Famous Studios

With the Fleischer Studios released Mr. Bug Goes To Town in December 1941, the working relationship between studio founder and executive producer Max Fleischer and his brother and studio head director Dave Fleischer had reached a point the two could no longer work together. Exercising an option in their loan to the brothers, Paramount stepped in and assumed full ownership of Fleischer Studios on May 25, 1941. The brothers remained at the studio as figureheads only through the end of the year. As 1942 began, Paramount reorganized the studio, moved it back to New York, ultimately reincorporated it as Famous Studios on May 25, 1942.
Paramount's new animation division kept many of the people from the Fleischer Studios. Fleischer business manager Sam Buchwald became the new studios' executive producer, storyboard artist Isadore Sparber and head animator Seymour Kneitel shared responsibilities as supervising producers and credited directors. Animators Myron Waldman, David Tendlar, Tom Johnson, Nicholas Tafuri, and Al Eugster made the move to Famous Studios in New York (Fleischer Studios was based in Miami).

Many of the more popular series survived the transition, too, such as Popeye the Sailor and Superman. By 1943, the expensive Superman series was dropped in favor of Little Lulu, based on a Saturday Evening Post comic strip character. Popeye made the transition to color the same year. Older series like Screen Songs were brought back, also in color. The Noveltoons series became a proving ground for new series, and spun off many popular series. Unlike Fleischer, Famous Studios never produced any feature-length animated films.

With the growth of the television market and its insatiable need for programming, Paramount decided to sell most of their pre-October 1950 shorts and cartoons to U.M.& M. T.V. Corp. in 1955. Only the Popeye and Superman shorts were held back. By October 1956, Paramount assumed full control of Famous Studios, integrating it into the Paramount Pictures Corporation as a division named Paramount Cartoon Studios. Paramount sold their remaining cartoon film library and the rights to their established characters to Harvey Comics in 1959.

The sixties were a tumultuous time for Paramount Cartoon Studios. Partnering with Jack Kinney Productions and Rembrandt Films, Paramount produced King Features Syndicate' Popeye and King Features Trilogy cartoons for television (twelve from this series were also released theatrically). In 1964, Howard Post took over the studio. He began a few new series such as Swifty and Shorty and Honey Halfwitch that barely kept the studio's head above water. Post was replaced in quick succession by Shamus Culhane, and finally by Ralph Bakshi in 1967. Bakshi's avante garde tendencies did not suit Paramount's corporate structure, and Paramount Cartoon Studios was closed by the end of the year.