Leon Schlesinger

Leon Schlesinger (born May 20, 1884 in Philadelphia , † December 25, 1949 in Los Angeles ) was an American film producer . At Warner Brothers he produced the series Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, among others, during the golden era of American cartoons .

Before Schlesinger became a producer, he worked as an usher , agent, actor and manager. He began his career in Hollywood as head of the company Pacific Art and Title , which produced text panels for subtitles in silent films. Schlesinger made the acquaintance of Jack L. Warner through Pacific Art and Title , from which a friendship developed. With the appearance of the talkies at the end of the 1920s, the company's business area ceased to exist. Legend has it that Schlesinger helped Warner Brothers finance their first sound film, The Jazz Singer . Subsequently, he is said to have signed a contract to produce Looney Tunes. Schlesinger engaged the animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising , who created the successful character Bosko .

After Harman and Ising had left Warner Bros. in 1934, Schlesinger hired new employees, who later also became well-known greats in the field of animation films. The Looney Tunes were continued by Friz Freleng , who was also responsible for the sister series Merrie Melodies. Other discoveries by Schlesinger were Tex Avery , Carl Stalling and Frank Tashlin , later Bob Clampett , Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc . Schlesinger set up his animation company on the Warner Brothers premises on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. After he had sold his stake in Pacific Art & Title in 1936, he focused exclusively on cartoon production. He largely stayed out of the actual production and left the creation of the films to his directors. His only claim was commercial success at the box office.

Schlesinger often acted inconsiderately and was considered a tough businessman. His crew worked in a shabby building called Termite Terrace, and during a strike in 1941, he unceremoniously closed the company. He had a speech impediment that was responsible for the lisp voices of Daffy Duck and Sylvester . In a 1940 real film / cartoon mix ( You Ought to Be in Pictures , Freleng) Schlesinger had a cameo in which he portrayed himself.

He sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944 for US $ 700,000. He marketed the figures that had been created under his aegis until his death in 1949.

Web links

Commons : Leon Schlesinger  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Leon Schlesinger in the Internet Movie Database (English)