Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. David "Dave" Fleischer (July 14, 1894 – June 25, 1979) was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. He was a native of New York City. Sometime around 1913-1914, Dave began working as a film cutter for the American branch of Pathé, the French company that was the world's largest film production and distribution company, and the largest manufacturer of film equipment, in the first decades of the 20th Century. Dave Fleischer was notable during the brothers' early days as the rotoscope model for their first character, Koko the Clown. He went on to become director and later producer of the studio's output. Although he is credited as "director" of every film released by the Fleischer studio from 1921 to 1942, the lead animators actually performed directorial duties, and Fleischer mainly served as producer. Among the cartoon series Fleischer supervised during this period were Talkartoons, Betty Boop Cartoons, Popeye the Sailor, Color Classics and several others; Popeye would go on to be the top rival of Mickey Mouse. He also supervised two animated features released through Paramount Pictures, Gulliver's Travels (1939) and Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941). The debt Fleischer Studios owed to Paramount for the budgets of those features, worsened by the lack of success that came from the studio's non-Popeye cartoons, was called in by Paramount; this forced the brothers to give the studio to Paramount on May 24, 1941. However, both were still able to remain in charge of Fleischer Studios for a time. Fleischer was asked by Paramount to put the popular comic book hero Superman into a cartoon series. The big-budget Superman series became the most successful cartoon of the late period of Fleischer Studios. However, relations between Dave and Max were deteriorating. The feud starting simmering after the married Dave began an adulterous affair with his Miami secretary in 1938, and was followed by more personal and professional disputes. In April 1942 Fleischer, no longer able to cooperate with his brother, left the company to become President of Screen Gems at Columbia Pictures, although he remained co-manager of Fleischer Studios until Paramount reorganized the studio in May 1942 after Max and Dave's contracts expired. Now owned wholly by Paramount, the studio was re-organized as Famous Studios, although the name wasn't officially adopted until May 1943. In the late-1940s, Fleischer moved over to Universal, where he became a special effects expert and general problem-solver, working on films such as Francis (1950), The Birds (1963), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Fleischer died of a stroke on June 25, 1979 in Woodland Hills, California, having spent over a decade in retirement.
Directed 491
2010s
- 2015
Max Fleischer: Lost Cartoons
Director
- 2014
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection: Volume 3
Director
- 2013
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection: Volume 2
Director
Betty Boop: The Essential Collection: Volume 1
Director
1950s
- 1952
Big Bad Sindbad
Director
- 1950
Popeye Makes a Movie
Director
1940s
- 1949
Popeye's Premiere
Director
- 1944
Spinach Packin' Popeye
Director
- 1942
Terror on the Midway
Director
Volcano
Director
Baby Wants a Bottleship
Director
Electric Earthquake
Director
Many Tanks
Director
Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix
Director
The Magnetic Telescope
Director
Pip-eye, Pup-eye, Poop-eye an' Peep-eye
Director
The Bulleteers
Director
Fleets of Stren'th
Director
The Arctic Giant
Director
Blunder Below
Director
Kickin' the Conga Round
Director
Billion Dollar Limited
Director
The Vacationers' Paradise
Director
- 1941
Nix on Hypnotricks
Director
The Mechanical Monsters
Director
The Mighty Navy
Director
Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1942
Director
I'll Never Crow Again
Director
Twinkletoes in Hat Stuff
Director
Vitamin Hay
Director
It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day
Director
Pest Pilot
Director
The Wizard of Arts
Director
Gabby Goes Fishing
Director
Copy Cat
Director
Child Psykolojiky
Director
Twinkletoes - Where He Goes Nobody Knows
Director
Fire Cheese
Director
Olive's Boithday Presink
Director
Zero the Hound
Director
Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle
Director
Sneak, Snoop and Snitch in Triple Trouble
