Birthday:
07-02-1922
Deathday:
05-08-1975 (52 years)
Birthplace:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Biography
Abraham Levitow (July 2, 1922 – May 8, 1975) was an American animator who worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons, UPA and MGM Animation/Visual Arts. He is best known for his work under Chuck Jones' direction.
Levitow began working as an in-betweener and assistant animator at Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1940 at the age of 17. He briefly left Warner Bros. when he was drafted during World War II working on training films. Levitow returned to the studio, working as an assistant animator for Ken Harris under the Chuck Jones unit, and he was later promoted to animator in 1950 and would receive his first animations credit in 1953 for the cartoon Wild Over You. He worked steadily for Jones over the remainder of the 1950s, and directed several cartoons for release in 1959, including the Pepé Le Pew cartoon "Really Scent". While working under Jones, he made characters' joints more angular than most other animators. Those characters with fur (Wile E. Coyote, for example) looked especially shaggy in Levitow's scenes.
Levitow joined UPA in 1958 to work on the Mr. Magoo feature 1001 Arabian Nights, staying behind even after the studio was sold to Henry G. Saperstein. In 1962, he directed the first feature-length animated television special, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. 1962 also saw the release of his theatrical feature Gay Purr-ee. By 1962, he was working with Jones at MGM as an animator and a director in the Tom and Jerry series. He co-directed the feature film The Phantom Tollbooth with Chuck Jones at MGM. In addition, he worked with UPA on more Mr. Magoo cartoons, including The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, and also collaborated with Chuck again on the program Curiosity Shop through Format Films. He animated on the Chuck Jones-produced A Christmas Carol, directed by Richard Williams at Williams' London studio in 1971.
In 1972, he and producer Dave Hanson founded Levitow/Hanson Films. The studio produced several animated pieces for Sesame Street, the most notable being Willie Wimple. His last completed project was B.C.: The First Thanksgiving, which aired in November of 1973.
At the time of his death, Levitow was in line to direct the animated feature film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The project was taken over by Richard Williams when Levitow died from a bone tumor during pre-production at the age of 52.
[biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]
Levitow began working as an in-betweener and assistant animator at Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1940 at the age of 17. He briefly left Warner Bros. when he was drafted during World War II working on training films. Levitow returned to the studio, working as an assistant animator for Ken Harris under the Chuck Jones unit, and he was later promoted to animator in 1950 and would receive his first animations credit in 1953 for the cartoon Wild Over You. He worked steadily for Jones over the remainder of the 1950s, and directed several cartoons for release in 1959, including the Pepé Le Pew cartoon "Really Scent". While working under Jones, he made characters' joints more angular than most other animators. Those characters with fur (Wile E. Coyote, for example) looked especially shaggy in Levitow's scenes.
Levitow joined UPA in 1958 to work on the Mr. Magoo feature 1001 Arabian Nights, staying behind even after the studio was sold to Henry G. Saperstein. In 1962, he directed the first feature-length animated television special, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. 1962 also saw the release of his theatrical feature Gay Purr-ee. By 1962, he was working with Jones at MGM as an animator and a director in the Tom and Jerry series. He co-directed the feature film The Phantom Tollbooth with Chuck Jones at MGM. In addition, he worked with UPA on more Mr. Magoo cartoons, including The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, and also collaborated with Chuck again on the program Curiosity Shop through Format Films. He animated on the Chuck Jones-produced A Christmas Carol, directed by Richard Williams at Williams' London studio in 1971.
In 1972, he and producer Dave Hanson founded Levitow/Hanson Films. The studio produced several animated pieces for Sesame Street, the most notable being Willie Wimple. His last completed project was B.C.: The First Thanksgiving, which aired in November of 1973.
At the time of his death, Levitow was in line to direct the animated feature film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The project was taken over by Richard Williams when Levitow died from a bone tumor during pre-production at the age of 52.
[biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]
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Their works
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Gay Purr-ee
Director
event1962 star_border 6.6
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Mewsette is a starry-eyed cat who grows weary of life on a French farm and heads for the excitement of 1890s Paris. Her tomcat suitor, Jaune-Tom, and his furry cohort, Robespierre, chase after Mewsette, but she's already fallen under the spell of a feline modeling-school racket run by Madame Rubens-Chatte and her slimy assistant, Meowrice.
