The Sound Effects Genius Behind The Looney Tunes And Merrie Melodies
On August 17, 2016
- TV History
If It Sounds Funny…You Can Thank Treg Brown!
For all of us that grew up with the great cartoons of the 40s, 50s and 60s, here’s a nice story on the man behind the silly sounds, that were such a big part of the fun. The two videos in the attached artilce are full of thing’s you’ve heard all your life…now you know who to thank. Enjoy! -Bobby Ellerbee
Back in the good old days of showbiz, sound effects were created by foley artists who made a racket and recorded their sounds right on the spot, without any digital help or enhancement. And when it came to cartoon sound effects there was one man who made that madcap racket we all know and love from t…
My favorite sounds were the sound of Bob McKimson’s kangaroo hop by twanging a brass strip held on a table and recording that. The second one was taking a hammer to piano strings for that one sound. I guess that one made piano tuners really mad.
One of the greatest sound effects engineers who ever lived.
Treg Brown is the man who gave my former employer, Mel Blanc, his start at Warner Bros.!
“Now Hear This” is a Treg Brown masterpiece.
Thank you, Stanley. Of course, they didn’t mention the origin of my favorite Looney Tunes sound: a body hitting the ground after falling. It always sounded like a canvas duffel bag.
Warner Brothers cartoons are a very big part of who I am today. I remember sitting at my grandmothers house watching the Road Runner and laughing so hard that I was crying. I was 4 years old at the time. It wasn’t just the visuals that took me in it was also the audio. Thanks for this fascinating behind the scenes post on Treg Brown. At 4 I noticed his name on the credits and now I can fully appreciate the man himself. You did it again Bobby.
A great story, and with Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn handling the music were also true geniuses too!
A great story.
As a video editor for over 20 years I know all too well these things don’t “just happen”. There are many elements that go into these productions that the average person takes for granted. But there’s always a tech behind it somewhere. … Thank you, Treg Brown.