Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Peg Board, 41 Years Ago . . .

. . . this is what was happening in animation. Page one has an editorial about the lack of attendance at membership meetings, and how this gives the appearance that a small minority can run the union. We could frankly run the exact same editorial this month and it would be just as true. . . There's also the Biz Rep's column noting that the union was still waiting for the producers to sign the final draft of the ratified CBA -- which is also the case with our current CBA. Note the pension vesting of that era -- 20 years and 20,000 hours. We're happy to remind you that, though a lot of good negotiating over the years, our pensions now vest after one year and five years. The early Peg Boards also usually contained lots of industry gossip, here compiled by Anne Gunther in the Exposure Sheet. Lots of familiar names in there. I can't imagine doing that today for a variety of reasons, but it was a tradition going back to the 40s in the Screen Cartoonists Guild's The Animator (some of which I'll be posting as time goes by). Pages two and five are a two page spread from the 1930s (from an LA Times supplement?). Maybe Jerry Beck and others can fill us in on who these early pros were: Page three has a rarity for the old Peg Boards -- contemporary photos, here from two gallery shows: I love the way everyone dressed then. They all look so stylish and urbane (except the guy in the plaid shirt on the lower right). Can anyone identify these folks? Page four has the news that employment is looking good (increase in theatrical shorts and lots of work at H&B), more insider news and gossip, and a couple of great illos (That's how you announce election results!). There's also a mention of a defunct restaurant, the Iron Horse. Here's a bit of trivia on that establishment. Finally, on the back page, among items about ASIFA and some new productions, there's a fascinating bit about when people reach professional maturity. In our increasing ageist times, I think we need to publicize that info, so you might see us reprinting that item in a current Peg Board. We have lots more old newsletters, and we'll be posting them periodically here. It fascinates me how often, over the decades, the exact same issues arise again and again. And reading these old issues makes me feel more a part of our distinguished history.

8 comments:

Mark Mayerson said...

I'm familiar with some of the people on pages two and three. Irv Spector was an animator at Fleischer who worked on Gulliver's Travels. Later he was at Famous Studios and in the '60's and '70's, he worked for H-B, DePatie-Freleng and Filmation. He did story work for Chuck Jones at MGM, including The Grinch.

I'm guessing that Morris Redensky changed his name to Morey Reden. If so, he was an animator at Famous Studios, Paramount, H-B and DePatie-Freleng.

Bob Wickersham was a Disney animator who later went to Columbia where he was the main director on the Fox and Crow series.

Phil De Lara was an animator at Warners in the Bob McKimson unit.

Kevin Koch said...

Thanks, Mark! You're a heck of a historian. I'm wondering if anyone recognizes some of the people on page 3 (the candid gallery snapshots).

Jerry Beck said...

I wonder what the context of that L.A. Times cartoonist spread was? Were these graduates of an art school or a cartooning course? The most interesting aspect of it is that it was drawn (and signed) by ED BENEDICT! Benedict, a mentor and inspiration to John Kricfalusi, was an animator and character designer best known for his work with Tex Avery at MGM and his designs for the early Hanna-Barbera TV Cartoons (Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, etc.).

Kevin Koch said...

It says the two-page spread was originally in an arts supplement aimed at young children. I did an internet search on a few of the names from the spread and found a site listing every artist who ever did a comic strip for the LA Times. I didn't check for every single name, but most of these folks seem to have been "Amateur Club Cartoonists" for the supplement that the Peg Board describes. It looks like they did comic strips (including Ed Benedict) from 1926 to around 1930.

Ed's titles were "Ben Zine," "Chester Field," and "Pedee Kew."

What's interesting is that three of these comic strip artists were women. I imagine if they tried to transfer their skills to animation, as several of the men pictured here did, they would have ended up in ink & paint.

Anonymous said...

Here's Ed from the interview I did with him in ANIMATION BLAST 8:

Ed Benedict: The LOS ANGELES TIMES on Sundays had an insert called "The Junior Times." It was a little tabloid type paper for the younger people, and it had drawings, comic strips, stories and all kinds of stuff. So I joined "The Junior Times." You got paid for these cartoons but a very nominal sum obviously. I got the front page frequently. I wound up having more stuff published than any of the others, so I was lucky enough to have been successful in that respect. There were a few in "The Junior Times" who I thought could draw a hell of a lot better than I could, like Louis Bardwell. Some of the other guys were Hardie Gramatky...

Amid: The Disney storyman who wrote LITTLE TOOT...

Ed Benedict: Yeah, and Phil DeLara, Bob Wickersham...we were all probably in the 15 to 17-year-old range.

Amid: Almost like a training ground for future animators...

Ed Benedict: Nah, we never even thought about animation. No more than going to the moon.

Kevin Koch said...

I love it when the pieces of the puzzle all come together. Thanks, Amid.

Now, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could see those early comic strips . . .

Jenny Lerew said...

Fred Moore drew for the "Junior Times" frequently and had, as he put it in a bio he wrote for the wartime "Dispatch from Disney's", "many shiny Junior Times buttons for his efforts". I've posted two of his(Moore's) covers for the JT supplement on my blog--they've all been transferred to microfilm at the various libraries around L.A. and Pasadena that carry the Times archives(all the "main" branches" have them), so they are accessible. I'll have to look up Ed Benedict next ime I have an opportunity. I don't remember any famous names but Fred's(those circa 1927 or so I believe), but I wasn't really looking. Odd Ed doesn't mention Fred Moore in his list.

Kevin Koch said...

The website I linked to that lists all the LA Times comics has the following:

Moore strip, untitled
Sunday: 1/17/1926-9/30/1928 Daily:
Artists: Format: Strip
Moore, Fred (?)
Notes: Amateur Club Cartoonist in supplement. Irregular.

Might be interesting to look through those archives.

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