Don Figlozzi (1909-81), spent the first half of his career in animation and the second half at the New York Daily News, , where his cartoons, signed “Fig,” became a fixture (see sample below). In between, he briefly worked for the newspaper’s TV station, WPIX, as a  pioneer in a field that became known as broadcast design. In fact, he was one of the first employees of the station, which went on the air June 15, 1948. Above is the front page of the paper’s Television Supplement published the day before (from the paper’s website here; the original picture and more details on the station’s history is here). I had the pleasure of interviewing Figlozzi at his Glen Head, Long Island home on Sunday, June 10, 1979, as part of an oral history project on New York animation unions I did for the Astoria Motion Picture & Television Center Foundation (now the Museum of the Moving Image.) The following excerpts from my interview covers his stay at WPIX and starts towards the end of his involvement with the 1947 Terrytoons strike, which lasted over seven months.

Harvey Deneroff: So, when you left Terry that was, essentially, the end of your animation career in a way.

Don Figlozzi: Yes! I thought I was going to get in the TV business. I was the first so-called, the first animator in the TV Business, you see.

HD: Could you go back and tell me about meeting Sydl Solomon?

DF: I was walking down 42nd Street one day and I met Sydl Solomon on the street. She asked me what I was doing. I told her I was still out on strike, but that I was looking for work. She said, well, she’d just come from CBS, why don’t I go up to CBS and see Georg Olden? She says, “He’s a very nice guy.”

So, I went up to see him. He was Graphic Art Director. George was very genial, a nice guy; he wanted to hire me on, but he just didn’t have the budget for it. He would have taken me on if he did, but that he didn’t want to see me out of work; I told him I was out of work in Terry’s and I didn’t want to go back there. And he says, “Well, if you don’t tell anybody, it’s a deep, dark secret, but The Daily News is going to have a TV station.”

So, I said, “Well, that’s great, but who do I see down there?”

He says, “Well, the only people I know down there that you could see [are] fellows that worked here, Rudy Bretz and Hank Ross.” Hank Ross was a TV director at CBS.

I went down to see Rudy Bretz, he was setting up the whole Engineering Department, setting up the studio and telling them what cameras to buy and everything else. He was a very busy man, but they didn’t even have the studio built in those days; they were just about starting to plan it out. They had the architects working there and stuff like that;  the studio [was being] built on springs, believe it or not! On the 10th floor of The News [Building], in the back, it’s all balanced out on springs. I asked to see him and he was so busy he couldn’t see me. The girl told me to come back some other time, that he just couldn’t possibly see me that day. He was very busy, in the midst of things.

“Well,” I said, “I have nothing to do. I’ll sit here, maybe he might have some time.”

I think she felt sorry for me, because she went in and talked to him a while later after sitting there a couple of hours. He came out to see me and he told me that he couldn’t do anything for me, because he didn’t know anything about that end of it. But he would have Mr. Ross see me, Hank Ross.

“Well,” I said, “that’s another man whose name I got from CBS.”

I got very friendly with Hank; he was a young fellow and he told me a little bit about the process and all that. But he said they’re not ready to do anything, because they weren’t even thinking of hiring anybody; they didn’t have any staff; they didn’t have anything yet, but to keep them in mind. And as I recall, that’s the way it worked.

It was Ross that told me about the kinescope size. I didn’t have any samples to show him; and he told me that kinescope size was about the size of a postcard; it was a 4:5 ratio, 3:5 ratio. And I could work anything in that size, that’s what they might use on TV. So, I didn’t make up any samples, as I recall, until they after they had a conference with me. But they asked to see some samples, and I realized I wasn’t dealing with anybody that had been used to looking at art samples before. I was dealing with laymen, so to speak, engineers and people like that, and Hank Ross, who was a director, didn’t know anything about the art end of it.

So I figured I’d make the stuff as close to TV as possible. I made their call letters and a call background — just like an announcement background. And then I made a series of things like the Twentieth Century-Fox heading that they have now; I originated that for WPIX, where letters come over a skyline; and worked up several different things: maps, little tiny maps — I thought everything had to be drawn small, so I did them small. I worked with a magnifying glass.

