Woody Woodpecker on Records
A peek through the knothole at two record albums featuring classic Walter Lantz characters – Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, Andy Panda – as well as the radiant Mrs. Lantz. WOODY…
Fleischer Promo Art #18: “At Their Peak!”
Jan.-Feb. 1937 This week we have a bit of sidebar from animation director Bob Jaques. He has noticed a dip in the quality of the Popeye promo art that I’ve…
My Top Ten Anime Features (Part 4)
Continuing my list of favorite anime features with two from the best modern directors of anime, Satoshi Kon and Hiroyuki Okiura. 9. Perfect Blue. Produced by Studio Madhouse. Director: Satoshi…
When Animators Walked The Earth
It’s fast becoming history, but once upon a time people made magic out of pencil, paper and paints. It was a time of 35mm film, clattery green moviolas, and giant…
Animation Anecdotes #181
Donald’s Fighting Pose. In the earliest Donald Duck cartoons, the little quacker was quite pugnacious and audiences immediately laughed when he took his fighting pose. That pose was created by…
My Visit To Turner Classic Movies
I think that I’m *finally*coming to the end of the ‘extremely busy’ period here, at least for a little while. As I look around at all the things I’ve dropped,…
A Frank Moser Mystery
I got an interesting packet in the mail a few weeks ago. It came from London – and I wasn’t expecting it. It was a flat thin barely padded envelope….
Taking a Spin with “Susie, The Little Blue Coupe”
Buckle up with Sterling Holloway for the charming Susie, the Little Blue Coupe and The Little House, both based on the Disney shorts and in recordings produced by Decca Records….
Fleischer Promo Art #17: “Ko-Ko, Wiffle Piffle and Adolph Zukor!”
The “Any Language” theme continues. Now you can see not just one, but two Olive Oyl navels, and Pudgy makes his debut in Paramount Sales News, finally reflecting what’s actually…
Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer, college professor and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and Blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. Beck is currently on the faculty of CalArts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
