Cartoonatics

Tom Pigott -- the Great Irishman

2012-02-29T19:55:00.000-08:00

In August 2009, my wife Annie and I went on a tour of Ireland with our old friends Parker and Betsy MacDonell and a bunch of new friends. For the trip, we signed on with Enchanted Way Tours. Our guide for the two-week adventure was Tom Pigott, surely one of the best travel ambassadors Ireland could ever want.

Tom led us on an Irish Folk Music Concert Tour of the Emerald Isle, not only showing us the sights, but regaling us with Irish stories from the past and present, and taking us to unique venues where we enjoyed concerts by great Irish folk artists. Tom also took us to venues where talented musical members of our own tour group gave concerts as well. On a number of these stages, Tom himself would sing a beautiful Irish ballad or two.

Paddy Downes was the driver on our tour, with Tom Pigott always there in the co-pilot's seat. The roads were very narrow, but that never seemed to slow down Paddy Downes.

On one stretch of road, a tiny red car actually drove UNDER our bus. The red car didn't drive much further after that.

Brendan Wall worked with Tom and Paddy throughout the tour, transporting various members of our group to different events. Early one morning, Brendan had to transport a number of the guys to a prestigious golf course many kilometers away in order to make a 7:00 AM tee time. This round of golf had been scheduled many months in advance in order for the group to play on this booked-up course. Well, somewhere on the way to Ballybunion, Brendan and the golfers got lost in the fog. Their tee time was missed by a couple of hours.

At the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, we went on a boat excursion in hopes of seeing the colorful puffins that nest along the cliffs. We didn't spot any puffins, but the boat ride made Brendan look pretty colorful -- it was a greenish color, and not what Brendan had in mind. During the voyage, Tom got a kick out of ribbing Brendan, who recovered quickly once back on dry land.

At one of the concerts, a couple of renown and extremely talented Irish folk singers performed, but our constant whispering and chattering thoroughly irritated the handsome male singer of the duo. But the guys in our group didn't seem to be too concerned with him. Our attention was focused on the female singer, although for some of us, her voice was not the main attraction.

At a pub concert, two members of our tour group, Peter and Colleen Pavarini, sang a duet that seemed to delight one of the locals in the audience, so much so that this audience member felt compelled to get up out of his seat, step onto the stage and plant a big wet smooch on the kisser of Mrs. Pavarini. Her husband Peter just kept singing -- after all, the show must go. And besides, what's wrong with a little PDA among music lovers?

Yesterday, Annie and I learned the sad news that Tom Pigott passed away unexpectedly on February 4, 2012, while participating in an Irish Folk Music cruise in the Caribbean.

Tom was a wonderful and lovable guy. He had a gentle heart and a great voice. He took great pleasure in telling a funny story and had a big laugh when your story happened to be funny. He had a deep love for music, for his homeland, for his children and his grandson.

Tom Pigott and Tom Ruegger, Ireland, 2009

All that knew him will miss him. He was one of the good ones. This world won't be the same without him...

Doug and Beth Morgan, Annie Ruegger and Tom Pigott

We love you, Tom!

On the Lot -- Warner Bros. Animation --1993

2012-02-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a group shot taken in early 1993.

Following the success of Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania and Batman: the Animated Series, Warner Bros. Animation was embarking on its second collaboration with Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment: Animaniacs.

Pictured above are just a few of the people involved in these productions. From left to right: Bruce Timm (producer, designer -- Batman: the Animated Series), Terry Semel (Warner Bros. Co-Chairman & Co-CEO) , Kathleen Helppie (producer, Warner Bros. Classic Animation), Bob Daly (Warner Bros. Co-Chairman & Co-CEO), Eric Radomski (producer, designer -- Batman: the Animated Series), Steven Spielberg (executive producer -- Tiny Toon Adventures & Animaniacs), Art Vitello, (director -- Tiny Toon Adventures; writer/producer -- Taz-Mania), Jean MacCurdy (President of Warner Bros. Animation & executive in charge of production), Rich Arons (director -- Tiny Toon Adventures; producer -- Animaniacs), Sherri Stoner (writer/producer -- Tiny Toon Adventures & Animaniacs), Alan Burnett (writer/producer -- Batman: the Animated Series), and some guy named Tom Ruegger (writer/senior producer, Tiny Toons & Animaniacs; writer/executive producer -- Batman: the Animated Series.)

Please note: Many hundreds of other people -- not pictured above -- helped to make these shows successful.

Animaniacs Valentines Card: Hello Nurse!

2012-02-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

Tiny Toon Adventures Valentines Cards

2012-02-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

Plucky Duck as BatDuck in "Tiny Toon Adventures"

2012-02-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a production cel from the Tiny Toons episode entitled "The Just-Us League of Supertoons," written by Paul Dini and directed by Byron Vaughns.

Pictured from left to right: that's Fifi as Scentanna, Buster as Superbunny, Plucky as BatDuck, Babs as Wonder Babs, Little Beeper as Dasher, Calamity Coyote as Keen Arrow, and Sweetie as Pink Canary.

This particular cel is owned by my good friend Captain Charles Clarke.

Robert Hegyes: "Bobby"

2012-01-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

Friend, comedian, actor and home town hero Bobby Hegyes passed away yesterday at the way-too-young age of 60.

Bobby grew up in Metuchen, N.J., and my brothers Jim and Pete and I knew him from our high school days. I played football with Bobby on the Metuchen High team. He was a fierce competitor and a force of nature on the field as well as off. He caught the acting bug early and performed not only in school productions but in "Summer Theater Under the Stars" at nearby Roosevelt Park. Bobby pursued his education and career in acting with the same intensity and dedication that he applied to most things in his life.

"Hey, Mr. Kotter, I got a note!"

Everyone in Metuchen was thrilled when Bobby landed a starring role on a network TV series in 1975. Bobby was only 24 when "Welcome Back Kotter" premiered. He played one of the "Sweathogs," a foursome of incorrigible and wise-cracking high school students who amuse, challenge, and learn life's lessons from their beloved mentor/teacher, Mr. Kotter.

Bobby performed the role of Juan Epstein, a Puerto Rican Jew from a large family who had Latin good-looks and great comic timing. His co-stars included Gabe Kaplan as Mr. Kotter, and John Travolta, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Ron Palillo as the other three sweathogs.

Back in July of 2006, when I married Annie Malley, Bobby and his wife Cynthia Wylie attended the wedding. In the wedding photo above, my brother Jim Ruegger, Bobby and Cynthia share a laugh during Paul Rugg's performance of "Manny the Uncanny."

Bobby was charismatic, infinitely likable and one-of-a-kind.

Thanks for the laughs, Bobby. You will be missed by your family, your friends and your fans.

Pinky & the Brain Boy

2012-01-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

In 1963, Dell published a short-lived series of comic books starring a flying semi-superhero entitled "Brain Boy." It lasted six issues. In its final issue -- according to its cover page -- Brain Boy encountered "A Fantastic Scheme To Conquer The Earth..."

This scheme, and this comic book series, should not be confused with a certain mouse who has a similar name, and similar fantastic schemes and goals.

Award Season Has Arrived!

2012-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

And this year, just like every year...

...Mr. Skullhead waits for his nomination.

He's been waiting quite a while. He's starting to feel snubbed by the Academy. Regardless of the fact that he hasn't appeared in any movies or TV shows this past year, Mr. Skullhead remains undaunted. He knows his time will come.

