The Schlesinger Studio in-house newsletter was always a little “looney” – but this one is the silliest of the bunch. Printed to coincide with April Fools Day, the whole thing is filled with gags and in-jokes that would only be funny to the rest of the staffers – and crazy animation historians like us, decades later.
I’m committed to posting all the issues I have, but even I have to admit this one has the least historical value. But I think if you love the classic Warner cartoons as much as I do, you’ll get a kick out of it. Enjoy…
Click to enlarge the thumbnails below…
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 [
Interesting to see that Bill Oberlin was there that early.
I tell you what’s nice about this site. For a while we didn’t really have anywhere good to go and discover things about classic animation. Animation has now moved on to mean Pixar and such only. But this original stuff, this handmade art, deserves its own place.
Schlesinger buys Fleischer’s and builds a tunnel to Florida! Maybe the best newsletter yet! Keep ’em coming, Jerry!