The creator of Tom and Jerry

MANY years ago, a certain prominent GAA All-Star hurler, who went on to become a well respected manager, was interviewed for a Gaelic games magazine.  He cited The Flintstones as his favourite TV programme. He commented that it was the best of what was available on RTÉ in those pre-satellite days.Let him be right or wrong but The Flintstones was very popular and  originally aimed at an adult audience; just like programmes such as Tom and Jerry, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and a host of others, all created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. That company won seven Oscars and eight Emmys for their cartoons. They were also responsible for Quick Draw McGraw, Snogglepuss, Top Cat, Scooby Doo, Popeye and The Smurfs.
William Hanna was born into what he described as a red-blooded Irish-American family in 1910. His father worked with railroads so the family moved regularly, eventually to California in 1917. He left high school at the start of the depression and began working in the Harman and Ising animation studio, which produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.
When the company joined Warner Brothers, Hanna stayed with them and it was there that he met with life-long collaborator Joe Barbera. Their first production, Puss Gets The Boot, was an omen for what was to come prophetic when it was nominated for an Oscar. The studio were so impressed by their nomination that they allowed them develop the cat theme and from this grew Tom and Jerry.
They were regarded as masters and ranked second only to Walt Disney in their field. MGM realised the popularity of their output and even used some of them in full length films starting with Anchors Aweigh in 1945 when Gene Kelly is shown dancing with the mouse, Jerry.
When MGM closed their cartoon department the duo turned their attention to TV and created Huckleberry Hound, which went on to become the first ever cartoon to win an Emmy. When research showed that more than half of its audience were adults, they decided to create a cartoon for prime time viewing. The Flintstones were born, which was meant to be a parody on sitcoms, particularly The Honeymooners starring Jackie Gleeson. The cartoon Top Cat was a send up of the Phil Silvers character, Sgt Bilko which was also popular at the time. So maybe the GAA All-Star wasn’t terribly wrong, since the characters were meant to be send ups of popular shows of that time. 
The partnership left a lasting legacy. They were the first to recognise the potential of television and created characters that became part of American pop culture. They appeared in films, books and were the inspiration for many toys. Their shows have been translated into more than 30 languages.
Outside of animation, Hanna maintained a life-long interest in scouting. He had joined the scouting movement as a youth and served as a scoutmaster in later life. His contribution was recognised by the Boy Scouts of America in 1985 when they presented him with a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
William Hanna, one half of the famous cartoon tem, died aged 90 on March  22, 2001, 10 years ago this week.