A Few Bugs in the System
Summer’s here, and that usually means insects. As much as folks hate ’em in real life, insects in cartoons can sometimes become beloved characters. Advertisers even use them as mascots,…
Animation Anecdotes #172
When is a Walter Lantz character NOT really a Walter Lantz character? In 1959, Western Publishing was creating a series of comic books based on licensed characters from Disney, Warner…
“Mr. Bug” and “Hoppity” Go To Town
While Steve Stanchfield takes a well-deserved break after a whirl-wind trip to LA this past week (he’ll be back next week with BIG news), I’ll fill in today by posting…
“Farmer Alfalfa” on the Big Screen
Ask almost any baby boomer who grew up on television programming of the late 1940s and early 50s about their earliest memories of cartoons. Many will mention Farmer Alfalfa. Or…
Top Cat’s Top Hits
The indisputable leader of the gang plays the angles on two classic releases based on Hanna-Barbera’s second primetime TV series. ROBIN HOOD Starring TOP CAT Hanna-Barbera Records – Cartoon Series…
Fleischer Promo Art #8: “Boop Power!”
This week we cover May and June 1935 – with more rarely seen Fleischer promotional art from the pages of Paramount Sales News. By now, Betty was in long skirts…
The Tezuka Pro TV Specials #8: ‘Border Planets: Galactic Exploration 2100’
Border Planets: Galaxy Investigation 2100. Ginga Tansa 2100 Toshi: Border Planet. August 24, 1986. 73 minutes. 10:00 p.m. to 11:35 p.m. Original idea: Osamu Tezuka. Development: Osamu Uemura, Iuchi Shuji,…
Those 70’s Spots
What can you say about the 70’s that hasn’t already been said? Inflation was up and employment was down. Cheezy bad taste was considered to be tops in entertainment. The…
Animation Anecdotes #171
Animated Stooge. “During the era in which the Three Stooges made a cameo in ‘Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’, head stooge Moe Howard had a company that I thought could…
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]
