Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Ted Key, 1912-2008

Hazel and Ted Key

Until I read today's Los Angeles Times obit of Ted Key, best known as the creator of the Saturday Evening Post magazine-cartoon character of Hazel the maid, I had no idea that Key, who died May 3 at the age of ninety-five, had a connection to the animation business.

It turns out that Key created the characters of Mr. Peabody and Sherman for Jay Ward in the late 1950s. He also wrote Showdown At Ulcer Gulch, an animated promo for the Saturday Evening Post that was produced and directed by Shamus Culhane.

Key wrote two episodes of the live-action Shirley Booth TV series based on his Hazel character. He also wrote the screenplay for the live-action Disney movie The Cat From Outer Space, and the stories for Digby - The Biggest Dog In The World, The Million Dollar Duck and Gus.

2 comments:

Larry Levine said...

It’s a sad loss but Ted Key has left us one heck of a legacy! RIP

Andy Norton said...

Extraordinary to realise that someone, who was renowned for one particular thing (Hazel the Maid), was also involved in something more fascinating (creating Mr Peabody and Sherman.)

I think I may remember him for creating 2 renowned characters, often associated with Jay Ward, than from his Saturday Evening Post creation.

RIP, Mr Key.

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