PAPPY’S PUPPY released in 1955, animated solely by Gerry Chiniquy whom we find out below was a child actor.
JULY 1955
Among other things, Treg Brown takes photos of the new building under contruction on the lot just for the Cartoon Department. Also “LeRoy Holley” (aka the late Lee Holley) joins the staff as an inbetweener; Ben Washam gets married; and Chuck Jones tells us he quit smoking in 1950.
AUGUST 1955
A very nice description of the color scheme planned for the forthcoming new studio building (with more photos of its construction) opening in September; Maurice Noble rejoins the staff; A fan letter from “M.F.” in New Jersey; and Treg Brown gets a crew cut.
OCTOBER 1955
The staff is now ensconced in their new studio building. Gerry Chiniquy was a child actor named Monte Clare? He was in Flirtation Walk, The Frisco Kid, The Merry Widow and Judge Priest – not to mention co-starring with Baby Peggy?
NOVEMBER 1955
A huge house-warming party for the new studio was held on October 7th – and Treg Brown took plenty of photos. So if you ever wanted to see Milt Franklyn sitting with Mel Blanc, or the Friz Freleng family… here’s your chance!
DECEMBER 1955
The staff had a screening of newly released cartoons for some Marines; Harry Love did some extra-curricular art direction for a “legit” musical play in Hollywood; and Willie Ito plays the Ukulele!
NEXT WEEK: 1956
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 Cal Arts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
Vernon Rieck was a comic strip artist. He was also involved in religious comics. https://archive.org/stream/writersmarket1961cinc#page/176/mode/2up/search/rieck
This New Cartoon Studio Building was opened in September of 1955, it was used until the studio closed down of the new Cartoon Studio Department in the spring of 1963 (this New Cartoon Studio building is only 8 years old after the new Cartoon studio Building was Closed Down in 1963)
Vernon Rieck was an early member of the National Cartoonist Society. He drew cartoons for New York City area newspapers in the 1940’s. Then in the 1950’s he drew animation sequences (cels) for Walt Disney Studios. He authored a comic strip, True Adventures. His most famous comic strip is Johnny Stardust.
Smaller strips include “Jennifer” & “School Daze”.