Until then, Skullhead can be reached at Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City, where he serves as the hotel's part-time dog-walker, or via his publicist/personal manager/artist/creator/ and orthopedic cartoonist, Sherri Stoner.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T20:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from Histeria's Father Time and the (Big Fat) New Year's Baby.

Farewell, 2011, we hardly knew ye! And welcome, 2012!

May the new year be a great one for all of you, and for everyone important in your lives.

Christmas Card from Warner Bros. Animation, 1999

2011-12-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, Superman, Taz, Buster Bunny and Babs Bunny (no relation), Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner (related), Michigan J. Frog, Pinky & the Brain, Tweety and Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, Father Time and Big Fat Baby from "Histeria," Batman from "Batman Beyond" and the cast from "Detention" wish you Happy Holidays!

An Animalia Christmas

2011-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Allegra the alligator in an image from the holiday episode of Animalia, the BBC series based on the classic book by Graham Base.

Animaniacs: "Little Drummer Warners"

2011-12-23T00:47:00.000-08:00

The "Little Drummer Warners" cartoon from Animaniacs...as seen on YouTube:

Happy Holidays!

It's A Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special Logo

2011-12-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the logo for "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" which first aired on December 6, 1992. This image was used in trade ads, in newspaper reviews, and in "TV Guide" promotions. Whoever ordered this artwork must have requested "extra cel-shadows." That request was granted.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas with Laurel & Hardy

2011-12-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the season, here are some holiday images from movies made by Laurel & Hardy, who remain among the very top comedy teams in the history of the movies.

In "Big Business" (silent, 1929), Stan and Ollie are door-to-door Christmas tree salesmen who run into a very difficult customer in the form of their recurring nemesis, James Finlayson.

While it seems a little strange that Laurel & Hardy are dressed in winter attire in a sunny Southern California landscape filled with palm trees, in the end, what matters is the comedy of perfectly-timed and ever-escalating destruction.

As a kid, my family owned a super-8 mm copy of this movie -- bought for $8.99 from Blackhawk Films out of Davenport, Iowa. It's the only movie we owned. When our projector was functioning, which wasn't often, we'd thread this baby up, turn out the lights, and project it onto a sheet. Movie night!

In another classic, "Below Zero" (talkie, 1930), Laurel & Hardy are pan-handling street musicians playing the one song that they know, "In the Good Old Summertime," in the middle of a blizzard.

This isn't a Christmas movie, per se, but it has a very wintry feel, and brilliant comic timing throughout.

My Uncle Richie -- Richard McLaughlin, writer and author of the novel "Into the Dangerous World" -- was a film buff who saw almost every film that came out in his many years living in New York City. He was a big fan of Laurel & Hardy, and once made a comment that I've never forgotten.

Uncle Richie said: "It's too bad they never made a short about trimming a Christmas tree. I always thought that Laurel and Hardy would be able to turn the trimming of a Christmas tree into something hilarious."

I think Uncle Richie was right.

Happy Holidays!

It's A Wonderful Life

2011-12-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

For me, "It's A Wonderful Life" is the ultimate Christmas movie.

But when I was very young, I happened to watch part of it on TV and had no idea what it was or what it was about, and it freaked me out. From my five-year-old point of view, it seemed to be a scary domestic drama that featured a husband yelling at his wife, the wife crying, the kids weeping ("What's wrong with daddy?"), the mother encouraging them to pray for him, followed by a bar fight, the husband considering suicide, and the mother turning dowdy, apparently losing her mind and being unable to even recognize her increasingly-desperate husband -- Yikes! A total nightmare!

So, whenever I got scared by something in the movie, I ran out of the TV room and hid, just like I did when Lou Costello unwittingly sat on the monster's lap in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." I ran out of the TV room a bunch of times during "It's A Wonderful Life." No doubt I missed many crucial plot points during my frequent absences. Finally, too spooked by the increasingly-bizarre story ("You were never born." What?!?), I ran out of the TV room and stayed out. I could watch no longer.

Years later, I sat down and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" from start to finish. The opening is pretty crucial to understanding the plot, and I had missed that starry set-up when I was young. I was happy to learn that the movie was actually about a man who had lost his way and who found redemption through the love of his family, his friends, and thanks to a little heavenly intervention. (During my previous viewing, I had not only missed the opening, but I had bolted before the happy ending.)

Now I watch the film every few years at Christmastime, and have to fight back tears when the townsfolk show up at the end, chip in to pull George's cookies out of the fire, and toast George as "the richest man in town." Just thinking about it makes me a little misty.

Just one question: Why is Uncle Billy ever allowed to handle the Building & Loan's funds? I mean, really. The guy is clearly non compos mentis. He unwittingly handed a huge wad of the Building & Loan's cash to Old Man Potter and then sauntered off as if he didn't have a care in the world.

I'm thinking that on the first work day after Christmas, at the Bailey Building & Loan, George forces Uncle Billy into an early retirement and a rigorous 12-step program.

Now there's an even happier ending!

Merry Christmas to all!

Santa Claus by Haddon Sundblom

2011-12-15T23:45:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, one of the things I looked forward to at Christmastime was the annual Coca-Cola advertisement created by the remarkable illustrator Haddon Sundblom. Clement Moore's 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" may have describe the jolly old elf in detail, and Thomas Nast's 1881 caricature of Saint Nick may have brought the image of Santa into focus, but not until the middle of the 20th century did one artist perfect the image of Santa and make it stick. That artist was Michigan-native Haddon Sundblom (1899-1976), who created expressive paintings of the magical Mr. Claus for the Coca-Cola Company over a period of 33 years. Here are three of my favorite Sundblom Santa ads...

Happy Holidays!

2011-11-22T21:39:00.001-08:00

Miss Information from "Histeria!" -- by Bob Doucette

2011-11-11T22:37:00.001-08:00

This stunning portrait of Miss Information was painted by the producer of the Histeria television series, Bob Doucette. You can see more of Bob's brilliant artwork at http://bobdoucette.com.

Miss Information was Histeria's tour guide through history. The role was performed by the hilarious comedienne and voice over artist Laraine Newman. If you want to see and hear Laraine in action, you'll find her impressive list of credits at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0628170/ .

Buster Bunny Cel -- Tiny Toon Adventures

2011-11-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Buster Bunny

One of my favorite cels of Buster. Can you name the episode? Do you remember the scene? Do you know which studio animated this episode?

Acme Looniversity team colors (including their varsity jackets) matched the colors of my home town team, Metuchen High School (Metuchen, New Jersey).

Yakko and Hello Nurse -- Best. Animaniacs. Cel. Ever.

2011-10-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe it's not the best Animaniacs animation cel ever. But it's definitely one of the prizes of my limited collection. The cel comes from the unedited version of "King Yakko." While Yakko, as ruler of Anvilania, cuddled up to Prime Minster Hello Nurse throughout this half hour episode, the close encounter pictured in this particular cel set-up did not make it into the final broadcast version of the show.

Thanks to Dave Marshall, who co-directed the episode with Alfred Gimeno, for not only saving this cell from the retake dustbin, but for framing it and sending it to me. It hangs in a prominent location on my office wall. Let the anvils ring!

Animaniacs and Freakazoid Emmys -- 1996

2011-10-18T00:21:00.001-07:00

This ad appeared in the trade papers, including Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, the week after the Emmy ceremonies in May, 1996.

"Iggy" by Milt Gross

2011-10-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

Of all the oddball characters drawn and created by Milt Gross, Iggy is by far my favorite.

