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Saturday, February 20, 2010

"Duck Tales" (1989) [Series] - Cel and Master Background

Since my company was involved in teleconferencing, I've tended to collect some artwork that reflected telecommunications technology.  This is a nice piece from one of the Duck Tales shows. Good image of the Bad Boys; Huey, Dewey & Louie; and Scrooge McDuck (my favorite).  All on a great Master Background.

Key Character Cel and Master Background





----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Duck Tales” (1989).  A very interesting image of the Bugle Boys on a large TV with Huey, Dewey & Louie and Scrooge McDuck looking at them. Master background. Key.  Initialed "TV Film Cell."  [Image: 9-13/16"W x 7 7/16"H]  SeqID 0034

Thursday, February 18, 2010

"Ching Chow" (1938) - Stanley Link Pen And Ink

A number of early animators expanded upon the characters and humor from the strips. Stanley Link was one of those great, early cartoonists.  This piece is from his Ching Chow strip that probably would not be published today....

Stanley Link's "Ching Chow"

Here's some background from Lambiek.Net:

Stanley J. Link (1894 - 24/12/1957).  As a teenager, Stanley J. Link took a correspondence course in cartooning. At age sixteen he found his first cartooning job with a Chicago-based animated cartoon company. After freelancing for some time in the early 1920s, Link was hired as an assistant on 'The Gumps'. In the meantime he introduced the popular panel 'Ching Chow' as a daily feature for the News-Tribune group and started his own strip 'Tiny Tim' in 1933. 'Tiny Tim' began as a Sunday feature and was about a boy shrunk to minuscule size. It became a great favorite, especially with children. Stanley Link got into serious trouble with his syndicate however, when he refused to continue 'The Gumps' after Sidney Smith's death in 1935. 'Tiny Tim' eventually folded and Stan Link started a family strip called 'The Dailys', which he drew until shortly before his death in 1957, at the age of 63.


----- DATABASE NOTES -----

“Ching Chow” (1938) by Stanley Link.  Probably printed 12/5/1938.  Pen and ink.  Copyright 1938 by the Chicago Tribune-N.Y. News Syndicate.  Note: "12-5" on strip; “475”  [Item: 5"W x 7.5"H]  Acquired 1998.  SeqID-0357

http://lambiek.net/artists/l/link-stanley.htm

Thursday, February 11, 2010

"Dudley Do-Right" (circa 1990's) [Series] - Jay Ward Signed Publicity Cel

Sometimes it's nice to have a piece from a show you watched while growing up in front of the TV. The segment in "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" (Rocky and His Friends [1959-1961 and The Bullwinkle Show [1961-1964]).  The reason we all remember the show was that it was rerun from 1964 through 1973 and then went into syndication.  Much like original Star Trek, the show had a larger-than-life impact that extended well beyond its production period.

This Jay Ward signed piece was a great reminder of Ward's over-the-top character development. Ward was a character in his own right and introduced a number of off-beat characters. Here's a brief bio from Wikipedia:
J Troplong "Jay" Ward (September 20, 1920 – October 12, 1989) was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick and Super Chicken. His company, Jay Ward Productions, also designed the trademark characters for Cap'n Crunch, Quisp and Quake breakfast cereals and made commercials for those products, among others. Ward produced the non-animated series Fractured Flickers that featured comedy redubbing of silent films.


Jay Ward Signed Publicity Cel



From Wikipedia:
Dudley Do-Right was the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film (by using only a piano as a musical background) in the form of the Northern genre. Dudley Do-Right was a dim-witted Canadian Mountie who was always trying to catch his nemesis Snidely Whiplash, more often succeeding by pure luck than anything else. He romantically pursued Nell Fenwick, the daughter of Inspector Fenwick, the head of the Mountie station. However, a running gag throughout the series was Nell's interest in his horse (called Horse), to the point that she scarcely noticed Dudley's interest.


In 1969, Dudley Do-Right was featured in his own show, The Dudley Do-Right Show, which consisted primarily of existing episodes from the series, produced by Jay Ward Productions and Total Television. In latter years, Jay Ward Productions created animation cells intended for sale and not for use in animation.


The Dudley Do-Right Show was an animated television series assembled by P.A.T. Film Services, consisting of cartoons produced by Jay Ward Productions and Total Television, which aired Sunday mornings on ABC-TV from April 27, 1969 to September 6, 1970. Each half-hour show included two segments each of Dudley Do-Right Of The Mounties and The World Of Commander McBragg, along with one segment each of Tooter Turtle and The Hunter. Dudley Do-Right was a Jay Ward production, while the other segments were products of Total Television. Both companies used Gamma Productions, a Mexico-based animation studio.


The U.S. syndicated version of the show, called Dudley Do Right And Friends, differs from The Dudley Do-Right Show, featuring most of the same recurring cartoon segments, but a different episode selection. The syndicated package features Dudley Do-Right Of The Mounties, The World Of Commander McBragg, The King And Odie, and The Hunter. The latter two originally appeared as part of King Leonardo And His Short Subjects, a series that aired between October 15, 1960 and September 28, 1963 on NBC-TV. Twenty-six new segments of both series were produced for CBS-TV's Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales in 1963, and these later segments are included in the syndicated Dudley Do Right And Friends.


Actors (voice overs) included:


    * Bill Scott - Dudley Do-Right
    * June Foray - Nell Fenwick
    * Hans Conried - Snidely Whiplash
    * Paul Frees - Inspector Fenwick/Narrator
    * William Conrad did several (but not all) of the narrations.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Dudley Do-Right: publicity cel” (circa 1990's).  Dudley Do-Right, Nell and Horse. Signed by creator Jay Ward.   [Image: 11-7/8"W x 9-3/16"H; Frame: 17-3/16"W x 14-3/4"H]  SeqID-0175 8/14/2005

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

"Dr. Snuggles" (circa 1980) [Series] - Rocket & Flying Sheep Cel on Production Background

In the last post, I mentioned that I tended to also look for aeronautical related animation work. This fun piece from the UK "Dr. Snuggles" is an example.  The cel consists of a Rocket (the Dreamy Boom Boom) and Flying Sheep on the Production Background. In addition, the piece is signed by J. O'Kelly who was the writer, producer and creator of the series. Two of series were written by Douglas Adams (of "Hitchhiker's Guide" fame).

Here's the entry from Wikipedia:
Doctor Snuggles is an animated series about a friendly and optimistic inventor named Doctor Snuggles who has unusual adventures with his friends in a slightly psychedelic world. The show featured fantastical scenarios which usually involved Doctor Snuggles inventing something outlandish such as a robot helper or diamond-making machine, and had a variety of supporting characters who were mostly anthropomorphic animals. The show was a co-production between British, German and Dutch producers and was originally released as two separate English and German language versions. In the English language version the title character was narrated by veteran actor Peter Ustinov. The show debuted in 1980, and consisted of thirteen half-hour episodes. The show featured original artwork by Nick Price, original scripts and ideas by Jeffrey O'Kelly, and television scripts by Richard Carpenter. Two episodes (#7 and #12) were written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, both dealing with ecological issues. In the UK the show featured as part of the Watch It! strand for children on the ITV network. In the United States, the series aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block and in Ontario, Canada, on TVO.

----- DATABASE NOTES ------

From “Dr. Snuggles” (circa 1980).  10x11"  Sotheby’s:  "Description (guaranteed) Rocket and flying sheep, gouache on celluloid, with original production background, signed in black felt tip pen by "J. O'Kelly" the writer, producer and creator of the series."  The wood spacecraft was called the Dreamy Boom Boom. From the UK. 1980c  [Item: 10-3/4"W x 10-1/8"H]  Acquired 1999. SeqID-0420

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

"Donald's Dream Voice" (1948) [Series] - Pencil of Donald Singing

The types of images that people elect to purchase is highly variable. As I've mentioned previously, we tend to buy images that reflect key moments in a film or images that define a character. However, some collect for other reasons. One person I know collects only images of Snow White. Another person collects golf-related images. In my case, I also tend to collect aeronautical images and images of characters singing (since my wife and daughter are big into vocal music).  When we came across this image of Donald, it was another "must have."

For those that don't recall the film, this is from IMDB:
Donald is trying to sell brushes door-to-door, but since nobody can understand him, nobody will buy anything. He happens across a street vendor selling voice pills. They work great, but he's only got a limited number so of course, the last pill ends up in various inconvenient places.

Donald Pencil



----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Donald’s Dream Voice” (1948).  A pencil sketch of Donald singing. On the sheet: "98"  hands outstretched.  [Unframed Item: 12"W x 10"H]  SeqID-0688  10/14/2005

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

"Donald In Mathmagic Land" (1959) [Series] - Donald Cel on Master Background

For the "Geek" in me, I was immediately attracted to this Master Background.  AND Donald's great expression was a bonus.  Hummm, reminds me of those awkward times when I had to stand in front of the class and repeatedly show that I didn't know what I was doing.

Here's Wikipedia's note on the film:

Donald in Mathmagic Land is a 27 minute Donald Duck featurette released on June 26, 1959. It was directed by Hamilton Luske. Contributors included Disney artists John Hench and Art Riley, voice talent Paul Frees, and scientific expert Heinz Haber, who had worked on the Disney space shows. It was released on a bill with Darby O'Gill and the Little People. In 1959, it was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Documentary - Short Subjects). In 1961, two years after its release, it had the honor of being introduced by Ludwig Von Drake and shown on the first program of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. The film was made available to schools and became one of the most popular educational films ever made by Disney. As Walt Disney explained, "The cartoon is a good medium to stimulate interest. We have recently explained mathematics in a film and in that way excited public interest in this very important subject."
Donald Cel and Master Background




----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Donald in Mathmagic Land” (1959).  Donald at black board working a math problem. Key setup applied to master background.  3 items in setup.     (1) Background is of books and empty blackboard; (2) Cel with formula and eraser; (3) Donald holding chalk.  Background: "Science:  "BG-H.1"  Cel math: "H.4"  Cel Donald: D253.  Nothing on back.  [Unframed Item: 12.5"W x 10.5"H]  SeqID 0347  8/3/2005

Vintage Disney Signed Photo Up At Auction Feb. 25-27

From February 25-27, Heritage Galleries will be auctioning my signed Disney picture that was part of the Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook.  Since there are a number of "fake" Walt Disney signed items out there, Heritage had the piece authenticated.  Late last year, Heritage auctioned off a number of my non-animation and space artifact items.

Follow this link to the Heritage Gallery site

Here's the item that up for auction....

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

"Donald Gets Drafted" (1942) [Series] - Donald Pencil w/ Timing Marks

Here's a nice World War II era sketch of Donald marching.  Good example of timing marks. The seller thought that Fred Koepitz may have been the animator on this piece directed by Jack King, but there is no specific information on the sketch to support his opinion.

For a great plot summary, Wikipedia has a great entry....

World War II Donald



----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Donald Gets Drafted” (1942).; Director's drawing of Donald marching.; Notes: "61"; timing marks "61 ... 64"; Fin 2 3; Unframed Item: 12"W x 10"H; SeqID-0729; 8/17/2005; From Sotheby's: This drawing features Donald Duck whistling and marching with gun over his shoulder on paper.; Marked on upper right corner and "61" on lower right hand corner.; Excellent condition.; Notes: Donald's movie have (sic) have appeared in 76 countries; his daily comics appeared and have been published in 47 countries and has appeared on television in 29 countries -- "Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters" Grant; p.61; 69-70.; 10x12; Circa 1943.; Seller: Directed by Jack King; which means that Fred Koepitz may have been the animator.; Lead animator’s sketch.

Monday, February 1, 2010

"Building A Building" (1933) [Series] - Mickey and Minnie Pencil

This is a fantastic pencil of Mickey and Minnie!  Minnie's expression is fantastic and Mickey has a great surprised look that I love....

Mickey and Minnie Pencil



Here is an image from Pierre Lambert's fantastic book, "Mickey Mouse" published in 1998.  It's a great image, but I think I like the personality in the pencil we have....  :-)



----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Building A Building” (1933).  An exceptional large pencil sketch image of Mickey and Minnie sitting on top of football goal posts. [11.5”W x 9”H] SeqID 0158. 

Reference: Similar image in Lambert, Pierre.  Mickey Mouse.  NY: Hyperion, 1998.  ISBN: 0-7868-6453.2.  $150.  Limited edition: 000421.  Signed by Pierre Lambert.  13"W x 13"H.  Page 76. (Lambert SeqID 1469, 1470 & 1471)