Michael Maltese

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Maltese began his career in 1935 at Fleischer Studios as a cel painter but was fired just a year later for rapidly advancing to an assistant animator position. In April 1937, Leon Schlesinger Productions hired him as an in-betweener; he soon became a storyman because his jokes made the staff laugh. He appeared on camera as a live-action guard in the 1940 short You Ought to Be in Pictures and voiced characters like the Benito Mussolini duck in The Ducktators (1942). From 1943 to 1946, he collaborated with Tedd Pierce before dissolving that partnership to work exclusively with Chuck Jones. Together they created Academy Award-winning entries such as For Scent-imental Reasons (1949) and the documentary So Much for So Little (1949). His scripts introduced Yosemite Sam in Hare Trigger and Michigan J. Frog in One Froggy Evening, while defining iconic duels in Rabbit Fire and Duck Amuck.

In Their Own Story

When Jones's unit shuttered in 1953 during the 3-D craze, Maltese moved to Walter Lantz Productions, writing for Woody Woodpecker cartoons like Helter Shelter and Witch Crafty. He also penned Chilly Willy's Academy Award-nominated The Legend of Rockabye Point, directed by Tex Avery. By early 1954, Jones's unit was resurrected, and Maltese returned to Warner Bros., releasing his first post-shutdown credits on Rocket-Bye Baby and the Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner short Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z. He left Jones's team for good in 1958, with his final theatrical credit appearing on The Mouse on 57th Street in 1961. From 1958 to 1972, he wrote 200 storyboards for Hanna-Barbera productions including The Flintstones and Wacky Races. He briefly returned to work with Jones at Sib-Tower 12 Productions from 1963 to 1965 on Tom and Jerry shorts before his final project, Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century, released in 1980.

Reader's Guide

For fans tracing Maltese's evolution, start with his early Freleng collaborations like Fresh Hare and Baseball Bugs. His peak era with Chuck Jones features seminal works such as Bear Feat, Rabbit of Seville, A Pest in the House, and the Academy Award-winning For Scent-imental Reasons (1949). The 1950s produced his most celebrated titles: Feed the Kitty, Beep, Beep, Rabbit Seasoning, Don't Give Up the Sheep, Duck Amuck, Bully for Bugs, Bewitched Bunny, From A to Z-Z-Z-Z, and Beanstalk Bunny. Later works include Ali Baba Bunny, Robin Hood Daffy, the top-rated What's Opera, Doc?, and Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century. For Robert McKimson, he wrote Rabbit Romeo and Fox-Terror; for Freleng, Person to Bunny (the last time Arthur Q. Bryan voiced Elmer Fudd) and Here Today, Gone Tamale (his only Speedy Gonzales script). His non-Warner credits include the Lantz shorts mentioned above and his extensive Hanna-Barbera tenure.

Did You Know?

• Maltese was fired from Fleischer Studios after only one year because he quickly promoted himself to assistant animator.
• He appeared on camera as a live-action guard in You Ought to Be in Pictures (1940), voiced by Mel Blanc.
• His writing credits include the only Speedy Gonzales cartoon ever written: Here Today, Gone Tamale.
• Maltese wrote 200 storyboards for Hanna-Barbera Productions between 1958 and 1972.
• Four of the top five 'greatest cartoons' judged by 1,000 animation professionals were produced during his collaboration with Chuck Jones.