In the "Count Screwloose of Tooloose" comic strip (1929-1934), Iggy is the emotionally unstable pooch with a Napoleonic complex who resides at the Nuttycrest Sanitarium along with the other patients, including Count Screwloose. Iggy is hopelessly devoted to the Count, who is constantly escaping from the asylum, leaving Iggy behind in a state of utter distress and nonstop weeping at the thought of being away from the Count for even a moment. Outside the walls of Nuttycrest, the Count invariably finds the real world to be much crazier than the nuthatch, and in the final panel of each Sunday strip, we find the Count racing back to Nuttycrest, where Iggy reacts with tears of joy at the return of his beloved pal. Every time the Count jumps back into the compound, he calls out: "Iggy, keep an eye on me!"

Milt Gross's drawings of Iggy were always a batch of fast and frantic lines that captured extreme cartoony emotions, filled with goofy expressions, tics, laughter and tears.

At some point during the course of the strip -- and by the time Gross arrived at MGM to make a couple of Count Screwloose cartoons -- he had replaced Iggy with a different cartoon pooch named J.R., who didn't have a hundredth of the demented personality of Iggy.

There have been many great cartoon dogs in the history of comics, and while Iggy may not be one of the most famous of the group, he is truly one of the funniest and most emotive, quirky and unique canine creations in the realm of comics and cartoons.

Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation

2011-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Question: What part of the animation industry began with Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation?

Answer: Direct-to-home video animated features. Steven Spielberg presents "Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation" was the first animated feature film released directly to home video by one of the major studios. It hit the retail stores March 11, 1992. Disney's first direct-to-video animated feature, The Return of Jafar, came in 1994, as did the first of The Land Before Time direct-to-video sequels.

I just uncovered my copy of the original promotional poster, which I scanned and posted directly above.

Below are a few of the gag credits that appeared during the end scroll of How I Spent My Vacation...

Reason This Movie Went Straight To Home Video

Cuz It's So Darned Good!

OriginalRunning Time:

8 Hours, 47 Minutes

Hey,What About That Urkel Kid?

Is He FunnyOr What?

FirstTheatrical Screening:

June 8, 1991, OldOrchard Theatre, Skokie, Illinois

LastTheatrical Screening:

(Same As Above)

ThisFilm Has Been Edited

For Your Protection.

DoNot Back Up
Severe Tire Damage

ManIn Sound Recording Booth Who Pushes That Funny Red ButtonA Lot

Link Poonie

Moralof the Story (Pick One):

1.Enjoy Your Vacation.

2.Relish Your Youth.

3.Don't Pick Up Chainsaw-Wielding Hitchhikers.

4.Feature Length Movies Should Not Have 18 Different Plots.

TheseEnd Credits

Are Interminable.

Top4 Reasons A Caricature Of David Letterman Is In This Video:

4.We Admire His Comedy Stylings.

3.We Wanted To Use Merv Griffin, But He Threatened To Sue.

2.We Needed Some Filler.

1.We're Brown-Nosing Weasels Who Want Him To Mention Us On His Show.

OtherStuff Done By

Some Guy Named Bob.

AndThat's The Final End Credit.

WeLied.

The Cast

Valhalla....... As Himself

SuggestedRetail Price

$19.95 Without Rebate

WithRebate

About A Buck And A Quarter

"Facebook Addiction" by Luke Ruegger

2011-10-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

From the September 29th, 2011 edition of the Pepperdine University newspaper The Graphic, here's a visual commentary from my son Luke, who is the editorial cartoonist and art editor for the paper.

Nice job, Luke!

"Top Cat" -- 50th Anniversary

2011-09-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Fifty years ago today, Top Cat premiered at 8:30 PM (7:30 Central time) -- in color** --on the ABC Television Network.

** See comments section about "color."

Tiny Toon Adventures' "Class Cut Up": Earl Kress

2011-09-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a Tiny Toons cartoon that shows off a small sample of the big writing talent of Earl Kress -- who was not just an earl but a king of cartoons. Earl passed away yesterday at the way-too-early age of 60.

This segment stars the vocal talents of one of Earl's favorite actors, the legendary Don Messick, who provided voices for Boo Boo, Ranger Smith, Pixie, Dixie, Dr. Quest, Bandit and so many other classic Hanna-Barbera characters.

Here, Don performs the role of Hamton J. Pig -- it's a unique voice created by Don for the porcine costar of the Warner Bros. Animation series Steven Spielberg presents Tiny Toon Adventures.

In this episode, directed by Art Leonardi, Hamton is the lone witness to the return of that singing and dancing amphibian, Michigan J. Frog.

This came before Michigan became the spokes-frog for The WB Network. And yes, that's June Foray as Granny!

Check it out: "Class Cut-Up"

The People Who Made "Tiny Toons" and "Animaniacs" -- Part Three

2011-09-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Earl Kress

Earl Kress and his wife Denise

Earl Kress was a major contributor to the writing of both Animaniacs and Pinky & the Brain. Earl wrote or co-wrote many episodes which have become fan-favorites of the Animaniacs series, including the Slappy cartoon “Smell Ya Later” (co-starring Sherri Stoner and Jonathan Winters) and that Christmas gem "Little Drummer Warners" (directed by Lenord Robinson). Earl was also part of the team that wrote the DVD animated feature “Wakko’s Wish.”

During the 90’s at Warner Bros, Earl also scripted some great segments for Tiny Toon Adventures (“Turtle Hurdle,” “Class Cut-up,” “Day for Knight”) and a handful of Road Rovers episodes. Earl took home Emmy Awards for his writing on both Pinky and the Brain and Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain.”

I’ve known Earl since the early 80’s and have had the pleasure of working with him on a bunch of different animated series over the years, including Pound Puppies and Yogi’s Treasure Hunt during our time together at Hanna-Barbera.

Of course, Earl has worked on many cartoons outside of the Warner Bros./Hanna-Barbera spheres. At Disney, for instance, he co-wrote the animated feature film “The Fox and the Hound.”

Earl and I grew up during the same era, and we were both big fans of the early Hanna-Barbara series starring Huck and Yogi and Quick Draw. Earl is one of the world’s leading experts on Hanna-Barbara history and lore, and also studied voice-over acting with the legendary voice of Yogi, Huck and Quick Draw, Daws Butler. Beyond these studies, Earl and Daws became good friends.

You can hear some of Earl’s voice work on “Hanna-Barbera’s Pic-A-Nic Basket,” the definitive 3-CD collection of music and sfx from Hanna-Barbera shows of the late 50’s to the 70’s. Earl not only performs on the album, he also hunted down and preserved many of the rare tracks, and produced the album as well.

I’ve known Earl for 31 years and I’m proud to call him one of my best friends in this world of cartoons.

Alfred Hitchcock's Forgotten Film

2011-09-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

In 1962, the great director Alfred Hitchcock was determined to come up with a film worthy enough to be the successor to his recent horror blockbuster Psycho. He tried several different themes and titles, ultimately settling on the concept that became the movie entitled The Birds.

But before making that final choice, Hitchcock was close to convincing the powers-that-be at Universal Studios to green-light a similarly-themed film in which the female protagonist is attacked by forces even more unlikely than birds. Below is one of the prototype posters for that proposed movie.

But alas, The Spoons was not to be. Thankfully for moviegoers everywhere, Hitchcock sobered up, became obsessed with Tippi Hedren, and went with the birds over the flatware.

Beware the Corndog

2011-09-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sad news from Beantown tonight, where a head of lettuce wearing a ketchup fedora was cornered by five bowls of baked beans and then savagely stabbed by eight corndogs. There was no known motive for the attack.

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #12

2011-09-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

These are the last two Animaniac Temporary Tattoos for now. There are eleven more, and as soon as I find them, I'll post them.

In the image below, Wakko seems to be turning his neck to the breaking point to take a gander at Hello Nurse.

So, until next time...

Goodbyyyyyye, Nurse!

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #11

2011-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

I think many of these images came from the Animaniacs style guide issued by Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products. The animation department rarely had any input or sway at the licensing division.

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #10

2011-09-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

This one of Dot reminds me of a grade-school Valentine's Day card.

As for Pinky, he looks like he has been pondering the mysteries of the universe and has come up with an enigma inside a burrito.

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #9

2011-09-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #8

2011-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

A double dose of Dot...one with a 'doo from another era. I think disco had been finished for at least a decade before these temporary tatoos were marketed.

Along with the two Dots: Skippy's review of "Cowboys & Aliens."

9/11/11

2011-09-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #7

2011-09-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

"Talking Toons with Rob Paulsen" -- Episode 14

2011-09-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Rob Paulsen, the extraordinary Emmy award-winning actor who gave us the unforgettable voices of Yakko Warner, Dr. Scratchansniff, Pinky (of Pinky and the Brain fame), Mr. Opportunity, 50% of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and countless others characters, has his own website where he posts an informative and funny podcast each week.

In this week's episode, Rob tests the patience of his fans by inviting me to share the microphone with him. Is this the tragic end of Rob's heretofore wildly successful podcast career? "Toon in" and find out here.

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #6

2011-09-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #5

2011-09-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

I like that Pesto never gives Squit a break, even as a temporary tattoo.

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #4

2011-09-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #3

2011-09-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

This sticker is remarkable just for the fact that Chicken Boo actually made it into some Animaniacs merchandising. I also like the concept that Yakko is taking Plotz's convertible for a joy ride.

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #2

2011-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Animaniacs Temporary Tattoos #1

2011-09-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Topps put out a set of Animaniacs collectible playing cards in the mid-90s. Among the cards was a series of temporary tattoos/stickers featuring the cast members. Here's the first set of images from those stickers. (BTW, for all those wiser than myself: scanning these things, with the sticky side down, was not a great idea as far as my scanner was concerned.)

The People Who Made "Tiny Toons" and "Animaniacs" -- Part One

2011-08-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here's Part One in a gallery of some of the very talented people responsible for making Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs.

Barry Caldwell

Barry Caldwell, director, designer and storyboard artist on both Animaniacs and Tiny Toons, is pictured here in his office at Warner Bros. Television Animation in Sherman Oaks, California, circa 1994.

Among Barry's many achievements, his story board designs breathed new life into the personalities of Babs Bunny, Shirley the Loon, Fifi LaFume and Elmyra in many of the best Tiny Toon episodes, including "Prom-ise Her Anything" and "Fields of Honey."

And Barry's boards and direction gave us some of our funniest and most memorable Animaniacs segments, including "Bumbie's Mom," "Sir Yaksalot," "Ragamuffins," "The Flame Returns" and "Puppet Rulers."

Also on Animaniacs, Barry directed both the first Minerva Mink cartoon produced ("Meet Minerva") and the first Mindy and Buttons cartoon produced ("Cat on a Hot Steel Beam").

**************

The People Who Made "Tiny Toons" and "Animaniacs" -- Part Two

Sherri Stoner

Sherri Stoner served as a writer, story-editor and producer on Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs. Here, she holds up one of the segment cards from Tiny Toons.

Sherri started writing cartoons with Babs Bunny's very first Tiny Toons script, "Debutante Devil," and Sherri hasn't stopped since. She wrote a bunch of Tiny Toon episodes that have become fan-favorites, including "Hollywood Plucky," "Fields of Honey" and "Thirteen Something."

In the photo above, Sherri stands in front of the Wall of Cards, which we used to build half-hour shows from various segments, each segment written up on an index card. Sherri is holding up the card for the Tiny Toons segment "Milk It Makes A Body Spout."

By the way, directly behind Sherri is a Steven Spielberg Bop-Bag, drawn by Bruce Timm (on the back of a Yogi Bear Bop-Bag™.) This sits in my office to this day, still fully inflated with 1992 air!

On Animaniacs, Sherri not only helped write and produce the series, but provided the voice for one of the show's stars, the cranky octogenarian, Slappy Squirrel.

Above, Sherri and fellow Tiny Toons story-editor Paul Dini celebrate Easter 1991 by posing with the Easter Bunny at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Apparently, Paul was traumatized by the bunny and had a meltdown.

"Tiny Toon Adventures" Promotional Art

2011-08-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here's an image of a postcard that was sent out to "Tiny Toons" viewers who wrote fan letters to Warner Bros. during the heyday of "Tiny Toon Adventures" in the early-to-mid 90's.

This was clearly not produced by the animation department. Looks more like the work of Warner Bros. Worldwide Licensing. Animators tend to avoid having characters float aimlessly in midair, as is the case with Elmyra and Little Beeper in this promotional piece. I'm not sure what Furrball's problem is, but he looks like he's in desperate need of a litter box. Calamity Coyote appears to be missing his neck and has no clear purchase on the rope by which he may or may not be swinging. Dizzy Devil has no left foot, and it looks like he's about to eat a drumstick that is dangerously undercooked. Babs is making a proactive pass at Hamton, or at least, at Hamton's hind quarters. Fifi LaFume is positioned closer to us than Buster, and Buster is closer to us than Shirley the Loon, but Shirley the Loon's head is closer to us than Fifi. It's sort of like an M.C. Escher drawing, but not in a good way.

Thank you, Warner Bros., for this lesson in promotional art run amok!

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 7

2011-08-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

A thirty-five-year-old pencil sketch of the title character, Platypus Duck, reflecting on the beach at sunset.

More to come...

"The Warner Brothers Cartoons" by Will Friedwald and Jerry Beck

2011-08-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

‎2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of "the bible" of Warner Bros. cartoons: "The Warner Brothers Cartoons" by Will Friedwald and Jerry Beck. It offered up plot summaries and credits for every WB short cartoon from 1929 to 1969. It included overviews of the studio, profiles of the major cartoon stars, the directors, actors, animators and artists, and offered historical context for many of the cartoons. Packed with intensely researched and invaluable information. An awesome book. Infinitely readable. And published by Scarecrow Press which, at that time, was headquartered in my home town of Metuchen, NJ!

Happy anniversary, Jerry!

Jerry and Will's "Warner Brothers Cartoons" book has been retitled and repackaged as "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons." Highly recommended! You can find that book and others by Jerry at this link: Books by Jerry Beck

Cartoon Constellations Chart from "Film Comment" (1975)

2011-08-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

Back in 1975, when I was in the thick of making my first animated cartoon, Film Comment came out with an all-cartoon issue, which included an interview with Chuck Jones, one of my major animation heroes. This issue also featured a poster-sized wall chart by Joe Adamson (author of "Tex Avery: King of Cartoons") that highlighted the major cartoon stars from each Hollywood studio during the Golden Era. This chart went on my wall in '75 and stayed on my wall, wherever I happened to be working, until the early 90's when it started to disintegrate. I took it down, put it in a drawer, and I never saw it again. Until today! I was looking for some papers in a drawer and instead I found, lo and behold, the long-lost "Cartoon Constellations" chart by Joe Adamson! I spent the last few hours scanning and restoring my old copy of it, cleaning up some of the scratches and pushpin-holes that it's collected over the past 36 years. I can't find another copy of it on the web, at least at the moment, so I thought I'd share it with you. I've always found it very inspirational.

