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06-28-2006, 02:17 PM
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ANIMATED SHORTS: TALKING TO LOU SCHIEMER, PART 1, AND MORE NEWS
 Animation Legend Talks About His Life & Times – Part 1 by Steve Fritz If there’s one particularly wonderful thing in the latest He-Man & The Masters of the Universe collection (Season 2 Part 1), it’s one particular special feature. It’s a documentary on the history of the studio that created the series. As the documentary rolls on, the names that cross the screen are truly impressive. Paul Dini, Larry DiTillio, J. Michael Strazynski, Sam Simon and many more now major names in TV and film, animation or otherwise, all came to testify. What they said was they all got their break in the business working for a studio named Filmation and some guys named Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott. Some day this column will give its props to Sutherland and Prescott. This two-parter is devoted to Scheimer. Born in Pittsburgh in 1928, Lou Scheimer graduated from Carnegie with a fine arts degree. It wouldn’t be long before he moved to Los Angeles to become a freelance artist and animator. It was during this time he quickly learned “that as soon as the job was over, you were out of a job.”  Then he got his first major break, working for no less than the master himself Chuck Jones and Warner Brothers. “Chuck was the only genius I ever met,” Scheimer remembers. “I did storyboards for the Bell Telephone Science series, and I would have lunch with Chuck and Mike Maltese. These guys were like gods to me. I mean here I was, in my 20s, and working for them was like manna from heaven.” But the job would soon be over. This time Scheimer would move on to another pair of legends, Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna. It was 1957, and their young studio was hard at work on their first syndicated series. “I worked for them because I was desperate for a job,” says Scheimer. “I was doing layouts of Ruff & Reddy, and they used to drive me crazy. Mind you, everything we did on that cartoon was in black & white. It was actually the first cartoon they ever did from their studio, and I was working on the character, Oil Can Harry. “So every evening I would turn in my layouts and every morning I would find get all the characters returned with the same note saying ‘Not on model. Redo.’ It got so bad that finally I went to see Joe because he could draw like a son-of-a-bitch. So I said ‘I keep getting these notes and I don’t know what to do.’ “So Joe sat down and drew Harry,” says Scheimer. “Then he said, ‘This is right. This is the model’ and sent me away. So from there, all I did was put in all the technical stuff over Joe’s drawings. Wouldn’t you know the next day I got the same sheets back with the same note? I mean if Joe’s drawings weren’t good enough for the animator, then who was? I also wasn’t going to be the one to tell the animator he thought Joe’s own drawings were not on model. So I decided to get out of there or I would have gone crazy.” But good luck was just around the corner. Another legend in kids entertainment would soon hire Lou as an animator. His name was Larry Harmon. We know him better as (the original) Bozo The Clown. “In fact, I was the first guy Larry hired,” Scheimer beamed. “Then Hal (Sutherland), who was an assistant animator over at Disney, became the next guy Larry hired. We hit it right off.”  This was back in the days when kids shows consisted of a host, a “peanut gallery” who often interacted with the host and a number of syndicated cartoons. In the now unmistakable full clown regalia, Harmon would not only introduce classic cartoons like the legendary Fleischer Superman series, but also some of the earliest work of Jay Ward as well as Scheimer and Sutherland’s Bozo shorts. But like all previous jobs, this one would end soon enough. But there was a difference this time, the friendship between the two creators was well cemented by the time Harmon decided to stop doing Bozo shorts. And they were determined to continue working together. “Hal and I would also do freelance work whenever there was time, and we decided to stay together.,” says Scheimer. “Now I was actually the last person working for Harmon when he closed his studio. By that time, there was no work coming in and I told Larry that I was tired of coming to the office and doing nothing. He HAD to fire me. It took him a little while to do it because he didn’t want to admit that the studio was over, but once he did I immediately ran to Hal and we formed a studio called True Line. That’s when we started doing Rod Rocket.” Rod Rocket is not one of those cartoons that will ever be remembered for its groundbreaking work. In fact, one would have to say that it was pretty ordinary for the early 1960’s. On the other hand, what went on behind the scenes was not only the stuff that full feature comedies are made of, but would also serve as the groundwork for Scheimer and Sutherland’s future immortality. “What actually happened is the money was coming from some Japanese people based in Chicago,” says Scheimer. “They were also into some other businesses that just did not sound kosher to me, but I wasn’t going to ask. Let’s just say that every Thursday Hal and I would have to run to the bank to cash our paychecks, or the money wouldn’t be there by Friday. “Anyway, by this time we were also doing freelance work for this organization called Family Films, which was run by this Jewish guy but actually owned by the Missouri Senate of the Lutheran Church, and that’s not the funny part. What’s funny was they proposed to us that we do ten films on the life of Christ. All I could say is ‘Terrific! You’ve come to the right guys.’ Now Hal was Catholic. I’m Jewish. With the money we got from the Lutherans we were able to start True Line. So the first our first true production was ten shorts on the life of Christ. “From there, this guy from Paramount came to us and asked us if we would be interested in doing Rod Rocket. It turns out that he had bought the idea from the guys in Chicago, and he was expecting work back by the next week. So we had to hire 30-40 guys on the spot, and I wasn’t even sure how we were going to pay them.” But pay them Scheimer and Sutherland did. While they were working on this project that they would meet the third key person in Scheimer’s life, a former radio jock named Norm Prescott. “It would have been a hell of a comedy except it wasn’t funny when I went through it,” says Scheimer. “I mean when I think about it, it sounds like fun but it was really horrible to live through. So Hal and I didn’t know what to do. So the guy at Paramount, who I was also doing commercials for, said he really liked working with us but he had another job come in. He would have to kick us out of our offices. So he moved us to another empty office across the street, it was a former bank. It was there that we started Filmation. “By then, Norman Prescott was in as a partner,” says Scheimer. “He came in because he had a film that was being made in Yugoslavia and it just wasn’t getting done, Journey Back To Oz. That one was funny in its own right because the money on that one was coming in from an airline that was based in what was then the Congo. Norm’s brother was working for that airline, which was making money off of the Congo’s government shipping stuff in and out of there. At that time the Congo had a revolution and when the insurgency stopped, the money stopped. So he joined with us to get it finished.” Still, it wasn’t long before the film was completed and Prescott, Scheimer and Sutherland had to lay everyone, but themselves, off. Then fate would finally cut the three the break of their lives.  “This outfit from New York called to see if we would be interested in doing a project for them,” says Scheimer. “It was National Periodicals and they wanted to do an animated series on Superman. At that time, Hal and I didn’t have anyone working for us. We even put a dummy at the receptionist’s desk! But they wanted to see us first. I had to make it look like we were a working studio. So I called everyone I knew, a lot of them actors like Jack Cassidy, to come in the same day as these New York guys and act like they were animators.”All one could say is the con worked. “I still remember when we got Superman,” says Scheimer. “Both Hal and I were in the studio when the phone rang. We were in an empty office with 24 unoccupied desks and thinking of closing the place up. At that time, we used to take turns answering the phones, because we owed money. It was Hal’s week to answer the phone. “When the phone rang, Hal turned to me and said ‘Lou I just can’t do it.’ He convinced me to answer the phone. So when I picked up the phone and asked who it was, a voice came back and said, ‘This is Superman.’ The first thing that came out of my mouth was ‘Are you calling from a phone booth?’ and the guy at the other end started giggling. It was Mort Weisinger of DC, who often liked to introduce himself as Superman. He was trying to find Prescott to tell him we got the contract. As it was, Norm was overseas trying to get us work. So I immediately got to Norm and told him to get to New York, where he closed the deal.” NEXT COLUMN: Filmation takes off with its first true television series, but only hits the big time with its third series. Find out what made sweet music for Prescott, Sutherland and Scheimer next week. GOOGLE JETS INTO ANIMATION Last week, Google continued its campaign to take over the world (or at least thwart MicroSoft and ITunes from doing so by introducing a new feature sure to be of interest to animation fans. They have opened a new service called video.google, a subsite where fans can download any number of animated videos ranging anywhere from home brews to preview clips from Disney/Pixar (including Brad Bird’s next opus, Rattatouie). But this week things started getting a lot more interesting for animation fans. Google has added six episodes of a classic silver aged series that just refuses to die, Roger Ramjet. Ramjet, the creation of Fred Crippen, first took off in syndication in 1965 and was distributed through CBS Enterprises (now better known as Viacom). It featured the voice of Gary Owens as Roger, who was your typical mud-headed hero of the day. What distinguished him from the pack was his American Eagle squadron, an elite pack of supersonic flights (the ramjets), which were all piloted by kids with names like Yankee, Doodle, Dan and Dee. Although there was only one year of shows, it would fly from one network to another in an amazing continuous run, until it finally was grounded by Cartoon Network (in truncated form) in 2002. It did resurface on the HD-only carrier Vroom for a while, but whether it’s still there is unknown. Actually, what really made the syndicated series were two things. The first was the side characters (especially their names), including Ramjet’s boss, G.I. Brassbottum, primary villain Noodles Romanoff and Jacquiline Hyde, and romantic interest Lotta Love. The other was, like many cartoon superheroes of the day, Roger’s reliance on drugs to get his super powers. In his case he would pop a pill called the Photon Energy Pill, which would give him the power of 20 nuclear bombs for 20 seconds (although noted historian Dan Markstein claims it was 10,000 bombs for 10 seconds). Anyway, the first six episodes of the series are now available for download on Google. You can access the episodes by going on the search engine and typing “sv_rogerramjet” in the Search section. At present the downloads are free, although there is a warning Google will soon charge for the downloads. FUNIMATION GETS RIGHTS TO FULL METAL MOVIE The Anime Expo will open its doors this weekend, and FUNimation is right in the mix of things by bringing the U.S. debut of the movie Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa to the con on Monday, July 3. Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most popular anime series in the United States, currently airing in reruns on Adult Swim several days a week. It should be one of the biggest draws at the convention. The premiere will be shown in the Main Events hall, which seats over 4500 people. MANGA TO REISSUE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO Manga Entertainment announced it will be reissuing the very first film directed by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. It must be remembered that Miyazaki worked his way up the animation ladder in Japan. He made a name for himself as a director on the then hit TV series Lupin III. Still, it was Cagliostro that would put him on the map. Considered one of the best Lupin movies ever made, Miyazaki would eventually parlay the rep he developed from this film to get the funding to form his legendary Studio Ghibli. From there he would either direct or produce such films as Nausicaa, Grave of the Fireflies, Whispers of the Heart, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away among many other animated classics. According to Manga, the new DVD set will feature a number of special features, including a history of the series, commentary and a number of other pieces of note. It will ship on August 29. NICK GREENLIGHTS DIEGO’S SECOND & BLUE’S TENTH SEASONS. Nickelodeon announced it has picked up two more of its award-winning kids programs for additional seasons. The first is the second season of Go, Diego, Go!, the network’s hit preschool series that has captivated preschoolers with its interactive, high-stakes adventures, rich Latin American environment and high-tech gadgetry. The network has ordered 20 new episodes of the half-hour animated series. The second season of is slated to kick off in October 2006. On the heels of its hugely successful cousin Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! made its Nick Jr. debut in September 2005, and has quickly become the #1 preschool show on all of commercial TV. It airs regularly at 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. (ET/PT) weekdays on Nick Jr. and weekends on CBS (check local listings). Series star Jake T. Austin returns for season two as the voice of rough-and-tumble animal rescuer Diego. Jake can also be seen this July in the animated feature film The Ant Bully with Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep. Academy Award-nominated actress Rosie Perez also returns as the voice of “Click” the Camera. “Diego is an irresistible action hero with a heart, and we are thrilled he has followed in his cousin Dora’s footsteps to become the number one TV choice among preschoolers,” said Brown Johnson, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool Television. “We are excited to be working with Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh on a new season of Diego’s animal rescue adventures.” The second pick-up is the tenth season of Blue’s Clues. As one might imagine, Nick is making a very big thing out of this. Throughout July, Nick sister channel Noggin will pay tribute to everyone’s favorite blue puppy with Blue’s Clues-themed activities at Club Noggin in General Growth (GGP) malls nationwide, in addition to appearances by series host “Joe” (Donovan Patton) in select malls. Noggin also kick off a month-long on-air celebration of Blue’s Clues with a “Red, White and Blue” marathon on Tuesday, July 4. The celebration will lead up to the August anniversary of Blue’s Clues, when Nick Jr. and Noggin will introduce viewers to a new character -- Blue’s new brother -- on the hour-long movie Meet Blue’s Baby Brother premiering Sunday, August 6, (8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, Monday, August 7 (10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., ET/PT) on Nick Jr. and August 7 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., ET) on NOGGIN. For the first time, the special melds the two worlds of Joe and the classic animated world of Blue’s Clues with the puppets on Blue’s Room. Meet Blue’s Baby Brother will feature a special game of ‘Gold Clues’ as preschoolers help search for Blue’s baby brother and share another milestone with their favorite blue puppy. “Blue's Clues introduced interactivity to preschool TV,” said Angela Leaney, Senior Vice President, Brand Communications, Noggin and The N. “We are excited to celebrate the anniversary of this landmark series with our Noggin viewers both on-screen and at GGP malls across the country.” TODD DOING SIMPSON SETS McFarlane Toys’ first full Simpsons line is slated for release in early 2007. Six new figures and one new box set are headed your way. They include: Simple Simpson -- Homer and Bart as the Pie Man and the Cupcake Kid, respectively. This fan-favorite episode originally--originally aired on May 2, 2004--was a parody of Spider-Man 2. "Wherever danger appears, the Pie Man will strike!" Homer & Krusty (of Homie the Clown)--Homer becomes strangely fixated with the prospect of becoming a clown, and enters Krusty's training camp. Harkening back to the fifteenth episode of the Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired on Feb. 12, 1995. Treehouse of Horrors: The Raven -- In this parody, Bart is the raven, Homer is the poem's lead character, Lisa and Maggie are seraphim, and Marge appears in a painting. Original airdate: October 25, 1990 Homer and Bart: Why You...