John W. Burton

John William Burton (born August 18, 1906 in Rockford , Illinois , † June 1, 1978 in Los Angeles ) was an American film producer and cameraman.

Life

Burton studied at UCLA and began his film career as a cameraman with Leon Schlesinger Productions, where he was involved in the film series Merrie Melodies , later Looney Tunes . Warner bought the film studio in 1944 and Burton was now first production manager of the newly formed Warner Bros. Cartoons and in 1957 their producer. Among other things, Burton was also involved in the camera work on the only Warner cartoon in 3D, Lumber Jack-Rabbit (1954).

In 1959, he received the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Friz Freleng's Knighty Knight Bugs , which at the time went to the producers of the films, not the directors. The following year, Burton received another Oscar nomination for the Speedy Gonzales short animated film Mexicali Shmoes . Burton left Warner in 1960 to become executive director of Pacific Title and Art. He died in 1978 in Los Angeles. Burton's son John Burton junior (1932-2008) was active as a cameraman.

Filmography

• 1957: Rabbit Romeo
• 1958: Tortilla Flaps
• 1958: Robin Hood Daffy
• 1958: Hare-Way to the Stars
• 1958: A Waggily Tale
• 1958: Dog Tales
• 1958: Weasel While You Work
• 1958: Knighty Knight Bugs
• 1958: Hook, Line and Stinker
• 1958: Pre-Hysterical Hare
• 1958: Gopher Broke
• 1958: Hip Hip-Hurry!
• 1958: Cat Feud
• 1959: Baton Bunny
• 1959: Mouse-Placed Kitten
• 1959: The Mouse That Jack Built
• 1959: Apes of Wrath
• 1959: Hot-Rod and Reel!
• 1959: A Mutt in a Rut
• 1959: Mexicali Shmoes
• 1959: Here Today, Gone Tamale
• 1959: A Broken Leghorn
• 1959: A Witch's Tangled Hare
• 1959: Unnatural History
• 1960: Fastest with the Mostest
• 1960: West of the Pesos
• 1960: Horse Hare
• 1960: Wild Wild World
• 1960: Goldimouse and the Three Cats
• 1960: Person to Bunny
• 1960: Crockett-Doodle-Do
• 1960: Mouse and Garden
• 1961: Cannery Woe
• 1961: The Mouse on 57th Street
• 1961: Lickety-Splat
• 1961: A Scent of the Matterhorn
• 1961: The Last Hungry Cat
• 1962: Martian Through Georgia

Awards

• 1959: Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Knighty Knight Bugs
• 1960: Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film for Mexicali Shmoes

Web links

• John W. Burton in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Short biography of John W. Burton on i-foo.com ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )