I was wondering

[Jack]

Do you think Warner Brothers has the negatives to nearly all of the Private Snafu cartoons or do you think the government took them along with the unfilmed artwork? It isn't like one studio could claim ownership of the character, WB, MGM, and UPA (Industrial Films and Poster Service) all made them specifically for the government.


Jack:confused:

[lislebartman]

My guess is that since both the "Snafu" & "Hook" films were commisioned by the U.S. government (they also had final approval over storyboards), I bet the establishment also deemed the artwork as "classified". Either the original cels have now deteriorated into dust or they are in some Shurgard self-storage facility outside DC!

Since they weren't officially WB cartoons, WB most likely doesn't have any of the original artwork or negatives used to produce these films. I wonder if they might be in the Library of Congress...:confused:

[sun]

Originally posted by Jack
Do you think Warner Brothers has the negatives to nearly all of the Private Snafu cartoons or do you think the government took them along with the unfilmed artwork? It isn't like one studio could claim ownership of the character, WB, MGM, and UPA (Industrial Films and Poster Service) all made them specifically for the government.


Jack:confused: I think that the negatives are in the public domain, at least some of the prints wereor are....In February, I attended a 1 and half hour show at the Film School for the ARt Institute of Chicago. It was a Chuck Jones Revival I saw 4 of the rare Private Snafu cartoons. they were great.. Some administrator at he Kennedy Center in New York City put together a rivival of Jones's cartoons, he is the person who might know the answer to your question. I asked the person at the School of the ARt Institute in Chicago about where they came from; he said the fellow in New York set it up. That series of shows, e in 8 or 9 one and half hour separate shows contained the Private Snafu cartoons. Try the School of the ARt Institue, I am sorry, don't know who arranged that series, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in New York City..I bet you will find out, (it will not be easy) who has negatives or prints of those that are left, or where to get them... good luck oldtoonguy

[Jack]

Thanks oldtoonguy!


Jack:D

[Sogturtle]

Actually ALL of the Private Snafu toons are in public domain... WHY you say???? Simple... YOUR U.S. government FAILED to copyright even one of them, though spent tax-dollars financing them. "C'mon Sgt. Murray don't bother wasting time talking 'bout copyrightin' those Snafu things!!! Nobody's gonna care a hoot about them after we beat Adolph and Hirohito!!!"

As for the ORIGINAL artwork, some of it does still exist!!! Off hand I know of one Snafu animation drawing by Bob Cannon that's been for sale. Annnnnd even the original Snafu model sheet has turned up!!! Cels I've never seen... YET. Undoubtedly some were carried off after camera...

Interesting point is that the character Private Snafu belonged to the U.S. Government... despite their not caring enough to copyright the films! BUUUUT Grogan Technical Fairy First Class belonged to Warner Brothers!!!

[sun]

Thanks Sogturtle for th e additional info - old toon guy

[Jack]

I haven't seen any Snafu artwork, but I have heard that many pre-production works are still around, like animation and layout drawings. My guess is that they reused most of the cels, and the government confiscated the rest of them after the war.

Too bad the Technical Fairy didn't show up in an Looney Tunes, I like him. Also, WB probably feesl that they do own SNAFU a little, he shows up in "The Draft Horse" and "Animaniacs."

Would love it if they started showing some of those on late Nite Black and White.


Jack:D

[Sogturtle]

Hola Yak~

Technical Fairy Grogan even turns up in the 300 piece jigsaw puzzle of ALL (well nearly all) the Warner characters (first printed back in the Eighties)!!! Soooo they really do count him as theirs. Buuuuuut notably absent from said puzzle... Snafu (U.S. govenment), Bosko, Honey (Harman and Ising heirs). It's EXTREMELY doubtful that the U.S. government would be interested in maintaining their ownership of the Snafu character. Just imagine U.S. govenment trademarked Snafu toys!!! ;) And then little kids asking "Mommy, what does 'Snafu' mean???

Also the musical "quotes" used in the Snafu's would have to be cleared before CN could safely air them.

As for Warners having the original negatives... I'd say it's very unlikely. Why??? Because the Snafu's were a part of the army's film magazine each month. And each of those would have come from a compilation negative, which MAY very well have included the original Snafu negative every month... I WISH Warners had them all still!! :(

[Jack]

I wonder what colors they used for the fairy on that puzzle...

If the government kept the negatives, then I gotta wonder what shape they are in they still exist. After all, most of the films would have been seen as useless after the war, and the government has a tendancy to just lose things...

If WB had kept ownership then they would have all but UPA's entry, too bad.


Jack:(