Articles on Animation 30 Jun 2009 07:30 am
Terry TV
Images from Toon Tracker
- I can remember somewhat clearly the show on CBS television, Wednesday nights at 7;30 pm, 1956. Dick Van Dyke (a relatively new-on-the-scene comic/dancer whose face was already familiar to the young me) appearing in a cramped living room set talking with Terrytoon characters on B&W TV.
CBS Cartoon Theatre - It wasn’t something worth rushing to see, but for a cartoon crazed youth who maneuvered the television set to anything approaching animation, it would certainly do. They screened a lot of late-thirties/early-forties shorts. Li’l Roquefort and Sourpuss, the Terry Bears and Gandy Goose were the stars of these animated “gems.” Mind you this was before The Mighty Mouse Show (pre-Ralph Bakshi and John K version) on Saturday morning. This was Terry trying to do what Disney had done at ABC on Wednesday nights at 7:30.
You can watch the opening of an episode of this show here.
Sorry, it wasn’t good enough, and the show disappeared quickly. It ended up only a Summer replacement.
here’s a NYTimes announcement of the upcoming program.
(Click any image to enlarge to read.)
Here’s a more elaborate NYTimes article from 1941 about Terry’s barnyard stable of characters:
pt 1
pt 2
pt 3
And here’s an article from the Times in the waning years of the Terrytoon studio, 1961
pt 1
pt 2
on 30 Jun 2009 at 8:15 pm 1.B. Baker said …
Michael, where did Terrytoons record their musical scores? Did they have a scoring stage in their New Rochelle buliding?
on 01 Jul 2009 at 1:40 am 2.Charles Brubaker said …
Reading that last article, I wonder what Bob Kuwahara (credited as a director for “Lariat Sam”) actually did.
on 01 Jul 2009 at 9:10 am 3.Michael said …
Charles, Bob Kuwahara started at Disney in 1932 up to the War when he served in a Japanese internment camp. He moved to NY and worked at Terrytoons from 1950 to 1965. He directed and wrote the Hashimot-san series, as well as episodes of Deputy Dawg and Astro-nut.
B.Baker, I believe Phil Scheib recorded his scores at studios in NY. I know he used Western Electric in the 30’s and Sound One in the very last years. I assume he must have done the same for the rest of the years.
on 01 Jul 2009 at 7:50 pm 4.B. Baker said …
Thanks, Michael. I’ve always liked the Phil Scheib scores for the Terry shorts — though I know I may be in the minority, there — and I’m fond of the overall way the pictures sound from the late ‘thirties on.
on 02 Jul 2009 at 8:00 am 5.Michael said …
The sound of this studio’s work was so unique. I loved it as a kid and think back fondly on it now.