That same year, Clampett became an
animator and key gagman for new director Tex Avery. Their
work space was called Termite Terrace, which was named
because of the termites that could be heard chewing
the building’s woodwork. Avery and Clampett’s collaboration
created a wild and irreverent style of animation never
before seen in animation. Soon, this type of animation
came to be known as “the Warner style.” Under the guise
of this style, Avery and Clampett developed Daffy Duck
in his premier cartoon “Porky’s Duck Hunt”. Bob animated
the infamous scene of Daffy woo-wooing his way across
the lake. But it would be later that both men contributed
to the creation of Warner Bros. biggest star, Bugs Bunny.
In 1937, Clampett was promoted to
Director, and would, for the next nine years, direct some
of the funniest and wildest cartoons ever produced.
Utilizing extremely well-developed personalities and
developed story lines, Clampett gave the cartoon community
classics such as “Porky In Wackyland,” (1938), “Corny
Concerto,” “Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs. (1943), and
“The Great Piggy Bank Robbery” (1946). Clampett also
introduced new characters to the Warner Bros. stable,
including Beaky Buzzard from “Bugs Gets the Boid,” and
Tweety, whose first appearance was in “Tale of Two Kitties.”
Clampett left Warner Bros. in 1946
to open his own studio. He created a live daily puppet
show, featuring a sea serpent named Cecil, and the
serpent’s propeller-and-hat-topped pal, Beany. “Time
for Beany” earned Clampett three Emmy awards for best
Children’s program. In 1961, Beany and Cecil debuted on
ABC with their own animated show, which ran five years
straight on the network. The show was produced by Bob’s
wife Sody, who continues to run his business today.
Sketches from their home were used to create backgrounds
for episodes, and Bob’s son Bob Jr. and daughter Ruth
did voices for the series, truly making it a family
affair. “Beany and Cecil” can still be seen worldwide
to this day.
During the last part of his life,
Bob lectured at colleges on the history of animation and
made appearances at museum events and conventions. In
addition to pioneering many filmmaking techniques that
are used in current animation, Clampett remains a real
animation fan’s director. To say the least, Clampett’s
animation has secured him a place as one of the most
recognizable and legendary animator/directors in the
cartoon genre.
![[Clampett]](/Picts/clampettbiopic.jpg)