Thursday, February 01, 2007
Biography: Clair Weeks' Goodbye Book 1952
This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 4 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great biographies of important artists.
Today, we had a visit from the family of Clair Weeks. They brought along several portfolios full of beautiful drawings, mostly from Bambi. Over the next few weeks, they will be allowing the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive to digitize the material for inclusion in our database. They also promise to write a Biopedia Page for Weeks. Here is the "Readers' Digest version" of Weeks' career...
A missionary's son, Clair Weeks was born in 1912 in India. He lived there until the early 1930s, when he relocated to America. In 1936, he joined the staff of the Walt Disney Studio and set to work as an assistant on Snow White. He went on to assist Marc Davis on Bambi, CInderella and Peter Pan, taking a brief break from animation to serve in the military during WW2.
In the early 50s, Weeks left the studio travel the world. He eventually settled in Bombay, India, where he headed up a government owned studio that produced animated shorts. Weeks' impact on Indian animation was immense. The people he trained were the pioneers who established the Indian animation industry.
The treasure I'm presenting today dates to August of 1952... It's the scrapbook given to Weeks upon his departure from Disney. I won't spoil the fun by telling you what's in it. Click on the images and prepare to be amazed! (Thanks to Hans Perk for the identifications!)
Members of the "9 Old Men": Marc Davis (Weeks was his assistant), Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Eric Larson / Assistant Animators: Bob McCrea, Clarke Mallery, Iwao Takamoto, Julius Svendsen, Bill Eigle (?)
Ben Sharpsteen (Director) / Hazel George (Studio Nurse) / Hal Adelquist (Asst. Director) / Oliver Wallace (Music) / Koneta Roxby (Library) / Bob Gibeaut (Cutting) / Jo Sears (Ink & Paint / Production)
Layout Artists: Lance Nolley, Al Zinnen, Don Griffith, Ken Anderson, Ken O'Connor, Mike Holoboff, MacLaren Stewart, Basil Davidovich, Tom Codrick, Charles Philippi / Background Artists: Jimi Trout, Hugh Hennesy, Ray Huffine, Art Riley, Dick Anthony, Ralph Hulett, Al Dempster, Claude Coats, Art Landy / Art Directors: Thor Putnam, John Hench / Directors: Jack Kinney, Charles "Nick" Nichols, Gerry Geronimi, Wilfred "Jaxon" Jackson / Asst Directors: Bee Selck, Lou Debney, Toby Tobelman (?) / Directors' Secretary: Marie Dasnoit / The Man: Walt Disney / Tom Jekel (?)
Animators: Bob Youngquist, Jack Campbell, Les Clark (9 Old Men), Hugh Fraser, John Lounsbery (9 Old Men), Harry Holt, Art Stevens, George Nicholas / Asst Animators: Walt Stanchfield, Lou Appet, Bob Ogle, Dale Barnhart
Don DaGradi (Art Director)
Animators / Assistants: Dick Lucas / Al Wilson / Jim Steele / Eric Cleworth / Ambrozy Paliwoda / Jerry Hathcock / Charlie "Chuck" Downs / Bob Carlson / Woolie Reitherman (9 Old Men) / Ed Soloman / Wathel Rogers
Bonar Dyer (Personnel) / Mary Flanigan (Notary) / Bunny Venable (Production or Legal)
Mostly Effects Animators: Retta Davidson, Dwight Carlisle, Joe Nunez, Sandy Strother, Dan MacManus, Al Severns, George Rowley, Marion Mahnken, Jack "Buck" Buckley, Frank Onaitis, Ed Parks, Jane Fowler
Ed Aardal (Animator) / Harvey Orr (Print Shop) / Johnny Bond (Head of Clean Up)
Ken Peterson (Animator / Prod. Mgr. / Scheduling) / Andy Engman (Effects Animator / Prod. Mgr.) / Esther "Esta" Haight (Front Office File Room / Western Union) / Anne Meyer (Production?)
Here's a fun game... Choose a page and try to identify all of the signatures on it. When you figure them all out, post your list to the comments below. I've got some more amazing treasures from the Weeks collection coming up soon. Bookmark us and check back!
If you enjoyed this post, you'll also want to check out... Art Babbitt's Best Scene / Canemaker on Tytla Part One and Part Two and Carlo Vinci, Pioneer Animator
Thanks to the family of Clair Weeks for sharing this with us!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
Labels: animation, autographs, biography, cartoons, clair weeks, disney, marc davis
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posted by Stephen Worth @ 6:55 PM
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17 Comments:
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G stuff!!!!!
Let's start with Page 3:
Ben Sharpsteen (Director),
Hazel George (Studio Nurse),
Hal Adelquist (Assistant Director, Production),
Oliver Wallace (Music),
Koneta Roxby (Library),
Bob Gibeaut (Cutting),
Jo Sears (I&P-Production).
Page 9:
Bonar Dyar (Industrial Relations)
Mary Flanigan (Notary - is this the same lady who ran the coffee shop on Hyperion?),
Bunny Venable (Production or Legal)
Page 15:
Ken Peterson (was animator in 30's, later Production Manager / Scheduling),
Andy Engman (was Effects Animator, later Production Manager),
Esther "Esta" Haight (40's: Front Office File Room / Western Union),
Anne Meyer (can't find her - probably Production...)
Holy COW, those are AMAZING! THANK YOU!