Joe Adamson's book on Tex can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Tex-Avery-King-Cartoons-Paperback/dp/0306802481

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 6

2011-08-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

More artwork from "The Premiere of Platypus Duck." Preliminary design for the platypus home and pond. Pen and ink and watercolor.

More to come...

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 5

2011-08-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

"The Premiere of Platypus Duck" had a lot of cel animation in it, but I hand drew, inked and colored some sequences completely on paper. This image is from one of those paper sequences. After the platypi reunite, they do a song and dance routine on the stage of the Sydney Opera House. And, once again, the little platypus kid upstages his brother.

Parker MacDonell provided the music, lyrics and performance of the song.

More to come...

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 4

2011-08-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

Some cel set-ups from "The Premiere of Platypus Duck": The three platypi approach the Sydney Opera House and enter, in hopes of tracking down the missing platypus duchess.

The third platypi is the little guy on top...He's always the last in, and the one who always acts a little bit nutty.

More to come...

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 3

2011-07-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

In "The Premiere of Platypus Duck," the search for the platypus duchess takes the platypus trio to the big city, where they find the duchess performing at the Sydney Opera House. (The platypi's home burrow is modeled after Jorn Utzon's design of the Sydney Opera House.) College pal Brian Fuld provided the voice for the stage manager and announcer at the opera house.

Below, a painted background of the Sydney Opera House used in the cartoon, plus the preliminary rough sketch. These were based on photos provided by Kenny Altorfer, one of my parents' very best friends from Metuchen.

More to come...

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 2

2011-07-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

In "The Premier of Platypus Duck" cartoon, after the duck-billed platypus family is established, a flood comes along and carries off the platypus mom. Thus begins the search for the missing "platypus duchess" by the dad and two sons.

The image above is taken from the POV of a drain pipe which proves to be the method by which the three platypi find a path to the big city. This particular scene was one of the most complicated to execute and shoot. The circle matte moved across the screen from right to left, while the platypi walked through the wooded scenery from left to right.

I particularly like the woodcut look of this background.

The Premiere of Platypus Duck -- Part 1

2011-07-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Back in 1974, I received a grant from my college's film department to make an animated film. The result was an eleven minute cartoon called...

The story follows the evolution of the duck-billed platypus from pre-history to modern day.

The cartoon took almost two years to complete...and I sure learned a lot about the labor-intensive process of animation. While I drew all the animation and hand-inked the cels, I managed to persuade many friends and relatives to pitch in on coloring some of the animation-on-paper, and talked others into painting some of the hundreds of cels.

My best pal Parker MacDonell, an extraordinary singer/songwriter and musician, composed, performed and recorded the score -- which was wall-to-wall! Eleven minutes of music! Much of the animation moves to the score, and the edits are hooked into the rhythm of the evocative music.

The two cell set-ups re-produced here are from the opening scene.

As we hear the strains of an orchestra tuning up, we find the duck-billed platypus floating in the pond next to his burrow. (The burrow has a shape similar to the Sydney Opera House, which is a motif throughout the film.) The platypus looks up at the stars as the music begins, and a fanfare accompanies the sudden appearance of a marquee up in the sky. The platypus seems slightly impressed with himself, since his name is on the marquee.

MORE TO COME...

My First Cartoon

2011-07-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Coming this week: images from my first cartoon, "The Premiere of Platypus Duck." Original cels and drawings were preserved for the past 35 years by my mom in a trunk in the basement of her Metuchen, New Jersey home. (The animation cels look brand new!)

The "Flashback" image above is from the eleven-minute cartoon, which tells the story of the evolution of the duck-billed platypus from 250 million years ago to the present...and to the future.

Cartoonatics' One Year Anniversary!

2011-07-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday to Cartoonatics! And thanks to all of you for stopping by over the past year. Keep those comments coming and...

...CELEBRATE!

"Animaniacs": The Goodfeathers

2011-06-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Goodfeathers: Pesto, Bobby and Squit.

The actors who provide the voices for Pesto, Bobby and Squit.

Chick Vennera (Pesto), John Mariano (Bobby) and Maurice LaMarche (Squit).

A Poem: "Look At Me"

2011-06-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Look at me

I'm fat again

Unlike

Amy Madigan.

R.I.P. Columbo

2011-06-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Peter Falk (1927-2011)

"Tiny Toon Adventures" at the Pasadena Rose Parade

2011-06-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Back in the early 90's, Baskin-Robbins sponsored a "Tiny Toon Adventures" float for a couple of years at the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day. The photo below is from the first year of Tiny Toon's participation -- I think it was January 1, 1993. (Baskin-Robbins also sold a line of Tiny Toon ice cream products for a number of years.)

Yakko on the Warner Bros. Studio Water Tower -- 1993

2011-06-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

To announce the premier of "Animaniacs" in September 1993, it was decided to place an inflated-balloon replica of Yakko Warner atop the water tower at the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. This seemed like a great idea at the time. Unfortunately, no one clued in Bob Daly, who ran the studio. When Bob pulled up in his car that day and saw the balloon-creature sitting on top of the tower, he thought his studio was under attack by some sort of mutant Mickey Mouse.

The balloon figure of Yakko sat on the tower for less than 12 hours. Paul Rugg snapped this photo, which may be the only documentation of this strange day in studio history.

Happy Father's Day -- from Father Time and "Histeria"

2011-06-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Warner Bros. Store -- 5th Avenue, New York City, 1995 -- Part 2

2011-06-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of additional photos of the flagship Warner Bros. Studio Store in NYC back in mid-1995, when they featured "Animaniacs," specifically Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, in their window displays.

Adventures in Advertising

2011-06-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Before I landed a job in animation, I lived in the New York area and pursued a career in advertising...for about six months. After that didn't pan out, I moved to Los Angeles where Bill Hanna gave me a job as an assistant animator at Hanna-Barbera. Thank you, Bill!

During my brief time in pursuit of advertising, I took a test at McCann-Ericson -- a large ad agency at the time -- to get into their apprentice program. Below is one of the pieces that I submitted for that test. The client was Puerto Rican White Rum. In retrospect, I guess the magazine ad I came up with would please neither the rum company executives nor their customers. But I went with what I liked: talking animals.

I didn't get the job, which turned out to be a good thing. After the advertising world passed, I was able to pursue my true goal...animation.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who served, and to all who sacrificed so much for our nation and for our freedoms. We salute you all.

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" Part 21 -- "Toonotology"

2011-05-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Another segment from "Mixed Nuts":

"TOONOTOLOGY"
Bugs Bunny offers a rambling, incoherent and very-close-to-crazy discourse on what it means to him to be a "Toonotologist" in this parody of the Tom Cruise Scientology recruitment video.

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 20 -- Bugs Bunny

2011-05-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

My alternate title for "Mixed Nuts" was "Toonotopia." I played around with the original movie poster from Fritz Lang's silent classic "Metropolis" to come up with this series poster, featuring the star of the show, the world's greatest rabbit, Bugs Bunny.

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" Part 19 -- Jabberjaws Meets Elmer

2011-05-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Below is another piece of concept art from "Mixed Nutz," the animated show I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008 that combines the stars of Looney Tunes with the stars of Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

Some of the fun moments in "Mixed Nutz" come from the unlikely pairings...like this one.

Elmer Fudd goes hunting, and so does Jabberjaws, in this segment from "Mixed Nutz."

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 18 --Daffy, Yogi, Scooby and Gossamer

2011-05-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Two more images from the "Mixed Nutz" pitch.

