Joe Siracusa, R.I.P.
He was not on the list.
Joe Siracusa died yesterday…about ten weeks shy of what would have been his 100th birthday. His death is being reported by the eminent medical authority, Dr. Demento.
Joe had many fascinating careers but the most impressive — and the reason for the Good Doctor's interest in him — was that he was the last surviving member of the Spike Jones band. That's Spike on the left in the above photo. Joe's head is one of the two on the right. Joe was Spike's drummer — and a key contributor to the craziness of that band — from about 1946 to 1953. You had to be really, really good to play with Spike and his City Slickers in those, his peak years.
Later on, Joe was in a couple of other bands that played zany tunes but he came to realize that popular music was changing and his style was not the style of the future. He decided to put his great sense of timing to work and around 1960, he became a film editor, mostly for animation.
Among the shows he worked on over the years were — and this is very much a partial list — Rocky & Bullwinkle, The Alvin Show, the various Bugs Bunny and Road Runner shows that repackaged vintage Warner Brothers cartoons for television, the 1960 Popeye cartoons, pretty much anything the DePatie-Freleng studio did in the sixties and seventies including The Pink Panther and the 1978 Fantastic Four cartoons, various Spider-Man and Hulk cartoon shows, Muppet Babies, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons…and well, you get the idea.
He not only cut film but all those years of inserting odd noises into Spike Jones arrangements made him an expert at sound effects and he worked a lot in that area, too.
I got to sit and talk with Joe on several occasions. He was a delightful, funny man.
Music department (39 credits)
1984-1986 The Transformers (TV Series) (music editor - 65 episodes)
- B.O.T. (1986) ... (music editor)
- The Revenge of Bruticus (1986) ... (music editor)
- Starscream's Brigade (1986) ... (music editor)
- Kremzeek! (1985) ... (music editor)
- Cosmic Rust (1985) ... (music editor)
1985 Drawing on My Mind (Short) (composer: title music)
1985 G.I. Joe (TV Series) (music editor - 55 episodes)
- There's No Place Like Springfield: Part 2 (1985) ... (music editor)
- There's No Place Like Springfield: Part 1 (1985) ... (music editor)
- Skeletons in the Closet (1985) ... (music editor)
- The Great Alaskan Land Rush (1985) ... (music editor)
- Cold Slither (1985) ... (music editor)
1983-1985 Dungeons & Dragons (TV Series) (music editor - 27 episodes)
- The Winds of Darkness (1985) ... (music editor)
- Cave of the Fairie Dragons (1985) ... (music editor)
- Citadel of Shadow (1985) ... (music editor)
- Odyssey of the 12th Talisman (1985) ... (music editor)
- The Time Lost (1985) ... (music editor)
1985 My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina (TV Movie) (music editor)
1984 Gallavants (music editor)
1984 Muppet Babies (TV Series) (music editor - 8 episodes)
- What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? (1984) ... (music editor)
- Eight Take-Away One Equals Panic (1984) ... (music editor)
- The Case of the Missing Chicken (1984) ... (music editor)
- Scooter's Hidden Talent (1984) ... (music editor)
- Raiders of the Lost Muppet (1984) ... (music editor)
1984 G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra (TV Mini Series) (music editor - 5 episodes)
- Amusement Park of Terror (1984) ... (music editor)
- Battle on the Roof of the World (1984) ... (music editor)
- The Palace of Doom (1984) ... (music editor)
- The Vines of Evil (1984) ... (music editor)
- In the Cobra's Pit (1984) ... (music editor)
1984 My Little Pony (TV Short) (music editor)
1981-1983 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (TV Series) (music editor - 24 episodes)
- Mission: Save the Guardstar (1983) ... (music editor)
- The X-Men Adventure (1983) ... (music editor)
- Spidey Meets the Girl from Tomorrow (1983) ... (music editor)
- The Origin of the Spider-Friends (1983) ... (music editor)
- Attack of the Arachnoid (1983) ... (music editor)
1982-1983 The Incredible Hulk (TV Series) (music editor - 13 episodes)
- The Hulk Destroys Bruce Banner (1983) ... (music editor)
