Jones, Charles Martin

▪ 2003

“Chuck” 

      American animator (b. Sept. 21, 1912, Spokane, Wash.—d. Feb. 22, 2002, Corona del Mar, Calif.), created some of the world's most famous and most loved cartoon characters during a 70-year career. His more than 300 films were peopled by such Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated beings as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Pepe Le Pew, Marvin Martian, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote. Jones dropped out of high school, but not before having his illustrations published in the school paper and yearbook. Despite his lack of a diploma, he studied at the Chouinard Art Institute (now the California Institute of the Arts), graduating in 1930. Jones's first job was as a cel washer for Ub Iwerks' Celebrity Productions. He worked his way up to assistant animator before going (1933) to Leon Schlesinger's studio—affectionately known as Termite Terrace to those who worked there—which produced cartoons for Warner Brothers. By 1938 he had become a director, with The Night Watchman his first cartoon. Bugs Bunny made a small appearance, his first, later that year in Porky's Hare Hunt, and in 1940 Jones began his more than 50 years of featuring Bugs in his own cartoons. During World War II, Jones collaborated with Theodor Geisel (“Dr. Seuss”) on army training films that featured Private Snafu, whose name originated in a popular military acronym. They later revisited their partnership for television productions of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), which won a Peabody Award, and Horton Hears a Who! (1970). In the meantime, Jones had created such cartoon classics as Duck Amuck (1953) and What's Opera, Doc? (1957), had won Academy Awards in 1950 for So Much for So Little and Scent-imental Reasons and in 1965 for The Dot and the Line, and had begun (1962) working at MGM on Tom and Jerry cartoons. Later works included the feature-length cartoon The Phantom Tollbooth (1971), television series and specials, and the autobiographies Chuck Amuck (1989) and Chuck Reducks (1996). In 1996 Jones was honoured with an Academy Award for lifetime achievement.

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