John Burton

[frizfrelengfan]

I read somewhere that a guy named John Burton was president of Warner Bros. animation for a short time (after Selzer and before DePatie). There is a John Burton Jr. credited on hundreds of films, mostly with DFE, and usually credited as camera operator. I was wondering if they were one and the same person.

[Brandon Panther]

Isn't he the guy that fired Chuck Jones over the Gay-Purr-ee moonlighting incident?

[cbrubaker]

Isn't he the guy that fired Chuck Jones over the Gay-Purr-ee moonlighting incident?
No. I believe David DePatie was in charge at the time of Jones' firing.

[Matt the Y]

I actually heard that Jack Warner himself was the person who fired Chuck Jones..... at least, that's how Chuck Jones himself would frequently bitterly describe it years and years later (well, he would never actually bring the subject of his being fired out into the open, that was always kept secret, but he never had a single kind word to say about "J.L." in his life particularly regarding the 1960's WB period so I'm guessing Warner played a part in his being let go from Warners).

[TServo2049]

John Burton Jr. is the son of the John Burton who briefly ran the WB cartoons unit, from what I recall...

[Jaime_Weinman]

John Burton Sr. was production manager for Warners animation; he's mentioned in Michael Barrier's interviews with both Chuck Jones (http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/Jones/interview_chuck_jones.htm) and Bob Clampett (http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/Clampett/interview_bob_clampett.htm), who both refer to him as "Johnny Burton." Jones calls him "a great talent who was in charge of production." Maurice Noble says in Robert McKinnon's "Stepping Into the Picture" that Burton carried out most of the actual producing duties ("a very nice man, and the one who kept the wheels turning at the studio"). After Selzer left he finally got to be full-fledged producer, but I don't know why he left.

[Fibber Fox]

After Selzer left he finally got to be full-fledged producer, but I don't know why he left.

I always thought it was because they closed the studio. Did he leave before that?

F. Fox

[frizfrelengfan]

David DePatie ran the studio in its last years.

[Steve Stanch]

Burton was a stop Motion animator in the 20's through the mid 30's before joining Warners.... he was one of the principals at Kinex Studios and it's later sound incarnation......

[J Lee]

I believe Burton simply took retirement a couple of years after Seltzer did, rather than leaving the studio for any other position.

[Brandon Panther]

John Burton Sr. was production manager for Warners animation; he's mentioned in Michael Barrier's interviews with both Chuck Jones (http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/Jones/interview_chuck_jones.htm) and Bob Clampett (http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/Clampett/interview_bob_clampett.htm), who both refer to him as "Johnny Burton." Jones calls him "a great talent who was in charge of production".
I guess we can no longer say Chuck Jones hated all bosses then.