John Burton McGrew (c.1910-January 11, 1999) was an American animator, painter and musician. Although best known for working at Warner Bros. Cartoons, where he was the studio's first designated layout artist, working under Chuck Jones, he was also known as a member of the Hollywood blacklist.McGrew trained at the Chouinard Art Institute, and joined the Warner Bros. background department shortly after graduation. When Chuck Jones (a fellow Chouinard alumnus) was promoted to director in 1938, he soon became dissatisfied at the backgrounds being provided for the cartoons. At this stage, the animation units did not have their own layout artists or background painters (with the exception of Bob Clampett's unit, which was technically a separate studio; Clampett's background designer, Elmer Plummer was effectively the first Warner Bros. layout artist, though he never officially held the title), and a separate department was tasked with providing background elements for each of the studio's three main units. The directors were generally not given any say in what backgrounds they were provided with. Eventually, Jones gained permission from studio head Leon Schlesinger to take a layout artist and background painter for his own unit, and Jones picked McGrew as layout artist, with Paul Julian serving as background painter. The experiment proved a success, and the backgrounds department was soon disbanded, with directors choosing their own layout and background artists.Previously, the studio's backgrounds had been considered to be somewhat unattractive by Jones, using a fairly mundane style with muted colors (which Jones disparagingly referred to as "shit-brindle"). Under McGrew and his contemporary layout artists (including Thomas McKimson in Robert Clampett's unit, along with Owen Fitzgerald and then Hawley Pratt in Friz Freleng's unit), the animators pioneered a far more abstract method of drawing the backgrounds, which set them apart from competing studios such as Disney. While Jones's subsequent layout designers, Earl Klein and later Robert Gribbroek would return to a more normal style of background design, his most famous layout man, Maurice Noble took up an abstract style that in many ways resembled McGrew's earlier work.After leaving the studio, McGrew entered the Navy, and after the end of World War II, continued to work as an artist and occasional animator. However, McGrew's career in the United States was effectively ended when his former background painter, Gene Fleury testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he and his wife had seen several fellow artists, including McGrew when they were attending Communist Party meetings. While McGrew had not been an active member of several years, this was enough to get him added to the blacklist. In the wake of this, McGrew began touring Europe with his artwork, and eventually settled in France, where he would spend the rest of his life. He was living in Le Bois d'Oingt, near L
American painter, trained at the Chouinard Art Institute in Pasadena. He worked as a layout artist under Chuck Jones at Warner Brothers in the early 1940's. After wartime service in the U.S. Navy, he was named as a communist sympathiser and blacklisted by HUAC. He eventually moved to France where he spent the remainder of his life.
Animation Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Inki and the Minah Bird
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
Fin n' Catty
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
Wackiki Wabbit
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
The Aristo-Cat
1943
Short layout artist
The Unbearable Bear
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
Super-Rabbit
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
Flop Goes the Weasel
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
To Duck... or Not to Duck
1943
Short layout artist - uncredited
Case of the Missing Hare
1942
Short layout artist - uncredited
My Favorite Duck
1942
Short layout artist - uncredited
The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall
1942
Short layout artist - uncredited
Fox Pop
1942
Short layout artist - uncredited
Hold the Lion, Please
1942
Short layout artist - uncredited
Conrad the Sailor
1942
Short layout artist - uncredited
Toy Trouble
1941
Short layout artist - uncredited
Sniffles Bells the Cat
1941
Short layout artist - uncredited
Elmer's Pet Rabbit
1941
Short layout artist - uncredited
Ghost Wanted
1940
Short layout artist - uncredited
The Egg Collector
1940
Short layout artist - uncredited
Tom Thumb in Trouble
1940
Short layout artist - uncredited
Sniffles Takes a Trip
1940
Short layout artist - uncredited
Elmer's Candid Camera
1940
Short layout artist - uncredited
The Curious Puppy
1939
Short layout artist - uncredited
Sniffles and the Bookworm
1939
Short layout artist - uncredited
Art Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall