Once again we get to hang with the gang at Termite Terrace – through the pages of their zany in-house newsletter, The Exposure Sheet. This is the third in our series; the third issue of the 1939 volume.
Perhaps the best thing about this newsletter – and all the issues of The Exposure Sheet – is that we get to learn more of the names behind our favorite cartoons, beyond those who earned screen credit. In this issue we even get to know some of their birthrates.
Historical highlights in this issue include:
• Information about the Chuck Jones story unit’s trip to Indian ruins in Arizona to research locations for The Mighty Hunters.
• Biographical info on Henry Binder and Bob Clampett.
Click on thumbnails below to enlarge – and enjoy!
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 [
I take it when Tex finally did “Aloha Hooey” Leon didn’t OK any on-location background studies….
Terrific! Love this stuff!
Sounds more hormonal than a high school.
Think you had an earlier story about Jones’ collaboration with Swinnerton, a famous newspaper cartoonist. Somewhere Jones bemoaned not grabbing the backgrounds Swinnerton painted for the short. Original Swinnerton paintings became hot items in the art world.
I remember when I worked in Phoenix, sitting on one side of the company training room during a class and noticing a picture in a frame hanging on the opposite wall. About all I could tell at that distance was that it was a landscape painting featuring a mountain, and normally I would have ignored it, but something about it made me think, “That looks like a cartoon!” During the following break, I went over and looked at it. It was a painting (probably a print rather than an original) of Picacho Peak, a local landmark south of Phoenix on the way to Tucson, and it somehow did look a bit cartoony. Then I saw the signature: “Swinnerton.” And all became clear.
Jerry can you try to get “The Mighty Hunters” on one of the upcoming blu-ray releases. The only copy I have is from “The Golden Age of Looney Tunes” LD
Pez
Yeah, I think the cartoon should even have commentary due to it’s noteworthy history.