Showing posts with label Leonard McCormick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leonard McCormick. Show all posts

Monday, June 18, 2012

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Collection: Virginia Mahoney

Here’s another special occasion card made by a Famous Studios artist for my parents 25th wedding anniversary… which would date this from December 1956. My parents met while both were working at Fleischer Studios and they became one of the many studio romances that led to marriage. 


The signatures on this card are a good survey of some well known people working for Famous Studios in the 1950’s...


Al Eugster, Dave Tendlar, Nick Tafuri, Tom Johnson, and William Henning were long time animators—all had worked for both Fleischer and Famous Studios—as well as other studios. Bob Little and Liesel Howson, also long time employees, painted the animation backgrounds. Leonard McCormick was responsible for camera work and Win Sharples scored music for the cartoons. Jack Mercer was best known as the gravelly voice of Popeye….. Ellsworth Barthen and Mike Myer were story writers……and Mina Morrisey was Head of cel painting. Just to mention a few……

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

"How a Cartoon is Produced"

“How a Cartoon is Produced” on page 6 of "Paramount News" (Volume III No.11 March 12, 1951) shows the basic steps in the process of creating a cartoon (click to enlarge image)… the accompanying text is as follows…

“Our cameraman spent all last week with Producers Isadore Sparber and Seymour Kneitel photographing the various steps necessary to make one of the popular Paramount cartoons. Little did we realize the amount of hard work that goes into the making of the ‘exhibitor’s best program builder.” But suppose you join us on a personally conducted tour of the cartoon studio. First, let’s meet Irving Spector as he completes the last sketch of a Popeye story in preparation for a final story conference. With the story approved, Animator Nick Tafuri is shown 2. as he strikes a pose for the action he is about to draw. His pencil sketches are photographed by Matthew Gentilella 3. for reviewing by head animator and director, who will assign the work to assistant animators and “fillers-in” 4. Now, with the animation well under way, Bob Owen, Bob Connavle and John Zago prepare the backgrounds. 5. Aftr the animators pencil sketches are traced in black ink, Alice Rehberg, Ruth Gorman and Joan Saracina match the transparent acetate sheets for the next step which is the coloring. 6. Here Peter Ignatenko, Eugene Babitchev and Maria Serianni prepare the colors in the paint laboratory. 7. As an added precaution, Alice Ament matches the colors as she test-paints some of the transparent sheets. 8. It is at this point that Music Director Winston Sharples creates and arranges special music as 9. Morris Manne and Bernice Steinberg edit the cartoon for sound effects and dialogue. 10. The completed cartoon is screened for the staff and with the approval of Producers Sparber and Knitel (sic), Leonard McCormick photographs the main title and another top-notch Paramount cartoon is ready for selling and booking. It’s just as easy as that!"

"Paramount News" Vol. III No.11 March 12, 1951: Collection of Virginia Mahoney