Bernard B. Brown
Bernard B. Brown | |
---|---|
Born | (1898-07-24)July 24, 1898 La Farge, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Died | February 20, 1981(1981-02-20) (aged 82) Glendale, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Sound engineer |
Years active | 1930-1958 |
Bernard B. Brown (July 24, 1898 – February 20, 1981) was an American sound engineer and composer, who wrote the scores for many early animated cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures. He won an Academy Award in the category Sound Recording and was nominated for seven more in the same category. He was also nominated three times in the category Best Visual Effects. He worked on more than 520 films between 1930 and 1958.
Composer
In 1933, animation producer Leon Schlesinger set up his new animation studio: Leon Schlesinger Productions. The company would later be known as Warner Bros. Cartoons. Schlesinger had to hire new staff for his studio. According to animation historian Michael Barrier, Schlesinger "knew almost nothing about making cartoons" and took help wherever he could find it.[1] Among his new employees was Bernard Brown, who was in charge of recording sound and scores for the studio's films. According to a later interview with Brown, he worked on animated short films in addition to his regular work. This "regular work" was recording film scores for the feature films of the Warner Bros. studio. Brown would reportedly spend many hours working on the score of a big production, and then return to work on the score of a cartoon.[1]
Barrier credits Brown with having the useful ability to approach people in power ("big shots") with the right mixture of deference and ease. This made these people more comfortable with turning to him for help, even beyond the scope of his nominal expertise. Studio associate Bob Clampett described Brown as having the ability to ooze in any hole that needed filling.[1] Brown was supposedly responsible for Schlesinger hiring two of his friends, animator Tom Palmer and songwriter Norman Spencer.[1]
Tom Palmer was briefly the main director of the studio, but left after completing only two films. His replacement Earl Duvall left after completing only five films. Schlesinger was in need of new directors, and even Brown received credits for directing two Merrie Melodies shorts. According to Barrier, Brown was "no artist" and had no previous experience directing or animating films.[1] The films in question were Pettin' in the Park (1934) and Those Were Wonderful Days (1934).
Bernard Brown and Norman Spencer were responsible for the sound effects and the music of most animated films of the Schlesinger studio for a few years. Brown eventually left, in order to start a new job as head of the sound department at Universal Studios.[1] He was replaced in his responsibilities as sound editor by Treg Brown.[1]
Selected filmography
Brown won an Academy Award and was nominated for seven more in the category Best Sound:
- Won
- When Tomorrow Comes (1939)[2]
- Nominated (Best Sound)
- That Certain Age (1938)[3]
- Spring Parade (1940)[4]
- Appointment for Love (1941)[5]
- Arabian Nights (1942)[6]
- Phantom of the Opera (1943)[7]
- His Butler's Sister (1943)[8]
- Lady on a Train (1945)[9]
- Nominated (Best Visual Effects)
- The Boys from Syracuse (1940)[4]
- The Invisible Man Returns (1940)[4]
- Invisible Agent (1942)[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Barrier (2003), Warner Bros., pp. unnumbered pages
- ^ "The 12th Academy Awards (1940) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ^ "The 11th Academy Awards (1939) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ a b "The 15th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "The 16th Academy Awards (1944) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
- ^ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
Sources
- Barrier, Michael (2003), "Warner Bros., 1933-1940", Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199839223
External links
- Bernard B. Brown at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- Douglas Shearer (1929/30)
- Paramount Publix Studio Sound Department (1930/31)
- Paramount Publix Studio Sound Department (1931/32)
- Franklin Hansen (1932/33)
- John P. Livadary (1934)
- Douglas Shearer (1935)
- Douglas Shearer (1936)
- Thomas T. Moulton (1937)
- Thomas T. Moulton (1938)
- Bernard B. Brown (1939)
