CINEFILER

Milt Franklyn

Born
September 16, 1897
Died
April 24, 1962
Milton J. "Milt" Franklyn (September 16, 1897 – April 24, 1962) was a musical composer and arranger who worked on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoons. Franklyn moved from New York to Salt Lake City at the age of three, where he went to high school and finished one year at the University of Utah. He was the state junior tennis champion in Utah for six years. The next two years were spent at the University of California, Berkeley, then he began a term at Pennsylvania University when he was called to service in World War One. Franklyn did not serve overseas; he trained as a naval officer for three months and then the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. He returned to Berkeley to finish his education. As Franklyn could play a number of instruments, he joined a band in San Francisco and for the next few years played at the Palace and St. Francis hotels. He began his own nine-piece orchestra, known at various times as the Peninsula Band, the Super Soloists, and the Merrimakers, and appeared in San Mateo (1926 to June 1927), where he also owned a music store, and San Jose (1928 to January 1929), where he was Master of Ceremonies and wrote revues for the California Theatre before moving on to Fresno and Oakland. For two years he was emcee with Fanchon and Marco at Fox West Coast in San Diego; musical director and emcee with Paramount Publix Corporation, travelling to Seattle, Denver, Houston and Toledo; and finally worked on the Loew's circuit in Providence, Rhode Island and New York City from 1933 to 1935. Franklyn quit vaudeville to go to Hollywood in 1935 and spent a year doing occasional work. In early 1936, he joined Warner Bros. as music arranger to Carl Stalling, becoming music director in 1953. The first cartoon with Franklyn credited as a composer was Bugs and Thugs, released in 1954, though Franklyn estimated at the time his 599th cartoon for Warners was Past Perfumance. Franklyn always composed his scores at home early in the morning; he only went to the studio to watch the 30-piece Warner Bros. Orchestra record the music or to view the finished cartoon. Among the songs Franklyn is said to have composed with director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese is The Michigan Rag for the 1955 cartoon One Froggy Evening, featuring Michigan J. Frog. However, the ASCAP database lists only Maltese as the composer. He became the sole composer in 1958 upon Stalling's retirement. Franklyn died of a heart attack on April 24, 1962. At the time of his death, Franklyn was composing the score for a Tweety cartoon, The Jet Cage. The first two minutes of the cartoon were scored by Franklyn, the rest by William Lava, who had been working on the Warner Bros. main lot and replaced him as musical director. The Jet Cage opening credits lists Franklyn and not Lava, while the ASCAP database credits Franklyn with composing the opening title, with no mention of Lava, but a change in composing style in the cartoon is noticeable. Franklyn joined ASCAP in 1954 and was a member of the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. After his death, Franklyn's music also appeared in Bugs Bunny on Broadway.
Known For
The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
(1981)
Music
Duck Amuck
(1953)
Orchestrator
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters
(1988)
Music
Quackodile Tears
(1962)
Original Music Composer
Boyhood Daze
(1957)
Original Music Composer
What's Opera, Doc?
(1957)
Music Arranger
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
(1979)
Music
High Note
(1960)
Music
Full Filmography
Sound
Milk and Money
(1936)
Orchestrator
Picador Porky
(1937)
Orchestrator
Have You Got Any Castles?
(1938)
Orchestrator
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur
(1939)
Orchestrator
Dangerous Dan McFoo
(1939)
Orchestrator
Meet John Doughboy
(1941)
Orchestrator
Wabbit Twouble
(1941)
Orchestrator
The Henpecked Duck
(1941)
Orchestrator
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
(1941)
Orchestrator
Aviation Vacation
(1941)
Orchestrator
Daffy's Southern Exposure
(1942)
Orchestrator
Hiss and Make Up
(1943)
Orchestrator
Greetings Bait
(1943)
Orchestrator
To Duck.... Or Not to Duck
(1943)
Orchestrator
Fighting Tools
(1943)
Orchestrator
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs
(1943)
Orchestrator
Daffy Doodles
(1946)
Orchestrator
Roughly Squeaking
(1946)
Orchestrator
Baseball Bugs
(1946)
Orchestrator
Easter Yeggs
(1947)
Music
I Taw a Putty Tat
(1948)
Orchestrator
High Diving Hare
(1949)
Orchestrator
Long-Haired Hare
(1949)
Orchestrator
Rabbit of Seville
(1950)
Orchestrator
Big House Bunny
(1950)
Orchestrator
The Wearing of the Grin
(1951)
Music
Rabbit Every Monday
(1951)
Orchestrator
French Rarebit
(1951)
Orchestrator
Water, Water Every Hare
(1952)
Orchestrator
Little Beau Pepé
(1952)
Orchestrator
Forward March Hare
(1953)
Orchestrator
A Street Cat Named Sylvester
(1953)
Orchestrator
Much Ado About Nutting
(1953)
Orchestrator
Duck Amuck
(1953)
Orchestrator
Fowl Weather
(1953)
Orchestrator
Dr. Jerkyl's Hide
(1954)
Orchestrator
By Word of Mouse
(1954)
Music
Claws for Alarm
(1954)
Orchestrator
The Cats Bah
(1954)
Orchestrator
Bugs and Thugs
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Bell Hoppy
(1954)
Orchestrator
Devil May Hare
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Baby Buggy Bunny
(1954)
Original Music Composer
My Little Duckaroo
(1954)
Music