-- featuring Homer and Bart, pushed to their limits. The father and son dynamic, Simpsons style. Kamp Krusty -- When summer camp ("The Krustiest Place On Earth") doesn't turn out to be all he had hoped for, Bart stages a coup. Treehouse of Horrors XV: Marge and Homer in the Belly of the Boss--Originally airing on Nov. 7, 2004, this episode featured the Simpsons being miniaturized and injected into the body of Mr. Burns in a parody of the 1966 classic science-fiction movie, The Fantastic Voyage. Boxed Set: Itchy &Scratchy: Cape Fear/Spay Anything -- This multiple-figure set re-creates one of Scratchy's most harrowing moments when he sees a sign at Itchy's Cat Hospital that says "We Pay Your Pet $75." The minute Scratchy enters the hospital, Itchy reveals the sign said "We Spay Your Pet $75"! The Simpsons Series 1 is scheduled for release in January 2007. ALSO IN NEXT COLUMN: The number of animated films this July is truly stunning. We start with two of them, Rick Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean II. Yes, Pirates of the Caribbean II. |
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06-28-2006, 02:59 PM
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Lutheran typo
Not sure if it's a typo, or what he actually said, but to clarify:
"owned by the Missouri Senate of the Lutheran Church" Should read" "owned by the Missouri SYNOD of the Lutheran Church The Missouri Synod is one of the 3 big branches of the Lutheran Church. The Wisconsin Synod is another. The final big branch, the ELCA, owns the rights to "Davey and Goliath." |
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06-28-2006, 05:07 PM
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#3 |
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I LOVE this article. Thank you, thank you very much.
I´m in my thirties now and I guess I might say that I´m a kid of the "He-man Generation". I still get a warm feeling when I watch the old Masters of the Universe cartoons. This look at the man behind it is fantastic. Very VERY well done. |
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06-28-2006, 05:13 PM
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#4 |
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Nice article, but the picture of Superman is obviously from Hanna-Barbera's "Superfriends" series, so it's "off-model."
 Here's a picture from Filmation's "New Adventures of Superman" series.  |
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06-28-2006, 07:49 PM
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Now if we could get those Sixties DC animated shows on DVD I'd be happy. Those and the Archie cartoons (who remember's Archie's TV Funnies with the Dick Tracy cartoon?)
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06-28-2006, 08:58 PM
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#6 |
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"Eyes of the Hawk, Ears of the Wolf . . . . . "
Nice read about Lou Schiemer and Filmation.
Too bad Filmation is no longer around. They made some great cartoons back in the day: Gilligan's Planet (you know you liked it), Blackstar, Bravestar, Batman, Zorro, He-Man and of course, Tarzan. Didn't they also do that live action show w/Ted Danson and I think Sid Haig as the villian. Can't remember the name. |
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06-28-2006, 09:17 PM
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#7 | |
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Are you thinking of Jason of Star Command? Sid Haig played a villain called "Dragos." |
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06-28-2006, 09:44 PM
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#8 | |
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That's what I get for being a Buddhist (and a former Catholic)... First off, my apologies for my ignorance. I could have sworn Fleischer said "Senate." Upon listening to the tape he could have said it either way. I'll just chalk it up to my own ignorance of the Lutheran faith and take the blame myself. Interesting bit of trivia about Davey & Goliath. Just so I don't make the mistake again, what does the ELCA stand for? -s |
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06-28-2006, 09:45 PM
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#9 | |
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That's the one. That was a Filmation show, right? Or am I getting that wrong. |
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06-28-2006, 09:48 PM
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#10 | |
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Don - I'm blushing! All I can say is the subject himself is what made the article so good. Don't worry, we'll get to He-Man in time. -s |
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06-28-2006, 09:50 PM
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#11 | |
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If the hints I dropped weren't enough, I'll say so here. Lou has a lot to say about the Archies. Next column. -s |
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06-28-2006, 09:52 PM
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06-28-2006, 09:54 PM
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Steve, ELCA= Evengelical Lutheran Church in America |
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06-28-2006, 10:00 PM
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Nice piece on Filmation. Boy I loved those series..... Flash Gordon, Tarzan, Lone Ranger,The Archies and the Groovy Goolies. I would love to get all of that stuff on DVD. Looking forward to the rest.