Director
Swing Cleaning
Director
Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy
Director
Flies Ain't Human
Director
Twinkletoes Gets the Bird
Director
Olive's $weep$take Ticket
Director
Two for the Zoo
Director
Quiet! Pleeze
Director
All's Well
Director
Problem Pappy
Director
- 1940
Popeye Presents Eugene, the Jeep
Director
Mommy Loves Puppy
Director
The Constable
Director
Poopdeck Pappy
Director
King for a Day
Director
My Pop, My Pop
Director
The Dandy Lion
Director
Popeye Meets William Tell
Director
Pedagogical Institution (College to You)
Director
Puttin on the Act
Director
Springtime in the Rock Age
Director
You Can't Shoe a Horse Fly
Director
Wimmin Hadn't Oughta Drive
Director
The Fulla Bluff Man
Director
Doing Impossikible Stunts
Director
Snubbed by a Snob
Director
Fightin Pals
Director
Wedding Belts
Director
Nurse-Mates
Director
Wimmin is a Myskery
Director
The Foul Ball Player
Director
Onion Pacific
Director
A Kick in Time
Director
Me Feelins is Hurt
Director
Stealin Aint Honest
Director
Ants in the Plants
Director
Way Back When a Nightclub Was a Stick
Director
Females Is Fickle
Director
Way Back When a Nag Was Only a Horse
Director
Little Lambkins
Director
Shakespearian Spinach
Director
1930s
- 1939
Never Sock a Baby
Director
The Fresh Vegetable Mystery
Director
Yip-Yip-Yippy
Director
It's the Natural Thing to Do
Director
Hello How Am I
Director
Rhythm on the Reservation
Director
The Barnyard Brat
Director
Ghosks Is the Bunk
Director
The Scared Crows
Director
Wotta Nitemare
Director
Musical Mountaineers
Director
Leave Well Enough Alone
Director
Small Fry
Director
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
Director
So Does an Automobile
Director
My Friend the Monkey
Director
Customers Wanted
Director
Always Kickin'
Director
- 1938
Cops Is Always Right
Director
Thrills and Chills
Director
On with the New
Director
A Date to Skate
Director
The Playful Polar Bears
Director
Goonland
Director
Sally Swing
Director
Mutiny Ain't Nice
Director
Buzzy Boop at the Concert
Director
All's Fair at the Fair
Director
Bulldozing the Bull
Director
Pudgy the Watchman
Director
Buzzy Boop
Director
The Jeep
Director
Hunky and Spunky
Director
Plumbing Is a 'Pipe'
Director
I Yam Love Sick
Director
The Swing School
Director
You Leave Me Breathless
Director
Hold It!
Director
Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh
Director
Out of the Inkwell
Director
Honest Love and True
Director
Thanks for the Memory
Director
The House Builder-Upper
Director
Be Up to Date
Director
Learn Polikeness
Director
Riding the Rails
Director
Let's Celebrake
Director
- 1937
Zula Hula
Director
Fowl Play
Director
Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves
Director
Magic on Broadway
Director
The Foxy Hunter
Director
Protek the Weakerist
Director
Educated Fish
Director
The New Deal Show
Director
The Football Toucher Downer
Director
Whispers in the Dark
Director
Service with a Smile
Director
I Likes Babies and Infinks
Director
The Candid Candidate
Director
Peeping Penguins
Director
I Never Changes My Altitude
Director
You Came to My Rescue
Director
Ding Dong Doggie
Director
Lost and Foundry
Director
A Car-Tune Portrait
Director
The Impractical Joker
Director
Morning, Noon and Night Club
Director
Please Keep Me in Your Dreams
Director
The Twisker Pitcher
Director
Pudgy Picks a Fight
Director
Hospitaliky
Director
Pudgy Takes a Bow-Wow
Director
Twilight on the Trail
Director
My Artistical Temperature
Director
The Hot Air Salesman
Director
Organ Grinder's Swing
Director
Bunny Mooning
Director
Whoops! I'm a Cowboy
Director
Never Should Have Told You
Director
The Paneless Window Washer
Director
House Cleaning Blues
Director
- 1936
I'm in the Army Now
Director
Making Friends
Director
Christmas Comes But Once a Year
Director
Talking Through My Heart
Director
The Spinach Roadster
Director
Be Human
Director
Hold the Wire
Director
Grampy's Indoor Outing
Director
Play Safe
Director
Little Swee'pea
Director
I Can't Escape from You
Director
Training Pigeons
Director
Never Kick a Woman
Director
Hawaiian Birds
Director
Happy You and Merry Me
Director
Let's Get Movin'
Director
The Hills of Old Wyomin'
Director
You're Not Built That Way
Director
Greedy Humpty Dumpty
Director
I Wanna Be a Life Guard
Director
More Pep
Director
A Song a Day
Director
I Don't Want to Make History
Director
The Cobweb Hotel
Director
What -- No Spinach?
