2007 Review: 1 Carlo Vinci

As the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive completes its second year in operation, it's time to review the accomplishments of the past year. Here's a countdown of the ten most important subjects we've covered in 2007. See if your list matches mine. (View the complete list.) Click on the links to read more on this topic.


From Carlo Vinci: The Training of a Golden Age Animator
August 28th, 2007
NUMBER 1: CARLO VINCI

The history of animation is populated by scores of remarkably talented animators. But Carlo Vinci was much more than just an animator. "Legend" is a word that has been overused in recent times, but when applied to Vinci, it's perfectly apt.

Carlo Vinci was born in New York City in 1906, the only son of Italian immigrants. He showed artistic talent from a very early age, and after graduating from high school, he was awarded a scholarship at the prestigious National Academy of Design. Here he received a full classical arts education. We recently posted the syllabus of his curriculum at the National Academy.


From How To Pick An Animation School December 18th, 2007

The Academy believes firmly in the development of individuality but denies that such development is helped by the ignoring of the universal heritage, the heritage of the graphic manifestations of Man's temperament and impressions. It therefore approves careful consideration of the Art of the past and its correlation with the Art of the present. It encourages progressive experiment admitting the vitality of real Art under and form and condemning only ignorance, insincerity and the contempt which is born of them. -Edwin H. Blashfield, Chair of the National Academy of Design

Around 1933, Vinci joined the staff of Terry-Toons. His classical art training enabled him to advanced to the position of animator in less than a year. In the height of the depression, Vinci was earning $75 a week, a very good salary for the time. His family allowed us to digitize a book that describes the production process at Terry-Toons in the mid 1930s... Nat Falk's How To Make Animated Cartoons.


From Nat Falk's "How Animated Cartoons Are Made"
January 4th, 2007
The next chapter of this fascinating book explains how to animate, with lots of examples of Vinci's amazing animation.


From Nat Falk's "How To Animate" February 3rd, 2007
We also posted a batch of Terry model sheets from Vinci's collection...


...and a cartoon titled "The Temperamental Lion", which features some great Vinci scenes.


From "The Temperamental Lion" January 6th, 2007
John Kricfalusi and I visited Carlo's widow, Margaret Vinci last June. While we were there, she shared a bundle of notes that Carlo had sent her when they were courting. Since they lived on opposite sides of the city, they could only be together one day a week. Between visits, he sent her a note every day in the mail, and on each one was a cartoon commenting on the happenings of the day...


From Carlo Vinci Notes June 5th, 2007
Back in September, a 19 year old aspiring cartoonist named Bruce Watkinson wrote in to say...

The post that blew my mind the most was Carlo Vinci: The Training of a Golden Age Animator, especially the following quote: "Vinci's job was to animate, but his occupation was ARTIST. The same was true of most of the other great talents in animation- Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Grim Natwick... The reason they were great animators was because they were great artists." Now I’m doing my damn best to be the best, to best the best, and maybe one day to teach what I know to anyone who is interested.

From Carlo Vinci: Training of a Golden Age Animator June 5th, 2007
I agree with Bruce. The most important post of this past year was Carlo Vinci: Training of a Golden Age Animator. Carlo Vinci left behind a lot more than just classic cartoons. He left behind a legacy that will inspire and enlighten artists for generations to come.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Theory: How To Pick An Animation School

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 8 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about art instruction.


Today, I read a post on Cartoon Brew titled When Angry Animation Students Attack. Apparently, an animation student became frustrated by the poor quality of instruction at his school, so he crapped out his final film and ended it with a credit for his professor that read, "Thanks for nothing."

This particular post resonated with me, because the most common question I'm asked by young artists is, "How should I pick an animation school?" They always expect me to recommend a specific school, but my answer usually surprises them. Before I tell you the advice I give them, take a look at this past post...

Carlo Vinci: The Training Of A Golden Age Animator

Carlo Vinci was one of the most talented animators who ever lived. When he passed away in 1993, he left behind a remarkable legacy. But of particular interest to students of animation was his collection of student work. Tucked away in a closet was a portfolio full of studies that chart his education. Vinci's family is generously allowing the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive to document this material with the intent of reconstructing his education as a model for current students of animation.

Today, I'd like to share a brochure with you... This is the course outline for National Academy of Design, the art school that Carlo Vinci attended... I hope you take the time to read over this material carefully, especially if you are a student looking to pursue a career in animation. It will help you know what to look for in an animation school.


The Academy believes firmly in the development of individuality but denies that such development is helped by the ignoring of the universal heritage, the heritage of the graphic manifestations of Man's temperament and impressions. It therefore approves careful consideration of the Art of the past and its correlation with the Art of the present. It encourages progressive experiment admitting the vitality of real Art under any form and condemning only ignorance, insincerity and the contempt which is born of them.





The students have at all time free access to the Academy's large and valuable collection of standard and rare books on every branch of the fine arts... Of especial advantage to the student is the easy accessibility of the great collections in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Historical Society, New York Public Library, Brooklyn Museum, the City Hall, the Hispanic Society, and the galleries of innumerable private collectors and art dealers in the city, where the best American works and art treasures from foreign countries may be studied to better advantage than anywhere else in America.

REQUIREMENTS



SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

The class schedule runs six days a week from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. First year studios in drawing from sculpture, life drawing, portrait painting, still life painting, and composition run from two to three hours apiece. Second year courses consist of life drawing, sculpture from life, portrait painting, etching, composition, and mural decoration. And three hour night courses are offered in sculpture, life drawing, drawing from sculpture and composition.

First year students receive lectures in anatomy, perspective and art history. Second year students attend lecture classes in color theory, various printing techniques, stained glass, mosaic and the history of art and architecture.

COURSE OF STUDY


Note that students first draw from still life and sculpture, and only when they have proved their abilities, are they allowed to advance to drawing from life.






INSTRUCTORS




HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL



PAST GRADUATES






HOW DO I PICK AN ANIMATION SCHOOL?
Here's the surprising answer... You don't! Schools that specialize in animation as a trade do a lousy job of preparing you for a career in animation. While you're a student, you should focus on your core art skills- drawing, design, composition and color. Look for a school that can give you a solid classical art background. Avoid ones that just teach computer programs. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to learn Maya!

Carlo Vinci was one of the greatest animators who ever lived, but he never took a class in animation. Instead, he spent three years of intense study to learn to be an artist. With the experience he gained at the National Academy of Design, he was able to learn animation and advance quickly on the job. It was the same for great animators like Marc Davis, Chuck Jones and Frank Thomas who studied at Chouinard on the West coast.

IT'S A LOT EASIER TO LEARN ANIMATION THROUGH SELF STUDY ONCE YOU'VE BEEN TAUGHT THE CLASSICAL ARTS THAN IT IS TO DO IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Start with the general skills and work your way towards the specific ones.


Students at the National Academy of Design
around the time Vinci attended.
You have an advantage that the Golden Age animators didn't have. Personal computers and inexpensive animation software make it easy to experiment and learn animation on your own. You have amazing resources on the web, like the $100,000 Animation Drawing Course, Mark Kennedy's Seven Golden Camels and John Kricfalusi's invaluable blog, All Kinds Of Stuff. You have no excuse for not learning to animate.

You can't buy an education, but you may be able to buy a degree. Students graduate without any marketable skills from good colleges every year. But that isn't the schools' fault. Your education is your own responsibility. It's not your professor's job to MAKE you learn. Learning is a life-long occupation. Apply yourself.

If you can't afford a university degree, you can still obtain a first class art education. Attend classes at your local community college and pick up copies of the Famous Artists painting, commercial art and cartooning sets on eBay. Self study is the key to becoming a great artist. Once you start to master the fundamental skills, THEN apply yourself to learning to animate.

If you follow this advice, you'll never have to make excuses for your lack of skill as an animator, and you'll never need to blame anyone else for your lack of education. Best of all, your education will form the foundation for any creative endeavor you undertake.

If you found this post to be useful, see also... The Training Of A Golden Age Animator, John K's Advice Letter, Ward Kimball's Advice Letter, CGI Animators Should THINK Like Animators, Live The Fabulous Lifestyle of a Hollywood Cartoonist, The Application Of Inspiration, How To Properly Use Reference, Incorporating Natural Forms, (Visual) Literacy, Why Do We Need An Animation Archive?, Parody: Whack Comics Part One and Ripoff vs Inspiration: Chaplin's Shadow

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Filmography: Happy Birthday Ruff And Reddy!

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.

Today was a Hanna Barbera day at the Archive!

Archive supporter, Jerry Beck stopped by with a copy of his new book to contribute to our library. If you haven't seen it yet, put it on your Christmas list... The Hanna-Barbera Treasury. It's the definitive book on the classic Hanna Barbera cartoons. Then, I spotted a posting by Keith Paynter to the Animation Show history forum announcing that today, December 14th, 2007, marks the fiftieth anniversary of Hanna-Barbera's landmark TV series, Ruff And Reddy.

For a history of this series and the talented artists who made it, see our earlier post... Ruff And Reddy In Pinky The Pint Sized Pachyderm


In honor of this auspicious date, here is a complete sequence of Ruff and Reddy cartoons from 1958!


Ruff and Reddy EPISODE ONE: Pinky The Pint Sized Pachyderm (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE TWO: Last Trip Of A Ghost Ship (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE THREE: The Irate Pirate (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE FOUR: Dynamite Fright (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE FIVE: Marooned In Typhoon Lagoon (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE SIX: Scarey Harry Safari (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE SEVEN: Jungle Jitters (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE EIGHT: Bungle In The Jungle (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE NINE: Miles Of Crocodiles (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE TEN: A Creep In The Deep (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.




Ruff and Reddy EPISODE ELEVEN: Hot Shot's Plot (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE TWELVE: The Gloom Of Doom (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





Ruff and Reddy EPISODE THIRTEEN: The Trapped Trap The Trapper (Hanna-Barbera/1958) (Quicktime 7 / 9 megs)
PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be downloaded, duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.





If you found this post interesting, see also... Ruff And Reddy In Pinky The Pint Sized Pachyderm, John K on Flintstones Animators, The Greatest Cartoon Writer Of All Time, Carlo Vinci, John K Interviews Bill, Joe and Friz Part One and Part Two

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Stumble It!

Filmography: Gandy and Sourpuss in Aladdin's Lamp

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.


Over at John Kricfalusi's blog, All Kinds of Stuff, John posted an appreciation Gandy Goose and Sourpuss- the cartoon comedy team that were one of the inspirations for Ren & Stimpy.

I've long thought that the Gandy Goose cartoons are underappreciated. They're funny, well animated and have a great deal of variety. The early ones, in particular "Doomsday", have lavish production values. "Aladdin's Lamp" is a typical wartime short featuring the duo, and it includes a great jitterbug dance sequence by Carlo Vinci. (Vinci's hand is evident throughout this short.) I'll be presenting the very best Gandy Goose cartoon at the upcoming Treasures of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive benefit next month. You'll have to come to the screening to find out which one it is!









Gandy Goose & Sourpuss in
Aladdin's Lamp (Terry/1943)
(Quicktime 7 / 14.5 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

If you found this post to be interesting, you'll also want to check out our... Profile of Carlo Vinci, The Training Of A Golden Age Animator, Carlo Vinci Notes, The Terry-Toons Studio Tour, Tytla and Terry: Jeckyl & Hyde Cat, The Temperamental Lion 1940, Catnip Capers 1940, Jim Tyer's Barnyard Actor 1955 and Terrytoons Lobby Cards

Many thanks to John Kricfalusi for donating this great cartoon to our archive.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Illustration: Monks By Eduard von Grutzner

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for more jaw dropping images from classic illustrated books and magazines.


Here is another interesting item from the collection of Carlo Vinci. These photographs were among his most prized posessions. They are turn of the century reproductions of the paintings of Eduard von Grutzner. Grutzner was born in 1846 and received classical art training at the Munich Academie under the noted realist painter, Karl von Piloty. Grutzner specialized in genre paintings, which formed the basis for the style of many classic book illustrators who followed. He was famous for his paintings of jolly gatherings in alehouses, hunting scenes, and humorous images of monastic life, which these particular images represent. Grutzner was successful and popular in his day, and died in 1925.

The family isn't quite sure where Vinci obtained these photographs, but my guess is that they date back to his earliest years as a professional artist. After graduating from the National Academy of Design, Vinci was hired to do reproductions of classic paintings. It's entirely possible that these were used by him as reference for reproductions of one or more Grutzner paintings. It's easy to see why Vinci treasured these pictures. The compositions are classically perfect, the caricatures are well observed, the lighting is beautifully rendered, and a Falstaffian sense of humor makes the images a lot of fun.











If you enjoyed this article, you'll also want to check out our... Profile of Carlo Vinci, The Training Of A Golden Age Animator, Carlo Vinci Notes, The Temperamental Lion, John K on Flintstones Animators

Also see... N. C. Wyeth's Legends of Charlemagne, Maxfield Parrish's Arabian Nights, Frank Reynolds Paints Pickwick, John Bauer's Bland Tomtar Och Troll, Edmund Dulac's Tanglewood Tales and Gustaf Tenggren's Wonderbook

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Biography: The Training of a Golden Age Animator

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.


If you have been reading our blog for a while, you're familiar with Carlo Vinci. He was a brilliant animator whose work you've seen many times in Mighty Mouse cartoons...

...and on The Flintstones.

You might remember that John K and I visited his family a few months ago...

This weekend I returned with Archive volunteers Joseph "JoJo" Baptista, Chris Allison and Mike Nassar to photograph some of the incredible artwork that lines the walls of Mrs. Vinci's beautiful home. Carlo Vinci left behind an important legacy, and the family is now sharing it with you.

It's interesting how different aspects of one's life can come together to point in the same direction. Recently, I was participating in an internet discussion forum where we were discussing the best way to educate aspiring animators. Some people in the discussion felt that basic drawing skills are necessary. Others believed that drawing is unnecessary for students aiming at a career in computer animation. There was disagreement over just what sort of education is best for a student animator. This led me to ask a question... What sort of education did golden age animators have?

Carlo Vinci provides the answer...


Carlo Vinci attended The National Academy of Design in New York. This isn't just any art college. This is one of the most prestigious art schools in the world. It's the school that Winslow Homer, Thomas Nast, William Steig, Norman Rockwell and James McNeill Whistler attended. Students are accepted by invitation, free of tuition or cost. The instructors are major artists who serve without pay as a public service. At the end of his studies, Vinci didn't just receive a diploma. He was awarded a medal and was given the honor of being able to put N.A. after his name. (Much like the Royal Academy in the UK awards R.A. status.)

Vinci's work at the National Academy included studying the work of classical painters. Here are two paintings he made after Boucher...



Yes. That's the work of the guy who animated The Flintstones!

Vinci had a life-long passion for learning. He studied sketching from life, painting in oils and watercolor, as well as sculpture and etching. He studied from early in the morning until late at night. Here is one of his student drawings- a self portrait.



His family told me that he was always working and studying. On weekends, he would paint in oils and watercolors. He painted portraits...



...and landscapes...


...and still lifes...


He was an accomplished illustrator...



...and he worked in a dozen totally different styles.

He even designed and painted murals and stained glass windows...


Carlo Vinci wasn't just an animator. He painted, sculpted, designed, illustrated... He worked in the fields of fine art, illustration and cartooning. He was a LOT more than just an animator.

Vinci's job was to animate, but his occupation was ARTIST. The same was true of most of the other great talents in animation- Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Grim Natwick... The reason they were great animators was because they were great artists.

If you're an animation student, go back and read that last sentence again.

I'm not an animator. I studied graphic design at UCLA. I spent many months learning to spec type, do pasteup, calculate reductions on a Lucigraph and use a Rapidograph pen. A few years after I graduated, the Macintosh came out and all of those skills became obsolete. What I was left with when the dust cleared was my knowledge of composition, color and design.

If you're an animation student, focus on your core art skills, regardless if you plan to do hand drawn, CGI, cut out or puppet animation. Computer programs will come and go. You can always teach yourself Maya or Flash or whatever on your own time. Demand that your school provide you the same quality of education that Carlo Vinci had. Work hard. Study to become an ARTIST.

Read Illustrator Lainey Schallock's comments on this post in her blog, Miscellainy.

If you enjoyed this article, you'll also want to check out... How To Pick An Animation School, Profile of Carlo Vinci, Carlo Vinci Notes, The Temperamental Lion, John K on Flintstones Animators

Also see... An Interview With Playboy's Eldon Dedini, John Canemaker on Bill Tytla, Tytla At Terry: Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll &' Hyde Cat 1940, The Pencil Test of Art Babbitt's Best Scene, and Remembering Berny Wolf

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Stumble It!

History: Terrytoons Studio Tour 1939

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 8 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great info on the history of animation told through the careers of great animators.


For more on the Terry Studios' production process, see our earlier post, How Animated Cartoons Are Made
Recently, the family of the legendary animator, Carlo Vinci lent us two 8mm films to transfer for the archive. I'll post about the other one soon, but today I have a special treat for you... a color film outlining the animation production process from Terrytoons in 1939!

Here are frame grabs of most of the people appearing in this short. If you can identify anyone, please let us know in the comments below.


Animator Carlo Vinci



Story Man Larry Silverman


Story Man Tommy Morrison


Music Director Phil Scheib and Director Connie Rasinski


Animator Jim Whipp and his assitant





Makin' Em Move (Terry/1939)
(Quicktime 7 / 30.7 megs)

Here is the cartoon we see the artists working on in this film...






Harvest Time (Terry/1940)
(Quicktime 7 / 13.8 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Many thanks to the Vinci family for sharing this with us! And thanks to Jerry Beck too for arranging the video transfer of this delicate original film.

For more information on Carlo Vinci, see our Carlo Vinci Cartoon Hall of Fame entry. Also see... Carlo Vinci Notes / Terrytoons Model Sheets and The Temperamental Lion / John K on Flintstones Animators / Nat Falk's How To Draw Animated Cartoons Part One: History Of Animation / Part Two: The Cartoon Studios / Nat Falk's How To Draw Animated Cartoons Part Three: How Cartoons Are Made, Part Four: How To Draw Animated Cartoons and Part Five: How To Animate

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

5.28.09
.

Stumble It!

Terry-Toons: Carlo Vinci Notes

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.


Last Friday, archive assistant Amir Avni, John Kricfalusi and I took a trip out to visit Carlo Vinci's family at the home of his wife, Margaret. Mrs. Vinci graciously welcomed us into her home for a tour of her collection of artwork belonging to her late husband. Carlo's animation desk, which he designed and built himself, still stands in his office just as he left it, with caricatures by co-workers hanging above it on the wall. Every room in the house has beautiful artwork filling the space. It was an awe inspiring experience to get a chance to see it all.


John K, Steve Worth and Margaret Vinci
Carlo Vinci was a remarkable artist. He received classical art training at the National Academy of Design in 1930. He joined Paul Terry's Terry-Toons soon after, and worked there for twenty years. He came West to join Joe Barbera at MGM, and ended up as the lead animator at H-B for twenty more years. But as I learned at my visit, those great achievements were only a small part of his story. In addition to cartooning, Vinci was an all-around fine artist, adept at oil painting, watercolor, illustration, stained glass and sculpture... in a variety of styles, from classical to baroque to art deco... with a wide range of subjects- still lifes, portraiture, landscapes and religious subjects. It was a mind blowing experience to discover the depth of talent behind a cartoonist we thought we already knew.


Carlo Vinci's son, Paul and grandson, John
with John K in front of Vinci's self-portrait
After we had viewed all the amazing artwork, Mrs. Vinci invited us to enjoy some home made Italian desserts with her family. Excited by everything we had seen, we had plenty of questions about Carlo and his wonderful career as an artist. We asked if she had met him before he started working for Terry-Toons or after, and she replied, "He was working for Mr. Terry when I met him. When we were courting, he lived in the Bronx, and I lived in Brooklyn. It was a long trip across town to meet for our date every Wednesday evening. Carlo would send me a little note with a cartoon every day in the mail when we couldn't be together. I've saved them all these years, but I don't suppose you would be interested in seeing them..."

Naturally, we were! Her son, Paul Vinci helped her to retrieve the hundreds of letters from a closet- all on Terry animation paper in envelopes with the distinctive Terry-Toons logo. Dating from 1938 to 1939, these charming little notes had a personal message, along with brilliant drawings depicting Terry characters. Paul commented that he himself hadn't seen the letters since he was very small; and even then, his mother only shared one or two with him. They had been bundled away carefully for over fifty years. Mrs. Vinci has kindly allowed us to share these drawings with you...

















We will be presenting more material by the great Carlo Vinci in the coming weeks. All of us at ASIFA-Hollywood appreciate Mrs. Vinci's generosity. Paul and John Vinci will be printing out this post and sharing it with her, so you can thank her yourself in the comments below.

For more information on this great animator, see our Carlo Vinci Cartoon Hall of Fame entry. Also see... Terrytoons Model Sheets and The Temperamental Lion / John K on Flintstones Animators / Ruff And Reddy And Pinky The Pint-Sized Pachyderm / Alex Toth Model Sheets / Nat Falk's How To Draw Animated Cartoons Part Three: How Cartoons Are Made, Part Four: How To Draw Animated Cartoons and Part Five: How To Animate

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

4.8.09
.

Stumble It!

Filmography: Ruff and Reddy and Pinky, the Pint-Sized Pachyderm

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.


In 1957, MGM shut down their animation department, but Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were prepared. They immediately went into production on a low budget cartoon series designed for television. It was the seed that went on to grow into a television empire, yet the series hasn't been distributed in years and few kids today know Ruff and Reddy the way they know other Hanna-Barbera creations like Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone.


Hanna and Barbera knew that they had to make Ruff and Reddy quickly and cheaply. Within the space of a few months, their first airdate on NBC loomed. The tight budget and quick turnaround didn't allow for much animation. The focus was put on the voices, layout and background styling. They designed the episodes as sequential cliffhangers- similar to the serials that played movie theaters in the thirties and forties. (The basic structure of the series was the same as the earlier TV cartoon series, Crusader Rabbit.)


The cartoons were designed to plug into a live action puppet show hosted by Jimmy Blaine, known for his characters Rubarb the Parrot and Jose the Toucan. Ruff and Reddy ended production in 1960. It continued in reruns on NBC in the Captain Bob Cottle show until 1964. After that, it was syndicated to local kiddie shows around the country.


The two key voice actors who worked on Ruff and Reddy went on to become the core cast members of the Hanna Barbera team throughout the coming years... Don Messick and Daws Butler.


