Matt Yorston
02-19-2002, 05:43 PM
Anybody here want to share their feelings on who they think is the most underrated person who ever had long experience directing cartoons?
Everybody gives high esteem and regard to Tex Avery because of his wonderfully comic, uninhibited, anything-for-a-laugh style. Ditto Bob Clampett. Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng are both held high by a lot of animation experts and, of course, Hanna-Barbera made "cat and mouse" a household phrase through their directing partnership.
Of course, all of the above people are WORTHY of all their praise (just in case some people think I'm insinuating they didn't deserve it because they most definitely did). But who do you think is a cartoon director that SHOULD receive a little more attention that what's been given to him?
My pick goes to Disney/Lantz/MGM director Dick Lundy. People hardly mention him (a lot more mention goes to James Culhane) and he is almost ignored, despite the fact that he made a lot of excellent cartoons as director (at least, IMO). At Disney, he directed a handful of Donald Duck cartoons; specifically, nine (Sea Scouts, The Riveter, A Good Time for a Dime, Donald's Camera, The Village Smithy, Donald's Garden, Donald's Gold Mine, Donald's Tire Trouble, The Flying Jalopy). All of these shorts may not be the duck at his best but they are extremely enjoyable in at least some way. I love the bit in "Donald's Gold Mine" where Donald gets the head of his pickaxe stuck to various body parts and tries to remove it from each part. "Donald's Tire Trouble" could have been a one-note story (Donald changing a tire? Not much of a plotline) but, in Lundy's hands, it was some hilarious moments and great personality animation (which Lundy's shorts are famous for). Of course, he left Disney after "Flying Jalopy" which brings us to next studio... Lantz.
Once Lundy was promoted to director, he tried to get the Lantz animators to put some personality into the characters. When hearing this, I at first scoffed at his decision but I'm realizing now that it was a very bold move. Woody IS a more likeable, personified cartoon in the cartoons Lundy directed. Lundy even directed the Woody cartoon, "Smoked Hams", one of my all-time favorite Lantz shorts. "Bathing Buddies", "Well Oiled", "Banquet Busters", "Wacky Bye Baby", "Wet Blanket Policy", and "Drooler's Delight" are also all excellent by any standards. They are hilarious in parts which brings us to another point... starting at Lantz, Lundy started putting zany Tex Avery-style humor into his cartoons. This is especially evident in the films he directed in which Heck Allen serves as a storyman (Wet Blanket Policy, Dog Tax Dodgers, etc.). Even some of his Andy Panda shorts have Averian moments (like the bit in "Scrappy Birthday" where Andy's dog picks up the scent of the fox's footprints like a vacuum cleaner... to the point where he transmutes into a vacuum cleaner, being pushed by the fox. The fox then "turns off" the dog, unscrews his head from his body, and shakes loose all the footprints the dog sniffed up. The fox then reattaches the dog, returning him to his canine state). Who couldn't laugh at cartoons like these?
Finally, he was called into MGM in the early 1950's to fill in for Tex Avery (obviously, Fred Quimby thought he was a man of some talent). Sadly (on my behalf), I cannot comment much on his MGM cartoons, all but one of which featured Barney Bear. I have only seen 2 of the cartoons he directed here ("Caballero Droopy" and "Barney's Hungry Cousin"). Nonetheless, both of those two are very good cartoons. CD isn't quite up to Tex's standards (despite a few more Averian moments such as the train-wrecking finale) but BHC is hilarious from start to finish. The gags (the shrinking turkey, Barney becoming a slot machine, Barney pushing the phone booth off the cliff) come one after the other in a marvellous fashion that leaves one roaring. I would give anything to be able to see any of Lundy's other Barney cartoons (in particular, Wee Willie Wildcat, which looks like Lundy's directing skills at their zenith).
Of all those I've seen by him, the only cartoon of his I truly dislike is "Apple Andy". I have never liked this cartoon; not much to recommend this one especially compared to Lundy's other cartoons. But one bad one of the whole bunch isn't too shabby.
