Edward Selzer

Biography

Edward Selzer (January 12, 1893 – February 22, 1970) was an American animator and publicist who served as head of Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1944 to 1958. After the studio was purchased from Leon Schlesinger by Warner Bros. in 1944, Selzer was assigned studio head by Jack L. Warner. His first cartoon was Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears.

Unlike his predecessor, Selzer did not want any on-screen credit as producer for Warner Bros. Much of what is publicly known about Selzer's personality and business acumen is from Chuck Jones' autobiography, Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist. In it, Jones paints Selzer as an interfering bore with no appreciation of animated cartoons. They later developed a mutual respect and understanding of one another, remaining friendly until Selzer's passing. Eddie Selzer was proud of his position as producer of the Looney Tunes series because of the joy the team's creations brought to so many. Selzer retired in 1958, and John Burton became the head of Warner Bros. Cartoons.