Daws Butler was well established as a voice actor by the time Hanna and Barbera formed their TV studio. He had been an integral part of Bob Clampett's Time For Beany, as well as providing voices for many Lantz and MGM cartoons. Butler was skilled at ad libbing and vocal impressions, which led to an association with Stan Freberg on Freberg's popular comedy records like "St. George and the Dragon-Net".


Through the late forties and early fifties, Don Messick was a ventriloquist. In the late fifties, Tex Avery was looking for a voice for Droopy to replace Bill Thompson, who had left MGM to work for Disney. Daws Butler, who had been recording for Avery for some time, suggested his friend Messick for the job. As performers, Messick and Butler were perfectly matched. They became a team in a long string of cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera... Boo Boo and Yogi, Pixie and Dixie, etc.


As a cartoon, Ruff and Reddy really doesn't stand up too well. The stories are directionless, the animation is almost non-existent and the cartoons are excessively talky with way too much narration. They really aren't a very good model for animators today to follow... except in one respect.


Ruff and Reddy had remarkable design, layout and background styling. It set the standard for the great Hanna Barbera series that followed. I don't know the names of the entire crew that worked on these early cartoons, but a few key artists stand out


No one is more responsible for the look of the early Hanna-Barbera series than Ed Benedict. Benedict began his career at Disney and Lantz in the 1930s. In 1952, he joined Tex Avery at MGM to design the modernist cartoons, Field And Scream, The First Bad Man, Deputy Droopy and Cellbound. Benedict was one of the first artists hired by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera to work on their television cartoons. He was the principle designer on Ruff and Reddy, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw and The Flintstones. Ed passed away last year. Read John K's tribute on his blog, "All Kinds of Stuff".


Dick Bickenbach was a skilled draftsman with a strong sense of composition. He animated at Lantz, Warner Bros and MGM before joining Bill and Joe at their TV studio. Because of his tight construction and clean line, his drawings were often used as models. In addition to design and layout duties on The Flintstones and Yogi Bear, he drew the comic book adaptations as well.


Art Lozzi was one of H-B's main background painters. His use of color and texture in this particular cartoon is remarkable. John K has been interviewing Lozzi on his blog, "All Kinds of Stuff" See the following posts... Good Color Without A Lot of Money, Art Lozzi's Technique on Skooter Looter and Art Lozzi on the Early Days of H-B


Carlo Vinci doesn't have as much to do on Ruff and Reddy as he did on later H-B series like Huckleberry Hound and The Flintstones, but his hand is still evident in the animation. Vinci worked at Terry-Toons in New York for twenty years before moving west at the request of Joe Barbera. He was one of the first artists hired to work for the new TV studio, and he remained with H-B for twenty years.



If you found this post interesting, see also... John K on Flintstones Animators, The Greatest Cartoon Writer Of All Time, Carlo Vinci, John K Interviews Bill, Joe and Friz Part One and Part Two

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

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Filmography: The Temperamental Lion 1940

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.

Today, we digitized some great Terrytoons model sheets that Carlo Vinci's family loaned to us...






This one is particularly interesting to me...



...because it's from one of the very best Terrytoons of the time, "The Temperamental Lion". Connie Rasinski created the goofy Bert Lahr lion character as the "King of the Jungle" for the classic cartoon "Doomsday" (1938) as well as "The Nutty Network" (1939). The model was adapted a bit in the late 1940s for "The Lyin' Lion", a film that includes some funny Jim Tyer animation...


...but the character was never better animated than he was by Carlo Vinci in this short... Check out his great scene of the lion singing!







The Temperamental Lion (Terry/1940)
(Quicktime 7 / 14.5 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Many thanks to the Vinci family for sharing their treasures with us!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

11.18.08
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Biography: Carlo Vinci

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.

If you only get information about animators from books on the history of animation, you might think that the Warner Bros directors and the "Nine Old Men" were the only important figures in the development of animation. But there are many books yet to be written about unknown artists whose achievements are right up there with the more familiar names.

Take for instance, Carlo Vinci...



Carlo Vinci's career spanned half a century. He received many honors as a fine artist before joining the staff of Terrytoons in 1933. For the next two decades, he was one of their top animators, specializing in dancing scenes...


Click to see a larger view.
John Kricfalusi describes Vinci's style as being as if Carlo invented animation himself, having never seen anyone else's animation. He was the master of the basic principles we read about in the Preston Blair book or Illusion of Life, but as you watch Vinci's syncopated, sinewy dancing scenes, you have to wonder if he didn't have a few extra principles of his own!