Those are my thoughts. Anybody care to jump on this thread with an "analysis" of another overlooked director?
Everybody gives high esteem and regard to Tex Avery because of his wonderfully comic, uninhibited, anything-for-a-laugh style. Ditto Bob Clampett. Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng are both held high by a lot of animation experts and, of course, Hanna-Barbera made "cat and mouse" a household phrase through their directing partnership.
Of course, all of the above people are WORTHY of all their praise (just in case some people think I'm insinuating they didn't deserve it because they most definitely did). But who do you think is a cartoon director that SHOULD receive a little more attention that what's been given to him?
My pick goes to Disney/Lantz/MGM director Dick Lundy. People hardly mention him (a lot more mention goes to James Culhane) and he is almost ignored, despite the fact that he made a lot of excellent cartoons as director (at least, IMO). At Disney, he directed a handful of Donald Duck cartoons; specifically, nine (Sea Scouts, The Riveter, A Good Time for a Dime, Donald's Camera, The Village Smithy, Donald's Garden, Donald's Gold Mine, Donald's Tire Trouble, The Flying Jalopy). All of these shorts may not be the duck at his best but they are extremely enjoyable in at least some way. I love the bit in "Donald's Gold Mine" where Donald gets the head of his pickaxe stuck to various body parts and tries to remove it from each part. "Donald's Tire Trouble" could have been a one-note story (Donald changing a tire? Not much of a plotline) but, in Lundy's hands, it was some hilarious moments and great personality animation (which Lundy's shorts are famous for). Of course, he left Disney after "Flying Jalopy" which brings us to next studio... Lantz.
Once Lundy was promoted to director, he tried to get the Lantz animators to put some personality into the characters. When hearing this, I at first scoffed at his decision but I'm realizing now that it was a very bold move. Woody IS a more likeable, personified cartoon in the cartoons Lundy directed. Lundy even directed the Woody cartoon, "Smoked Hams", one of my all-time favorite Lantz shorts. "Bathing Buddies", "Well Oiled", "Banquet Busters", "Wacky Bye Baby", "Wet Blanket Policy", and "Drooler's Delight" are also all excellent by any standards. They are hilarious in parts which brings us to another point... starting at Lantz, Lundy started putting zany Tex Avery-style humor into his cartoons. This is especially evident in the films he directed in which Heck Allen serves as a storyman (Wet Blanket Policy, Dog Tax Dodgers, etc.). Even some of his Andy Panda shorts have Averian moments (like the bit in "Scrappy Birthday" where Andy's dog picks up the scent of the fox's footprints like a vacuum cleaner... to the point where he transmutes into a vacuum cleaner, being pushed by the fox. The fox then "turns off" the dog, unscrews his head from his body, and shakes loose all the footprints the dog sniffed up. The fox then reattaches the dog, returning him to his canine state). Who couldn't laugh at cartoons like these?
Finally, he was called into MGM in the early 1950's to fill in for Tex Avery (obviously, Fred Quimby thought he was a man of some talent). Sadly (on my behalf), I cannot comment much on his MGM cartoons, all but one of which featured Barney Bear. I have only seen 2 of the cartoons he directed here ("Caballero Droopy" and "Barney's Hungry Cousin"). Nonetheless, both of those two are very good cartoons. CD isn't quite up to Tex's standards (despite a few more Averian moments such as the train-wrecking finale) but BHC is hilarious from start to finish. The gags (the shrinking turkey, Barney becoming a slot machine, Barney pushing the phone booth off the cliff) come one after the other in a marvellous fashion that leaves one roaring. I would give anything to be able to see any of Lundy's other Barney cartoons (in particular, Wee Willie Wildcat, which looks like Lundy's directing skills at their zenith).
Of all those I've seen by him, the only cartoon of his I truly dislike is "Apple Andy". I have never liked this cartoon; not much to recommend this one especially compared to Lundy's other cartoons. But one bad one of the whole bunch isn't too shabby.
Those are my thoughts. Anybody care to jump on this thread with an "analysis" of another overlooked director?