Bernard B. Brown
| Bernard B. Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 24, 1898 La Farge, Wisconsin, United States |
| Died | February 20, 1981 (aged 82) Glendale, California, United States |
| Occupation | Sound engineer |
| Years active | 1930-1958 |
Bernard B. Brown (July 24, 1898 – February 20, 1981) was an American sound engineer and composer, who wrote the scores for many early animated cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures. He won an Academy Award in the category Sound Recording and was nominated for seven more in the same category. He was also nominated three times in the category Best Visual Effects. He worked on more than 520 films between 1930 and 1958.
In 1933, animation producer Leon Schlesinger set up his new animation studio: Leon Schlesinger Productions. The company would later be known as Warner Bros. Cartoons. Schlesinger had to hire new staff for his studio. According to animation historian, Michael Barrier, Schlesinger "knew almost nothing about making cartoons" and took help wherever he could find it. Among his new employees was Bernard Brown, who was in charge of recording sound and scores for the studio's films. According to a later interview with Brown, he worked on animated short films in addition to his regular work. This "regular work" was recording film scores for the feature films of the Warner Bros. studio. Brown would reportedly spend many hours working on the score of a big production, and then return to work on the score of a cartoon.
Barrier credits Brown with having the useful ability to approach people in power ("big shots") with the right mixture of deference and ease. This made these people more comfortable with turning to him for help, even beyond the scope of his nominal expertise. Studio associate Bob Clampett described Brown as having the ability to ooze in any hole that needed filling. Brown was supposedly responsible for Schlesinger hiring two of his friends, animator Tom Palmer and songwriter Norman Spencer.
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