Pizzicato Pussycat
(1955)
Original Music Composer
Heir-Conditioned
(1955)
Music
A Kiddies Kitty
(1955)
Music Director
Knight-Mare Hare
(1955)
Music Director
Rabbit Rampage
(1955)
Music Director
Lumber Jerks
(1955)
Original Music Composer
Tweety's Circus
(1955)
Music Director
One Froggy Evening
(1955)
Original Music Composer
Dime to Retire
(1955)
Music Director
Pests for Guests
(1955)
Music Director
Roman Legion-Hare
(1955)
Music
The Hole Idea
(1955)
Music
Two Scent's Worth
(1955)
Music
Stork Naked
(1955)
Music Director
Rabbitson Crusoe
(1956)
Music Director
Tugboat Granny
(1956)
Music
Deduce, You Say
(1956)
Music Director
Weasel Stop
(1956)
Music Director, Orchestrator, and Music
Heaven Scent
(1956)
Music
Yankee Dood It
(1956)
Music
A Star Is Bored
(1956)
Music
Rocket-bye Baby
(1956)
Music
Too Hop to Handle
(1956)
Music Director
Bugs' Bonnets
(1956)
Music
The Honey-Mousers
(1956)
Original Music Composer
To Hare Is Human
(1956)
Music
Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Rocket Squad
(1956)
Music
Broom-Stick Bunny
(1956)
Original Music Composer
90 Day Wondering
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Tweety and the Beanstalk
(1957)
Music
Rabbit Romeo
(1957)
Music Editor
Boston Quackie
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Gonzales' Tamales
(1957)
Music
Zoom and Bored
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Scrambled Aches
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Go Fly a Kit
(1957)
Music
Ali Baba Bunny
(1957)
Music
Birds Anonymous
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Steal Wool
(1957)
Music
Tabasco Road
(1957)
Music
Ducking the Devil
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Boyhood Daze
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Bedevilled Rabbit
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Show Biz Bugs
(1957)
Music
What's Opera, Doc?
(1957)
Music Arranger
Tortilla Flaps
(1958)
Music
Hare-Less Wolf
(1958)
Music
Whoa, Be-Gone!
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Knighty Knight Bugs
(1958)
Music
Hare-Way to the Stars
(1958)
Music
Cat Feud
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Robin Hood Daffy
(1958)
Music
Apes of Wrath
(1959)
Music
Mexicali Shmoes
(1959)
Music
A Broken Leghorn
(1959)
Music
People Are Bunny
(1959)
Original Music Composer
The Mouse That Jack Built
(1959)
Original Music Composer
Baton Bunny
(1959)
Music
Bonanza Bunny
(1959)
Music
Wild and Woolly Hare
(1959)
Original Music Composer
A Witch's Tangled Hare
(1959)
Music
Mouse-Placed Kitten
(1959)
Original Music Composer
High Note
(1960)
Music
Dog Gone People
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Trip for Tat
(1960)
Original Music Composer
The Dixie Fryer
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Ready, Woolen and Able
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Mouse and Garden
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Mice Follies
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Hopalong Casualty
(1960)
Original Music Composer
From Hare to Heir
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Who Scent You?
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Person to Bunny
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Hyde and Go Tweet
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Rabbit's Feat
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Horse Hare
(1960)
Original Music Composer
West of the Pesos
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Wild Wild World
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Fastest with the Mostest
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Goldimouse and the Three Cats
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Crockett-Doodle-Do
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Lighter Than Hare
(1960)
Music
D' Fightin' Ones
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Strangled Eggs
(1961)
Original Music Composer
The Mouse on 57th Street
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Birds of a Father
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Cannery Woe
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Zip 'n Snort
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Hoppy Daze
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Prince Violent
(1961)
Music
A Scent of the Matterhorn
(1961)
Music
The Pied Piper of Guadalupe
(1961)
Music
Nelly's Folly
(1961)
Music
The Last Hungry Cat
(1961)
Original Music Composer
The Abominable Snow Rabbit
(1961)
Music
Beep Prepared
(1961)
Music
Rebel Without Claws
(1961)
Music
Compressed Hare
(1961)
Original Music Composer
Adventures of the Road-Runner
(1962)
Original Music Composer
Louvre Come Back to Me!
(1962)
Music
Honey's Money
(1962)
Original Music Composer
Mexican Boarders
(1962)
Music
Quackodile Tears
(1962)
Original Music Composer
Wet Hare
(1962)
Music
Bill of Hare
(1962)
Original Music Composer
The Jet Cage
(1962)
Music
Crows' Feat
(1962)
Music
Mother Was a Rooster
(1962)
Music
Zip Zip Hooray!
(1965)
Music
How Bugs Bunny Won the West
(1978)
Music
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
(1979)
Music
Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special
(1980)
Music
The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
(1981)
Music
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters
(1988)
Music
Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes
(1991)
Music
Bugs Bunny's Creature Features
(1992)
Music
Bugs Bunny at the Symphony
(2010)
Music
Data provided by TMDB