Author Archives: Jerry Beck

Harvey Comic Art exhibit

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The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco will be presenting a major exhibit of Harvey Comics artwork, “From Richie Rich to Wendy the Witch: The Art of Harvey Comics” from June 28 through November 30. Casper, Wendy, Richie Rich, Hot Stuff, Sad Sack, Joe Palooka, Little Dot, Little Audrey and many more will be showcased with original art from various Harvey comic books and merchandise by stalwarts such as Warren Kremer (1921-2003), who along with animator Steve Muffatti (1880-1968), defined the Harvey look.

The exhibition features artwork by Warren Kremer, Ernie Colón, Sid Couchey, Howard Post, Fred Rhoads, Ham Fisher, Dom Sileo, Marty Taras, and many more. Image above, a Bill Tytla Little Audrey gag drawing, will not be in the show (but you can click here to see a larger image). Details regarding the opening reception and other upcoming Harvey events will be announced shortly on the Museum’s website.

(Thanks, Karl Cohen)

R.I.P. The Great Gazoo

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Say what you will about the Great Gazoo, but Harvey Korman (who performed his voice) was a fine comic actor.

He passed away today at age 81.

In addition to his role as Gazoo on The Flintstones, Korman voiced characters on several other animated shows and movies, including Hey Arnold, The Wild Thornberrys and Buzz Lightyear. (The less said about his involvement with this, the better.) He’ll best be remembered by his appearances with Carol Burnett and Tim Conway. And as Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles, he certainly won’t be forgotten. As a tribute, here’s a sample clip of Korman as Gazoo:

String Holders

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That’s what I love about Cartoon Brew, I learn something new everyday!

I never knew anything about string holders. The Bosko and Honey pieces I posted yesterday turned out to be string holders from the collection of Eric from Warnerart. Says Eric:

I actually have two sets of these and I’m looking to sell one. I understand they are the only sets in existence. String holders themselves are not unusual collectibles. There’s quite a large market for them. Hakes has several vintage character based string holders currently on auction. As we know, Bokso collectibles are extremely rare (Honey maybe even more so) so seeing Bosko and Honey depicted in 3D plaster relief was a stunner! They apparently date to the 30′s and were acquired from an elderly couple who collected string holders.

Check out other cartoon character string holders on this Hakes auction page.

Bosko and Honey: Unmasked!

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We’ve seen merchandising related to Bosko before. But here’s a pair of items featuring the first Looney Tunes star and his girlfriend, Honey, recently unearthed by our friends at Heritage Auction Galleries, that has us scratching our heads. Dave Tosh writes:

A client has found this pair of 9” x 6.5” plaster or chalk string holders in the shape of Bosko and Honey. On one edge of Bosko’s face, the words “Vitaphone Copr.” is embossed; on the other edge, it says Bosko. I’ve never seen anything like them, but I figured if anyone knew about these, it had to be you. Any thoughts on value?

Sorry, Dave. I’ve never seen anything like these before. I almost wonder if they weren’t merchandising, but perhaps theatre publicity to promote the early Looney Tunes? Perhaps one of our readers know something? If so, let us know – or call David directly at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 1232.

As The Wrench Turns”

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Here’s something to note. Inspired by the NPR radio show Car Talk, PBS has created its first prime time animated series, Click and Clack’s As The Wrench Turns.

The animation is by CTTV, a new independent studio. Bill Kroyer and Howard Grossman are the producers, Stephen Silver (Kim Possible) designed it and Tom Sito directed the entire season. Ten episodes were produced and they begin airing on July 9th at 8pm. The program’s website contains only a brief promo clip, but I’ve been told it will be updated with more stuff very soon.

Disney’s Paper Cut-out Animation

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I’m a longtime fan of the incredible (and overlooked) stop motion paper cut-out animation sequences created by Bill Justice and Xavier Atencio for the Disney Studios in the late 1950s and early 60s. These remarkable little films have escaped wide attention by appearing in some of the least of Disney’s efforts during this period (their titles for The Parent Trap (1961) being an exception). The design and direction are top notch – and remember, these were created completely by hand, and animated frame by frame under a camera. None of the computer shortcuts employed by South Park here.

It’s hard to get the Sherman Brothers tune out of your head from the opening titles to The Mis-Adventures of Merlin Jones (1964):

This one is a little un-P.C., from the featurette A Symposium Of Popular Songs (1962):

Disney designer Kevin Kidney has posted his own tribute to these works on his blog, showcasing his own intricate recreations of these paper puppets (created with partner Jody Daily). Check it out here.

