Paul Hull Husted (June 25, 1914 – September 5, 1995), better known as Paul Julian, was an American background animator, sound effects artist and voice actor for

Warner Bros. Cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

. He worked on ''

Looney Tunes ''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. ...

short films A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, primarily on director

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented ...

and

Tweety Bird Tweety is a yellow canary in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being an English onomatopoeia for ...

shorts. During his time at Warner, Julian also provided the vocal effects of the Road Runner. His warm and tightly-cropped urban scenes were also featured early in his career in the

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

film ''

Baseball Bugs ''Baseball Bugs'' is a 1946 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' theatrical animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 2, 1946, and stars Bugs Bunny. In the short, Bugs Bunny singlehandedly defeats the "Gas-House Gori ...

'' (1946), and in the crime syndicate-themed

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

film ''

Golden Yeggs ''Golden Yeggs'' is a 1950 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' short directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on August 5, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. A forerunner of the Rocky and Mugsy characters appear, with Rocky already ...

'' (1950). Julian also created New Deal murals in California. Julian died in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

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 ...

at the age of 81.

Life and career

Julian was born on June 25, 1914 in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

. In October 1939, he landed a job in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

as layout and background artist at

Leon Schlesinger Leon Schlesinger (May 20, 1884 – December 25, 1949) was an American film producer who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the Golden Age of American animation. He was a distant rel ...

's animation studio, "

Termite Terrace Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

". Assigned primarily to

's unit, he became highly regarded for his colourful, modernist city-scape paintings for

and

Tweety Tweety is a yellow canary in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being an English onomatopoeia for t ...

cartoons, as well as for

and

shorts. Julian worked on New Deal mural projects all around Southern California prior to beginning his career in Hollywood. In 1942 his mural ''Orange Picking'' was created for the interior of the

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

post office. That year he also created a WPA mural for the Upland Elementary School in Upland, California, at the side of the school auditorium. Though faded, the murals are in decent shape. Julian used a technique called petrachrome that utilized 24 different colors of marble to complete the mural's four panels. The mural inside the Fullerton Post Office is in excellent condition. Later, while working at

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

as a background artist, Julian provided the Road Runner's "Beep-Beep!" sound.There is confusion over whether the sound made is "beep beep" or "meep meep". In , the sound is clearly labeled "beep beep". According to

Michael Barrier Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian. Work Barrier was the founder and editor of ''Funnyworld'', the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha ...

in his commentary for " Fast and Furry-ous" on the '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1'' DVD: "Even though the expression was spelled 'beep beep' on the screen, and that the word 'beep' was used in many subsequent Road Runner cartoon titles, Paul Julian insisted that the correct spelling was 'H-M-E-E-P"; 'hmeep hmeep', rather than 'beep beep'."The interviews included in the DVD commentary were recorded by animation historian

for his book ''Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age''. Julian first made the sound on the Warner Bros. studio lot. He imitated a car horn as a lighthearted way to get people out of his way when he was in a hurry. Editor Treg Brown recorded Julian's noises and ultimately used them for the ''Road Runner'' films. These recordings are still in use in modern ''Looney Tunes'' media. Julian directed the animated films '' Baby Boogie'' (1955), and '' The Hangman'' (1964), which was produced by Les Goldman. The film garnered over 15 international film festival awards. He also produced (

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

) and was a

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

for the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

fantasy '' Winds of Change'', based on

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

''. Julian also had a long working relationship with

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

providing artwork for many of his movies, including '' Dementia 13'' and ''

The Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

''. Julian was still working as an artist when he died in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

in 1995.

Partial filmography

Background artist

*''That's Warner Bros.!'' *'' FernGully: The Last Rainforest'' *'' My Little Pony: The Movie'' *''

Hare Trigger ''Hare Trigger'' is a 1945 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 5, 1945, and features Bugs Bunny. The short featured the first appearance of Yosemite Sam, as well as the first short to credit (alm ...

'' *''

Elmer's Candid Camera ''Elmer's Candid Camera'' is a 1940 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on March 2, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd and an early Bugs Bunny prototype. This is the first appearance of a re ...

'' *'' Elmer's Pet Rabbit''

Actor

*''

Soup or Sonic ''Soup or Sonic'' is an animated cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series, starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It was first aired on May 21, 1980 as a part of the television special ''Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over'' and was one of three ...

'' - The Road Runner *'' Fast and Furry-ous'' - The Road Runner *''

Sugar and Spies ''Sugar and Spies'' is a 1966 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon. The short was released on November 5, 1966, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It is the second of two Road Runner shorts directed by Robert McKimson and the only on ...

'' - The Road Runner *''

The Road Runner Show ''The Road Runner Show'' is an American Saturday morning animated anthology series which compiled theatrical Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'', which were produced by Warner Bros. Carto ...

'' - The Road Runner *'' Freeze Frame'' - The Road Runner *''

Boulder Wham! In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

'' - The Road Runner *''

Chariots of Fur ''Chariots of Fur'' is a seven-minute '' Looney Tunes'' short released in 1994 by Warner Bros. It features Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner and was directed by Chuck Jones, who introduced the pair in 1949. As in other shorts of the Road Runner ...

'' - The Road Runner (last cartoon produced in Paul Julian's lifetime) *'' Coyote Falls'' - The Road Runner *'' Fur of Flying'' - The Road Runner *'' Rabid Rider'' - The Road Runner *''Flash in the Pain'' - The Road Runner *''

Chaser on the Rocks ''Chaser on the Rocks'' is a 1965 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical animated short directed by Rudy Larriva. The short was released on December 25, 1965, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runne ...

'' - The Road Runner *''

Hopalong Casualty ''Hopalong Casualty'' is a 1960 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' theatrical animated short, directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on October 8, 1960, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The title is a play on the Hopalong Cassidy ...

'' - The Road Runner *''

Dexter's Laboratory ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hi ...

'' - Dee-Dee imitating the Road Runner *''

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel ...

'' - The Road Runner *''

Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over ''Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over'' is a springtime-themed ''Looney Tunes'' television special which aired on CBS on May 21, 1980. The special includes three new cartoons directed by Chuck Jones and Phil Monroe. Featured cartoons The cartoon ...

'' - The Road Runner *''

The Electric Company ''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The ...

'' - The Road Runner *'' Zip Zip Hooray!'' - The Road Runner

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Julian, Paul 1914 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American male actors American illustrators American production designers American speculative fiction artists American male voice actors Background artists Fantasy artists Warner Bros. Cartoons people Warner Bros. Cartoons voice actors Section of Painting and Sculpture artists Federal Art Project artists