Director
Bridge Ahoy!
Director
We Did It
Director
I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski
Director
Betty Boop and Little Jimmy
Director
I Feel Like a Feather in the Breeze
Director
The Little Stranger
Director
Brotherly Love
Director
Not Now
Director
A Clean Shaven Man
Director
Betty Boop and the Little King
Director
No Other One
Director
Somewhere in Dreamland
Director
Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky
Director
- 1935
It's Easy to Remember
Director
Little Nobody
Director
Betty Boop with Henry the Funniest Living American
Director
The Spinach Overture
Director
Musical Memories
Director
Adventures of Popeye
Director
Making Stars
Director
King of the Mardi Gras
Director
Judge for a Day
Director
I Wished on the Moon
Director
Time for Love
Director
You Gotta Be a Football Hero
Director
Betty Boop and Grampy
Director
Dizzy Divers
Director
A Language All My Own
Director
Dancing on the Moon
Director
For Better or Worser
Director
A Little Soap and Water
Director
Choose Your 'Weppins'
Director
No! No! A Thousand Times No!!
Director
The Kids in the Shoe
Director
The Hyp-Nut-Tist
Director
Swat the Fly
Director
Pleased to Meet Cha!
Director
Stop That Noise
Director
The Song of the Birds
Director
Be Kind to 'Aminals'
Director
Taking the Blame
Director
Beware of Barnacle Bill
Director
Baby Be Good
Director
An Elephant Never Forgets
Director
- 1934
We Aim to Please
Director
When My Ship Comes In
Director
The Dance Contest
Director
Keep in Style
Director
Little Dutch Mill
Director
The Two-Alarm Fire
Director
Betty Boop's Prize Show
Director
A Dream Walking
Director
Betty Boop's Little Pal
Director
Axe Me Another
Director
There's Something About a Soldier
Director
Shiver Me Timbers!
Director
Love Thy Neighbor
Director
Betty Boop's Life Guard
Director
Strong to the Finich
Director
Can You Take It
Director
She Reminds Me of You
Director
Betty Boop's Trial
Director
Shoein' Hosses
Director
This Little Piggie Went to Market
Director
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
Director
Lazy Bones
Director
Betty in Blunderland
Director
The Man on the Flying Trapeze
Director
Let's Sing with Popeye
Director
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Director
Let's You and Him Fight
Director
Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing
Director
Red Hot Mamma
Director
Sock-a-Bye, Baby
Director
Keeps Rainin' All the Time
Director
She Wronged Him Right
Director
- 1933
Wild Elephinks
Director
Seasin's Greetinks!
Director
Sing, Babies, Sing!
Director
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Director
I Eats My Spinach
Director
I Like Mountain Music
Director
Blow Me Down!
Director
Morning, Noon and Night
Director
Boo, Boo, Theme Song!
Director
I Yam What I Yam
Director
When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba
Director
I Heard
Director
Stoopnocracy
Director
The Old Man of the Mountain
Director
Snow-White
Director
Down by the Old Mill Stream
Director
Popeye the Sailor
Director
Sing, Sisters, Sing!