Daffy and Yogi argue over their own respective studliness and the kind of music they want to listen to during a cross-country trek in this segment from "Mixed Nutz."

Scooby encounters Looney Tunes monster star Gossamer, who's the pet of the local mad scientist veterinarian, in this "Mixed Nutz" sequence.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were: "Mixed Nutz" Part 17 -- Scoop Doggie Daddy and Petunia Pig

2011-05-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

In "Mixed Nutz" (2008), Doggie Daddy and son have become world-famous hip-hop artists: namely, Augie Doggy and Scoop Doggie Daddy.

Likewise, Petunia Pig has become a teen idol in the Britney Spears mold. She's a top pop singer, a smoking dancer, and the hottest pig on the planet!

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 16 -- Dogs Playing Poker

2011-05-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

A recurring segment on "Mixed Nutz," based on the famous kitschy paintings by C.M. Coolidge: the dogs of Hanna-Barbera play poker with the Looney Tunes canines.

Marc Antony, Charlie the Dog, K-9 and other Looney Tunes mutts must deal with the underhanded and less-than-above-board card sharks from Hanna-Barbera, including (among others) Huckleberry Hound, Doggie Daddy, Scooby, Scrappy and the biggest cheater of all, Bandit.

"The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2" -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 15 -- TV Parodies

2011-05-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

More segment concepts from "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- in this case, TV show parodies.

In this parody of the "House" TV series, grouchy Dr. Huckleberry Hound and his incompetent intern, Daffy Duck, must remove a rocket that could explode any second from the rectum of Wile E. Coyote.

Don't ask.

In this spoof, Yosemite Sam is a footloose and fancy-free cowboy on the town. He writes a popular blog about dating as he searches for love and the perfect pair of stylish boots in the big city.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 14 -- Daffy Vs. Everyone

2011-05-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

A few more images from "Mixed Nutz," the animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros back in 2008. In "Mixed Nuts," the cartoon worlds of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters come together, resulting in some unique pairings and some new variations on the classic themes.

Of course, Daffy Duck would demand plenty of air time on "Mixed Nuts." As he put it, "A star of my stature should expect nothing less." But in this show, Daffy would find himself constantly outflanked by scene-stealers like Yogi Bear...

...and upstaged by spotlight-hogging hams like Snagglepuss.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 13 -- Marvin the Martian vs. Hanna-Barbera's Universe

2011-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

In "Mixed Nutz," Marvin the Martian declares intergalactic war against the Hanna-Barbera cartoon universe, and tangles with the casts of "The Jetsons" and "Jonny Quest" in the process.

Marvin's plans to overthrow Orbit City disintegrate when the Martian becomes the focus of attention for lovesick teenager Judy Jetson.

Marvin is the world's most obnoxious backseat driver as he hijacks the role of Hadji in the "Jonny Quest" segment of "Mixed Nutz."

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 12 -- Yakky Doodle as Villain

2011-05-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've always been a big fan of Yakky Doodle, the manipulative little duck (with the funny voice provided by Jimmy Wheldon) who starred in his own weekly segments on "The Yogi Bear Show."

In "Mixed Nutz," Yakky remains cute and adorable...but we also see Yakky's dark side. And we come to realize that Yakky is not just manipulative -- he's actually a sinister supervillain!

Look closely and you'll find Yakky's angry visage as one of the heavies pictured in this poster (below) for a "Mixed Nutz" parody of James Bond, starring Bugs Bunny.

In "Mixed Nutz," we see how different cartoon characters interact with each other.

For instance, Yakky is a huge fan of Tweety Bird. He idolizes the Oscar-winning canary, and is constantly peppering the Warner Bros. cartoon star with fanboy questions and requests.

Tweety tries to be accommodating, but the non-stop-chattering duck is relentless and ultimately very annoying. Bottom line: Tweety doesn't like being upstaged and out-"cuted" by the pint-sized duck. As far as Tweety is concerned, there's room on "Mixed Nutz" for only one adorable yellow bird...which means, as Tweety puts it, "the poor widdle ducky" has to "faw down and go BOOM!!"

Immediately.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 11 -- Sam and Wilma

2011-05-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

By jumbling together the Looney Tunes characters and the stars of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, "Mixed Nutz" was bound to come up with some odd pairings -- and none more odd that this one.

Yosemite Sam develops a crush on Wilma Flintstone and goes a'courtin' in "Wham, Bam, Thank You, Sam."

For Sam, the outcome is pretty much the same as it was in "Sam I Bam," pictured earlier.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 10 -- Movie Parodies

2011-05-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't always include characters from both the Looney Tunes and the Hanna-Barbera franchises in every piece of artwork for the "Mixed Nutz" presentation. While the plan was to have characters from both cartoon worlds appear in each animated segment, when I was pulling together art for the pitch, I'd just use the images and characters that best represented the idea.

Below, a couple of those pieces.

Bugs runs for higher office in this full-cast extravaganza.

Magilla Gorilla uses the Chrysler building to examine his prostate in this parody of "King Kong," with Lola Bunny hopelessly miscast (as usual) in the Fay Wray/Jessica Lange/Naomi Watts role.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nuts" -- Part 9 -- Yogi with Daffy and Taz

2011-04-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

More images from "Mixed Nutz" (2008), the animated TV series I proposed to Warner Bros. that would have teamed up Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera stars.

In "Mixed Nutz," Yogi was cast in a starring role... and his laid back demeanor would prove to be a source of great frustration for Daffy.

In this segment (above) from "Mixed Nutz," the Bugs/Daffy/Elmer "Hunting Season Trilogy" gets a new chapter during "Bear Season."

Even Yogi can learn a few lessons about the consumption of edible goodies when Taz makes an unscheduled stop at Jellystone Park.

More to come...

The Return of "The Huntsman!"

2011-04-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

Huntsman’s back; now will he run for president?

By Thomas Burr

The Salt Lake Tribune

April 29, 2011

Washington •

After more than 18 months in Beijing, Jon Huntsman is back in the United States and weighing one of the biggest decisions of his life: Should he run for president?

Huntsman has officially resigned his role as U.S. ambassador to China and will in the coming weeks hold court with family, friends and close advisers on whether to plunge into a White House campaign.

Huntsman already has an experienced team, a pile of cash and a plan of attack awaiting him if he decides to run. And for now, that’s a big “if.”

“You don’t pull the trigger recklessly,” says John Weaver, the lead architect of what could be Huntsman’s presidential campaign. “We expect and hope and plan that he’ll want to have counsel from a wide variety of sources. And from what I know of Huntsman that’s his style anyway. Having said that, the car is built, and it’s ready for the driver.”

Huntsman's Horizon Political Action Committee, which is based in Utah and has been accepting donations for two months, could easily turn into an exploratory committee in June, and later, perhaps, a full-fledged campaign. But only if Huntsman takes the dive.

Thus far, no comment from the creator of The Huntsman, writer/producer John McCann. Of course, it is Mr. McCann who first wrote about the daring exploits of "The Huntsman" on the TV series "Freakazoid. McCann also penned the catchy "Theme to the Huntsman":

Hunt, hunt, hunt

He's the Huntsman
"  Into action"   is his cry
From the forest to the city
He will run there in a jiffy
To sock evil in the eye
 
Marty Feeb was a poor hunter
Hungry without dough
'Til the day he saved a chunky elf
From being eaten by a crow
The elf rewarded Marty Feeb
With a magic sack of corn
He gained strength and speed and shiny teeth
And as the Huntsman was reborn
 
Hunt, hunt, hunt
He's the Huntsman
He'll whip the pants off the bad guys
If there's an emergency
Sound the Horn of Urgency
And summon the Huntsman
"  Into action"   is his cry!
Huuuuuuuuuuuunt.

