Cast of Friends

Hanna was born in New Mexico in 1910 and as a child moved to Southern California. During the Depression, when he was forced to drop out of college and look for work, the only thing that came his way was a job as a janitor for a studio that made Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Moving through the ranks quickly, he learned the skills of writing, animating and timing and went on to create his own projects. When the studio folded, he moved to MGM as a director. There he met Barbera and they conceived the famous cat-and-mouse cartoon team of Tom and Jerry. Writing with freelancer Ito, Hanna tells wonderful stories about the industry, about how he hooked up with Gene Kelly to create the acclaimed animated dancing sequence in Anchors Aweigh and then about winning his first Academy Award in 1943 for Yankee Doodle Mouse. In 1957, MGM closed its animated studio, and Hanna and Barbera formed their own business and were soon producing such classical cartoon shows for TV as Ruff and Reddy, Huckleberry Hound and The Flintstones, the last of which Hanna says was inspired by The Honeymooners TV series. He goes on to reminisce about his family, how the industry has changed and his long association with the Boy Scouts. Those who grew up with Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone will love this book. (May)