It is the story of a desperate cat and a sneaky mouse running around in Mammy’s house and breaking everything; it is the legendary story of Tom and Jerry!
Everyone has watched a couple of hundreds of Tom and Jerry episodes, but not all know that the creators of the cartoon have Lebanese ancestry!
Not only is Tom and Jerry created by two geniuses of Lebanese descendants, but the romanticized stone age cartoon The Flintstones was also produced by the same media production; Hanna-Barbera Productions.
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera met while working in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM in 1937.
The two men started drawing an idea of a cartoon demonstrated by motion, action, and a chase. In 1940, Hanna and Barbera aired Puss Gets The Boots, which later on became Tom and Jerry.
Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico, and Barbera was born in Little Italy in Manhattan. Both to Lebanese parents, the two were joined by much more than their ethnicity; they were joined by their love of stone age and cats chasing mouses!
The love-hate relationship that Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse had is ever so eye-catching that even after 80 years since its first production, the show still lives on in every household there is.
Tom and Jerry show has been nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won 7 out of the 14, winning more Academy Awards than any other character-based theatrical animated series.
In 1960, director Gene Deitch took over the directing of Tom and Jerry as MGM revived the Tom and Jerry franchise. Gene Deitch, who was also behind the legendary Popeye, died unexpectedly on April 16, 2020, at the age of 95.
As for The Flintstones, the stone age cartoon was produced in 1960 by the Hanna-Barbera productions.
The cartoon follows the activities of the Titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles, who are also their best friends.
The Flintstones, following Tom and Jerry’s success, was the first animated series to hold a prime time slot on television. It remained the most financially successful animated television series for three decades, only surpassed by The Simpsons in 1989.
Awarded 7 Academy Awards and 8 Emmy’s, Hanna-Barbera Productions have produced hits like ”The Flintstones”, ”The Jetsons”, ”Jonny Quest”, and ”Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!”
Their cartoons were translated to more than 28 languages.
