Warren Foster

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

He joined Leon Schlesinger Productions in 1937 and began writing for the studio, receiving a credit on Porky in Wackyland (1938). He collaborated primarily with Bob Clampett until the early 1940s. By 1944, he served as the primary storyman for both Clampett and Frank Tashlin. Following their departures, Robert McKimson became his sole collaborator for the remainder of the decade. In 1949, director Friz Freleng recruited Foster to be his primary storyman, a role he held until 1957. During this time, he wrote 169 shorts for the studio (or 170 depending on counting), departing in 1957 after finishing work on the Tweety short Tweet Dreams (ultimately released in 1959). He did not compose Tweety's theme song, I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat; that song was written by Alan Livingston, Billy May, and others.

In Their Own Story

Foster worked on several cartoons considered among the greatest ever, including Porky in Wackyland, Book Revue, Show Biz Bugs, The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, and Daffy Doodles. The latter four featured Daffy Duck. His portfolio also included Catty Cornered (1953), featuring Sylvester the Cat, and Bugs and Thugs (1954), featuring Bugs Bunny. He is credited with controversial banned cartoons such as Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs and Tin Pan Alley Cats. Upon leaving Warner Bros., he initially worked at John Sutherland Productions on industrial film screenplays like Rhapsody in Steel. In 1959, recommended by former Warner alumnus Michael Maltese, Foster joined Hanna-Barbera. There, he spent seven years as a writer on programs including The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Yogi Bear Show, Loopy De Loop, and The Flintstones. His final work was the feature-length The Man Called Flintstone in 1966. Iwao Takamoto stated regarding Foster's influence: "I believe his influence was one of the key factors for its success".

Reader's Guide

Foster's career trajectory offers a clear map of animation history from the Fleischer era to the television age. There, he navigated shifting directorial leadership: starting with Bob Clampett, moving through Frank Tashlin and Robert McKimson, and finally settling under Friz Freleng from 1949 until his departure in 1957. This transition highlights how a single storyman could adapt to different directing styles over two decades. After Warner Bros., Foster demonstrated versatility by writing industrial films at John Sutherland Productions before transitioning to television animation with Hanna-Barbera. His seven-year tenure there, beginning with The Huckleberry Hound Show and culminating in The Man Called Flintstone (1966), illustrates the shift from theatrical shorts to TV series and feature-length animated specials.

Did You Know?

• Foster did not compose Tweety's theme song, I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat; it was written by Alan Livingston, Billy May, and others.
• He wrote only one Popeye short for Famous Studios: The Spinach Roadster (1951).
• Iwao Takamoto credited Foster as one of the key factors for The Flintstones' success.
• Foster did not work on the controversial shorts Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs or Tin Pan Alley Cats; those were written by Bob Clampett and others.