tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post8656544526345235604..comments2024-03-28T21:16:57.556-07:00Comments on Yowp: Tony Benedict, Cartoon Writer and Astro’s DadYowphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-31784731839139594132010-10-09T13:19:40.855-07:002010-10-09T13:19:40.855-07:00Anon, you're responding to my comment about ar...Anon, you're responding to my comment about artists of the early to mid '60s by referring to someone else's comments about cartoons from the late '60s to 1989.<br /><br />This thread is closed.Yowphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-68386890714780570782010-10-09T08:42:26.197-07:002010-10-09T08:42:26.197-07:00Yowp --
Agreed that the villains in the Yakky ser...Yowp --<br /><br />Agreed that the villains in the Yakky series were among the most memorable of the early H-B cartoons, to the point it was a letdown when either Fibber wasn't there or the cartoon didn't open with Alfie's silhouette.J Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175515543694122729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-85194951089605254052010-10-09T08:10:57.654-07:002010-10-09T08:10:57.654-07:00Fine artists? I thought they were deadly?Fine artists? I thought they were deadly?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-58809267745702438282010-10-09T01:09:29.468-07:002010-10-09T01:09:29.468-07:00Sorry, the "put up your artwork" challen...Sorry, the "put up your artwork" challenge doesn't wash. I don't need to know how to cook to tell if I don't like taste of something. The same holds true with any creative industry. I don't need to know how to sing to know if I like or dislike a record. Or how to make a TV show to be able to like or dislike what I see on the screen. <br /><br />Why is it no one is called a "couch potato critic" when they <i>like</i> something?<br /><br />I have elucidated the reasons I like or dislike things. Not everyone will agree. There are non-readers who insist there is absolutely no value in anything done by the Hanna-Barbera studio. I obviously disagree with them and not for some "childhood nostalgia" reason. But they're entitled to their opinion. <br /><br />With that, comments on this post are now concluded. The intention was to pay a small tribute to the work of Tony Benedict at Hanna-Barbera and let people see some of the fine artists and others who worked there in that era of the early and mid 1960s.Yowphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-58093489288387553682010-10-09T00:54:00.979-07:002010-10-09T00:54:00.979-07:00JL, fortunately, the writers finally moved Yakky a...JL, fortunately, the writers finally moved Yakky away from the "poor me" aspect he went through (starting with his various Red Coffey-voiced predecessors) and gave the comedy lines to the villains. <br /><br />I've always liked Fibber Fox. Daws' voice was great and Mike Maltese could usually find something for him to say. And I always liked how Alfie would take a break then welcome the viewers back in the next scene.Yowphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-57283554659969689802010-10-08T22:31:48.656-07:002010-10-08T22:31:48.656-07:00J Lee's comments make me quite sad and upset. ...J Lee's comments make me quite sad and upset. There are many of us that worked for Hanna-Barbera and put our blood sweat and tears into producing the best programs we could. Did we always succeed? Hell, no. Most of the time interference from network executives can be blamed. Other times, I think the writing may have been weak. Sending the animation overseas is always problematic. But nobody -- NOBODY sets out to produce a crappy cartoon. And I think the people that worked at, and loved being at Hanna-Barbera for all these years deserve a bit more respect than to have our work considered "deadly." Iwao Takamoto did more for HB than most other artists and his talent, in my opinion was incomparable. I challenge some of you couch potato critics to put your best artwork up against his worst - if he has any. I guarantee you, you could learn more from one of his sketches than in any art class.<br /><br />Based on many comments I have read on this blog from the owner and readers, I can see this isn't the place for me. I considered Iwao to be a friend, and the greatest teacher I ever had.Hanna-Barberiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-85023590133661131912010-10-08T11:47:50.607-07:002010-10-08T11:47:50.607-07:00Deadly? You're entitled to your opinion. For t...Deadly? You're entitled to your opinion. For the record, I vehemently disagree. And I'll leave it at that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-39573593097822237182010-10-08T11:32:43.494-07:002010-10-08T11:32:43.494-07:00Anon --