- The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow (1983) ... (music editor)
- Enter: She-Hulk (1983) ... (music editor)
- Punks on Wheels (1983) ... (music editor)
- The Incredible Shrinking Hulk (1982) ... (music editor)
1983 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (TV Mini Series) (music editor)
1982 Meatballs and Spaghetti (TV Series) (music editor - 13 episodes)
- A Christmas Tale (1982) ... (music editor)
- Foreign Legion Air-Heads (1982) ... (music editor)
- Going to the Dogs (1982) ... (music editor)
- Come Back Little Woofer (1982) ... (music editor)
- Space Aliens (1982) ... (music editor)
1982 Pandamonium (TV Series) (music editor - 1 episode)
- The Beginning (1982) ... (music editor)
1982 The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (TV Short) (composer: special music) / (music editor)
1981-1982 Spider-Man (TV Series) (music editor - 26 episodes)
- Under the Wizard's Spell (1982) ... (music editor)
- The Return of Kingpin (1982) ... (music editor)
- Wrath of the Sub-Mariner (1982) ... (music editor)
- The Vulture Has Landed (1982) ... (music editor)
- Arsenic and Aunt May (1982) ... (music editor)
1981 Dennis the Menace in Mayday for Mother (TV Short) (music editor)
1981 The Pink Panther in 'Pink at First Sight' (TV Movie) (music editor)
1980 Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano (TV Short) (music editor)
1980 Daffy Duck's Easter Show (TV Movie) (music editor)
1980 Daffy Flies North (TV Short) (music editor - uncredited)
1980 The Chocolate Chase (TV Short) (music editor - uncredited)
1980 Pink Panther in the Olym-pinks (TV Movie) (music editor)
1979-1980 Spider-Woman (TV Series) (music editor - 16 episodes)
- A Deadly Dream (1980) ... (music editor)
- Return of the Spider Queen (1979) ... (music editor)
- A Crime in Time (1979) ... (music editor)
- The Great Magini (1979) ... (music editor)
- Invasion of the Black Hole (1979) ... (music editor)
1979 Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol (TV Short) (music editor)
1979 Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (TV Movie) (music editor)
1979 Freeze Frame (TV Short) (music editor)
1979 Fright Before Christmas (TV Short) (music editor)
1979 My Boys Are Good Boys (music editor)
1978 The All New Pink Panther Show (TV Series) (music editor - 16 episodes)
- Trail of the Lonesome Mine (1978) ... (music editor)
- Flower Power (1978) ... (music editor)
- Beach Bummer (1978) ... (music editor)
- Bug Off (1978) ... (music editor)
- Nest Quest (1978) ... (music editor)
1978 The Fantastic Four (TV Series) (music editor - 13 episodes)
- Blastaar, the Living Bomb Burst (1978) ... (music editor)
- Calamity on the Campus (1978) ... (music editor)
- The Frightful Four (1978) ... (music editor)
- The Diamond of Doom (1978) ... (music editor)
- The Impossible Man (1978) ... (music editor)
1978 A Pink Christmas (TV Movie) (music editor)
1974-1978 ABC Afterschool Specials (TV Series) (music editor - 3 episodes)
- Michel's Mixed-Up Musical Bird (1978) ... (music editor)
- My Mom's Having a Baby (1977) ... (music editor)
- The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head (1974) ... (music editor)
1977 What's New, Mr. Magoo? (TV Series) (music editor - 16 episodes)
- Rip Van Magoo/Secret Agent Magoo (1977) ... (music editor)
- Magoo's Driving Test/Shutterbug Magoo (1977) ... (music editor)
- Jungle Man Magoo/Millionaire Magoo (1977) ... (music editor)
- McBarker the Wonder Dog/Spaceman Magoo (1977) ... (music editor)
- Miniature Magoo/Roamin' Magoo (1977) ... (music editor)
1977 Baggy Pants & the Nitwits (TV Series) (music editor - 13 episodes)
- Beach Fun/Ratman! (1977) ... (music editor)
- The Frog/The Hole Thing! (1977) ... (music editor)
- The Magician's Assistant/Simple Simon and the Mad Pieman (1977) ... (music editor)
- Horse Laff/Chicken Lady (1977) ... (music editor)
- A Haunting Experience/Genie Meanie (1977) ... (music editor)
1975 The Golden Age of Buster Keaton (Documentary) (music supervisor)
1975 The Oddball Couple (TV Series) (music arranger - 16 episodes)
- Jungle Bungle/Talent Scouts (1975) ... (music arranger: main title)
- Bats in the Belfry/Superhound (1975) ... (music arranger: main title)
