Arthur Davis ( Davidavitch) (June 14, 1905 – May 9, 2000) was an American animator and director known for his time at the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. He was sometimes billed as Art Davis.
Early life Davis was born on June 14, 1905, in Yonkers, New York, to Hungarian parents. He is the younger brother of animators Emanuel "Mannie" Davis and Phil Davis. Mannie eventually became a key director for Terrytoons, while Phil worked alongside Arthur at the Screen Gems studio before he left in 1933.
Career Davis got his start as a teenager at Raoul Barré's studio in 1918. He later moved to the Jefferson Film Corporation, when the Mutt and Jeff cartoons began being made there in January 1921. In 1923, he joined the Out of The Inkwell Films (Fleischer Studios) in New York after Dick Huemer proposed him as an assistant in 1922.
Davis is reputed to have been the first in-betweener in the animation industry. Another distinction was his part in filming the "bouncing ball" for the "follow the bouncing ball" sing-along cartoons of the 1920s. While one of the Fleischer brothers played the ukulele, Davis would keep time with a wooden stick with a white cut-out circle on the end, which was filmed and incorporated into the cartoon.
In 1930, Davis became an assistant animator for the Charles Mintz studio, later known as Screen Gems after Columbia Pictures acquired a stake in the studio in 1933. He was soon promoted to animator. While there, he helped create and develop Toby the Pup and Scrappy with fellow animators Dick Huemer and Sid Marcus. Davis eventually was promoted to director alongside Marcus and remained at the studio even after Mintz died in 1939.
By 1941, Davis was fired from Screen Gems by Columbia following a mass discharge of its Mintz-era animators. After attempting to obtain a job from Walt Disney Productions, Davis was hired by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which would be renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons once Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. Pictures (WB). Initially animating for Norman McCabe's unit, Davis worked with Frank Tashlin when McCabe was drafted into the Army. The two men had previously collaborated with the 1941 cartoon The Great Cheese Mystery before Davis' termination from Screen Gems. He continued to animate under Tashlin's direction until late 1944, when the unit was assumed by Robert McKimson.
Later in 1945, when Bob Clampett left and went to Screen Gems, Davis took over Clampett's unit. Davis completed three cartoons left unfinished by Clampett: The Big Snooze, Goofy Gophers, and Bacall to Arms; cartoons still in the outline or storyboarding stages at the time of Clampett's departure were allocated to other directors.
Davis directed a number of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, with a tone somewhere between those of Clampett and McKimson. He had a distinctive characteristic visual style, which can be seen as far back as Davis' Columbia shorts, in which the characters move from the foreground to the background, as well as from side to side, using all axes of the animation field. Davis was said to prioritize the animation of his shorts over the writing, as he felt insecure with the writers he was given.
Davis' unit at WB was shut down only two years later in November 1947, when the studio was having a budget problem. Davis was then taken into Friz Freleng's unit and served as one of Freleng's key animators for many years. Following his departure from WB, Davis joined Hanna-Barbera (H-B), where he worked briefly as an animator and was a story director for The Flintstones and The Yogi Bear Show. He moonlighted with WB to direct Quackodile Tears, his last work as a director at WB. He continued to work off and on with the studio as a consultant or a timing director until his retirement.
After leaving H-B in 1962, Davis went to Walter Lantz Productions as an animator. He left Lantz in 1965, later joining DePatie–Freleng Enterprises to direct Pink Panther shorts and other cartoon series.
Death Outliving most of his peers, Davis died peacefully on May 9, 2000, aged 94 in Sunnyvale, California, after humming a tune. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.
Selected filmography Davis completed multiple films that were already being produced. For example, "The Goofy Gophers" had its audio recorded before Davis worked on it.
As director Release dateTitleSeriesNotes1934Babes at SeaColor Rhapsody 1935The Gloom ChasersScrappyThe Shoemaker and the ElvesColor RhapsodyA Cat, a Mouse and a BellThe Puppet Murder CaseScrappyMonkey LoveColor RhapsodyLet’s Ring Doorbells Scrappy 1936Scrappy’s Boy ScoutsFootball Bugs Color RhapsodyThe Untrained SealDizzy Ducks Scrappy 1937Puttin’ Out the KittenScrappy’s Music LessonThe Clock Goes Round and Round 1938The New HomesteadScrappy’s PlaymatesHollywood GraduationColor RhapsodyThe Early Bird Scrappy 1939Scrappy’s Added Attraction A Worm’s Eye ViewThe Millionaire Hobo Phantasy 1940Barnyard BabiesFablesMr. Elephant Goes to TownColor Rhapsody 1941The Streamlined DonkeyFablesThe Way of All PestsColor RhapsodyDavis is caricatured in this short as the Home Owner.There’s Music in Your Hair PhantasyThe Cute RecruitThe Great Cheese MysteryFablesLast cartoon Davis directed at Screen Gems 1946Bacall to ArmsMerrie Melodies Left unfinished by Bob ClampettThe Big Snooze Looney TunesMouse Menace 1947Goofy GophersLeft unfinished by Clampett.The Foxy Duckling Merrie MelodiesDoggone CatsOriginal release was processed through Cinecolor.Mexican JoyrideLooney TunesCatch as Cats Can Merrie Melodies 1948Two Gophers from Texas Original release was processed through Cinecolor.What Makes Daffy DuckLooney TunesA Hick a Slick and a Chick Merrie MelodiesNothing But the ToothBone Sweet BoneOriginal release was processed through Cinecolor.The Rattled RoosterLooney TunesDough Ray Me-owMerrie MelodiesOriginal release was processed through Cinecolor.The Pest That Came to Dinner Looney TunesOdor of the DayOriginal release was processed through Cinecolor.The Stupor SalesmanRiff Raffy Daffy Original release was processed through Cinecolor. 1949Holiday for DrumsticksMerrie MelodiesPorky ChopsLooney TunesBowery Bugs Merrie MelodiesBye, Bye BluebeardA Ham in a RoleLooney TunesUncredited, finished by Robert McKimson.1962Quackodile TearsMerrie MelodiesLast cartoon directed for Warner Bros. Cartoons. 1968The Pink Package Plot Pink PantherPinkcome Tax 1969In the Pink of the NightSweet and Sourdough Roland and RattfinkA Pair of SneakersDune BugThe Ant and the AardvarkA Pair of GreenbacksTijuana Toads 1970Say Cheese, Please Roland and RattfinkA Taste of MoneyBridgeworkWar and PiecesThe Land of the Tiger MooDoctor DolittleMumbo JumboThe Ant and the Aardvark High Flying Hippo Doctor DolittleA Girl for Greco GorillaThe Barnyard RumbleDon't Hustle an Ant with Muscle The Ant and the Aardvark 1971Rough BrunchThe Bird from O.O.P.SDoctor DolittleTrick or RetreatRoland and RattfinkMud SquadTijuana ToadsThe Great Continental Overland Cross-Country RaceRoland and RattfinkFrom Bed to WorseThe Ant and the Aardvark A Fink in the Rink Roland and Rattfink Cattle BattlePink Tuba-Dore Pink PantherPsst PinkPink-InCroakus Pocus Tijuana Toads 1972Flight to the FinishSupport Your Local Serpent The Blue RacerPunch and JudoCamera BugBlue Racer Blues1973Wham and Eggs 1978Pink Trumpet Pink PantherPink PressThe Pink of BagdadPink BananasPinktails for TwoStar Pink1979Pink Suds 1980The Yolk's on You Looney Tunes Part of the TV special Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-citement before being issued separately. Last cartoons directed for DePatie–Freleng.The Chocolate ChaseDaffy Flies NorthMerrie Melodies
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