Hoyt Curtin
Encyclopedia
Hoyt Stoddard Curtin was an American
composer
and music producer
, the primary musical director for the Hanna-Barbera
animation
studio from its beginnings with The Ruff & Reddy Show
in 1957 until his retirement in 1986, except from 1963-1973, when the primary music director was Ted Nichols
.
, and had one son, Chris, with his wife Elizabeth.
In the 1950s Curtin was an in-demand composer for TV commercials. He first met Hanna and Barbera when he worked on a Schlitz beer commercial they were producing for MGM in 1957.
He was the composer of many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons' popular theme songs, including The Flintstones
until 1981, Top Cat
, The Jetsons
, Jonny Quest
, Superfriends, Josie and the Pussycats
, and The New Scooby-Doo Movies
and all its spinoffs until 1986. Beginning in 1959, Curtin also composed many of the stock tunes used as incidental music in the various Hanna-Barbera series. He also was the composer for the 1960 animated series Q.T. Hush, one of the first cartoons to appear in color. He also composed two of the tunes heard in the background in Plan 9 From Outer Space
, although he was embarrassed by the film's poor cinematic quality.
His other credits include the controversial score for the science-fiction film Mesa of Lost Women
, Ed Wood's Jail Bait
(as Hoyt Kurtain), and the music for the Sandy Frank
cartoon Battle of the Planets
for which a soundtrack was released in 2000. It was the last project he worked on before he died in Los Angeles, California
on December 3, 2000 at the age of 78. He also composed and conducted the music for Thrillerama Adventure, a two-projector attempt at replicating Cinerama
, in 1955 with a 38-piece orchestra.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and music producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, the primary musical director for the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
studio from its beginnings with The Ruff & Reddy Show
The Ruff & Reddy Show
The Ruff & Reddy Show is a Hanna-Barbera animated series starring Ruff, a straight and smart cat voiced by Don Messick, and Reddy, a dumb and stupid dog voiced by Daws Butler...
in 1957 until his retirement in 1986, except from 1963-1973, when the primary music director was Ted Nichols
Ted Nichols
Theodore "Ted" Nichols is a composer, arranger, director and music producer. As a musician Nichols primarily played saxophone, violin and clarinet...
.
Biography
Curtin was a native of Downey, CaliforniaDowney, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...
, and had one son, Chris, with his wife Elizabeth.
In the 1950s Curtin was an in-demand composer for TV commercials. He first met Hanna and Barbera when he worked on a Schlitz beer commercial they were producing for MGM in 1957.
- "About two weeks later they called and had a lyric they read over the phone. Could I write a tune for it? I called back in 5 minutes and sang it to them ... silence ... uh oh, I bombed out ... the next thing I heard was a deal to record it! Ruff & Reddy. At that moment they had quit at MGM and started their own company. All of our first main titles were done in that fashion. Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, etc.".
He was the composer of many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons' popular theme songs, including The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
until 1981, Top Cat
Top Cat
Top Cat is a Hanna-Barbera prime time animated television series which ran from September 27, 1961 to April 18, 1962 for a run of 30 episodes on the ABC network. Reruns are played on Cartoon Network's classic animation network Boomerang.-History:...
, The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
, Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest (TV series)
Jonny Quest – often casually referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest – is an American science fiction/adventure animated television series about a boy who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures...
, Superfriends, Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)
Josie and the Pussycats is an American animated television series, based upon the Archie Comics comic book series of the same name created by Dan DeCarlo....
, and The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
and all its spinoffs until 1986. Beginning in 1959, Curtin also composed many of the stock tunes used as incidental music in the various Hanna-Barbera series. He also was the composer for the 1960 animated series Q.T. Hush, one of the first cartoons to appear in color. He also composed two of the tunes heard in the background in Plan 9 From Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
, although he was embarrassed by the film's poor cinematic quality.
His other credits include the controversial score for the science-fiction film Mesa of Lost Women
Mesa of Lost Women
Mesa of Lost Women is a 1953 black-and-white science fiction film. It is available on DVD, with a theatrical trailer. Wade Williams describes it on the DVD case as a "must-see for fans of the bizarre and unexplainable"...
, Ed Wood's Jail Bait
Jail Bait
Jail Bait is a 1954 American crime film directed by Ed Wood, with a screenplay by Wood and Alex Gordon. The film stars Timothy Farrell as a gangster who undergoes plastic surgery to elude the police. Famed bodybuilder Steve Reeves made his first screen appearance in the film.-Plot:Don Gregor, the...
(as Hoyt Kurtain), and the music for the Sandy Frank
Sandy Frank
Sandy Frank is an American television producer and international TV program distributor as well as a marketer of TV shows to US networks.-Early life and career:...
cartoon Battle of the Planets
Battle of the Planets
Battle of the Planets is an American animated television adaptation of the Japanese anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman . Of the 105 original Gatchaman episodes, 85 were used in the Battle of the Planets adaptation, produced by Sandy Frank Entertainment...
for which a soundtrack was released in 2000. It was the last project he worked on before he died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on December 3, 2000 at the age of 78. He also composed and conducted the music for Thrillerama Adventure, a two-projector attempt at replicating Cinerama
Cinerama
Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it...
, in 1955 with a 38-piece orchestra.