So, when I submitted this stuff and I left it there; and I was told after, on my way home, that I had the job. [Figlozzi later found out that one of the reasons he got the job over a rival was that he had experience in animation.]

Figlozzi’s description of his duties as a television artist he prepared for The Daily News, June 16, 1949. (Click on image to enlarge.)

I started to layout storyboards, too, for the 7:00 news show; I made up a big storyboard, and we had a main title we used every night. And I made that main title. We put that up. And as the reporters would come in with their stories, we used still photographs, and we also used movie film. I’d have a frame from the movie thing, where the movie went. And they had the whole 7:00 News laid out. And if I had a map to do, I would do it from the beginning, say 2:00 that afternoon, I’d just hurriedly draw the map; it would take me maybe an hour to draw the whole map. And maybe another hour [or] an hour-and-a-half to have it photographed and animation. And this is all cutaway animation. I just worked it backwards. The camera would be reversing everything.

Harvey Deneroff: Upside down and backwards?

DF: Upside down and backwards. I would be reversing the animation. And after they had it printed up, they’d run it in, and the director would mark his cues for the announcer. They had the copy all typewritten; and they marked big red marks for the cues, where certain things starts, where certain film starts, or any cue that was on the map. So that worked swell. We had the only animated maps on the air for a long while! It’s something I’m surprised they still don’t use today.

HD: Don’t they use sort of background projections?

DF: Now they do, yes. But in those days we had no such thing as background projection. We had the kinescope and something else (I forget what they call it). Well, kinescope was really like tape is today.

HD: You also mentioned that PIX was the first to use reversed polarity for negative.

DF: Yes! That was on my maps, we used reverse polarity. But we got that from the Oksana Kasenkina thing. See, we had one newsreel man that was an experienced newsreel man; his name was [Lester] Mannix. And he worked for Twentieth Century-Fox, Fox Movietone [News]. He came to work at WPIX and he was the best movie cameraman we had. (The other fellows were all still photographers that worked for The Daily News and transferred upstairs and wanted to be TV men. And they carried both still and movie cameras around.)

And this fellow Mannix photographed Oksana Kasenkina jumping out of the rear window of the Russian Consulate, when she was being held there; in fact, they were going to ship her back to Russia and that’s why she jumped off the window. But he was right there, he got the whole thing. He happened to be in the backyard. No other newsreel man got it. And NBC and everybody was buying our film from us. And that was the reverse polarity, because that thing happened about, oh, five in the afternoon. And Lester had to rush back with that film; it had to be quickly developed. We had these big tanks, big wheels and stuff like that. And we had two men working in there, in the laboratory.

They assumed that it would be the same as a newspaper; newspapers have a darkroom, where they print all the pictures. So they figured that TV stations would have the same thing; so they buy these big developing tanks and everything. They could develop a thousand feet of 16mm film a minute. But the drying time is what took the time. They had to put it on big drums and have it dry. That’s what took the time. And that’s the reason they couldn’t make positive prints. They could do it normally. But they didn’t have to bother with the polarity switch on the camera, which was a great boon; I thought it was great, because I could do my maps that way and everything else. [For more details on the incident and Mannix’s role in capturing it on film, see  Time’s original story here.]

HD: You would film the maps?

DF: Oh, yeah, on movie film.

Consulting for WOR

DF: WOR started maybe about two or three years later. And I got a telephone call from one of the fellows at WOR, and he said, “I’m your opposite number over here at WOR. I don’t know my ass from a hole in the ground about TV production.” He said, “Would you be willing to work as a consultant for a few hours a week?”

So, I said, “Well, I don’t know what I could tell you.” He says, “Well, you certainly know more than I do.” He said, “I was an art director for Bamburger’s Department Store,” and they transferred him over to WOR.

I said, “Well, I’ll have to confer with my bosses first.”