Carlo left Terrytoons and moved West to join his old friend Joe Barbera at MGM in the mid 50s, but soon after he arrived, the studio closed down. Joe Barbera got him a job at Disney, where Carlo animated on the Disneyland TV program. His pace was so fast, he was told to slow down, because he was producing so much quality footage, he made the rest of the animators look bad.



When Hanna and Barbera opened their own studio to produce TV cartoons, Vinci was one of the first three animators hired. He reinvented his style to work within the constraints of television schedules and budgets on shows like Ruff & Reddy, Huckleberry Hound, and Yogi Bear; but he really made his mark on The Flintstones. Every six weeks, Vinci animated an entire 24 minute episode of The Flintstones by himself!

Carlo retired at the ripe old age of 72, and passed away in 1993. We are very fortunate to have the assistance of his family in compiling a biopedia entry on his career. It includes photos, frame grabs, notes by John K and Joe Barbera, and movie files of his great film, "Mighty Mouse In Krakatoa" as well as clips from The Flintstones. Check it out...

Carlo Vinci Biopedia Entry

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

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Biography: John K on Flintstones Animators

Meet The Stars of the Flintstones
by John Kricfalusi (from The Flintstones laserdisc set)


When I grew up, I used to watch "The Flintstones" in syndication every day and I began to notice that the characters would look different in each cartoon. I eventually figured out that they must have been drawn by different animators, each of whom had their own individual traits.


Comic book nerds like me have always been able to tell the difference- say, between a Steve Ditko Spiderman and a Todd McFarlane Spiderman; but in animation, the tendency for most studios is to force all the artists to try to draw the characters the same way. This is called drawing "on model".


Ed Benedict, who designed the Flintstones is really mad that all the animators drew the characters in their own style, or "off model". Luckily for us, Hanna-Barbera didn't have time to have the animators learn to draw the characters before they started animating!


I love cartoons where you can tell the animators apart. Bob Clampett's Warner Bros. cartoons are like this. And so are the early Hanna-Barbera cartoons. The tricky part is figuring out what names belong to what drawing and animation styles! "The Flintstones" when it runs in syndication, has a stock set of credits on the end of each episode. They list four animators. And, if the names ever agree with the persons who actually animated a particular episode, it's sheer coincidence. And get this... In the early days of Hanna-Barbera, one animator would animate a whole 25 minute cartoon by himself!


So, this is what we've done for the likes of you- Henry Porch (my sound editor) and I have assembled clips of each animators' work so you can finally figure out who's who! I know that each and every one of you is licking your lips in anticipation as one of life's more succulent mysteries is about to disrobe and reveal its undergarments for you.
--John Kricfalusi

KEN MUSE


Click on the image to see a movie of Ken Muse scenes.
Ken Muse's style is easy to spot when you see it, but hard to describe in words. That's why we put the clips together! An obvious trait of his is the way he draws Fred's eye bags. The line under his eye is parallel to it. Also, he draws upside down smile lines. He generally puts less expressions and poses into his cartoons than the other animators do. He's sort of the bland one, although some of the coolest drawings ever of the Flintstones are in "The Swimming Pool". Check out Fred driving his car in the beginning of the cartoon. Or Fred lying down and staring out the window. This is before he got used to drawing the characters and began drawing "on model". Muse worked on Tom & Jerry before Hanna and Barbera opened up their own studio.

DON PATTERSON


Click on the image to see a movie of Don Patterson scenes.
Don Patterson is a very funny animator. He loves to do wacky walks and runs and goofy eye takes. He never seems to repeat expressions and actions. He custom designs his work to match what's going on in the story. He draws the characters "off model" when they need to act. He sometimes give the characters "Smurf eyes"- the two eyeball whites joined into one. Patterson came from Walter Lantz's studio, where he animated Woody Woodpecker and Wally Walrus and all your other favorites.

CARLO VINCI


Click on the image to see a movie of Carlo Vinci scenes.
Carlo Vinci is the master of Flintstone. He handles him clean, smooth, without shame. Here's how to spot him... Carlo loves drawing crooked poses with the characters' appendages- the head, the hands, the pelvic girdle- all pointing different directions. Keep your eyes peeled for socially unacceptable (in some circles) wrist actions. He likes to flip the wrist around- have the hand up, then flip down, then twist around, fingers wiggling, taking turns sticking up- it's truly a joy to watch.

He utilizes the butt generously. Remember the old Yogi Bear cartoons? The ones where Yogi bops up and down to bongo beats? That's Carlo. He's always thinking of you. In Carlo's hands, Fred's butt is a sensative emoting creature. He also draws quite a few meaty expressions on the characters, whereas some other animators are stingy with their expressions.