- Douglas Shearer (1940)
- Jack Whitney (1941)
- Nathan Levinson (1942)
- Stephen Dunn (1943)
- Edmund H. Hansen (1944)
- Stephen Dunn (1945)
- John P. Livadary (1946)
- Gordon E. Sawyer (1947)
- Thomas T. Moulton (1948)
- Thomas T. Moulton (1949)
- Thomas T. Moulton (1950)
- Douglas Shearer (1951)
- London Films Sound Department (1952)
- John P. Livadary (1953)
- Leslie I. Carey (1954)
- Fred Hynes (1955)
- Carlton W. Faulkner (1956)
- George Groves (1957)
- Fred Hynes (1958)
- Franklin Milton (1959)
- Fred Hynes and Gordon E. Sawyer (1960)
- Gordon E. Sawyer and Fred Hynes (1961)
- John Cox (1962)
- Franklin Milton (1963)
- George Groves (1964)
- James Corcoran and Fred Hynes (1965)
- Franklin Milton (1966)
- Samuel Goldwyn Studio (1967)
- Shepperton Studios (1968)
- Jack Solomon and Murray Spivack (1969)
- Douglas Williams and Don Bassman (1970)
- Gordon McCallum and David Hildyard (1971)
- Robert Knudson and David Hildyard (1972)
- Robert Knudson and Chris Newman (1973)
- Ronald Pierce and Melvin Metcalfe Sr. (1974)
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- Walter Murch, Mark Berger, Richard Beggs, and Nat Boxer (1979)
- Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, and Peter Sutton (1980)
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- Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo, and Gene Cantamessa (1982)
- Mark Berger, Tom Scott, Randy Thom, and David MacMillan (1983)
- Mark Berger, Tom Scott, Todd Boekelheide, and Chris Newman (1984)
- Chris Jenkins, Gary Alexander, Larry Stensvold, and Peter Handford (1985)
- John Wilkinson, Richard Rogers, Charles Grenzbach, and Simon Kaye (1986)
- Bill Rowe and Ivan Sharrock (1987)
- Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander, Vern Poore, and Willie D. Burton (1988)
- Donald O. Mitchell, Gregg Rudloff, Elliot Tyson, and Russell Williams II (1989)
- Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton, Gregory H. Watkins, and Russell Williams II (1990)
- Tom Johnson, Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, and Lee Orloff (1991)
- Chris Jenkins, Doug Hemphill, Mark Smith, and Simon Kaye (1992)
- Gary Summers, Gary Rydstrom, Shawn Murphy, and Ron Judkins (1993)
- Gregg Landaker, Steve Maslow, Bob Beemer, and David MacMillan (1994)
- Rick Dior, Steve Pederson, Scott Millan, and David MacMillan (1995)
- Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker, and Chris Newman (1996)
- Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, and Mark Ulano (1997)
- Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, and Ron Judkins (1998)
- John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, David E. Campbell, and David Lee (1999)
- Bob Beemer, Scott Millan, and Ken Weston (2000)
- Michael Minkler, Chris Munro, and Myron Nettinga (2001)
- David Lee, Michael Minkler, and Dominick Tavella (2002)
- Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek, and Michael Semanick (2003)
- Scott Millan, Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer, and Steve Cantamessa (2004)
- Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, and Hammond Peek (2005)
- Bob Beemer, Willie D. Burton, and Michael Minkler (2006)
- Kirk Francis, Scott Millan, and David Parker (2007)
- Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, and Ian Tapp (2008)
- Paul N. J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett (2009)
- Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, and Ed Novick (2010)
- Tom Fleischman and John Midgley (2011)
- Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, and Simon Hayes (2012)
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- Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, and Thomas Curley (2014)
- Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, and Ben Osmo (2015)
- Kevin O'Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie, and Peter Grace (2016)
- Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, and Gary Rizzo (2017)
- Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin, and John Casali (2018)
- Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson (2019)
- Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés Navarrete, and Michelle Couttolenc (2020)
- Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, and Ron Bartlett (2021)
- Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, and Mark Taylor (2022)
- Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn (2023)