Mark Kausler’s CatBlog

Sparey on Iwerks, John’s Letters Continue

Hi Readers! I’m printing John Sparey’s letter from 1999 reacting to Leslie Iwerk’s documentary, “The Hand Behind the Mouse”. I was a part of the film, Leslie interviewed me at my desk at home, answering questions about Ub. I was known as a big fan of Ub’s animation and his cartoons, such as Flip the Frog and Willie Whopper. I got to meet Ub at the Burbank studio in 1962. I found myself riding in an elevator with him at the Animation Building. I told him I really admired his work and enjoyed Flip and Willie. His reply: “We don’t talk about that stuff here.” That closed the conversation. Above, you will see the only panel I’ve ever found from a Flip the Frog comic strip or comic panel. It came from an old photography magazine. Ub definitely drew it, that’s also his lettering, compare it with the early Mickey Mouse strips he did. Does anyone have any further information on the Flip strip? David? Cole? The little drawing near the Iwerks is a caricature that John Sparey drew of me, once again sending up my cackling laughter. I thought this one would be appropriate for Easter, it shows me as a bunny with a bunch of colored eggs that I “laid”, see the post from last month for more info.  Here’s John’s letter:

Oct. 11, 1999

Mark,

I was one of five people at the first Friday showing of “The Hand Behind The Mouse”. I realize that you were not involved in the making of the film, but I wish to comment on some aspects of it, and I don’t know those other people.

I was a bit bemused by the direct link between the scandals of Fatty Arbuckle (1921) and Wallace Reid (1923) and the frocking of cow udders (1933).

I had known that Ub’s first name had been Ubbe, but I was interested to note that although his screen name on those first mouse cartoons was Ub, in Roy’s 1930 letter to Walt advising him of Ub’s departure, he still used the name Ubbe. But an early cartoon from Kansas City had the combined name “IwwerksDisney”, with a double W. That shot was reprised later in the film. But I had not recorded the name on his Father’s patent papers, shown earlier, for comparison of the family name.

Certain time lines were unraveled and regrouped for what would seem like clearer continuity. Mickey’s career was followed well into the thirties before leaping back to Ub’s leaving. And his return to the studio in 1940 would have been before Walt’s involvement in the war effort. His development of traveling mattes was followed through to the end before backtracking to his Xerox work, which was presented as if in full bloom with 101 Dalmatians.

I apologize for repeating any of the following info that you may already know. The first use of Xerox in animation that I was aware of was on animation of Maleficent, for which roughs no more than 11/2″ tall were blown up for cleanup and then reduced to the original size for inking onto cels. Your were probably glued to the TV set when “The Art of Animation” was presented on Disneyland. For one segment, a garbage can quartet was Xeroxed on cels to simulate a pencil test. (Mark here: John is referring to the Disneyland show “Adventures in Fantasy” #5708, 1957). According to Ed Solomon,the animation had to be reworked about three times before Walt was satisfied that it looked rough enough for a pencil test. (As opposed to an earlier segment for which the Soup Eating sequence from Snow White was cleaned up to be shot as an actual pencil test. Yes!! I did cleanup on the seven dwarfs!) (Mark: This show was “The Plausible Impossible” #5644, 1956.) I left the studio in 1958 after completing my dragon chores. The first Xeroxed animation to reach the big screen was in “Goliath II”, in which some construction lines were left in the finished product. Then came 101, etc. I must admit that I have not seen the bulk of Ub’s work. I had never seen such a lengthy segment of “The Skeleton Dance”. And I was surprised to note that the music I had always assumed was in “Skeleton Dance” was actually in “Hell’s Bells”. (Note: Grieg’s “March of the Dwarfs”.) I can’t figure out exactly where the cow dragging its udder behind a screen and coming out wearing a skirt fits into the scheme of thing. (Note: This scene was in “The Shindig” 1930, before the Hays code was enforced rigidly.) While the Hays office was planning to lower the boom? Surely not after.And was God actually lifting his middle finger to the top of the screen? Or was I reading more into the shot than was actually there? (Note: This scene was used in the Willie Whopper cartoons “The Air Race” and “Spite Flight”, 1933. It was actually supposed to be St. Peter, a diabolical pun, when you realize St. Pete was flipping off the aviators because they wouldn’t offer him a ride.)Eric Cleworth told an anecdote of watching Flip the Frog on early TV with his daughter. Flip was skipping from stall to stall of a barn with a couple of milk pails. Each time he disappeared, there was the sound of squirting milk. When he went into the last stall, there was a loud bellow, Flip came flying out, and a bull stuck his head out, saying “That Hurt!” Eric’s daughter had to ask him what he was laughing at. (Note: This scene is from “The Milkman”, a Flip cartoon, 1932.)It was 1963 before Robert Mitchum tried milking a bull in “What a Way to Go!”Should Ub Iwerks be considered the Kricfalusi of his day?John S.And what is that animation desk you are sitting at? It seems like one I saw in a museum once. (Note: Leslie Iwerks shot the interview with me sitting at my old Disney Inbetweeners desk. I’m surprised John didn’t recognize it, as they were in use when he worked at the Burbank lot.)

Felix is from 5/4 to 5/10/1936. Felix literally “blows the whistle” on the kidnappers and returns home to Danny. He gets by Snobbs the butler in a hat box and soon encounters the new family pet, a bulldog! Danny points out in the 5/8, that Felix “brought Dad his millions..” How nice that Danny remembered that! In the Sunday, the storylines more or less tie together, as Felix returns to the Dooit household by way of the Professor’s farm. The poor little cat is immediately tied up in the backyard as a welcome home present!

Krazy is from 10/21 to 10/26/1940. The peculiar humor continues as in the 10/21, where Krazy switches the gender of the love interest in “Mighty Like A Rose” midstream, disappointing BOTH Offissa Pupp and Ignatz. I didn’t know Ignatz felt that way about Krazy.  The 10/23 has Krazy waiting for the moon to turn on again as he sings “By the Light of the Silvery Moom”. In the 10/24, Krazy has a “hife” full of “B’s”, and they are “rilly” the letter “B”s.

Patrick is from 7/25 to 7/30/1966. He waps Godfrey over the head with Godfrey’s golf club, smashes Mr. Dunn’s window with a baseball, and never cries at movies. Patrick is the central focus of the gags this week. In the next post or two, Felix will have come full circle to 5/20/1936 and will complete our reprint of the year 1936. I am short just two dailies, 5/18 and 5/19/1936. Can anyone help me find them? Cole? David? Any other Felix strip collectors out there? See you next time!