Joseph Roland Barbera was born in New
York City on March 24 th 1911. Despite showing a flair
for drawing, Barbera decided after high school to become
a banker, and he attended the American Institute of
Banking. He briefly worked as an accountant for a law
firm but found himself out of a job at the start of
the Depression.
After trying unsuccessfully to begin a new career
as a magazine cartoonist, he became associated with
the Van Beuren studio in 1932, working as an animator
and scriptwriter, notable on the Tom and Jerry series
(which featured two zany human characters in all kinds
of weird situations). When Van Beuren closed down in
1936, Barbera moved over to the Terrytoons studio.
In 1937 Barbera went west and joined the newly formed
MGM cartoon unit, first as a scriptwriter, then as an
animator. He teamed up with William
Hanna the following
year to direct Gallopin' Gals ; the association
proved mutually satisfying, and in 1939 Barbera and
Hanna collaborated again on "Puss Gets the Boot," the
first entry in the Tom and Jerry series. The Tom
and Jerry cartoons went on to dizzying success,
and from 1939 on the professional career of Joe Barbera
became inseparable from that of William Hanna.
Hanna and Barbera's 17-year partnership on the Tom & Jerry
series resulted in 7 Academy Awards for Best (Cartoon)
Short Subject, and 14 total nominations, more than any
other character-based theatrical animated series.
Hanna
and Barbera were placed in charge of MGM's animation
division in late 1955; however this was short-lived
as MGM closed the division in 1956. Following this they
teamed up to produce the series The Ruff & Reddy
Show, under the company name H-B Enterprises, soon changed
to Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Hanna-Barbera Productions became by the late-1960s
the most successful television animation studio in the
business, producing hit programs such as The
Flintstones,
The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, and Scooby-Doo, Where Are
You! by the end of the decade. The studio thrived until
1991, when Hanna and Barbera sold it to Turner Entertainment.
Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors and periodically
worked on new Hanna-Barbera shows.
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