**This class will be taught on Zoom**
A comprehensive history of Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, and their artists, who gave us Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Smurfs, Huckleberry Hound, The Banana Splits, Wacky Races, and hundreds more. Their television work in animation and live-action is covered in detail, along with theatrical films, recordings, and the overall impact the studio had on the entertainment industry to this day.
Week by Week Outline
Week 1 - Bill and Joe Create Tom and Jerry at MGM
The early days of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; how Tom and Jerry came to be; animation landmarks with Gene Kelly and Esther Williams; Oscar-winning cartoons; and the sad end of Hollywood short cartoons.
Week 2 - Here comes Ruff, Reddy, Huck, and Yogi
How Hanna-Barbera developed a new way to produce animation and keep countless people working, beginning with The Ruff and Reddy Show; the sophisticated appeal of The Huckleberry Hound Show; Yogi Bear’s breakout stardom; The Quick Draw McGraw Show; and the lesser-known Loopy DeLoop.
Week 3 - The Flintstones Rock Prime Time TV
A look at how The Flintstones remains the benchmark for all the series that followed, examining how the format was developed and refined over the six-season network run, as well as the classic follow-up prime time animated series, Top Cat, The Jetsons, and Jonny Quest.
Week 4 - Scooby-Doo, Here You Are!
Hanna-Barbera’s preeminence in Saturday morning network television in the sixties and seventies, from “funny animal” cartoons and pop-based series to superheroes and mysteries, particularly the massively successful Scooby-Doo.
Week 5 - Smurfing Through the Centuries
How Hanna-Barbera continued to innovate in TV animation, especially through the Emmy-winning and trend-setting Smurfs series, as well as expansion into theme parks and popular culture from one century to the next.
Week 6 - Hanna-Barbera at the Movies
Hanna-Barbera’s ventures into animated and live-action movies and TV specials, including early documentary and industrial work, innovative prime-time events; and feature films from Charlotte’s Web and Steven Spielberg’s The Flintstones blockbuster hit, to the countless Scooby-Doo films and the 2021 big-screen hit Tom and Jerry.
