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Monday, August 1, 2016
Texas History Minute: and conduct the large orchestras for the music in the 114 original cartoons made between 1940 and 1957. Since Tom and Jerry almost never spoke, most of the stories relied on Bradley’s music to set up and underline the different jokes, playful tensions, and transitions from one scene to the next. The physical humor and Dr. Ken Bridges lack of dialogue helped make the Texas musician Scott Bradley was cartoons immensely popular never widely known outside of the around the world as Bradley’s studio, but his music was the heart of music needed no translations. some of the most iconic American cultural icons of the twentieth One 1947 cartoon in particular, century, most notably, the famed “The Cat Concerto,” placed cartoon duo of Tom and Jerry. music at the center of the episode as Tom played a concert pianist Bradley was born in Russellville, whose piano happened to be Arkansas, in 1891. He developed a Jerry’s home. Jerry got his love of music early and taught revenge against Tom by making himself. By the 1910s, he headed to it difficult for the desperate cat to Houston to put his musical talents to finish. Thanks to Bradley’s work. He found work as a music direction, the cartoon won conductor for orchestras and theaters the 1948 Academy Award for throughout Southeast Texas as well Best Animated Short Film, the as radio stations. At the same time, fourth consecutive Academy he continued to write his own Award for Tom and Jerry. music. Though he was a successful musician, Bradley still took lessons Bradley also composed the from more experienced musicians to musical score for the 28 Barney fine-tune his own craft. Bear cartoons made by MGM between 1939 and 1954. Bradley By the early 1920s, California was would also go on to provide the rapidly becoming the heart of the music for the 24 Droopy entertainment world. Bradley left cartoons produced between 1943 Texas in 1926 to become a and 1957 and the Screwy conductor for a Los Angeles radio Squirrel cartoons made in the station. In 1929, he was hired by late 1940s. The Walt Disney Studio as a staff musician. However, Walt Disney In 1957, MGM closed its cartoon had a falling out with some of his studio as part of a corporate staff in 1930. One of Disney’s chief restructuring effort. Though animators went to form his own MGM would continue to cartoon studio for which Bradley produce cartoons, the large worked for several years. budgets were gone and an entirely new group of directors, By the 1930s, the cartoon short animators, and musicians were feature had become a staple part of hired. Bradley’s contract was the moviegoing experience. Seeing cancelled; and at the age of 65, the success of Disney and others he decided to retire. In those with the growing popularity of nearly two decades of the first animation, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer batch of Tom and Jerry cartoons, Studios decided to form its own Bradley was part of a team that cartoon studio in 1937 to compete. earned eleven Academy Award Bradley was quickly hired to help nominations and won eight provide the music. Academy Awards for the cartoons. Overall, he composed In 1940, MGM animators William 250 cartoon music scores. Hanna and Joseph Barbera created the Tom and Jerry cartoon, though Bradley died at his home in they were originally named Jasper California in 1977 at the age of and Jinx. Bradley went on to write 85 as a new generation of
youngsters discovered in television reruns the cartoons he helped bring to life. A compilation album of his musical scores from some of these cartoons was released in 2006. Today, these cartoons continue to be seen on television and on video daily in homes around the world. Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
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