- Fleabag's Submarine/Foreign Legion (1975) ... (music arranger: main title)
- Do It Yourself, Fleabag/Roman Daze (1975) ... (music arranger: main title)
- Cinderbag/Momma Fleabag (1975) ... (music arranger: main title)
1975 Return to the Planet of the Apes (TV Series) (music editor - 13 episodes)
- River of Flames (1975) ... (music editor)
- Terror on Ice Mountain (1975) ... (music editor)
- Battle of the Titans (1975) ... (music editor)
- Mission of Mercy (1975) ... (music editor)
- Invasion of the Underdwellers (1975) ... (music editor)
1975 Yankee Doodle Cricket (TV Short) (composer: animal songs)
Hide Hide Editor (50 credits)
1990 Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends (TV Series)
1984 Gallavants
1983 The Charmkins (TV Short)
1979 Supermarket Pink (Short)
1979 Pink in the Woods (Short)
1979 Pink Quackers (Short)
1978 Pet Pink Pebbles (Short)
1978 Pink S.W.A.T. (Short)
1978 Pink U.F.O. (Short)
1978 Sprinkle Me Pink (Short)
1977 Halloween Is Grinch Night (TV Short)
1976 Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals (TV Short)
1976 The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show (TV Series)
1975 The Tiny Tree (TV Movie)
1974 Clerow Wilson's Great Escape (TV Movie)
1974 Little Boa Peep (Short)
1974 Gold Struck (Short)
1974 Phony Express (Short)
1973 The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (TV Movie)
1973 Dr. Seuss on the Loose (TV Short)
1973 Stirrups and Hiccups (Short)
1973 Ten Miles to the Gallop (Short)
1973 Bailey's Comets (TV Series) (4 episodes)
- Episode #1.4 (1973)
- Episode #1.3 (1973)
- Rahja and Out/Ghost of a Clue (1973)
- Skateroo to the Carlsbad Clue!/To Win or Toulouse (1973)
1973 Freeze a Jolly Good Fellow (Short)
1973 ABC Afterschool Specials (TV Series) (film editor - 1 episode)
- The Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip (1973) ... (film editor)
1973 Kloot's Kounty (Short)
1972 The Houndcats (TV Series) (13 episodes)
- The Misbehavin' Raven Mission (1972)
- The Call Me Madam X Mission (1972)
- Is There a Doctor in the Greenhouse Mission (1972)
- The Outta Sight Blight Mission (1972)
- The French Collection Mission (1972)
1972 The Barkleys (TV Series) (13 episodes)
- The Talent Agency Caper (1972)
- Arnie Come Clean (1972)
- Barkley Beware (1972)
- The Great Disc Jockey (1972)
- Law and MIssorder (1972)
1972 Clerow Wilson and the Miracle of P.S. 14 (TV Movie)
1972 Camera Bug (Short)
1972 Love and Hisses (Short)
1972 Punch and Judo (Short)
1972 The Lorax (TV Short)
1971 Gong with the Pink (Short)
1971 Pink-in (Short)
1971 Cattle Battle (Short)
1971 Pink Tuba-Dore (Short)
1971 Pink Blue Plate (Short)
1971 A Fly in the Pink (Short)
1970 Doctor Dolittle (TV Series) (1 episode)
- The Grasshoppers Are Coming, Hooray, Hooray! (1970)
1967 The Spy Swatter (Short)
1967 The Music Mice-Tro (Short)
1967 Quacker Tracker (Short)
1966 The Solid Tin Coyote (Short)
1965 Chaser on the Rocks (Short)
1965 The Road Runner Show (TV Series) (1 episode)
- Chaser on the Rocks (1965)
1965 Highway Runnery (Short)
1962 Icarus Montgolfier Wright (Short) (as Joseph Siracusa, cutting)
1961 The Alvin Show (TV Series) (supervising editor - 3 episodes)
- Good Neighbor (1961) ... (supervising editor)
- Squares (1961) ... (supervising editor)
- Sam Valiant, Private Nose (1961) ... (supervising editor)
1960 Popeye the Sailor (TV Series) (48 episodes)
- Bell Hop Popeye (1960)
- Popeye's Testimonial Dinner (1960)
- Azteck Wreck (1960)
- Bottom Gun (1960)
- Bird Watcher Popeye (1960)
Sound department (5 credits)
1984 You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks (Short) (sound editor)
1980 Opens Wednesday (Short) (sound editor)
1978 Revenge of the Pink Panther (sound effects editor: main titles - uncredited)
1972 The Houndcats (TV Series) (sound editor)
1959 Bwana Magoo (Short) (sound effects)
Editorial department (4 credits)
1969 Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert (TV Movie) (editorial supervisor)
1966 The Lone Ranger (TV Series) (supervising editor - 1966)
1961 The Alvin Show (TV Series) (supervising editor - 1961)
1959 1001 Arabian Nights (supervising editor)
Actor (1 credit)
1971 A Fly in the Pink (Short)
TV Announcer (voice, uncredited)
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