“He was no businessman but he was an incredible artist–and not just as a director. Try putting a pencil or a paintbrush in his hand, sit back and wait for something remarkable,” said Paul Babb of director Victor Haboush, who passed away peacefully last month at his home in Santa Monica. He was 85.
Babb, who’s executive producer of Rhythm+Hues Commercial Studios, Los Angeles, enjoyed a rich history with Haboush, filling the alluded to business acumen void for the director for many years.
Back when Babb was at Foote, Cone & Belding, Los Angeles, as executive producer, he had several producers working on jobs directed by Haboush. Later Babb would serve as exec producer running production house The Haboush Company when it was part of the EUE Screen Gems family of companies. And when Babb went on to Paramount Studios to launch its commercialmaking division, Paramount Images, Haboush was the first director that Babb brought into the Paramount fold. Babb and Haboush had over eight years together on the production company side of the business and remained good friends until the director’s passing.
“I consider it a gift to have worked with Vic,” related Babb, who noted that Haboush served his country with distinction, having been a helmsman on one of the landing crafts at Normandy on D-Day.
Haboush came out of a pioneering class at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He first established himself in animation, starting as a layout artist for Disney, painting backgrounds for such classics as the 1954 Oscar-winning best short film Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, and features Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians.
Haboush then broadened into live-action, becoming an accomplished commercials director with a mix of straight live action as well as combo jobs meshing live and animation. Haboush had more than 1,500 spots to his credit, including work for Schlitz malt liquor (with the famous bull), Hefty (featuring Jonathan Winters), the Levi’s spot in which jeans are herded like cattle, the early Keebler Cookies fare, a series of State Farm ads featuring insurance agents but with a unique directorial perspective, live-action/animation combo work introducing Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the long-running, frenetic “jumping dogs” spots for Kibbles ‘n Bits.
“Vic was one of the go-to guys in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s for commercials,” said Babb. “His range–from packaged goods to cars to comedy to kids to animals–made him something very rare today, a generalist doing 30-plus days a year.”
Freelance producer Jon Derovan, who maintains Crusty Pup Pictures in the Bay Area, served as Haboush’s producer for the last eight years of the director’s career. “Victor allowed me to be a creative producer,” said Derovan. “He brought me into the creative process beyond the nuts and bolts of the business….He was generous. He was open to good ideas no matter where they came from–and he was quick to credit the person who came up with the idea. He would never take credit for an idea that wasn’t his.”
Haboush is survived by his wife Monica, three children–Auguste, Cedric and Laila–and six grandchildren.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Reach Divorce Settlement After 8 Years
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.
Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights. The settlement was first reported by People magazine.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt," Jolie's attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. "She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email late Monday night to Pitt's attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood's most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt physically abused her and their children. The FBI and child services officials investigated Pitt's actions on the flight. Two months later, the FBI released a statement saying it would not investigate further, and the U.S. attorney did not bring charges.
A heavily redacted FBI report obtained by The Associated Press in 2022 said that an agent provided a probable cause... Read More