“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.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More