The Phantom Tollbooth
Director
event1970 star_border 6.8
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The Phantom Tollbooth, based upon the children's adventure novel by Norton Juster, tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo. Unexpectedly receiving a magic tollbooth and, having nothing better to do, Milo drives through it and enters a kingdom in turmoil following the loss of its princesses, Rhyme and Reason.
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
Director
event1962 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
In this animated musical version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", Ebenezer Scrooge - via Mr. Magoo's starring performance in a stage production of the classic - doesn't have a ghost of a chance unless he learns the true meaning of Christmas from the three spirits who haunt him one Christmas Eve.
One Froggy Evening
Animation
event1955 star_border 7.7
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A workman finds a singing frog in the cornerstone of an old building being demolished. But when he tries to cash in on his discovery, he finds the frog will sing only for him, and just croak for the talent agent and the audience in the theater he's spent his life savings on.
What's Opera, Doc?
Animation
event1957 star_border 7.6
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Bugs is in drag as the Valkyrie Brunhilde, who is pursued by Elmer playing the demigod Siegfried.
A Hitch in Time
Animation
event1955 star_border 5.1
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John McRogers dreams about his future after spending four years in the U.S. Air Force, and is convinced by "Grogan," Technical Gremlin First Class, on why he should remain in the Air Force, rather, and what the advantages would be if he returned to civilian life.
90 Day Wondering
Animation
event1956 star_border 5.1
top_panel_open
Ralph Phillips is overjoyed when he runs out of Fort Itude, because he's a civilian again. Things, however, don't go well for him when he gets home, and two pixies named Pete and Re-Pete convince him to stay in civilian life or go back to the army. At the end, Ralph chooses to go back to the army
A Witch's Tangled Hare
Director
event1959 star_border 6
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Rabbit - in this case Bugs - is an important needed ingredient in Witch Hazel's brew.
Boyhood Daze
Animation
event1957 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Ralph gets sent to his room for breaking a window. There, he passes the time in Walter Mitty-type fashion, daydreaming that he's a parent-saving jungle explorer, an alien-fighting jet ace and a convict.
Broom-Stick Bunny
Animation
event1956 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
On Halloween night, Bugs Bunny, masquerading as a witch, trick-or-treats at the creepy old mansion of Witch Hazel, who prides herself on being the ugliest witch of all.
Feline Frame-Up
Animation
event1954 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
After Claude frames Marc Antony, making it look like the bulldog ate the kitty, Marc must try various methods of getting back at Claude from outside the yard.
Hare-Way to the Stars
Animation
event1958 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Bugs Bunny groggily climbs out of bed and his hole and, unknowingly, into a rocket ship that's parked directly above. It transports him into outer space, where he is chased by martians.
Scaredy Cat
Animation
event1948 star_border 7.6
top_panel_open
Porky Pig and Sylvester the Cat spend the night in an old dark house, whose horrors only Sylvester sees.
Baby Buggy Bunny
Animation
event1954 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Baby-Faced Finster robs a bank, but the baby carriage with the money in it goes down Bugs' rabbit hole.
Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z
Animation
event1956 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote unsuccessfully chases the Road Runner using such contrivances as a rifle, a steel plate, a dynamite stick on an extending metal pulley, a painting of a collapsed bridge (which the Coyote falls into while Road Runner passes right through), and a jet motor.
Baton Bunny
Director
event1959 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Bugs conducts the Warner Brothers Symphony in Franz von Suppé's "Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna" while reacting to a bothersome fly.
Cat Feud
Animation
event1958 star_border 6
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Bulldog Marc Anthony, guarding a construction site, finds a kitten, Pussyfoot, to whom he affectionately gives a wiener for lunch. A hungry grown cat sees and is determined to have the wiener.
Ready.. Set.. Zoom!
Animation
event1955 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Among the strategies that fail in Wile E. Coyote's attempts to catch the Roadrunner: glue on the road, a giant rubber band, an outboard motor in a wash tub, and dressing in drag as a female Roadrunner.
Stop! Look! and Hasten!
Animation
event1954 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
A Burmese tiger trap, a pop-up steel wall, a motorcycle, and a box of Acme-brand leg-building vitamins can't help the Coyote (Eatibus anythingus) catch the Road Runner (Hot Rodicus supersonicus).
Guided Muscle
Animation
event1955 star_border 7
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While cooking a tin can, the Coyote spots a better meal rushing by: the Road Runner.
There They Go-Go-Go!
Animation
event1956 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote is hungry and schemes to catch the Road Runner.
Scrambled Aches
Animation
event1957 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote uses, among other things, a dehydrated boulder to try to catch the Road Runner.
Zoom and Bored
Animation
event1957 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote uses a bottle full of bees, a brick wall, a boulder in a catapult, and a harpoon gun in his attempts to catch the Road Runner.
Whoa, Be-Gone!
Animation
event1958 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote's plans for catching the Road Runner involve a giant elastic spring, a gun and trampoline, TNT sticks in a barrel, and tornado seeds.
Deduce, You Say
Animation
event1956 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Daffy Duck is a detective who is hunting for the Shropshire Slasher.
Really Scent
Director
event1959 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Pepe le Pew arrives in New Orleans, where Fabrette the black cat has been cursed with white stripes like a skunk, interfering with her chances to get married. Of course, a skunk is her perfect match... if she can stand the smell!
Rocket-bye Baby
Animation
event1956 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
A cosmic mix-up results in a Martian baby being delivered to Earth, while an Earth baby is sent to Mars. Joseph Wilbur and his wife try to raise the green-skinned, ingenious Martian tyke as if he were an Earthling. But the kid builds his own spaceship and flies away, and Wilbur must find him and bring him back, or he'll never be able to make an exchange with the Martian parents for his own boy.
Puss 'n' Boats
Director
event1966 star_border 5.6
top_panel_open
Jerry's a wharf mouse; he sees a load of cheese being loaded onto a cargo ship and tries a variety of tricks to board, but Tom is on guard.
Catty-Cornered
Director
event1966 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Jerry's mouse hole connects two homes, with Tom living in one residence, a neighboring cat in the other. Jerry decides the best survival plan is pitting the cats against each other, without their knowledge.
Filet Meow
Director
event1966 star_border 5.6
top_panel_open
Perhaps because he's grown weary of chasing Jerry, Tom sets his sights on the house's goldfish. But the female goldfish is a friend of Jerry's, and the little mouse has a crush on her. When Jerry gets involved to rescue his friend, the usual confrontations with Tom begin.
Jerry-Go-Round
Director
event1966 star_border 5.9
top_panel_open
Jerry is chased into a circus, where he removes a tack from the foot of an elephant. This gets him a friend for life, and a powerful ally in the continuing battles with Tom, not that it stops Tom from trying, even when Jerry becomes part of the act.
Martian Through Georgia
Director
event1962 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Way out in space, on another world whose population is contented, one of its people decides that travel broadens the mind and relieves boredom. So, he flies to Earth in hope of helping the alien Earthlings improve their lot, only to cause panic and be declared a monster just because he looks different. So, he decides to return home, where, at least, he can find love.
Surf-Bored Cat
Director
event1967 star_border 5.6
top_panel_open
Tom and Jerry are taking a cruise when Tom decides to go surfing. He has problems with a shark and a rather tenacious starfish.
The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R.
Director
event1967 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
Secret agent Jerry-akin has to steal a giant refrigerator full of cheese, guarded by the evil Tom Thrush with a vast array of diabolical gadgets and traps. Of course, Jerry has a few tricks of his own.
Rock 'n' Rodent
Director
event1967 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
Jerry heads out to his night job: drummer for an all-mouse rock band in the basement of a high-rise. They are loud enough to wake up Tom, despite his attempts to block the noise. Tom's attempts keep running him afoul of a rather mean-tempered dog.
Guided Mouse-Ille
Director
event1967 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
2565 AD. Tom and Jerry are once again manipulating robot versions of themselves in space. Tom experiments with invisibility, a giant electromagnet, and explosives, with results from bad to disastrous.
