Frank Alfred Marsales (31 August 188614 August 1975) was a

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composer best known for his work scoring many classic animated films by Warner Bros. Cartoons in the 1930s. He also worked with

Walter Lantz Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animation Lant ...

Studios A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery ( ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

in the mid to late 1930s.

Cartoon career

Marsales was a symphony musician who became the music director for Warner Bros. Cartoons under the direction of former Disney animators Hugh Harman (1903–1982) and Rudolf Ising (1903–1992), scoring many classic cartoons in the 1930s, including every Harman & Ising

Looney Tune ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

and Merrie Melodie. His first credit was for '' Sinkin' in the Bathtub'', released May 1930 and animated by Friz Freleng. He composed the music to the 1931 Merrie Melody ''

Lady, Play Your Mandolin! ''Lady, Play Your Mandolin!'' is the first Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, directed by Rudolf Ising of Harman and Ising. The short was released in August 1931, and stars Foxy, a character who appeared in three 1931 shorts. Overvi ...

''. His last credit for Warner Brothers was in 1933 with ''

Bosko's Picture Show ''Bosko's Picture Show'' is a Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' animated short directed by Hugh Harman and Friz Freleng. It was the last ''Looney Tunes'' Bosko cartoon produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising for Leon Schlesinger and Warner Bros. ...

''. Frank Marsales
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Toonzone
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website He left Warner Brothers when Harman and Ising left the studio (but not with them), missing out on scoring their work at Paramount for the 1933 animated ''Alice in Wonderland'' – Marsales may also have had a hand injury at that time that precluded his composing any music at all.Goldmark, Daniel (2005) "Tunes for 'Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon" University of California Press, , page 179 In the mid-1930s, Marsales began work at

Walter Lantz Studios Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios. The studio was originally formed as Universal Cartoon Studios on the initiative ...

as musical director for the Andy Panda cartoons, among others. Marsales's last credited musical score at Walter Lantz Studios was for '' Knock Knock'', released 25 November 1940 (although he may also have scored some part of ''Syncopated Sioux'', released 30 December 1940, which musical director was uncredited). Music from Marsales's work for Lantz also found its way into the 1957 animated television series ''

The Woody Woodpecker Show ''The Woody Woodpecker Show'' is a long-running 30-minute American television series mainly composed of the animated cartoon shorts of Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz characters including Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, The Beary Family and Inspe ...

'', which contained not only new cartoons, but also Woody's (and other) theatrical Lantz cartoons from the previous twenty years. The Woody Woodpecker Show
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Internet Movie Database
website

Personal life

Marsales was born in Yonker,

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Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on 31 August 1886, the son of Robert Lambert Marsales and Lena Burns. He lived most of his life in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Marsales married Catherine Elizabeth Murset (30 April 188913 Jan 1971). They had no children. He died 14 August 1975 in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsales, Frank 1886 births 1975 deaths Place of birth missing Canadian television composers Canadian film score composers Male film score composers 20th-century Canadian composers Warner Bros. Cartoons music composers 20th-century Canadian male musicians Walter Lantz Productions people Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States