1.) Sarcasm over Scooby actually being a ...Anon --<br /><br />1.) Sarcasm over Scooby actually being a non-bastardized <i>good</i> character, or sarcasm that he's lasted this long? Basically he's Astro and Snuffles crushed together, taking two good supporting characters and making them into one tralfazzian lead character.<br /><br />2.) Takamoto's designs, once he began imprinting his own 'look' onto the characters and stopped mirroring the earlier Ed Benedict-derived design, certainly is what most people associate with Hanna-Barbera after about 1966 or so. And compared to the earlier period, that's not a good thing, since the lack of 'cartooniness' in the designs is one of the aspects of why the studio's work from the late 60s through the end of the 1980s was so deadly.J Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175515543694122729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-35940295681277443412010-10-08T08:10:00.170-07:002010-10-08T08:10:00.170-07:00Yeah, "Scooby-Doo" is SO annoying. Thank...Yeah, "Scooby-Doo" is SO annoying. Thank GOD the series and character were giant flops!!!! (Yes, that's sarcasm.)<br /><br />I believe that the design of Astro was one of the first characters designed at HB by Iwao Takamoto after he arrived from Disney. "The Jetsons" is one of my favorite cartoons produced by HB. The design elements, from the backgrounds to the everyday gadgets are so incredibly clever, both in written form and visually. I remember Iwao telling me stories of how they came up with all of it, and the research they did. Unfortunately, when they did the new episodes in the mid 80s, they just didn't have the talent to pull it off. They pale in comparison.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-38900067284845430622010-10-08T07:39:55.481-07:002010-10-08T07:39:55.481-07:00Since the duck obviously was beloved by Joe and/or...Since the duck obviously was beloved by Joe and/or Bill from his formative Tom & Jerry days, you can just say Tony made the best out of a bad situation, since if the boss assigns you at age 22 to come up with stories for an annoying character, you come up with stories for an annoying character.<br /><br />(And going in the other direction, Benedict's Astro was one of the best things about "The Jetsons", especially the voice, which of course Hanna-Barbera would then bastardize six years later as part of one of the most annoying series ever, "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?")J Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175515543694122729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-9265109984105289802010-10-08T06:58:32.331-07:002010-10-08T06:58:32.331-07:00Interesting bio. It's amazing to see that Mr. ...Interesting bio. It's amazing to see that Mr. Benedict broke into the animation business at the tender age of 18. <br /><br />I have to agree that Yakky is a very irritating character, as is Chopper. But the series is enlivened by Fibber Fox and the four episodes with Alfy Gator, all of which were written by Benedict. (Surprisingly, more than half of the Yakky episodes were written by Maltese, two by Foster, and the rest by Benedict.) Most kids who watched the cartoons in syndication probably missed the Hitchcock reference, but they're still quite enjoyable.<br /><br />Along with Astro, Cogswell is another enjoyable JETSON supporting character whose best moments were scripted by Benedict.Howard Feinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-78356844724481814642010-10-07T19:38:30.536-07:002010-10-07T19:38:30.536-07:00Enjoyable little video. Thanks for getting that an...Enjoyable little video. Thanks for getting that and putting it on here.RadioWizardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02631501271656171874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-58236279881918940022010-10-07T18:55:56.511-07:002010-10-07T18:55:56.511-07:00Thanks for the great article. I used to live in St...Thanks for the great article. I used to live in Studio City in 1999, so would pass their studio on Cahuenga Blvd.West all the time. It's nice to see that not all of the artists wore horn rim glasses, white shirts and thin ties as was the early sixties style.billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00086536446477802645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-12799082832805229622010-10-07T13:14:06.366-07:002010-10-07T13:14:06.366-07:00Quite wonderful...and it strikes me funny that the...Quite wonderful...and it strikes me funny that these guys all look like they're working for NASA. Cartoonists wearing ties to work -- sheesh! People had style in those days.Shermhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234494715024292722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-11372025237264559902010-10-07T11:44:59.255-07:002010-10-07T11:44:59.255-07:00I loved the "how to draw your own Tony Benedi...I loved the "how to draw your own Tony Benedict".David Simmonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-77586766148868913392010-10-07T07:56:20.977-07:002010-10-07T07:56:20.977-07:00Thats a pretty neat video! Judging by the presence...Thats a pretty neat video! Judging by the presence of Don Lusk, it's probably from after 1963 or so. It's good to finally see Bill Keil.Zartok-35https://www.blogger.com/profile/00449976580118722879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403931334822730200.post-51545246506234710182010-10-07T02:25:54.327-07:002010-10-07T02:25:54.327-07:00Daws Butler gave me and Corey Burton a few of his ...Daws Butler gave me and Corey Burton a few of his large "business cards" way back in 1973. You've probably seen it - it is the one featuring a caricature of Daws and all the many H-B characters for which he had given voice. Plus the Kelloggs "Sun" (for Raisin-Bran commercials). When I asked him who drew the card he smiled a big smile and said "Tony Benedict." (Keith Scott)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com