O-Solar-Meow
Director
event1967 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
A supply satellite arrives at the space station where Tom (despite his high-tech gadgets) is having no better luck than usual at catching Jerry before he gets the cheese.
Unnatural History
Director
event1959 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Are animals human? Or vice versa? This is the question asked by a professor, Dr. Beest Lee, who appears on a stage in a theater to give a lecture and show a film about the human-like qualities of various cartoon animals, among them a beaver who "damns" a troublesome river, a groundhog who uses technology to predict the coming of spring, and a dog who scolds his neglectful master.
Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes
Director
event1991 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
Bugs has to defend the Earth's right to exist in an intergalactic court.
Inside Magoo
Director
event1960
top_panel_open
A public-service announcement from the American Cancer Society featuring Mr. Magoo. Not part of the regular series, this rare cartoon begins with a bunch of clips talking about the history of the movies, then has some discussion about how Magoo is made, and a talk with Jim Backus. Then the bulk of the film is a Mr. Magoo cartoon featuring Magoo learning about cancer danger signs and how to protect yourself.
Steal Wool
Animation
event1957 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Ralph Wolf tries to forcibly remove Sam Sheepdog in order to gain access to a flock of sheep. Without success, he uses a lasso, cannon, a string of firecrackers, and a giant rubber band.
Magoo Meets Frankenstein
Executive Producer
event1961
top_panel_open
Mr Magoo goes to what he thinks is a hotel but it’s actually a mad scientist’s castle and he’s after a brain...
Magoo Meets Boing Boing (The Noise-Making Boy)
Director
event1959
top_panel_open
Mr. Magoo agrees to babysit Gerald McBoing Boing.
The A-Tom-inable Snowman
Director
event1966 star_border 5.3
top_panel_open
In the Alps, Tom gets knocked out chasing Jerry, and is revived, revitalized and intoxicated by a St. Bernard with a keg of brandy. After several such episodes, Tom escapes with Jerry to a tropical island, where he is hit with a coconut. Not to worry- the St. Bernard appears and renders his special brand of first aid.
B.C.: The First Thanksgiving
Executive Producer
event1973 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
To add flavor to her rock soup, the Fat Broad commands Wiley, Peter, Thor, etc. to catch a turkey. The problem is that no one knows what a turkey is except for the turkey himself. In spite of this, the chase is on. Mostly a series of running gags, this animated special did a superb job of capturing the humor of Johnny Hart's B.C. comic strip.
Bugs Bunny at the Symphony
Animation Director
event2010
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A concert musical featuring Looney Tunes characters.
The Wizard of Id
Director
event1971
top_panel_open
Short cartoon based on the comic strip by Johnny Hart and Brant Parker.
Beanstalk Bunny
Animation
event1955 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (as Jack) find themselves at the top of a beanstalk where they get chased around by a giant Elmer Fudd.
Claws for Alarm
Animation
event1954 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
Porky and Sylvester stay overnight in what Sylvester realizes is a terrifying hotel filled with endless imminent danger.
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume One
Director
event2011 star_border 8.9
top_panel_open
A Blu-ray Disc and DVD box set containing 50 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. All but seven cartoons included on this volume - Lovelorn Leghorn, The Hasty Hare, Hare-Way to the Stars, Bill of Hare, A Witch's Tangled Hare, Feline Frame-Up, and From A to Z-Z-Z-Z - have been previously released, either as a part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection or a Looney Tunes Super Stars DVD.
Barbecue for Two
Animation
event1960 star_border 3
top_panel_open
Popeye wants to have a barbecue for two -- namely him and Olive. But Brutus, Wimpy and Swee' Pea all try to muscle in.
Mr. Magoo, Man of Mystery
Director
event1964
top_panel_open
Literary classics take a ribbing as the nearsighted bumbler portrays Dr. Watson, Dr. Frankenstein and other characters.
Two Scent's Worth
Animation
event1955 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
A crook disguises a cat as a skunk to scare people out of a bank. Soon after, great lover Pepé Le Pew sees her and the chase is on through the French Alps.
Uncle Sam Magoo
Director
event1970
top_panel_open
Join Mr. Magoo as Uncle Sam, on an all-American animated adventure through our nation's history. Pull up a chair at the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving, march in line with Davy Crockett and dig for gold in California. After all...in Magoo we trust!
