Full Name Albert Brodax Name Al Brodax | Spouse Joan Brodax | |
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Born February 14, 1926 (age 98) DAB ( 1926-02-14 ) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Occupation Film producerTelevision producer Books Up Periscope Yellow: The Making of the Beattles Yellow Submarine Children Dan Brodax, Doug Brodax, Jessica Brodax Nominations Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation Movies and TV shows Yellow Submarine, The Beatles, Cool McCool, The Beatles: Love Me Similar People George Dunning, Erich Segal, Paul Angelis, Lance Percival, John Clive | ||
Carl Meyer Jack Mercer Anton loeb (Popeye The Sailor)
Albert Philip "Al" Brodax (February 14, 1926 – November 24, 2016) was an American film and television producer. He was sometimes credited as "Al Broadax".
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Career
At the age of eighteen, Brodax enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in World War II. He was wounded in action, and was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Medical Badge, and three battle stars. From 1950 to 1960 Brodax worked in program development for the William Morris Agency, where he helped develop Your Show of Shows, Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, and Omnibus. He joined King Features Syndicate in 1960 as the head of their then-newly created film and television development department.
After Paramount's contract to produce Popeye cartoons ran out in 1957, King Features acquired the television rights. Brodax oversaw the production of over 200 new shorts in 1960–62, with five different animation studios simultaneously involved. The rapid pace of production, coupled with limited animation due to low budgets, resulted in shorts that are held in low esteem by Popeye fans. Brodax was also the producer of King Features' animated revival of Krazy Kat, as well as Cool McCool, Beetle Bailey, Snuffy Smith, and Casper the Friendly Ghost (1963–64 segments of The New Casper Cartoon Show).
After seeing the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, Brodax approached the band's management with the idea of producing an animated series featuring the Fab Four. The series, of which 39 episodes were produced, premiered on September 25, 1965, on ABC. He was later involved in the production of the Beatles' animated film, Yellow Submarine, for United Artists, as producer and co-screenwriter. From 1969 to 1980, Brodax worked as a freelance producer, writer, lyricist and director. He supervised animation for ABC's Make a Wish (1970–75), and Animals, Animals, Animals (1975–80).
Retirement
In 2004 Brodax released a memoir, Up Periscope Yellow: The Making of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. He resided in Weston, Connecticut, where he was the head of the Brodax Film Group, a television and production company. He died on November 24, 2016.