Director
Mother Goose Land
Director
Betty Boop's Big Boss
Director
Song Shopping
Director
Betty Boop's May Party
Director
The Peanut Vendor
Director
Betty Boop's Birthday Party
Director
Popular Melodies
Director
Aloha Oe
Director
Betty Boop's Penthouse
Director
Reaching for the Moon
Director
Is My Palm Read
Director
Ain't She Sweet
Director
Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions
Director
Dinah
Director
Betty Boop's Ker-Choo
Director
- 1932
Time on My Hands
Director
Betty Boop's Museum
Director
Sing a Song
Director
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You
Director
Sleepy Time Down South
Director
Betty Boop for President
Director
Romantic Melodies
Director
Betty Boop's Ups and Downs
Director
School Days
Director
Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle
Director
Just a Gigolo
Director
Betty Boop, M.D.
Director
Down Among the Sugar Cane
Director
Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee
Director
Stopping the Show
Director
Rudy Vallee Melodies
Director
You Try Somebody Else
Director
The Betty Boop Limited
Director
I Ain't Got Nobody
Director
Admission Free
Director
Shine on Harvest Moon
Director
A Hunting We Will Go
Director
Chess-Nuts
Director
The Dancing Fool
Director
Just One More Chance
Director
Crazy-Town
Director
Hide and Seek
Director
Minnie the Moocher
Director
S.O.S.
Director
Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie
Director
When the Red, Red, Robin Comes Bob, Bob Bobbin' Along
Director
The Robot
Director
Show Me the Way to Go Home
Director
Sweet Jennie Lee
Director
Boop-Oop-A-Doop
Director
Any Rags
Director
- 1931
Russian Lullaby
Director
Dizzy Red Riding-Hood
Director
My Baby Just Cares for Me
Director
Jack and the Beanstalk
Director
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Director
Mask-A-Raid
Director
Kitty from Kansas City
Director
Little Annie Rooney
Director
Minding the Baby
Director
Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean
Director
Bimbo's Express
Director
Betty Co-ed
Director
Bimbo's Initiation
Director
The Herring Murder Case
Director
That Old Gang of Mine
Director
Twenty Legs Under the Sea
Director
My Wife's Gone to the Country
Director
And the Green Grass Grew All Around
Director
Silly Scandals
Director
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Director
The Male Man
Director
Any Little Girl That's a Nice Little Girl
Director
The Bum Bandit
Director
Somebody Stole My Gal
Director
In My Merry Oldsmobile
Director
The Cow's Husband
Director
Tree Saps
Director
Teacher's Pest
Director
By the Beautiful Sea
Director
Please Go 'Way and Let Me Sleep
Director
Ace of Spades
Director
- 1930
Mysterious Mose
Director
Accordion Joe
Director
On a Sunday Afternoon
Director
Up to Mars
Director
Mariutch
Director
Sky Scraping
Director
Grand Uproar
Director
Swing You Sinners!
Director
The Stein Song
Director
Barnacle Bill
Director
The Glow Worm
Director
Dizzy Dishes
Director
Wise Flies
Director
In the Good Old Summertime
Director
Fire Bugs
Director
Yes! We Have No Bananas
Director
La Paloma
Director
Hot Dog
Director
Prisoner's Song
Director
Radio Riot
Director
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
Director
Bedelia
Director
1920s
- 1929
I've Got Rings on My Fingers
Director
Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet
Director
After the Ball
Director
Noah's Lark
Director
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
Director
China Town, My China Town
Director
Chemical Ko-Ko
Director
Ko-Ko's Hypnotism
Director
Ko-Ko's Big Sale
Director
Ko-Ko's Harem Scarem
Director
Ko-Ko's Conquest
Director
Ko-Ko's Hot Ink
Director
Ko-Ko's Reward
Director
Ko-Ko Beats Time
Director
No Eyes Today
Director
- 1928
Ko-Ko's Courtship
Director
Ko-Ko's Magic
Director
Ko-Ko's War Dogs
Director