Jerry’s Schedule

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I’ve got a busy month ahead, and if you’re in the Los Angeles area you can share it with me:

dumpblue1.jpg• Tuesday May 27th: Join Frank Conniff (TV’s Frank), Erica Doering and me – along with guest comedian Jimmy Pardo – at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood for another hilarious live action and animation performance of Cartoon Dump. The show starts at 8pm. Advance tickets sold here.

bealogo.jpg• Saturday May 31st: I’ll be signing copies of The Hanna Barbera Treasury at Book Expo America, at the Los Angeles Convention Center – in the author’s autograph area – at 4pm to 5pm.

panda70.jpg• Tuesday June 3rd: I’ll be doing a Q&A with directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson at an Asifa-Hollywood members screening of Kung Fu Panda. We’ll be screening the film in Imax at Universal CityWalk. If you are a member of Asifa Hollywood you will recieve the details via email and snail mail. If you live in the L.A. and aren’t a member of Asifa, you should be. We do free screenings like this all year long.

stu45.jpg• Wednesday June 4th: Listen to me discuss classic cartoons with Stu Shostack on internet radio, Stu’s Show. We’ll be taking your phone calls as well. The program airs live 7pm to 9pm Eastern/4pm to 6pm Pacific.

janet55.jpg• Thursday June 5th: I’ll be doing my regular monthly thing of showing 16mm film prints of vintage musical cartoons with Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys. Show starts at 8pm at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood. Make your reservation here!

betty50.jpg• Tuesday June 10th: I’ve joined the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax Ave. I’ll be doing a program of Pre-Code Cartoons at 8pm and will precede the screening with a short speech on the topic. Should be fun!

And there’s more! To be continued…

Carlos Ramos exhibit

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The Corey Helford Gallery is preparing Natural History Museum Part I, an exhibition of new paintings by animator Carlos Ramos (The X’s, ChalkZone). From the press release:

For his first solo show in Los Angeles, Ramos replicates the natural history museum experience for his audience, fusing the natural world with the art world. A series of twenty four large-scale paintings based on classic grand dioramas and a special installation of skeletal structures will transform the gallery into an epicenter of flora and fauna. The concept of the exhibition is based on Ramos’ childhood fascination with natural history museums and the “authoritative” impression they made on him growing up.

Located in the Culver City Art District, the Corey Helford Gallery was established by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer Bruce Helford (The Oblongs). The opening reception is on Saturday, June 28, from 7 to 10pm, at 8522 Washington Boulevard in Culver City, California. Ramos’ show will be on view until July 16th.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

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Madhouse’s 2006 film, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, is going to get a limited U.S. theatrical release next month through Bandai Entertainment. It’ll be screening June 13 through June 19 at the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles (251 South Main Street, Los Angeles, California 90012), at the ImaginAsian Theater in New York (239 East 59th Street, New York, NY, 10022), as well as from August 29 through September 4 at the Landmark Varsity Theatre in Seattle (4329 University Way N.E. Seattle, WA 98105). In Los Angeles and Seattle, the English-subtitled version will be screened, and in New York, the English-dubbed version. Show times will be posted on the theater websites closer to the actual screening dates.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The film was recognized with the Special Distinction honor at the 2007 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It also won numerous honors at festivals in Japan, including the Animation of the Year Japan Academy Prize (akin to the American Academy Awards). I’ve seen it and it’s a wonderful film–well worth seeing on the big screen.

(Thanks, Nicholas Zabaly)

Girls Drawin’ Girls Vol. 2

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GirlsDrawinGirls are having their Volume 2 premiere show at The Hive Gallery, 729 S. Spring Street, in Los Angeles on June 7th. I’ve been told some really cool bands will be playing that night – and lots of girl artists will be there. There’s also a preview of art for volume two, this time with a fairy tale theme. The Hive Gallery party starts at 8pm. The art show runs through June 28th. The new book comes out at the San Diego Comic-Con in July.

The Last Terrytoons

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The cartoons posted below are two semi-rare TV pilots. They are not particularly good and I direct you to them only for historical purposes. They will probably be appreciated exclusively by die-hard students of television animation and cartoon history.

These are the last Terrytoons. Produced in 1968, CBS ordered up several Saturday morning pilots from its in-house animation shop. But producer Bill Weiss had disbanded the New Rochelle studio and had to farm production out to west coast director Fred Calvert, who in turn hired several Hanna Barbera animators (including Jerry Hathcock and Iwao Takamoto!) to produce these.

Neither of these films went to series and it’s easy to see why. The Ruby Eye of The Monkey God is a half-hearted Arabian nights/Kipling inspired adventure cartoon. Hard to believe, but this was later released theatrically by 20th Century-Fox – and eventually circulated to television in the Terrytoons TV package syndicated in the late 1970s.

The more obscure Sally Sargent (below), is a Nancy Drew knock off updated to the swingin’ sixties. It isn’t even listed on IMDB or in any reference on Terrytoons I can find. This was the final new production that Bill Weiss produced. It’s better than the other film by virtue of it’s groovy sixties theme song and Gary Owens voice on the track. This one was eventually also thrown into the Mighty Mouse/Deputy Dawg syndication package. Be warned: it’s a full ten minutes long.

Radio time!

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In case you missed your chance several months ago, voice actress Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop, etc.) and animation writer Earl Kress will return to the internet radio program Stu’s Show today for a live return appearance. Ms. Waldo will be on live at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific talking about her voiceover career post-Jetsons, and they’ll open the phone lines up around 4:30 for listener calls. Listen here!

And, of course, I’ll be back on the Stu’s Show Wednesday June 4th – but I’ll tell you more about that when we get closer to that date.