Carlo came from Terrytoons, where he animated for about 30 years. He did Gandy Goose, Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle and all your favorite New York cartoons. His specialty was singing and dancing. Hey, get this! Carlo met young Joe Barbera back in the '30s at Terrytoons and taught him how to animate. Carlo did great stuff for Terrytoons, but I think he was made for Hanna Barbera. His animation style combined with Ed Benedict's designs created a whole new entertainment experience. Count on Carlo to deliver a quality package to you.

Read more about Carlo Vinci

GEORGE NICHOLAS


Click on the image to see a movie of George Nicholas scenes.
George Nicholas draws really well. When I was a kid I'd see his cartoons and say. "There's the good artist." He's the one who draws really solid, almost "pretty" designs. He's also great with the girls. He makes them look cute and sexy. Another Nicholas trait is he likes to have the tongues flop around in his characters' mouths. Like Carlo Vinci and Don Patterson, he custom designs new expressions and poses to fit the characters' moods according to how they feel in the context of the story at each particular instant. This is unlike many animators, who strictly draw their expressions off the model sheets. This model sheet approach is what most cartoons use today, which is why everything looks and feels so generic now. The characters always make the same expressions, rather than act according to the situation.

Mark Kausler, the world's greatest animator, says, "Nicholas has the richest, fullest looking dialogue animation on the early Flintstones shows. Instead of using just a straight up and down 'head bob' formula, he varies it by shaking the head 'yes' and 'no' to the mood of the dialogue accompanied by a shrugging gesture. He also uses a special sarcastic head rotation in perspective for some lines. He uses a unique 'beady eyed' expression on his characters, drawing tiny pupils in Fred's eyes when he's getting an idea or when he's hypnotized by something. He draws big, fat fingers on Fred's hands, especially in pointing gestures, like in the Frog Mouth episode."

Before Hanna-Barbera, George worked for years at Disney, where he animated for Nick Nicholas' Pluto unit.

ED LOVE


Click on the image to see a movie of Ed Love scenes.
Ed Love's most obvious trait is his real cool "upside down curly mouths". Watch when his characters talk. The mouth is also a little bit to the side. His action style is very 'springy'. Mark Kausler says it's because he 'slows out' of everything. That's hi-falutin' animator talk. He has a way of making limited TV animation look like full animation by the way he does his timing. It's very smooth.

Before Hanna-Barbera, Ed had a quite varied career. His first animation job was on Disney's first color cartoon- "Flowers and Trees". He animated Mickey getting stomped on by brooms in "Sorcerer's Apprentice". He animated for Tex Avery in the early 40s on "Screwball Squirrel", "Red Hot Riding Hood" and other classic cartoons. From the mid to late '40s, he worked for Walter Lantz. He animated a Woody Woodpecker cartoon, "Drooler's Delight" completely by himself.

In the early 50s, he did commercials for Ray Patin. A really cool one was for General Mills' Corn Kix. Ed animated the Kix Man, who is made of corn balls. He animated the Trix kids before there was a Trix Rabbit. He animated some of Hanna-Barbera's best commercials from the late 50s and early 60s- the Kelloggs' cereal commercials starring Huck, Yogi, Quick Draw and all your other wonderful cartoon pals.



Recently, John Kricfalusi has been elaborating on these musings at his blog, All Kinds of Stuff. Check out these posts...

Pluto Animator Animates The Flintstones- George Nicholas
The Flintstone Flyer- Carlo Vinci Part One
The Flintstone Flyer- Carlo Vinci
I Want You To Love Carlo Vinci
Carlo Vinci Dancing
Ed Benedict 1912-2006



Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Stumble It!

Filmography: Catnip Capers 1940

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.


Today, we digitized a batch of Terrytoons from the 3/4 inch masters donated to us by John Kricfalusi. Among them was a real gem... Catnip Capers (1940).



This cartoon is among the best cartoons TerryToons ever produced, and for my money, one of the best cartoons ever. It starts out like a typical Terry cat and mouse cartoon, but before long, it's gone off on a wild tangent into feline surrealism and exotica.




The backgrounds in this cartoons are spectacular. If anyone out there knows who laid out or painted these, please post to the comments below. There are times where backgrounds and layout are equal in importance to the animation of the characters... a couple of good examples would be the end of Tex Avery's "King Size Canary" and the St. James Infirmary Blues sequence of "Betty Boop in Snow White". This cartoon certainly fits in that category as well.




Terrytoons have been ufairly criticized as being "flaccid", "predictable" and "boring" in just about every animation history book that references them. The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has made it a goal to collect and make available as much of the output of the studio as possible to put the lie to those mischaracterizations.



Catnip Capers (Terry/1940)
(Quicktime 7 / 13.5 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

8.22.08
.

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