So I did. And my boss was elated that I was asked to work as a consultant over there. He said, “Go ahead. He says, “But make sure you get paid a consultant’s fee.” He says, “At least $25 an hour.”

So I went over there and I was making an extra $50-$75 a week working at WOR in the mornings; I’d go in there at 9:00 and I’d work until about 11; and then I’d go over to WPIX, there I didn’t have to be in before 10:30 or 11:00. And they never bothered to check on the time, I didn’t have to punch a clock or anything; it wasn’t anything like that.

HD: How was working in TV in the early days?

DF: It was terrific: It was a challenge. I loved every bit of it. I even worked on the first election that they had at [WPIX], the Truman-Dewey election.  … I was working behind the cameras; in other words, I was changing all the numbers; they had to be done manually in those days. Today, you can’t do that in a TV station, because today the IATSE (the stage hands’ union) walks in and they say “We do that!”

HD: How long did you continue to work at PIX?

DF: Until, I think it was 1950. And I had worked at WOR as a consultant; that was the total experience I had. I mean, I helped WOR get organized with the Art Department and everything they might need in the way of art supplies and stuff like that. And get an art department organized. And I guess they were happy because they sent me Christmas cards every year after that.

HD: What did you do after WPIX?

DF: Well, when they got rid of the whole News Department at WPIX; I was slated to go, too! But since I was hired on by The News and not WPIX; since I was the first employee hired. (I was made Graphic Art Director.) They were cutting out the whole thing. I was slated to be fired. But by that time I belonged to The Newspaper Guild, and the Newspaper Guild wouldn’t allow that to happen.

The Fig cartoon is from the Heritage Auction Galleries site.

The Japanese-language edition of  Astro Boy and Anime Come to the Americas, by Fred Ladd (with my assistance) has been published by NTT in a translation by Kumi Kaoru, the author of two books on Hayao Miyazaki.  The Japanese title is Anime ga Anime ni naru made (How the Japanese Cartoon Became “Anime”’).

Kumi-san emailed me that “Nihon Keizai Shimbun (the Wall Street Journal of Japan) published a brief notice last Sunday, which he roughly  translated (with some editing on my part) as:

Osamu Tezuka’s Tetsuwan Atom, which began in 1963, appeared in the US in the autumn of the same year as Astro Boy, and turned out to be a precedent-setting event for the international reputation of Japanese animation.  Mr. Ladd, who directed the English dubbed version, wrote this memoir with the support of Mr. Deneroff, cartoon scholar. It is full of previously unknown stories about the very early days of anime’s English adaptation, such as how the adaptation staff beat their brains to soften the “violence” in Atom so that it could meet American TV standards.

It is available from Amazon Japan here (and presumably other outlets) for ¥2,940 (about $31.50).

This is by way of an overdue update on Tinga Tinga Tales, the Kenyan animated TV series I reported here on June 30th. The series (see trailer above) has begun broadcasting on the CBeebies,(Children’s BBC) (those living in the UK can see past episodes here). In the meantime, check out this BBC story on the studio here.

Thanks to Cartoon Brew.

I came across this modest story in Dubai’s Khaleej Times about locally-produced Mideast animation. It notes:

Cartoons are fast becoming a serious business in the region. New animation companies and talented creatives are gaining international attention for their inspirational characters and shows that focus on life and culture in the Middle East. …

Companies in the Middle East now see animation as big business, even though the region is a relative newcomer when it comes to producing its own content, lagging behind markets of India and South Korea.

It includes looks at such productions as “Shaabiyat Al Cartoon … a social comedy dealing with the problems of the Gulf community through the lives of people from different cultures living in Dubai” and Freej (Neighborhood),  which  "is widely seen as the first indigenous computer animated cartoon about four elderly grandmothers and their dealing with life in the fast-paced, ever-changing, modern-day Dubai.” The above video is a report on  a visit by Freej creator Mohammad Saeed Harib, when he visited Kuwait, and gave a lecture atGulf University for Science & Technology (GUST); it includes clips from the series (in Arabic), while he speaks in both English and Arabic.