BTW, John McCann discusses writing, life, comedy, and many other entertaining subjects at his website... http://writeenough.blogspot.com/

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 8 -- Bugs Meets Scooby, Daffy Meets Dino

2011-04-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

More proposed segments for "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- the animated show I pitched to Warners Bros. that matched up characters from Looney Tunes with stars from the Hanna-Barbera universe.

Bugs Bunny upstages and confuses the daylights out of Scooby and the gang during a spooky mystery that takes place inside the Motion Picture Hospital and Animators' Retirement Home in Calabasas.

After Daffy replaces an injured Shaggy in the Scooby Doo series, Scooby quits in protest, and is replaced by Dino, much to Daffy's consternation.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 7 -- "Sam I Bam"

2011-04-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

Another image from "Mixed Nuts," the animated series I pitched to Warner Bros. that combined the worlds of Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters.

Bamm-Bamm Rubble takes a liking to the noggin of babysitter Yosemite Sam in a segment from the "Mixed Nutz" pitch

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 6 -- When Boo Boo Met Bugs

2011-04-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

Another image from "Mixed Nutz," the animated TV series concept that teamed up Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera characters in all new cartoons.

Bugs meets Boo Boo in "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008.

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 5 -- Taz Vs. Yakky Doodle

2011-04-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

Taz meets his match in the form of a loquacious little duck -- Yakky Doodle -- in this segment from "Mixed Nutz," the animated series I pitched to Warner Bros. that combined the Looney Tunes characters with Hanna-Barbera's cartoon stars.

Taz seriously considers drastic options when trapped on a cargo plane with a fellow passenger who will not stop talking

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were # 2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 4 -- The Flintstones & Elmer Fudd

2011-04-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Another image from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008. In "Mixed Nutz," Looney Tunes characters team up with Hanna-Barbera stars.

Viking Elmer Fudd arrives in Bedrock to conquer this stone-aged civilization. But it's Elmer's incessant singing that drives Fred and the rest of the Flintstones out of their minds.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 3 -- Snooper, Blabber, Daffy, Top Cat & Wile E. Coyote

2011-04-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

More images from "Mixed Nutz," a proposed animated TV show that teams the Looney Tunes characters with the classic Hanna-Barbera stars.

I pitched "Mixed Nutz" to Warner Bros. back in 2008, and they green-lit it to pilot. Then they withdrew the green-light when a new regime was hired to run Warner Bros. Television Animation.

So the pilot was never made. All that remains of "Mixed Nutz" are these pieces of cartoon art that I pulled together at the time...along with some written material, including the show bible, springboards, some scripted segments, and a first draft of the pilot script featuring Bugs, Daffy, Yogi and other cast members.

Above: Duck Twacy teams up with detec-a-tives Snooper, Blabber and Huckleberry Hound in this comedy spin on the "Law and Order" franchise.

After years of failure out in the desert, Wile E. Coyote tries his luck at finding food in the suburbs, only to encounter Top Cat and his gang, who have fled the city in search of greener pastures...and easier marks.

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows That Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" -- Part 2

2011-04-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

More images from my 2008 pitch to Warner Bros. for a new animated TV series starring not only the Looney Tunes but the Hanna-Barbera stars as well: "Mixed Nutz."

In "Mixed Nutz," Yogi's pic-a-nic basket filching has brought him fame as "the world's most successful moocher." He travels the globe giving seminars on pan-handling, like a grifter-version of Tony Robbins. Above: When Yogi overstays his welcome at Bugs' Malibu beachfront home, the rabbit gives the bear a nudge toward the door.

I kept Daffy and Porky together as a team for this parody of "The Terminator." Rosey the Robot returns from the future to prevent Daffy from screwing up the world.

In the southwest, El Kabong is hired by the Highway Patrol to put the kibosh (and the "kabong") on the freeway speeder...the Roadrunner.

(I do so love El Kabong's rope from nowhere.)

More to come...

The Cartoon Shows that Never Were #2 -- "Mixed Nutz" (2008) -- Part 1

2011-04-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 2008, I proposed an animated TV series to the powers-that-be at Warner Bros.

The basic concept of the show: cartoon universes collide, resulting in Looney Tunes characters and Hanna-Barbera characters appearing in cartoons with each other.

Bugs Bunny and Yogi Bear in the logo from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series I pitched to Warner Bros. back in 2008

I called the show "Mixed Nutz" and pitched it to Brad Globe, head of Warner Bros. global licensing. Brad loved the concept and my pitch. In fact, at my first meeting with him, three minutes into the pitch, after he had seen a few pieces of the art, he looked at me and, with a huge smile, said: "We're making this show. I've been waiting for someone to walk in with a concept like this for at least three years. And now you've done it. We're going to make this show."

Bugs Bunny makes a wrong turns in Albuquerque and arrives in Bedrock where he drives Fred Flintstone nuts in this segment from "Mixed Nutz," a TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger in 2008.

Pitches normally don't go this well.

I was on cloud nine.

A week or so later, there was a follow-up pitch with Brad, Warner Bros. Television Animation President Peter Roth, and the President of the Warner Bros. Television Group Bruce Rosenblum, and once again, "Mixed Nutz" received a very enthusiastic response, so much so that in the room that day, the three execs committed to making a pilot for the series. Hand shakes all around.

A very happy day.

Daffy subs for Shaggy in this Scooby Doo segment from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series pitched by Tom Ruegger to Warner Bros. back in 2008.

Over the next couple of weeks, I continued developing segments and story ideas for the show, I kept drawing and pulling artwork together, and I started to make calls in hopes of lining up some of the brilliant folks who helped make "Animaniacs" a success, funny people like Sherri Stoner, Deanna Oliver, Paul Rugg, John McCann, Alfred Gimeno, John McClenahan, Joey Banaskiewicz and others.

Then, about a month after the initial pitch, a fellow named Sam Register was hired by Warner Bros. to be the executive in charge of Warner Bros. Television Animation, where he would be reporting directly to division prez Peter Roth. Well, it seems that Mr. Register had his own plans for the Looney Tunes characters because, once he arrived on the scene, suddenly my green-lit pilot became un-green-lit.


Elmer has the title role and Quick Draw McGraw plays his equine sidekick in this movie parody from "Mixed Nutz," an animated TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger back in 2008.

"Mixed Nutz" was canceled before it could even get started.

And I never heard another word from anyone at Warner Bros.

Anyway, this post, and the subsequent posts about "Mixed Nutz," can be filed under the category "The Cartoon Shows that Never Were #2."

Snagglepuss, Daffy, Yogi and Bugs in a spoof of "South Park" from "Mixed Nutz" (2008), an animated TV series pitched to Warner Bros. by Tom Ruegger.

Email from the Enchanted Forest...

2011-03-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

"HISTERIA!" Crew Photos -- #8

2011-02-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

Here are the members of Joe Sandusky's Editorial and Post Production Team who worked on "Histeria."

Among this group: Joe (smack dab in the middle), Mark Keatts, Rob DeSales, Bonnie Buckner and Bradford Keatts...

"HISTERIA!" Crew Photos -- #7

2011-02-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

Some of the writers from the "Histeria!" series.

Among the funny and talented folks pictured in this photo: Julie McNally Cahill, Tim Cahill, Jeff Zimmer, Marc Drotman, Brian Palermo, Roger Eschbacher, as well as educational consultant Miki Baumgarten and historical researcher Donna Skelly...

