Hugh Harman (l.) and Rudolf Ising at MGM in 1934

Born in Kansas City, MO. Rudolf Ising was one of the pioneers of animation. He began his work with Walt Disney in 1922, working on Disney's early Laugh-o-Gram toons. When that company went bankrupt, Ising and partner Hugh Harman tried to start a new series based on the Arabian Nights, but were unable to obtain funding. Disney called them back to work when he bagin work for Charles Mintz, producing the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. After a dispute over pricing, Mintz forced out Disney and kept Harman and Ising on for another year, when they in turn were forced out (and replaced by a young Walter Lantz). Harman, Ising, and a few other ex-Disney animators put together a pilot short, "Bosko the Talkink Kid", which was used by producer Leon Schlesinger to obtain a contract with Warner Bros.' studios to produce animated cartoons. Harman and Ising started the Loony Toons and Merrie Melodies cartoons, and produced them for several years. After another argument over money (this time with Schlesinger), H&I left Warner Bros. for MGM in 1933. They produced "Happy Harmonies" for MGM until yet again they left over financial arangements. After MGM, H&I formed their own studio, but this was not a success. MGM hired the two men back, but by this time their faux-Disney style of animation was out of fashion, and they found themselves eclipsed by the works of Hanna and Barbara (whom they had hired) and Fred "Tex" Avery. In the 40's and 50's, both men did some work for Walter Lantz Studios. Ising came out of retirement to produce and direct the animation for the "Tom and Jerry" TV series in 1965.  Nominated for Short Subjects - Cartoons 1935: THE CALICO DRAGON (w. Hugh Harman)  Nominated for Short Subjects - Cartoons 1936: THE OLD MILL POND (w. Hugh Harman) 2 nominations