The caption in the Life/Google archive for the photo above (by Allan Grant) reads: "Carlo Vinci, artist drawing cartoon at Hanna-barbara [sic] productions." Taken in 1960, the year Hanna Barbera became the force in television animation with The Flintstones, when it debuted on the ABC network on prime time.  The image below has the caption: "Joe Barbera (R), [with] partner Bill Hanna (L), creators of animated cartoons."

Though the official publication date is March 2009, Astro Boy and Anime Come to the Americas: An Insider’s View of the Birth of a Pop Culture Phenomenon, Fred Ladd’s personal history of anime and his involvement in it, is now available and is priced at $35.00. (I am the second author, though save for writing some sidebars and doing the index, my role was mainly editorial.) It is available directly from the publisher, McFarland, and from a number of online retailers both here and abroad, including Amazon. (The latter indicates that copies will not be shipped until after December 24th.)

The above image of Osamu Tezuka playing the accordion (he apparently liked to surprise guests by showing off his musical talents doing this) is one of several supplied by Tezuka Productions that got into the final book. However, a number did not. Among the latter is the drawing of the right of Tezuka with Tetsuan Atomu (Mighty Atom)/Astro Boy.

The above is from Tezuka’s autobiographical manga, Paper Fortress, and Jungle Emperor obviously refers to the first TV version of Jungulu Taitei Leo (Jungle Emperor Leo)/Kimba the White Lion.

Brian Henson, Jim Henson’s son and co-chair of The Jim Henson Company, showed up today at Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts to give a fascinating presentation about his company’s use of “digital puppetry” in their new PBS preschool series, Sid the Science Kid. The talk coincided with the Center’s new “Jim Henson: Wonders From His Workshop” exhibition.  Yesterday, he gave a similar talk at the American Film Institute Theater in Washington, DC.

Henson explained how the company’s approach to puppetry, which has always been designed with television in mind, has evolved over the years; starting with the hand puppets of shows like Sesame Street to the animatronics in films like Dark Crystal and Labyrinth to the real-time motion capture of Sid the Science Kid. For Henson, the evolution seemed natural, as he and his father have always looked to the latest technology to make their work more effective.

 Sid the Science Kid is not the first Henson project to use motion capture, but it was the first to be released. (The first was Frances, another preschool series, based on the Russell Hoban books.) One of the attractions for the company, according to Henson, was the fact that the process enabled them to show their characters from head to toe for the first time, something not really possible with their usual puppetry methods. Both puppeteers and puppets are used as motion capture actors, rather than using actor actors. Henson claims that shooting for each episode takes about two-and-a-half days, which, of course, does not include postproduction process. As the show is being done on a low budget, one can expect that the economics of the process factored into their decision.

To judge from the clips shown (on a big screen), the resulting animation is a mixed bag: while the general look is good, the characters tended to lack weight. I remember this being a problem with such early mocap shows as Nelvana’s Donkey Kong Country; the problem here is not as acute as the earlier show, but it is nevertheless still annoying. It is also interesting since Henson made a point, in demonstrating how he manipulated a Muppet for the TV camera, to give a sense of weight. (There is also a problem with lip synch, though this not really a significant issue.)

The fact that The Jim Henson Company has given its imprimatur to motion capture is certainly important for proponents of this technology. However, those who see mocap as something akin to the bubonic plague, are more likely to feel a growing sense of unease.

By the way, a few days ago, The Jim Henson company announced, “two all-new innovative CGI-animated series, Dinosaur Train and The Skrumps, at
MIPCOM Jr.” However, there was no indication whether or not they will be using mocap.

September 30th Update: Alan Louis, the Center for Puppetry Arts’ Director of Museum & Education Programs, sent over the following image of Brian Henson after his presentation when he was signing autographs. (By the way, the top image is from the reception held before the event.)

Thanks to Karl Cohen for calling my attention to this important story.

