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- Page Miss Glory (1936) (uncredited)…, Aka Miss Glory (USA: short title)
- I Love to Singa (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- Porky the Rainmaker (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- The Village Smithy (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- Milk and Money (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- Don’t Look Now (1936) (as Fred Avery)
- Porky the Wrestler (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Picador Porky (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Porky’s Duck Hunt (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- I Only Have Eyes for You (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Uncle Tom’s Bungalow (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Ain’t We Got Fun (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Porky’s Garden (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- I Wanna Be a Sailor (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Egghead Rides Again (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- A Sunbonnet Blue (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Little Red Walking Hood (1937) (as Fred Avery)
- Daffy Duck & Egghead (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- The Sneezing Weasel (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- The Penguin Parade (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- The Isle of Pingo Pongo (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- A Fued There Was (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- Daffy Duck in Hollywood (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- Cinderella Meets Fella (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- The Mice Will Play (1938) (as Fred Avery)
- Hamateur Night (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- A Day at the Zoo (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Thugs with Dirty Mugs (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Believe It or Else (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Dangerous Dan McFoo (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Detouring America (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Land of the Midnight Fun (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Fresh Fish (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- Screwball Football (1939) (as Fred Avery)
- The Early Worm Gets the Bird (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- Cross Country Detours (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- The Bear’s Tale (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- A Gander at Mother Goose (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- Circus Today (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- A Wild Hare (1940) (as Fred Avery)…, Aka The Wild Hare (USA: reissue title)
- Ceiling Hero (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- Wacky Wildlife (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- Of Fox and Hounds (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- Holiday Highlights (1940) (as Fred Avery)
- The Haunted Mouse (1941) (as Fred Avery)
- The Crackpot Quail (1941) (as Fred Avery)
- Tortoise Beats Hare (1941) (as Fred Avery)
- Porky’s Preview (1941) (as Fred Avery)
- Hollywood Steps Out (1941) (uncredited)
- The Heckling Hare (1941) (uncredited)
- Aviation Vacation (1941) (as Fred Avery)
- Speaking of Animals Down on the Farm (1941)…, Aka Down on the Farm (USA: short title)
- All This and Rabbit Stew (1941) (uncredited)
- The Bug Parade (1941) (uncredited)
- Speaking of Animals in the Zoo (1941)
- The Cagey Canary (1941) (uncredited)
- Aloha Hooey (1942) (uncredited)
- Crazy Cruise (1942) (uncredited)
- Blitz Wolf (1942)
- The Early Bird Dood It! (1942)
- Dumb Hounded (1943)
- Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
- Who Killed Who? (1943)
- One Ham’s Family (1943)
- What’s Buzzin’ Buzzard? (1944)
- Screwball Squirrel (1944)
- Batty Baseball (1944)
- Happy-Go-Nutty (1944)
- Big Heel-Watha (1944)…, Aka Buck of the Month
- The Screwy Truant (1945)
- Jerky Turkey (1945)
- The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945)…, Aka The Shooting of Dan McScrew
- Swing Shift Cinderella (1945)…, Aka Swingshift Cinderella (USA: poster title)
- Wild and Woolfy (1945)…, Aka Robinson’s Screwball
- Lonesome Lenny (1946)
- The Hick Chick (1946)
- Northwest Hounded Police (1946)…, Aka The Man Hunt
- Henpecked Hoboes (1946)
- Hound Hunters (1947)
- Red Hot Rangers (1947)
- Uncle Tom’s Cabana (1947)
- Slap Happy Lion (1947)
- King-Size Canary (1947)
- What Price Fleadom (1948)
- Little ‘Tinker (1948)
- Half-Pint Pygmy (1948)
- Lucky Ducky (1948)
- The Cat That Hated People (1948)
- Bad Luck Blackie (1949)
- Senor Droopy (1949)
- The House of Tomorrow (1949)
- Doggone Tired (1949)
- Wags to Riches (1949)…, Aka From Wags to Riches
- Little Rural Riding Hood (1949)
- Out-Foxed (1949)
- The Counterfeit Cat (1949)
- Ventriloquist Cat (1950)
- The Cuckoo Clock (1950)
- Garden Gopher (1950)
- The Chump Champ (1950)
- The Peachy Cobbler (1950)
- Cock-a-Doodle Dog (1951)
- Daredevil Droopy (1951)
- Droopy’s Good Deed (1951)
- Symphony in Slang (1951)
- Car of Tomorrow (1951)
- Droopy’s Double Trouble (1951)
- Little Johnny Jet (1952)
- Magical Maestro (1952)
- One Cab’s Family (1952)
- Rock-a-Bye Bear (1952)
- T.V. of Tomorrow (1953)
- The Three Little Pups (1953)
- Crazy Mixed Up Pup (1954)…, Aka Crazy Mixed-up Pup (USA)
- Drag-A-Long Droopy (1954)
- Billy Boy (1954)
- Homesteader Droopy (1954)
- Farm of Tomorrow (1954)
- The Flea Circus (1954)
- Dixieland Droopy (1954)
- I’m Cold (1954)
- The Legend of Rockabye Point (1955)…, Aka Legend of Rock-A-Bye Point (USA: video box title)…, Aka The Rock-a-Bye Legend (USA: reissue title)
- Field and Scream (1955)
- Sh-h-h-h-h-h (1955)
- The First Bad Man (1955)
- Deputy Droopy (1955)
- Cellbound (1955)
- Millionaire Droopy (1956)
- “The Woody Woodpecker Show” (1957)
- T.V. series (theatrical cartoon segments)
- “Tom and Jerry” (1965)
- T.V. series (uncredited)
- Woody Woodpecker and His Friends (1982) (V) (original material)
- “Merrie Melodies”: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends (1990)
- T.V. series (original material)
- “That’s Warner Bros.!” (1995)
- “The Bugs and Daffy Show” (1996)
- “Cartoon Alley” (2004) T.V. series (original material)
- Writer:
- Quail Hunt (1935)
- Crazy Mixed Up Pup (1954) (written by)
- Sh-h-h-h-h-h (1955)
- “The Woody Woodpecker Show” (1957) T.V. series (writer)
- “Tom and Jerry” (1965) T.V. series (writer) (uncredited)
- “The Kwiky Koala Show” (1981) T.V. series (creator) Himself:
- Bugs Bunny Superstar (1976) Himself
References:
- Bright Lights Film Journal/ The Life and Career of Tex Avery
- Cawley, John. Cartoon Superstars. Pioneer Books, 1990
- Horn, Maurice. The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons. Chelsea House, 1999
- Lenburg, Jeff. The Great Cartoon Directors. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1983.
- Lenburg, Jeff. Who’s Who in Animated Cartoons. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2006.
- Place-Verghnes, Floriane. Tex Avery: A Unique Legacy (1942-1955). New York: John Libbey, 1993.