Forward March Hare
Animation
event1953 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Bugs Bunny gets a draft notice by mistake and joins the army, with disastrous results, especially for the sergeant of his platoon.
Robin Hood Daffy
Animation
event1958 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Daffy attempts to convince Porky, as Friar Tuck, that he really is Robin Hood.
Nelly's Folly
Co-Director
event1961 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
Nelly the Giraffe is discovered in Africa and leaves to begin a singing career, but finds that chasing fame brings her nothing but unhappiness.
Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special
Animation
event1980 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
A 1980 Looney Tunes Thanksgiving special, starring Daffy Duck. Cartoons featured "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" "Robin Hood Daffy" "Drip-Along Daffy" "His Bitter Half"
It's Everybody's Business
Animation
event1954 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Animated propaganda advocating for the importance of unregulated capitalism to the American way of life.
1001 Arabian Nights
Art Direction
event1959 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
In this animated retelling of the classic tale, Abdul Aziz Magoo -- an ancestor of Mr. Magoo -- is the lamp-selling uncle of Aladdin. Tired of his nephew's laziness, Abdul insists that Aladdin find a wife. To his uncle's surprise, Aladdin falls in love with the beautiful Princess Yasminda. Before he can make his move, however, Aladdin is whisked away by the evil Wazir on a quest to find a magic lamp that will grant its owner unlimited power in the form of three magic wishes.
B.C. - The Shadow
Director
event1970
top_panel_open
A short animated cartoon featuring the characters from the B.C. comic strip by Johnny Hart.
Lickety-Splat
Co-Director
event1961 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote chases the Road Runner with roller skis, a bow, a rifle, a boomerang, an anvil, and several exploding darts let loose from a balloon.
A Christmas Carol
Story Artist
event1971 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
Sheep Ahoy
Animation
event1954 star_border 7
top_panel_open
After punching in for work, Sam Sheepdog deals with Ralph Wolf's attempts to steal the flock, which this time make use of a balloon, a fake Acme-brand rock and a bicycle-propelled submarine.
Double or Mutton
Animation
event1955 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Ralph Wolf wants to steal sheep; Sam Sheepdog wants to stop him. Ralph's tricks include digging a tunnel, walking a tightrope, launching a guided missile, dressing as Little Bo Peep, shooting a cannon and growing Sam's hair.
Wild About Hurry
Animation
event1959 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Wile E. Coyote tries to catch the Road Runner by enclosing himself inside an indestructible steel ball.
The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo
Director (1 ep.)
event1964 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo is an animated television series, produced by United Productions of America, which aired for one season. The television series was based on the original cartoon of the same name, with Jim Backus reprising the voice over of the role he did on TV: while doing this show, he continued with the prime time show Gilligan's Island.
Unlike the theatrical cartoons, which focused on the extremely nearsighted Quincy Magoo's bumbling, the show featured the Magoo character as an actor in adaptations of such literary classics as Don Quixote and Gunga Din. Each of these roles was played seriously, with few if any references to Magoo's nearsightedness; however, introductory segments in each program featured Magoo backstage stumbling into scenery and talking to props, thus connecting the older cartoons to this series. Some stories were contained in a single half-hour episode, but others ran to two and even four episodes. As UPA did not have its own studio facility the production was farmed out to the Grantray-Lawrence and Format Films studios.
Among the most ambitious adaptations mounted in this format were the four-part Robin Hood, in which he took the role of Friar Tuck; Treasure Island, in which he played the villainous Long John Silver; and a version of Snow White in which he portrayed all seven dwarves.
The Dick Tracy Show
Director (27 ep.)
event1961 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
The Dick Tracy Show was an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter. The series was produced from 1961 to 1962 by UPA.
Popeye the Sailor
Animation (1 ep.)
event1960 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
Follows the adventures of the famed spinach-eating sailor man.
Popeye is one of the most popular cartoon characters of all time. This spunky but loveable spinach-eating sailor continues to delight young and old with his comic adventures, and the entire gang is around to provide plenty of rousing fun and action: Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea, Wimpy and Bluto.
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