Wow! There’s getting to be a delightful glut of films posted online these days. Following the National Film Board of Canada recent launch of their beta site. The Guardian now reports that Britain’s Channel 4, a public-service broadcaster funded by advertising, has launched  4mations, which “it hopes will be an online home for the UK’s animation community, rolling out an advertising-supported, YouTube-style site that will pay animators for their work.”

Channel 4, especially under the guidance of Claire Kitson (who is no longer there), nurtured a Golden Age of British animated short films. (Check out my brief profile of Kitson in this 1999  Animation World Magazine story.) The site is still in the process of posting its films, which seems to be adding almost by the minute. Among those already online include such familiar titles as Alison Snowden and David Fine’s hilarious Oscar-winning short , Bob’s Birthday, which acted as the pilot for their Bob and Margaret TV series, and two wonderfully theatrical efforts by  Barry Purves, his Oscar-nominated Screen Play and Achilles, plus less familiar classics such as Erika Russell’s sensuous Feet of Song (pictured above).

The Guardian notes,

The project is a collaboration with Aardman, the Bristol-based independent producer behind Wallace and Gromit, and the animation specialists Lupus Films.

4mations includes comedy, adult, sci-fi and 3D work along with games and specialist groups. Users can vote on clips, upload their own work and embed their favourite clips on their own websites and social networks.

Channel 4′s new media commissioner for factual, Adam Gee, said the site would provide a new focus for the broadcaster’s animation output.

The broadcaster has a strong tradition in animation going back to its launch in 1982. Channel 4 animations have included Raymond Briggs’ classic The Snowman in 1982, Suzie Templeton’s Peter & the Wolf, and Taking a Line for a Walk, based on the work of artist Paul Klee.

… The full version [of the site] launches on September 15 and will include Thinks, a simple editing tool that will let users create their own animation in less than an hour.

The quality of the films looks better than YouTube, though I encountered technical problems trying to embed films using WordPress, a glitch which I trust they will work out. In the meantime, enjoy.

September 2nd Update: Technical problems solved. Here is Feet of Song.

The recent news that Playhouse Disney has joined with Britain’s Tiger Aspect Productions is co-producing a new animated TV series, Tinga Tinga Tales for preschoolers with Kenya’s Homeboyz Entertainment. The show, which revolves around African animals and is just starting animation,  is based on the Tinga Tinga art of Tanzania and was commissioned last year by CBeebies,(Children’s BBC).  What’s interesting is that the animation will be done in a studio  set up by Homeboyz in Nairobi.

A C21Media.net story notes that, “After production is completed in 2010, the studio will continue to provide jobs for the new animation industry in East Africa.” In addition,

Andrew Zein, Tiger Aspect’s MD, said: “This is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve ever taken on. On top of everything else it is truly inspirational to think that 50% of Tiger Aspect’s profits from the show will help make a real difference in improving the educational needs of children in East Africa.”

What interests me is what this may mean for animation in sub-Saharan Africa — will this really jump start animation in East Africa, or is just a one off deal?

Overseas animation studios have been around since the dawn of American television animation, when Jay Ward sent work on Rocky and His Friends to Mexico; in the process, it seems to have given a boost to the local Mexican animation.  However, Mexico did not last long as an destination for American TV work and, over the years, work flowed to countries as varied as Spain, Poland, Argentine, Japan, Taiwan, China and, more recently, India. The one continent that has been largely unaffected by this constant search for lower cost facilities has been Africa.

A small animation industry does exist in South Africa, though the only African outpost for overseas production I know of has been Pipangai Production on the island of La Réunion, a French colonial outpost off Madagascar. (Pipangai’s success seems due in large part to its political status as an overseas department of France, which allows for various financial incentives.) If Homeboyz can pull off its part of the bargain, and if Kenya can maintain some political stability, and if the show is a success, perhaps there might be some hope that East Africa can join the international animation fraternity.

P.S.: An update on Tinga Tinga Tales can be found here.
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