Dean Elliott

Dean Elliott (June 29, 1925 – 1999) was an American television and film composer.

Educated at the University of Wisconsin, Elliot's first composing work was for Four Star Revue an early comedy program which debuted in 1950. From here, he went on to compose for various cartoon series, most prominently Mr. Magoo in the 1950s, but later he struck an alliance with master Animation director Chuck Jones and went on to compose the scores for many of his Tom and Jerry cartoons between 1965 and 1967, starting with Duel Personality and finishing with Advance and Be Mechanized Chuck Jones' final Tom and Jerry cartoon in 1967. He also composed a few film scores, including College Confidential (1960), Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) and The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966).

In 1962, Elliott released an LP on Capitol Records entitled Zounds! What Sounds!, credited to "Dean Elliott and His Swinging Big, Big Band."[1] The LP header read "Music and Sound Effects in a Stereo Spectacular!" and the subtitle captured the basic goals, sound, and feel of the album well:

A Sonic Spectacular Presenting MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! With these special Percussion Effects! Cement Mixer, Air Compressor, Punching Bag, Hand Saw, Thunderstorm, Raindrops, Celery Stalks (the crunchiest), 1001 Clocks, Bowling Pins and Many Many More!!

The LP was made with the assistance of Phil Kaye, a sound effects virtuoso who worked with Elliott on the Tom and Jerry cartoons. [2] The LP is now firmly ensconced in the pantheon of "space age pop" or lounge classics, having been cited in RE/SEARCH #14: Incredibly Strange Music (1993) which played a large part in the lounge revival of the 1990s. A track from the album ("Will You Still Be Mine") was later anthologized on one of Rhino Records' influential Cocktail Mix CDs. As the space age pop/lounge revival grew in popularity, two more tracks from the album ("You're the Top" and "The Lonesome Road") were anthologized on one of the many volumes of Capitol Records' Ultra-Lounge series.

After this Elliott went on to compose for a number of Dr. Seuss' cartoon's before joining DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1975 to commence work on their Return to the Planet of the Apes series for which he provided incidental music. He also wrote all the music for the cult animated New Fantastic Four series in 1978 before moving to Warner Brothers with Chuck Jones where he provided all the music for Jones' The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie in 1979, and later for Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century and Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over in 1980, the latter of which was nominated for an Emmy. He also was musical director for Ruby-Spears Productions from 1978–1987, where he was contracted to contribute music for the likes of such shows as Fangface, Plastic Man, Heathcliff, Saturday Supercade, and Alvin and the Chipmunks series.

In 1980, he again teamed up with Chuck Jones to score Jones' television special (for W-B!) Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over, in which the "Merrie Melodies" short "Soup or Sonic" (now in syndication) was derived. His musical score has distinctive Elliott themes, similar to his previous work in the 1960s for Tom and Jerry cartoons during the Chuck Jones Productions era, however in this cartoon he employed Milt Franklyn-esque overtones with a little William Lava-ish influence.

In 1983 he scored the additional music for the Peanuts special What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?.

His music has re-appeared in various productions including: The Bugs n' Daffy Show, That's Warner Bros!, Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends, and The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show.

Dean died in 1999 as a result of Alzheimer's disease.

Cinema

• College Confidential
• Sex Kittens Go to College
• The Las Vegas Hillbillys
• Duel Personality
• Filet Meow
• Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary
• Matinee Mouse
• The A-Tom-Inable Snowman
• The Mouse From H.U.N.G.E.R.
• Cannery Rodent
• Surf-Bored Cat
• Shutter Bugged Cat
• Advance and Be Mechanized
• The Bear That Wasn't
• The Phantom Toolbooth
• The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie

Television specials

• The Cat in the Hat
• The Lorax
• The Cricket In Times Square
• Dr. Seuss on the Loose
• A Verry Merry Cricket
• Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
• Yankee Doodle Cricket
• The Hoober-Bloob Highway
• The White Seal
• Mowgli's Brothers
• Raggedy Ann and Andy Christmas Special
• Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
• What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? (additional music)

Television series

• Curiosity Shop
• Return to the Planet of the Apes
• What's New, Mr. Magoo?
• Fangface
• The Fantastic Four
• Alvin and the Chipmunks
• Goldie Gold and Action Jack
• Rubik, The Amazing Cube
• The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show
• Mighty Man And Yukk
• Rickety Rocket
• Heathcliff
• Thundarr The Barbarian
• The Puppy's New Adventures
• Mister T