"HISTERIA!" Crew Photos -- #6

2011-02-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

Herb Moore's crew included Jeff Gordon and Marcus Williams, among many other talented artists...

"HISTERIA!" Crew Photos -- #5

2011-02-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

More photos from "Histeria!"

Here are some of the voice actors who starred on the show. Among them: Maurice LaMarche, Nora Dunn, Paul Rugg, and Jim Wickline. Also, from the recording department, blue-eyed Leslie Lamers, Kelly Foley and Andrea Romano.

Can you correctly name each crew member in the photo?

"HISTERIA!" Animating Crew Photos -- #4

2011-02-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

Scott Jerald's crew on "Histeria!"

Among the members of Scott's team: Tristan Cole Roesch, Jerry Eisenberg, Bill Proctor, Joe Sichta...

Who can correctly identify these twelve accomplished artists?

Scott and crew: Chime in!

"HISTERIA!" Animating Crew Photos -- #3

2011-02-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

Another pair of "animating" crew photos from "Histeria!"

These two pictures feature Richard Stone and his music gang, along with some of the members of our voice recording team. Julie Bernstein is down front, flanked by Steve Bernstein to the right, Rich Stone to the left. On the far left, that's "Road Rovers" composer Gordon Goodwin and music editor Tom Lavin.

"HISTERIA!" Animating Crew Photos -- #2

2011-02-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the second pair of "animating" crew photos from the "Histeria!" series. Flip the two photos back and forth to create "the illusion of life" -- and to see members of the cast make funny faces. These two photos feature some of the wonderful voice actors who performed regularly on "Histeria!" Can you name them all?

"HISTERIA!" Animating Crew Photos -- #1

2011-02-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

Here's the first in a batch of crew photos from the Warner Bros. animated television series "Histeria" (1998).

Name those crew members!

R.I.P. Kenny Mars

2011-02-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

(Left to right) Gene Wilder, Kenny Mars, Zero Mostel in "The Producers" (1968)

Beloved comic actor Kenny Mars has passed away at the age of 75. Perhaps most famous for his roles in comedy classics like "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein, Kenny made a lasting impression in cartoon comedy as the voice of Beethoven in "Animaniacs" and the voice of Dr. Gunther Hunterhanker in "Freakazoid."

As Beethoven, Kenny will always remain one of the world's greatest "pianists."

Spider-Man: the Musical Video

2011-02-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a music video written and performed by Cody Ruegger, and filmed and edited by Nate Ruegger.

It lampoons the current Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" as well as that show's composer, Bono of U2.

Spider-Man: the Musical Video...enjoy!

Coming Tomorrow -- Spider-Man the Musical -- the Song

2011-02-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

"The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound" – Part 2

2011-02-03T01:20:00.000-08:00

Longtime pal and comedy-writer extraordinaire John Ludin has been good enough to send along some of his vivid (and funny) memories of Joe Barbera, Bill Hanna and many others during the making of “The Good, the Bad and the Huckleberry” at Hanna-Barbera Productions back in 1988.

And here they are:

"I was just reading your blog - and laughing out loud. I so remember Joe telling us about the kids singing, "Look at the bears, look at the bears, look at the bears." We smiled and nodded and went back to work, thinking he would forget it in a day or two. Every week we had to give Joe an update on the script and where we were going with it next.

The following week, we returned to his office and he brought it up again, acting out the entire scene. "So, this group of kids in a bus sees Yogi and Boo Boo and yells 'Look at the bears, look at the bears, look at the bears.'" Heading back to your office, we wondered why Joe was insistent on this, especially since Yogi wasn't even in the story, and opted to just leave it out, especially because it was so senseless. The next week Joe had read the latest draft and asked why the scene wasn't in the script. And I think he was kind of bugged that we didn't see how funny it was. One of us asked why the kids were there, and why they were in a bus. Joe said it could be a tour bus. He then, of course, reenacted the whole scene. I remember going back to your office and saying we should see what would happen if we left it out once again. You were smarter than that and advised we had better just put it in, so we could make it work. We wrote it in, then I recall, in an homage to Groucho, having Huck turn to camera and deadpan, "That was a strange interlude, twern't it?" or something like that.

Joe was only outdone by Bill, who slapped in the Dalton's "Gold, Gold, Gold" song without us knowing anything about it. "Our swimming pools are filled with gold, by heck, We got so much gold, around our neck," or some equally lame lyric.

Howie Morris as Ernest T. Bass

Do you remember Joe telling us how the crazed brave Chuckling Chipmunk (I think that was his name) would laugh? Joe did the silliest little giggle and wanted to make sure that the character sounded just like that. Howie Morris had been cast to do the voice and did it his own way, which was pretty funny. When it came time for pick-ups, (voice director) Andrea Romano asked if we had anything. We were in the other room and I was explaining to her what Joe wanted for the laugh. The actors were on the other side of the glass, watching us talk to Andrea, but I know I was the one discussing the laugh, asking to get one take, just so we would have it, the way Joe had done it. And I had to do the laugh, so Andrea would know what to tell Howie. She then went back in and asked Howie to redo the laugh, recreating what I had done. He was visibly upset about this. He begrudgingly did it the way he was asked, and then was cut loose from the session.

As Howie left, he took the time to open the door to where we sat, looked at me, pointed and yelled almost to the point of being unintelligible, "My laugh was a whole lot funnier than that dumbshit giggle you wanted, because I know what's god damn funny because I've been doing this for a god damn long time with people like Caesar and Brooks and Reiner and you don't know what the fuck you're doing." Or words to that affect. Do you remember that? What a great moment. And all because of Joe.

Also, you might recall, we were trying to beat Glenn Leopold (who was writing one of the nine other cartoon movie scripts – “Scooby Doo and the Ghouls School,” I think) in terms of finishing ours first. I think he beat us by a day - but we worked hard to make every joke count. I remember throwing out all sorts of stuff. If it wasn't a set-up or a punch line, we jettisoned it. It was the most streamlining that I had ever done to that point. We were always asking, "Can we cut this out and it still makes sense?" If yes, then we cut it. Look at the arc in that story. It's huge. What a crazy idea to fill up that much time with one character.

I sure had a great time while we were there pounding it out every day. And I'll stack up the jokes in "The Good, the Bad and the Huckleberry" against anything.

Pat Buttram, Tommy Lester, "Green Acres"

So here's one more memory about the show...

I was delighted to meet Pat Buttram in the recording session, being a fan of old westerns and especially Green Acres. Pat played the referee in the boxing match where Huck was up against this behemoth, sure to be pulverized. The line was, "Let the massacre begin." Pat said, in that perfect cracking voice, "Let the mass-uh-cree begin." I really laughed and later, I mentioned it to him. He said in some Autrey movie, he had said it that way and Gene laughed, so he's said it that way ever since. Classic. And that's why, if you're recording a western, you hire Pat Buttram."

John Ludin with Wayne Kaatz and me (1988)

Thanks for the memories, John!

And, before signing off, here's one last quick anecdote from John Ludin about Joe Barbera, when Joe was working on an ambitious animated home video series called “The Greatest Adventure Stories form the Bible.”

“I still laugh when I think about Joe telling us that nobody has ever told the story of Noah and the ark properly, regarding what it was like inside that arc: 'And then the boat rocks and this elephant comes sliding right at you and Jesus Christ it's a big damn elephant.'"

As Joe used to say, “It was a helluva deal!”