Michael Maltese

Writing

Michael Maltese

Born 1908-02-06 · New York, New York, USA

Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of Merrie Melodies cartoons with director Chuck Jones. This collaboration produced many highly acclaimed animated shorts, including 4 of the top 5 "greatest cartoons" as judged by 1000 animation professionals; "What's Opera, Doc?" tops this list as the best animated short of all time. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]

Acting credits

Little Beau Pepé poster
6.7

After driving the Foreign Legionnaires from their fort with his aroma, lovesick skunk Pepe falls for the camp mascot, a cat who's accidentally gotten a white stripe painted down her back.

Little Beau Pepé

1952

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

A Hound for Trouble poster
7.3

Kicked off the boat in Italy, Charlie forces himself upon a pizzeria owner. Donning his best Italian accent and garb, Charlie sets to work as a waiter, astonishing and horrifying the customers with his barefoot grape-stomping and musical rendition of "Atsa Matta for You?"

A Hound for Trouble

1951

The Ducktators poster
6.2

A wartime cartoon that satirizes the Axis leaders of World War II.

The Ducktators

1942

You Ought to Be in Pictures poster
7.5

Daffy Duck convinces Porky Pig to quit the cartoon biz and try his luck in the features. Porky's adventures begin when he tries to enter the movie studio.

You Ought to Be in Pictures

1940

We, the Animals - Squeak! poster
5.9

Porky hosts a radio program, where animals tell their stories. The guest star is Kansas City Kitty, the best mouser in the country. She tells the story of her life, including her marriage to Tom Collins, the birth of Little Patrick (not necessarily in that order), and the turning point of her life. The mice have plotted out a major operation like gangsters. They sneak out and kidnap Patrick and hold him hostage...

We, the Animals - Squeak!

1941

The Aristo-Cat poster
6.9

Meadows the butler quits after being tormented by the spoiled family cat, who finds he is unable to survive on his own, especially after meeting the mice Hubie and Bertie.

The Aristo-Cat

1943

A Hare Grows in Manhattan poster
6.4

Bugs Bunny relates his early life in the Manhattan tenements and spotlights his encounter with a gang of canine toughs.

A Hare Grows in Manhattan

1947

Tortoise Wins by a Hare poster
7.1

Bugs challenges Cecil Turtle to race, only this time he's wearing an aerodynamic suit like Cecil's. Unfortunately, the gambling ring has bet everything on the rabbit, and Bugs now looks like a tortoise.

Tortoise Wins by a Hare

1943

Wackiki Wabbit poster
6.8

On a tropical island, a pair of castaways look to Bugs as a source of food.

Wackiki Wabbit

1943

Behind the camera

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie poster
7.4

A collection of Warner Brothers short cartoon features, "starring" the likes of Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Wile E. Coyote. These animations are interspersed by Bugs Bunny reminiscing on past events and providing links between the individual animations which are otherwise unconnected. This 1979 feature-length compilation includes several of his best cartoons. Among the 11 shorts shown in their entirety are the classics "Robin Hood Daffy," "What's Opera, Doc?," "Bully for Bugs," and "Duck Amuck". The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie provides a showcase not only for Jones's razor-sharp timing, but for the work of his exceptional crew, which included designer Maurice Noble, writer Mike Maltese, composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, and voice actor Mel Blanc.

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie

1979

Drum-Sticked poster
7.0

Loopy helps a turkey hide from Farmer George and his dog, Woofer.

Drum-Sticked

1963

Beep, Beep poster
7.3

The Coyote chases the Road Runner through a maze of mine shafts.

Beep, Beep

1952

Habit Rabbit poster
8.0

Raymond has a serious carrot addiction, and it's up to Loopy to cure him from it.

Habit Rabbit

1963

Horse Shoo poster
9.0

Overhearing his boss, Bronco say he's going to get rid of an old saddle, Twister mistakes this for Bronco trying to get rid of him, and so, Loopy helps Twister escape.

