Harold Eugene Geer (September 13, 1916 – January 26, 2017) was an American producer, filmmaker and animator, noteworthy for his association with the '' Looney Tunes'' franchise.

Military career

Prior to his career in the entertainment industry, Geer served as a Combat Cameraman with the 16th Combat Camera Unit, enlisting just two weeks after the

Pearl Harbor attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...

. As a Sergeant he participated in several major projects, including the film documentary "China Crisis". He received a field commission to Lieutenant, and took part in 86 combat missions during World War II. He remained in the Army Reserves for 24 years, achieving the rank of Major. In addition to his flight duties, he also worked as a newsreel cameraman during the war, and his experience in this job helped him secure a position in the special effects department at

Warner Bros. 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 ...

after the World War II ended on September 2, 1945.

Film career

Geer subsequently worked at

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

from 1950 to 1955 in the special effects department. Following his employment at Disney, Geer worked at a number of independent production companies before being brought back to Warner Bros. by producer

William L. Hendricks William L. Hendricks (May 3, 1904 – March 29, 1992) was a former USMCR Colonel who was the key figure in setting up the "Toys for Tots" program. Aside from his USMCR career, he also worked in the film industry for many years, initially as a docu ...

in 1967, beginning a twenty-year association with ''Looney Tunes''. Initially he served as the film editor (which, in the animation industry, means sound effects editor) on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons, which lasted until 1969, when Warner Bros. ceased production of their theatrical shorts. However, Geer was retained in order to assist in production of ''

The Bugs Bunny Show ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 196 ...

'', and eventually elevated to co-producer of the show in 1975. Following the retirement of Hendricks two years later, Geer took over his position and became the de facto head of the ''Looney Tunes'' series. In 1980, Warner Bros. officially re-established its cartoon studio as

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 19 ...

, with Geer installed as its first head. He was soon joined by veteran ''Looney Tunes'' director Friz Freleng, and together the two produced a number of compilation films and television specials, including ''

The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie ''The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'' (credited onscreen as ''Friz Freleng's Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'') is a 1981 American animated comedy package film with a compilation of classic ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' War ...

'' and '' Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales''. During his stewardship of the new animation studio, Geer spearheaded a campaign to give

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...

his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was granted in 1985.

Later career

Geer retired from both Warner Bros. and the film industry in 1987, and subsequently took on a career of lecturing aboard cruise ships. He turned 100 on September 13, 2016 and died on January 26, 2017, in Simi Valley, California.Hal Geer obituary
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Geer, Hal 1916 births 2017 deaths American animated film producers United States Army personnel of World War II American centenarians Men centenarians Film producers from Missouri People from Jasper County, Missouri