Ko-Ko's Catch
Director
KoKo Lamps Aladdin
Director
Ko-Ko's Haunted House
Director
KoKo's Earth Control
Director
Ko-Ko's Tattoo
Director
Ko-Ko Smokes
Director
Ko-Ko's Hot Dog
Director
Ko-Ko's Kink
Director
- 1927
Ko-Ko the Kid
Director
KoKo's Klock
Director
Koko Chops Suey
Director
KoKo the Kop
Director
Ko-Ko Hops Off
Director
Ko-Ko the Knight
Director
Koko’s Kane
Director
Koko Plays Pool
Director
Koko Needles the Boss
Director
Koko in 1999
Director
Ko-Ko Makes 'Em Laugh
Director
Koko Back Tracks
Director
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Director
Inklings, Issue Unknown
Director
- 1926
Koko Gets Egg-Cited
Director
When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam'
Director
Margie
Director
Ko-Ko's Queen
Director
Comin' Thro' the Rye
Director
'Morning, Judge
Director
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (The Boys Are Marching)
Director
Koko Hot After It
Director
My Old Kentucky Home
Director
It's the Cat's
Director
Sweet Adeline
Director
Ko-Ko at the Circus
Director
Koko Baffles the Bulls
Director
Darling Nelly Gray
Director
- 1925
Thanksgiving
Director
Koko Packs 'Em
Director
Koko Nuts
Director
Ko-Ko on the Run
Director
Koko Sees Spooks
Director
Koko Trains 'Em
Director
Ko-Ko the Barber
Director
Koko in Toyland
Director
Koko the Hot Shot
Director
- 1924
The Storm
Director
Sparring Partner
Director
League of Nations
Director
The Runaway
Director
Clay Town
Director
Mother Gooseland
Director
Cartoon Factory
Director
Masquerade
Director
Koko's Big Catch
Director
- 1923
Contest
Director
The Fortune Teller
Director
Balloons
Director
The Puzzle
Director
Surprise
Director
Bed Time
Director
The Einstein Theory of Relativity
Director
- 1922
The Reunion
Director
The Show
Director
The Challenge
Director
Pay Day
Director
Flies
Director
Bubbles
Director
Birthday
Director
The Dresden Doll
Director
- 1921
Invisible Ink
Director
Fishing
Director
Modeling
Director
The Automobile Ride
Director
- 1920
Perpetual Motion
Director
The Clown's Little Brother
Director
The Chinaman
Director
The Circus
Director
1910s
- 1919
Out of the Inkwell
Director
No release date
Betty boop "Is My Palm Read"
Director
Visual effects 21
2000s
- 2005
Ça cartoon : Spécial Popeye
Animation Director
1980s
- 1980
Hurray for Betty Boop
Animation Director
1920s
- 1927
Koko Needles the Boss
Animation
Koko in 1999
Animation
Koko Back Tracks
Animation
- 1926
Koko Gets Egg-Cited
Animation
Ko-Ko's Queen
Animation
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (The Boys Are Marching)
Animation
Koko Hot After It
Animation
It's the Cat's
Animation
Ko-Ko at the Circus
Animation
Koko Baffles the Bulls
Animation
- 1925
Thanksgiving
Animation
Koko Packs 'Em
Animation
Koko Nuts
Animation
Ko-Ko on the Run
Animation
Ko-Ko the Barber
Animation
Koko in Toyland
Animation
- 1924
The Storm
Animation
Mother Gooseland
Animation
Cartoon Factory
Animation
Produced 7
1940s
- 1944
That's My Baby!
Associate Producer
Amoozin' But Confoozin'
Producer
- 1943
The Herring Murder Mystery
Producer
Mass Mouse Meeting
Producer
- 1942
Tito's Guitar
Producer
The Gullible Canary
Producer
1930s
- 1936
Popeye au pays des 1001 nuits
Director of Operations
Acted in 4
1920s
- 1928
Ko-Ko's Hot Dog
Second Cartoonist (uncredited)
- 1927
Ko-Ko Hops Off
Artist (uncredited)
Koko Plays Pool
Pool Player (uncredited)
- 1920
The Ouija Board
Movie
Wrote 4
1940s
- 1941
1930s
- 1935
Betty Boop with Henry the Funniest Living American
Story
King of the Mardi Gras
Writer
- 1933
Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions
Writer
Appearances3
2000s
- 2008
Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story
Himself (archive footage)
1990s
- 1995
Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
Self (archive footage)
1920s
- 1929
Ko-Ko's Conquest
Himself