Norm Prescott
Encyclopedia
Norman "Norm" Prescott was co-founder and executive producer
at Filmation Studios
. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he began his radio career in the Hub, becoming program director at station WORL in the late 1940s. He went to work for Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Pictures Corp. in 1959, serving as vice president of music, merchandising and post-production. He, Lou Scheimer and Hal Sutherland formed Filmation in 1963.
In many of Filmation's shows in the 1970s, Prescott was co-credited as music composer under the pseudonym "Jeff Michael" (Jeff and Michael were the names of Prescott's sons), along with Ray Ellis
under the pseudonym "Yvette Blais" (his wife's name) and Dean Andre (Wallschlaeger).
which featured Liza Minnelli
as the voice of Dorothy. (Ms. Minnelli is the daughter of Judy Garland
, the original Dorothy.)
Filmation produced the popular Star Trek animated series
in 1973. Prescott also was producer for the cartoon series The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty
, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, The Space Sentinels, The New Adventures of Flash Gordon
, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle, The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, Blackstar, and Sport Billy.
on July 2, 2005, at the age of 78. Professionally, he was survived by Lou Scheimer
and his colleagues at Filmation
Associates.
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
at Filmation Studios
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he began his radio career in the Hub, becoming program director at station WORL in the late 1940s. He went to work for Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Pictures Corp. in 1959, serving as vice president of music, merchandising and post-production. He, Lou Scheimer and Hal Sutherland formed Filmation in 1963.
In many of Filmation's shows in the 1970s, Prescott was co-credited as music composer under the pseudonym "Jeff Michael" (Jeff and Michael were the names of Prescott's sons), along with Ray Ellis
Ray Ellis
Ray Ellis was an American record producer, arranger and conductor. The orchestration for Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin is probably his best known work in the jazz vein.-Biography:...
under the pseudonym "Yvette Blais" (his wife's name) and Dean Andre (Wallschlaeger).
Productions
- Pinocchio in Outer SpacePinocchio in Outer SpacePinocchio in Outer Space was a Belgian-American animated film which sets Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio character on a rocketship adventure. Peter Lazer does the voice of Pinocchio...
(Belgian co-produced feature film) - The New Adventures of Superman
- Fantastic VoyageFantastic VoyageFantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
- The Batman/Superman HourThe Batman/Superman HourThe Batman/Superman Hour is a Filmation animated series that was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1969. Premiering on September 14, 1968, this 60-minute program featured new adventures of the DC Comics superheroes Batman, Robin and Batgirl alongside shorts from The New Adventures of Superman and The...
- The Archie ShowThe Archie ShowThe Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
- The Hardy BoysThe Hardy BoysThe Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children and teens....
- Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down?Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down?Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down was a 1970 animated showcase for various caricatured Jerry Lewis characters, all based on characters from the Lewis film, The Family Jewels and styled in a fashion similar to Archie's TV Funnies and the Groovie Goolies...
- The Groovie GooliesGroovie GooliesGroovie Goolies is an American animated television show that had its original run on network television between 1970 and 1972. Produced by Filmation, Groovie Goolies was a spinoff of Sabrina the Teenage Witch...
- Fat Albert and the Cosby KidsFat Albert and the Cosby KidsFat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985...
- The Brady KidsThe Brady KidsThe Brady Kids was an animated television series, produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television and seen on ABC from 1972 to 1974...
- Star Trek: The Animated SeriesStar Trek: The Animated SeriesStar Trek: The Animated Series is an animated science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe following the events of Star Trek: The Original Series of the 1960s...
- Lassie's Rescue RangersLassie's Rescue RangersLassie's Rescue Rangers is an animated TV show produced by Filmation and featuring Lassie, running from 1973 to 1975. The hour-long pilot, Lassie and the Spirit of Thunder Mountain, was part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie.-Overview:...
- My Favorite Martians
- The U.S. of Archie
- The New Adventures of GilliganThe New Adventures Of GilliganThe New Adventures of Gilligan is an animated series produced by Filmation and was aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It was based on the 1964-1967 CBS television series Gilligan's Island and featured almost all the actors from the show, except for Tina Louise, who was determined to distance...
- The Original GhostbustersThe Ghost BustersThe Ghost Busters was a live-action children's television series that ran from 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who would investigate ghostly occurrences. Only 15 episodes were created....
- Tarzan, Lord of the JungleTarzan, Lord of the JungleTarzan, Lord of the Jungle is an animated series created by the Filmation studio for CBS. There are a total of 36 episodes produced over the first four seasons....
- Tarzan and the Super 7Tarzan and the Super 7Tarzan and the Super 7, was a Saturday morning cartoon series, produced by Filmation and originally airing from 1978–1980 on CBS.The show consisted of separate installments featuring seven groups of adventurers;* Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle...
- Ark IIArk IIArk II is an American live-action science fiction series aimed at children that aired on CBS beginning in 1976 as part of its Saturday morning line-up...
Other Professional Work
Prescott also produced and directed the 1973 animated film Treasure Island and produced and wrote 1974's Journey Back to OzJourney Back to Oz
Journey Back To Oz is a 1974 animated film and the official sequel to the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. It is loosely based on L. Frank Baum's second Oz novel, The Marvelous Land of Oz, although Baum received no screen credit. However, the Wizard was nowhere to be found, at least in the...
which featured Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
as the voice of Dorothy. (Ms. Minnelli is the daughter of Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, the original Dorothy.)
Filmation produced the popular Star Trek animated series
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Animated Series is an animated science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe following the events of Star Trek: The Original Series of the 1960s...
in 1973. Prescott also was producer for the cartoon series The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty
The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty
The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty was a children's television show alternating animation and live footage segments. It took the concept of James Thurber's popular short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and parodied it with anthropomorphised dogs and cats.-Plot:Waldo Kitty and his girlfriend...
, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, The Space Sentinels, The New Adventures of Flash Gordon
The New Adventures of Flash Gordon
The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, also known as The Adventures of Flash Gordon, is an animated television series. The series is actually called Flash Gordon, but the expanded title is used in official records to distinguish it from previous versions.Filmation produced the series in 1979, partly...
, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle, The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, Blackstar, and Sport Billy.
Death
Prescott died of natural causes in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on July 2, 2005, at the age of 78. Professionally, he was survived by Lou Scheimer
Lou Scheimer
Louis Scheimer is an Emmy and Grammy Award–winning American producer, one of the original founders of Filmation, an animation company, and also an executive producer of many of its cartoons .-Career:Early in Filmation's history, Scheimer also contributed...
and his colleagues at Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
Associates.