The gents on page 8 were all in the animation building, mostly ground floor in wings C and F, as animators and assistants. Dick Lucas, Al Wilson, Jim Steele, Eric Cleworth, Ambrozy Paliwoda, Jerry Hathcock, Charlie (Chuck) Downs, Bob Carlson, Woolie (never before saw it with a Y) Reitherman, Ed Solomon and Wathel Rogers. Ed Solomon assumably was assistant, later became animator at UPA, Depatie-Freleng, Filmation and H&B, and director at Filmation. Wathel Rogers was in animation at Disney from 1939, then became Imagineer and AA programmer, and was made Disney Legend in 1995.
Page 12:
Ed Aardal (animator), Harvey Orr (Print Shop) and Johnny Bond (afaik Head of Clean-up).
This post has been removed by the author.
Page 11 is all first floor A wing.
All room numbers as of July 1946 unless otherwise noted.
Retta Davidson and Dwight Carlisle shared 1A-2,
Joe Nunez 1A-3,
Sandy Strother 1A-5,
Dan MacManus 1A-6 (1963),
Al Severns 1A-7,
George Rowley 1A-9,
Marion Mahnken and Jack Buckley (Buck) 1A-12,
Frank Onaitis and Ed Parks 1A-13, Jane Fowler 1A-15.
Most of them were effects animators...
I only cannot place Leroy Cross - in 1946 he shared a room with Jack Cutting in another building.
On Page 2, first floor D wing, Mark, Ollie, Frank, Milt and Eric are obvious. We also find Bob McCrea (I remember he did the New Mickey Mouse Club (1977) animation. Next door to him was Clarkie, whom I believe to be Clarke Mallery. Then we have Iwao Takamoto who recently passed away. But who is Sven? Til Lykke means Congratulations, 'Masse hilsener fra' means Many greetings from... I can also not place the gent on bottom left.
Maybe a long shot, but still - could "SVEN" on page 2 be Julius Svendsen? He came to Disney as a 21 year old in 1940, and worked there (minus 1942-1945) until, sadly, his head met a rock in a canoeing accident Aug. 26th 1971. At the time of this Goodbye Book, he would have been 33. In 1946 he occupied 1B-8, in 1963 2A-6. His name does sound Danish, and starts with Sven...
(I notice I spelled Bonar Dyer's name wrong. In 1946 he was Personnel Dept. and he was the union contact in the 50s.)
Talking of long shots, here is the longest shot of them all. The GEagle on page 2 looks like it COULD have been "altered" from GEarle. Does anyone have any early Eyvind Earle signatures to check with? When he started at Disney, a year before this book in 1951, in which department did he start?
Here is an Earle signature (much later)...
Hard to say...
Thanks for your help, Hans!
Steve
Seeing Julius Svendsen on page 158 of Bob Thomas' The Art of Animation convinces me that "SVEN" on page 2 is him...
Here is page 4, per 1952:
All reside on the 2nd floor, wings A, B, C and F.
Layout: Lance Nolley, Al Zinnen, Don Griffith, Ken Anderson, Ken O'Connor, Mike Holoboff, MacLaren Stewart, Basil Davidovich, Tom Codrick, Charles Philippi.
Background: Jimi Trout, Hugh Hennesy, Ray Huffine, Art Riley, Dick Anthony, Ralph Hulett, Al Dempster, Claude Coats, Art Landy.
Art Director: Thor Putnam.
Directors: Jack Kinney, Charles 'Nick' Nichols, Gerry Geronimi, Wilfred 'Jaxon' Jackson.
Assistant Directors: Bee Selck, Lou Debney, Toby Tobelman?.
Director's Secretary: Marie Dasnoit.
As Walt Disney: Walt Disney.
Leaves us Tom Jekel...
I think I missed a vertical signature on page 4 - looks like John Hench, not strange as he was art directing - color and styling - at that time.
Page 5 per 1952: mainly B wing.
Animators: Bob Youngquist, Jack Campbell, Les Clark, Hugh Fraser, John Lounsbery, Harry Holt, Art Stevens and George Nicholas.
Assistant animators: Walt Stanchfield (later animator), Lou Appet, Bob Ogle and Dale Barnhart (later layout).
I cannot trace 'Italian Lil.', Cliff Ericksen, Pat McCollam and 'Loggie'...
Page 6 is of course by Don DaGradi.
Page 10:
Brice Mack - backgrounds,
Milt Banta - story (died in 1959, not yet 37 years old),
Ted Sears - story (started with Hearst in 1916),
Bill Cottrell - story (started in 1929 as cameraman. President of Retlaw Ent. 1964-1982),
Joe Rinaldi - story,
Bill Berg - story,
Mary Schuster - no idea, but I'd guess she'd be in story...
Page 13:
Harper Goff - Disneyland concept artist and production designer on 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (he designed the Nautilus),
John Wilson - later director of Shinbone Alley at his Fine Art Films (very nice man whom I met in 1982 in Zagreb, where he also talked a bit about his days at Disney),
Harry Tytle - assistant director and later production manager,
Paul J. Smith - composer,
Jimmy Macdonald - sound effects wizard.
On Page 14, I can only make out the obvious: animators John Sibley, Fred Moore and Norm Ferguson, the assistant animator Dale Oliver and X. Atencio, who basically tried everything, from inbetweener, effects animator, layout, designer and story, and later became a WED legend... Who the other seven gents are, I do not know.
Re: Mary Schuster on page 10: She started in the mail room in 1944, and left in 1954 as inbetweener...
Had another look. The Earle thing was a very wild long shot, and now I am leaning towards it probably being the Bill Eigle that Floyd Norman speaks of...
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