Thursday, May 11, 2006

MGM Backgrounds

Here's some backgrounds from one of my favorite Tex Avery cartoons, Red Hot Riding Hood and one of the most charming Tom and Jerry shorts, Mouse In Manhattan. Johnny Johnson painted the Red Hot Riding Hood backgrounds. I'm not sure if he did the Mouse In Manhattan ones though. I can't find background credits for it, not online or in any books. Anybody know? Either way they are beautiful. The paintings of Manhattan are great, especially the one with the skyline.


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5 comments:

  1. Michael5/15/2006 5:31 AM

    Thanks for posting these lovely BG's

    As to who might have painted them, I suggest you look carefully at the neon sign for hosiery in the skyline BG.
    As a background painter myself, I know the temptation of trying to grab a bit of screen immortality by incorporating one's own name into an onscreen ad or sign.

    Might this be the case here?

    I can't make it out very clearly, but it looks like Carrol (?) Was that the name of a BG artist in the studio at that time?

    Just a thought!

    Michael

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  2. Anonymous5/25/2006 3:34 PM

    The Earl Carroll was a famous theater in NYC that featured live shows with comedians and scantily clad young ladies.

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  3. Anonymous5/30/2006 9:54 PM

    With reference to the background painter for RED HOT RIDING HOOD, the artist would have to be John D. Johnson. He was Tex Avery's background painter for all the years Tex was at MGM.

    MOUSE IN MANHATTAN would, in all probability, be Robert Gentle who was H&B's background painter for many, many years.

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  4. bgrauman5/31/2006 5:00 PM

    The backgrounds for "MOUSE IN MANHATTAN" are FANTASTIC!! I can actaully hear Scott Bradley's orchestration of "Manhattan Serenade" when I'm looking at them...that's how great they are!!!
    {It probably WAS Robert Gentle who painted them....}

    The backgrounds for "RED HOT RIDING HOOD" are nothin' to sneeze at, either!

    ;)

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  5. Kevin Langley6/01/2006 12:06 AM

    Thanks for clearing up who painted those Mouse In Manhattan backgrounds. I did a post some time ago with screen grabs of Robert Gentle's later Hanna Barbera backgrounds, which I also really love.

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