Fred Quimby
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| Fred Quimby | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederick C. Quimby July 31, 1883 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Died | September 16, 1965 (aged 82) Santa Monica, California |
Frederick C. "Fred" Quimby (July 31, 1883[1] – September 16, 1965) was the producer in charge of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, which most notably included the Tom and Jerry team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and Tex Avery.
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[edit] Life and career
Quimby was born in Minneapolis, and started his career as a journalist. In 1907, he managed a film theater in Missoula, Montana. Later, he worked at Pathe, rising to become a member of the board of directors before leaving in 1921 to become an independent producer. He was hired by Fox in 1924, and then MGM in 1927. By the mid-1930's, he had become head of the animated films department at MGM.[2]
In 1938, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera presented him with their project for a series of cartoons featuring a cat and a mouse. Quimby approved[2], and the result was Puss Gets The Boot, nominated for an Academy Award. As producer, Quimby became a repeated recipient of the Academy Award for Animated Short Film for the Tom and Jerry films, and his name became well known due to its prominence in the cartoon credits. However, Quimby was very much unliked:
| “ | ...unfortunately for a cartoon producer, [he had] no sense of humor to call upon... He knew nothing of animation and cartoons were a strange thing to him. Cast in the role of high school principal opposite the animators' boyish enthusiasms, he acted as liaisons between them and the front office, usually it seemed, turning down requests for bigger budgets, raises and special dispensations of funds.[3] | ” |
Quimby retired from MGM in 1955, with Hanna and Barbera assuming his role as co-heads of the studio. MGM's cartoon division did not last long after; it was closed in 1957.
Fred Quimby died in Santa Monica, California in 1965.
Quimby is affectionately referenced in The Simpsons in the surname of Mayor Quimby and explicitly as his nephew Freddy Quimby. Itchy and Scratchy are also a parody of the exaggerated violence in Tom and Jerry cartoons.
[edit] Oscar credits
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1940: The Milky Way - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1941: The Night Before Christmas - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1941: The Rookie Bear - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1942: The Blitz Wolf - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1943: The Yankee Doodle Mouse - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1944: Mouse Trouble - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1945: Quiet Please! - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1946: The Cat Concerto - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1947: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1948: The Little Orphan - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1949: Hatch Up Your Troubles - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1950: Jerry's Cousin - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1951: The Two Mouseketeers - Producer
- Winner Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1952: Johann Mouse - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1952: Little Johnny Jet - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1954: Touché, Pussy Cat! - Producer
- Nominated for Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1955: Good Will to Men - Producer (with William Hanna & Joseph Barbera)
[edit] References
- ^ A minority of sources give an alternative birth date of 1886.
- ^ a b The Creators
- ^ http://www.tomandjerryonline.com/synopsis.cfm Similar opinions are expressed elsewhere, eg at http://www.animationshow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1766.
[edit] External links
- Fred Quimby at the Internet Movie Database
- Fred Quimby at NNDB
- The Tom and Jerry Story
- The Creators - The Magic Behind The Cartoon
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