Anyone remember Uncle Croc's Block with Charles Nelson Reilly? I'm a Lupin fan and The Castle of Cagliostro was lots of fun. I'd recommend Lupin to anyone who likes the Pink Panther films or 30's screwball comedies. |
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06-28-2006, 10:27 PM
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(Why do I think there's no answer forthcoming to that one?) |
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06-28-2006, 10:31 PM
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Trivia Point: The reason CNR got that role was based on his "B-A-N-A-N-A" commercials for the Bic Banana pens, where he was dressed up as a big yellow banana. The characterizations were identical, but then again CNR only did two characters: Obnoxious pouf and effeminate pouf. |
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06-29-2006, 12:47 AM
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I watched a LOT of Filmation back in the day... heck I just watched a LOT period...
I used to like it no doubt... but after watching a bit of Tarzan... I began to realize how reused the animation motions were. That turned me off a bit... but not enough to stop watching. |
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06-29-2006, 04:53 AM
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#18 | |
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The fact that some parts of the animation motions were reused is one of those things that make Filmation cartoons so special to me.  |
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06-29-2006, 11:30 AM
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There's a LOT MORE coming. Patience. You will get answers. -s |
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06-29-2006, 11:34 AM
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Lupin III is still one of my favorite anime series evern produced. As for Filmation DVD's, expect more on that in future installments of the Scheimer interview. You're going to be very happy. -s |
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06-29-2006, 04:49 PM
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We already know about many of the upcoming Filmation releases from BCI Eclipse in addition to their He-Man DVDs. I know "Space Sentinels" and "Blackstar" are slated for August and others will follow. However, I'm interested in any news about Filmation's various Archie series. I believe the shows are owned by Archie Comics now, just as DC/Time Warner owns the DC stuff. Archie released 4 DVDs a few years ago through Nostalgia Ventures, a small-time distributor. Can Archie bring their shows to a better distributor like BCI Eclipse or someone who can commit the resources to releasing these shows complete and in full-season sets? Also, I'd like to know the status of the "Tarzan and the Super 7" segments "Manta & Moray," "Superstretch & Microwoman," and "Web Woman." Internet scuttlebutt is that DC and Marvel had sued Filmation in the past for copyright infringement over these segments and that they can't be released. Is that true? Also, when BCI Eclipse releases "The Secrets of Isis," can the set contain the couple of episodes where Captain Marvel crossed over? |
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06-30-2006, 04:24 PM
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Filmation's cartoons often had their hearts in the right place, but they were so very badly made! Even as a child of seven or eight I realized how crude the movements were. Watch any two episodes of a typical Filmation cartoon of the 1970s, and you'll probably have seen every hand gesture, walk, and other action, and heard every character voice, sound effect, and music cue, of not only that series but of any other Filmation cartoon made in the same two- or three-year period.
But they did give the world "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," and that makes up for a lot right there. I've also always had a soft spot for "U.S. of Archie." It helped to spark a lifelong love of history way back when I was only eight. |
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07-01-2006, 12:15 AM
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#23 | |
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I agree with you about the use and overuse of stock poses in their cartoons, but on the other hand, they were so meticulously drawn that I didn't mind. I actually found the movement in the stock footage to be the most realistic of the period. I believe they used live models and rotoscoping to animate them. Also, the backgrounds were heavily detailed in all their shows. In the Hanna-Barbera shows, they had their own shortcuts. They also used stock poses and limited movement, but sometimes the backgrounds were nothing more than a swath of paint. You can see this in their charmless 70s Saturday morning nadir such as "Hong Kong Phooey" and the like. Filmation, and later Ruby-Spears ("Thundarr the Barbarian," "Spider-Woman," etc.), were always better to me than Hanna-Barbera during the 70s. However, I'd disagree with you about "US of Archie" which was easily my least favorite Archie Show incarnation. Who the hell wants to learn? It's Saturday morning! Last edited by Comic-Reader : 07-01-2006 at 12:18 AM. |
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07-01-2006, 04:08 PM
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True, most of Hanna-Barbera's 1970s shows had very little to recommend them. But the original "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" of 1969-1970 had some of the very best backgrounds and settings ever done for a made-for-TV cartoon. And at its best the animation was much better than the TV norm. They could do well when they had the budget.
"U.S. of Archie" wasn't any better made than the other awful Filmation Archie cartoons. But something about the stories from American history that it told really caught my imagination. It made me realize that history is about stories. I've loved it ever since. Some people must have wanted to learn something on Saturday mornings. How else do you think "Schoolhouse Rock" became so popular and fondly remembered? |
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