Ben Hardaway, a multi-talented animator, gag writer, storyboard artist, and director, left an indelible mark on Warner Brothers cartoons, co-creating and voicing the beloved Woody Woodpecker alongside Walter Lantz from 1944 to 1949.
Hardaway's journey began as a cartoonist for the Kansas City Star in 1910, before he saw military service as an artillery sergeant under the command of Captain Harry S. Truman during World War I, earning the nickname 'Bugs'.
After demobilization, he resumed his career in journalism, working for various mid-West newspapers. In 1922, Hardaway joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he befriended pioneering animator Ub Iwerks. When Iwerks moved to Hollywood in 1931, he employed Hardaway as a story writer, a position Hardaway held for two years before a brief stint at Disney.
Hardaway eventually settled at Leon Schlesinger's animation factory at Warner Brothers, where he enjoyed greater artistic freedom. His exceptional humor and satirical writing skills, showcased in cartoons like Confederate Honey (1940),a parody of Gone with the Wind (1939),featuring Elmer Fudd as 'Nett Cutler' and 'Crimson O'Hairoil', earned him rapid promotion to head of the story department.
Hardaway also co-directed several Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies episodes during Friz Freleng's three-year tenure at MGM, many of which featured Porky Pig. One notable cartoon, Porky's Hare Hunt (1938),introduced an unnamed white rabbit created by Robert Clampett, which would later evolve into Bugs Bunny.
The rabbit reappeared in Hare-um Scare-um (1939),now with familiar colors, but initially had relatively short ears, wide buck teeth, and a voice reminiscent of Daffy Duck. Hardaway officially named the character 'Bugs' on a model sheet, and the name stuck.
After being demoted following Freleng's return to Warner Brothers, Hardaway departed to head the story department for Walter Lantz, working on Andy Panda and Woody Woodpecker cartoons.
