Leon Schlesinger

Production

Leon Schlesinger

Born 1884-05-20 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Leon Schlesinger (May 20, 1884 – December 25, 1949) was an American film producer who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the Golden Age of American animation. He was a distant relative of the Warner Brothers. As head of his own studio, Schlesinger served as the producer of Warner's Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons from 1930, when Schlesinger assumed production from his subcontractors, Harman and Ising, to 1944, when Warner acquired the studio.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Prehistoric Porky poster
6.7

Caveman Porky awakens and plays with his pet Rover, a massive dinosaur. After Rover's playfulness causes a disruption to the prehistoric peace and quiet, Porky's copy of "Expire" magazine arrives in the mail, filled with ads for fashionable new bearskins. Porky decides to go out and get himself a new suit, and sets off with his trusty club.

Prehistoric Porky

1940

The Hare-Brained Hypnotist poster
6.8

Elmer Fudd goes after Bugs using hypnotism, only the plan backfires.

The Hare-Brained Hypnotist

1942

Hollywood Steps Out poster
6.5

A tour of Ciro's Nightclub packed with caricatures of many top stars.

Hollywood Steps Out

1941

Dumb Patrol poster
6.2

During the Great War, Bosko and a fearsome beast are in a dogfight. Bosko loses, but that's only the first battle.

Dumb Patrol

1931

Porky & Daffy poster
6.4

Porky Pig is Daffy Duck's fight manager who gets Daffy a fight with "The Champion", but things get looney.

Porky & Daffy

1938

Country Mouse poster
6.1

A strong mouse says that he will become the heavyweight champion of the world. But his grandma (who is just as strong) doesn't want him to fight...

Country Mouse

1935

The Wabbit Who Came to Supper poster
7.0

Bugs Bunny exploits the situation when an uncle leaves Elmer Fudd three million dollars on the condition that he harm no animals, especially rabbits.

The Wabbit Who Came to Supper

1942

Slap Happy Pappy poster
7.5

Porky runs a farm; we see him plowing the fields. But it's primarily a poultry farm; as the sign says, "For sale: Miracle eggs if it's a good egg, it's a miracle." A rabbit, doing a Jack Benny impression (Jack Bunny), paints and inspects eggs. He starts to smash and reject a black egg, but it hatches into a black baby bird doing a Rochester impression. We next visit the Eddie Cackler family, (Eddie Cantor) who have been trying without success to have a son; the next five eggs hatch, and they are again all girls. A Bing Crosby lookalike comes by with a stroller full of sons, and Eddie asks for his secret; he demonstrates by crooning to a chick, who lays dozens of eggs with boys names on them. Eddie croons to his wife, but in a higher pitch, then dances out singing the theme song to other caricatures. The egg hatches, but in answer to Eddie's question, is it really a boy? "Mmmm... could be."

Slap Happy Pappy

1940

Gold Diggers of '49 poster
5.6

Porky and Beans are prospectors during the Gold Rush. When a villain steals Porky's bag of loot, Beans races to get it back so he can marry Porky's daughter Little Kitty.

Gold Diggers of '49

1935

Fighting Tools poster
6.1

Pvt. Snafu suffers the consequences of not keeping his equipment and weapons properly maintained.

Fighting Tools

1943

Rumors poster
7.1

Snafu inadvertantly starts a panic on his base when he begins a mistaken rumour that the base is about to be bombed.

Rumors

1943

I Wanna Be a Sailor poster
6.2

Momma parrot is teaching her young-uns to say "Polly want a cracker" but little Peter doesn't want a cracker, he wants to be a sailor like dad. Mom tells him what a no-account his dad really was, setting sail for Hawaii ("no, Maw, it was Catalina") right after the kids were born. Peter is unswayed, and takes off. He turns a barrel into a boat, and crews it with an annoyingly talkative duckling, then sets sail on a lake. They get caught in a thunderstorm (the duck loves it). Peter calls for help and momma comes running, but the duck has already saved him. But he still wants to be a sailor.

I Wanna Be a Sailor

1937

Ding Dog Daddy poster
5.6

A dumb mutt falls in love with the metal statue of a greyhound.

Ding Dog Daddy

1942

Hare Force poster
6.8

Granny lets Bugs Bunny come in from the cold, but her dog Sylvester will have none of it.

Hare Force

1944

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! poster
5.5

A streetcar conductor, Foxy has adventures with a would-be passenger hippo, a cow blocking the tracks, and a runaway train while Foxy, his passengers, and some hobos sing the title song.

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!

1931

Streamlined Greta Green poster
6.4

In a world wherein cars act like humans, Junior wants to be a taxi, but his mother wants him to grow up to be a nice touring car like his father. Mom doesn't know that Junior sometimes skips school and ventures into the city to ride in traffic, drink hi-test gas, and race trains.

Streamlined Greta Green

1937

Yankee Doodle Daffy poster
6.5

Daffy is an agent representing Sleepy Lagoon, trying to sell him to talent scout Porky. Daffy spends a great deal of time and energy explaining and demonstrating what the kid can do, while the kid sits on a couch licking a giant sucker.

Yankee Doodle Daffy

1943

Dog Daze poster
6.1

A series of gags at a dog show, including a stage revue. A dog gets into a trunk of roller skates and crashes through the stage show.

Dog Daze

1937

Rhapsody in Rivets poster
6.6

A construction foreman conducts his workers like a symphony orchestra as they build a skyscraper to Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2."

Rhapsody in Rivets

1941

Gripes poster
6.9

Private Snafu learns the hard way about the need for military dicipline and procedures to maintain an effective army.

Gripes

1943

Cinderella Meets Fella poster
6.3

Cinderella goes to the ball, where she meets Prince Charming (Egghead).

Cinderella Meets Fella

1938

Censored poster
6.6

Private Snafu wants to tell his sweetheart, Sally Lou, that he thinks his unit will be sent to the South Pacific. But every effort he makes to get his letter through uncensored is thwarted by a resourceful (and unseen) censor with an array of contraptions and booby traps. Not even Snafu's carrier pigeon can avoid the censor -- not when he has a hawk for an assistant. Technical Fairy, First Class, comes to the rescue and agrees to deliver the letter -- but he has good reason to say that he'll hate himself in the morning.

Censored

1944

Hare Ribbin' poster
6.6

Bugs is chased into a lake by a Russian Poodle who speaks with a thick Russian accent; the rest of the story unfolds under water.

Hare Ribbin'

1944

The Mice Will Play poster
6.3

The mice are on the loose after hours in a doctor's office, playing with the various pieces of medical apparatus. Susie Mouse is caged for research until her lover Johnnie frees her. A mouse orchestra plays a swinging wedding song. But throughout, a cat is stalking...

The Mice Will Play

1938