Horse Shoo

1965

Elephantastic poster
8.0

Under the company name of Have Peanuts Will Travel, Loopy helps a safari hunter with the delivery of an elephant on a ship to the circus, but Bigelow Mouse perverts the delivery from going through.

Elephantastic

1964

Bear Feat poster
7.0

The three bears try to train to become vaudeville stars, but things do not go well for Pa Bear.

Bear Feat

1949

Bear Knuckles poster
7.0

Braxton needs Loopy's help with getting rid of a big buff bear named Jack Delightful, who won his girlfriend, Emmy Lou's love.

Bear Knuckles

1964

How Bugs Bunny Won the West poster
6.6

How Bugs Bunny Won the West is a Looney Tunes special that was released in 1978. This special was narrated by Denver Pyle. The special is available as a bonus feature on The Essential Bugs Bunny DVD set. It had a running time of 30 min.

How Bugs Bunny Won the West

1978

Raggedy Rug poster
7.0

Loopy pretends to be a wolf rug that Quincy "hunted" in order to avoid Quincy's wife, Genevieve, to bicker about him not doing anything impressive.

Raggedy Rug

1964

Trouble Bruin poster
8.0

Loopy, under the company name of Jealous Lovers Anonymous, helps Braxton again with his mad crazy jealous streak to win over his girlfriend, Emmy Lou.

Trouble Bruin

1964

Swash Buckled poster
1.0

In France, Loopy meets the four musketeers and one of them goes to rescue a princess and Loopy goes with him to see him in action.

Swash Buckled

1962

Sheep Stealers Anonymous poster
9.0

Loopy runs a organization called S.S.A. (Sheep Stealers Anonymous) to help wolves who are addicted to sheep, Sam Wolf however, becomes trouble for Loopy.

Sheep Stealers Anonymous

1963

Big Mouse-Take poster
8.0

Loopy agrees to help in getting rid of Bigelow Mouse, or otherwise Chaterly's owner will throw Chaterly out of the house for not doing his job as a cat.

Big Mouse-Take

1965

Fee Fie Foes poster
5.7

A take-off on Jack and the Beanstalk where Loopy participates in the well-known fairy tale by climbing a beanstalk by bringing back Jack to his mother and meets the giant.

Fee Fie Foes

1961

90 Day Wondering poster
5.2

Ralph Phillips is overjoyed when he runs out of Fort Itude, because he's a civilian again. Things, however, don't go well for him when he gets home, and two pixies named Pete and Re-Pete convince him to stay in civilian life or go back to the army. At the end, Ralph chooses to go back to the army

90 Day Wondering

1956

Frigid Hare poster
7.1

Bugs rescues a penguin from an Inuit hunter at the South Pole and becomes obligated to it beyond his wildest dreams.

Frigid Hare

1949

Bearly Able poster
4.0

Loopy takes the role in babysitting Junior Bear after he accidentally scares the previous babysitter Goldilocks off.

Bearly Able

1962

Bear Hug poster
8.0

Loopy helps a bear with his relationship with Emmy Lou who has a angry boyfriend named Braxton, who has a jealous streak.

Bear Hug

1964

Bugs Bunny Rides Again poster
6.7

In the Western town of Rising Gorge, Bugs faces off against Yosemite Sam, "the roughest, toughest, he-man stuffest hombre who's ever crossed the Rio Grande."

Bugs Bunny Rides Again

1948

No artwork available
6.7

A slick movie director tricks a hayseed horse into becoming a stunt double.

It's a Grand Old Nag

1947

The Legend of Rockabye Point poster
7.4

The old fishing boat captain tells the story of Chilly Willy, a singing polar bear and a bulldog who quickly falls asleep when he hears a lullaby.

The Legend of Rockabye Point

1955

Flea for Two poster
5.6

During a square dance, held on a dog's back, celebrating the upcoming marriage between a boy and girl flea, a city-slicker flea shows up and kidnaps the girl to the big-city. The boyfriend follows and rescues her from the villain's penthouse apartment.

Flea for Two

1955

Beef For And After poster
5.0

A steer follows Bon Bon home, but Loopy has trouble returning it to the watchdog.

Beef For And After

1962