Michael Maltese was an American storyman for classic animated cartoonshorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of Merrie Melodies cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "What's Opera, Doc?" which is widely regarded by industry professionals as the best animated short of all time.
In 1941, Maltese was hired by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which three years later became Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.. The first cartoon he wrote for Warners was The Haunted Mouse by Tex Avery, then credited as Fred Avery. He first worked mainly for Friz Freleng until 1948, but after that he worked mostly for Chuck Jones, contributing stories to other directors at times, including Robert McKimson. He and Jones collaborated on cartoons like the Academy Award-winning For Scent-imental Reasons, featuring the character Pepé Le Pew, and the animated public health documentary, So Much for So Little which won that same year for "Best Documentary Short Subject." Maltese was also the voice of the Lou Costello-esque character in Wackiki Wabbit. Some of his earlier works include The Wabbit Who Came to Supper and Fresh Hare, Hare Trigger, Baseball Bugs for Freleng; Bear Feat, Rabbit of Seville, and Rabbit Fire for Jones. Some of his best-known cartoons are Feed the Kitty, Beep, Beep, Rabbit Seasoning, Don't Give Up the Sheep, Duck Amuck, Bully for Bugs, Bewitched Bunny, From A to Z-Z-Z-Z, and Beanstalk Bunny. These were all directed by Jones. He also worked on One Froggy Evening, the first appearance of future Warner Brothers mascot Michigan J. Frog. Some of his later Warner cartoons included Ali Baba Bunny, Robin Hood Daffy, the seminal What's Opera, Doc? and Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century for Jones and Person to Bunny and Here Today, Gone Tamale for Freleng. Maltese also collaborated with Jones on the 1960s Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts released by MGM. During the years of 1954 and 1955, Maltese also worked at Walter Lantz Productions as writer of some Woody Woodpecker cartoons: Helter Shelter, Witch Crafty, Real Gone Woody, Square Shootin' Square and Bedtime Bedlam. He also is the writer of Chilly Willy's Academy Award-nominated theatrical short The Legend of Rockabye Point, directed by Tex Avery. From 1958 until 1970, he worked at Hanna-Barbera Productions on television cartoons such as The Quick Draw McGraw Show, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Wacky Races. Maltese also wrote comic books published by Western Publishing, including for many of the Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera characters whose animated exploits he scripted.
