Late last year, I wrote about, perhaps, one of the greatest cartoon writers to come out of the classic Warner Bros. animation studios, Michael Maltese. But Maltese wasn’t the only writer the Warner Bros. animation studios had. One of the most under recognized and overlooked writers was Tedd Pierce.
Active from the 1930s through the 1960s, Pierce helped craft many of the memorable stories and gags that defined the humor and personality of many of the major animation studios legendary characters.
He was born Edward Stacey Pierce III on August 12, 1906, in Quogue, New York. Pierce entered the animation industry as a storyboard artist during the early years of sound cartoons. Over time he became a staff writer at the famous Warner Bros. animation unit known informally as “Termite Terrace.” There he collaborated with several of the studio’s most influential directors, including Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Robert McKimson.
Pierce’s writing contributed to numerous classic entries in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Among the cartoons he helped write are Hare Tonic (1945), Hare Do (1949), Bunker Hill Bunny (1950), Hillbilly Hare (1950), and Lovelorn Leghorn (1951). His stories frequently showcased fast-paced humor, clever dialogue, and strong character-driven comedy that became hallmarks of Warner’s animated shorts. He created the character, Henery Hawk in 1942. Henery Hawk would later become a foil of the chicken, Foghorn Leghorn. Of special note, to me anyway, Pierce wrote the 1943 Bugs Bunny cartoon, Super-Rabbit. At the end of that cartoon Bugs Bunny joins the Marines.
Although Pierce often worked behind the scenes, his influence extended beyond writing. He also performed occasional voice roles in cartoons and even appeared as characters in certain shorts. In addition to being part of the writing staff that wrote the 
screenplay for Fleischer Studios’ 1939 Gulliver’s Travels, he was also the voice of the character, King Bombo. For Warner Bros., he imitated comedian Bud Abbott in a series of cartoons parodying the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. His character was called Babbit and Mel Blanc voiced Catstello. He also imitated W.C. Fields and Leslie Howard in the cartoon, Porky’s Road Race.
And it wasn’t just his voice acting where Pierce left his mark. According to Chuck Jones, Pierce’s reputation as a self-proclaimed ladies’ man helped inspire the famous romantic skunk Pepé Le Pew. The character’s exaggerated confidence and persistent pursuit of romance mirrored the image Pierce, himself, cultivated among colleagues at the studio.
Despite being both a talented writer and equally talented voice actor, Pierce didn’t get the same level of recognition that his fellow Warner storymen, Michael Maltese and Warren Foster did. Nevertheless, Pierce is recognized as one of the three principal writers who defined the storytelling style of Warner Bros. cartoons during their golden age.
Pierce didn’t just work for Warner Bros. In addition, to his work at Fleischer Studios’ as mentioned 
above, Pierce also voiced Bluto in the Popeye cartoons made during 1940-1942. These cartoons included “Stealin Ain’t Honest” and “Olive Oyl and Water Don’t Mix.” He also wrote with director Gene Deitch the 1962 Tom & Jerry cartoon Tall in the Trap. This cartoon was a brilliant parody of the TV western, Have Gun-Will Travel.
Though he was rarely as publicly recognized as the directors he worked with, Tedd Pierce’s wit, storytelling instincts, and creative contributions played a significant role in shaping the legacy of Warner Bros. and Fleischer Studios animation.
