A Touch More Pink

Here are two Pink Panther model sheets. Both are Xeroxes. I didn't crop these, they appear here just as I have them. This first one is dated 1964.



Below, this next model sheet is dated 1968. You can see that it would be identical to the one above it, except someone excised the bottom-right pose where PP is smoking a cigarette, rearranged a few of the bottom headshots, and rewrote "Pink Panther" where the original smoking Pink would have been. Maybe the U.S. Surgeon General was cracking the whip in the direction of the FCC (right after their salaries were paid from tobacco taxes).

Striking Poses




A Bit Of The Walk




So now, in this and the previous post, you have some examples of boards, models and walking posture. All you would really need to go off and make your own storyboard is some official DFE board stationary. Hey look! -- here comes some now. I even formatted it for you so that it will print out correctly on 8.5 x 10. Go have fun.

For the time being, Spectorphile is moving on to different items. Pink and other DFE related work will return in the future.

Irv Spector at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises: The Pink Panther: Gong With The Pink - (Partial) Storyboard

Released in 1971 as Gong With The Pink, you can see that this is a preliminary board with the working title Gong With The Wind. My big regret of course is that I don't nearly have all that much of it. However, the only thing that might be more rare than a Pink Panther itself (beast or gem) is perhaps a storyboard from the show, so why look a gift Panther in the mouth? Perhaps even more rare, it's a storyboard without dialogue -- so let me get out of the way and not ruin it with my own.

(The next two pages contain a facial sterotype gag which might be offensive to some blog viewers. If you feel you could be one of those people then please skip over them. I do not endorse or apologize for it -- I just present it.)

These last two board pages are not numbered. I'm appending them and will leave it to your imagination to fit them within.

Scrapple

URGLE! It's a LUCKY DUCK One-Pager

I've seen a couple of single-page Lucky Ducks that are not from an eponymous titled comic book, but this one is new to me. It's from Supermouse #28 -- sent my way courtesy of Bob Jaques. Thanks Bob!
Re the gag -- I did a brief search online to see if perhaps it came from something such as a Marx Bros film, as my dad was not above borrowing from them. I didn't see any, but I did see a "night watchman" - "day's work" referenced as early as 1898, as a U.S. Supreme Court case. Apparently you can make a day's pay for a night's work (knight puns need not apply, thank you.) Pay up, Lucky!

Clampett Letter

There was a comment made in The Great Foodini and Pinhead post of several days ago where it was speculated that the partial boards I put up may never have gotten as far as the actual animation stage; also, that the Bunins -- long-time puppeteers -- might be have been making an attempt to market their puppets. The astute and natural association was to bring to mind Bob Clampett and Beany and Cecil. With that, it seems as good a reason as any to post a letter that my dad received from Bob in response to inquiring about a job. This letter comes about a year- and-a-half after the Foodini job.

The response was just a tad late, as by the postmark my family was already back together again, in Los Angeles (one month at this point -- this, after living in NY and my dad having been back and forth between the coasts a few times, trying to get himself permanently established). And, of course, it was sent to my dad c/0 Paramount. Likely Paramount sent it back west with other correspondence. But that's the trite information. The meat is below, so I'll just get out of the way and let you read the letter for yourself. Comments and speculation always welcome.

Somewhat OT, but for clarification and the fact that I hate to let a great guy go forgotten, the Rabin that Bob mentions is Jack Rabin, a long-time and extremely close friend of my dad's from pre-WWII days. Jack was a fine artist, and I think might have been at Fleischer, because it's certain they knew each other in Miami. I think he was also one of a group of single Fleischer employees that rented a large house down there, on the edge of some glades, and as my dad told me a couple of times, "Sitting around on the big front porch after work, watching the sun go down, passing around a bottle, and having a really great time." Anyway, Jack got out of the animation racket soon after the war and went into animated film titles and live action effects (maybe the "live action" being how he was acquainted with Bob.) Eventually, I was at his office a couple of times in the late 60s-early-70s in Hollywood. Roger Corman had his own office in the same building. Each time we'd go past Corman's door, Jack would half-whisper to me, "That's Roger Corman's office. He's very successful in film." (or something close to that). I still get a laugh thinking about it now.

Hanna-Barbera: Devlin

I know what you're thinking. Thoughts along the lines of: What, no ancient storyboards?; How come no President's Day Coogy?; and not least, What's with the 1970's crap?! Personally, I think the 70s were the nadir as far as Hollywood animation goes. The two most common gripes I remember from my dad throughout the 1960's-70's were: 1) seasonal layoffs, and 2) having to write "Seize them!" in every other panel of a Filmation board -- I've no doubt he'd rather have been back at 1930's Mintz, sweeping pencil shavings while peering over the shoulder of an animator, scoping tricks of the trade.

Yet, you can't fault a guy or gal from still trying to do their best work, no matter the circumstances or era. That's why I like these model sheets for H&B's Devlin (1974). Someone -- not my dad -- did a bang-up job on them. Someone with talent took the time to think it out and lay it out and draw it out, regardless of the gig. It's been a long time, and I might be totally off the mark, but I think that someone was a Bruno: John or Joe. The former worked on the show and I believe is still working (so John, if you read this, drop a line), and the latter (by the looks of imdb) might have saved his own soul and gotten out of animation while the gettin' was good. But whomever, this van is rockin' and you can indeed bother knockin' (with your comments) . What I do remember is my dad bringing home some motorcycle drawings that he thought were totally boss, and I thought so too. Why motorcycles? The character Ernie Devlin was based on the famed daredevil stunt-cyclist Evel Kneivel. Ernie and the other Devlins got involved in the world's socio-dramatic ills and tried to help make our planet -- well, The United States, anyway -- a better place for you and me. Kind of like The Mod Squad, but with better wheels.

So go ahead. Take a tour of the Devlin van.

My dad did (surprise) storyboard on this show. According to the episode guide, below must be from episode 3, Save That Lion. As was his style, a trip to the library was in order, on this occasion to check out a book on Clyde Beatty, at one time the world's most famous circus lion tamer.

I'm not positive but by the looks of his drawings below, Beatty would seem to be represented in this particular cartoon.

Here's some color cels from the show to liven up the blog. My thought is that perhaps I could get a fancy embossment stamper made to give them an official look, and if someone out there knows how to forge imitate a fCaHmUoCuKs cJaOrNtEoSonist's signature, we could sell them for lots of dough at some fancy-pants gallery.

This first one with the immigration officers must be from episode 13, The Stowaway. You can make up your own dialogue for the guy with his hand up. I go for "Adios amigo."

What do you make of this final drawing of Devlin characters? My dad, for reasons we will never know, spontaneously has them accompanied by the Pink Panther. Was he making a connection between the lions and PP? Today's educators tell us that making connections is a stroke of...I dunno...something. (Dad, what the hell were you doing?) Pink was a DePatie-Freleng Enterprises production. My dad had already done some work for them. I got some boards. That's my connection, and you can expect one in the future.