AllMovie

A longtime collaborator with Hanna-Barbera and the king of the commercial jingle, Hoyt Curtin was the man behind many of pop culture's most hummable tunes. Born in Downey, CA., his family soon relocated to Bernardino, where Curtin took an interest in the piano at the age of five. Curtin's passion for music was ignited after winning a singing contest sponsored by a local movie theater. After playing with several jazz bands and forming his own orchestra in high school, Curtin served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and later earned his master's degree in music at U.S.C. Upon graduation Curtin began work in television commercials, where a chance meeting with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1957 sparked one of the most fruitful collaborations in cartoon history. Eventually penning the tunes for over 250 shows, including The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, and The Smurfs, Curtin's work was recently featured on a 1995 compilation CD titled Saturday Morning Cartoon's Greatest Hits. Curtin served as musical director for three decades, constantly penning the tunes that would remain near and dear to nostalgic cartoon fans everywhere. On December 3, 2000, Hoyt Curtin died in a hospital in Thousand Oaks, CA, after an extended illness. He was 78.