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dalt20 · 5 months

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Tooning in 7. Craig Clark part 1 of 7

DL : Who are you and what are you best know for?

CC : I'm Craig Clark, LA local freelance animator. Mostly know for The Kustomonsters TV and Movie series, The Simpsons OG crew, and Forest Gump JFK animation at ILM.

DL : So, growing up, how was your childhood?

CC : Awesome! I was born in Santa Monica and later moved to Malibu. I had an ideal beach city based childhood as a minority kid. Lots of TV, skateboards and football.

DL : So What made you wanna get into animation?

CC : A steady diet of classic LA TV cartoon reruns. I started out as a child actor at age 8. I did one educational film directed by cartoon voice actor Shep Menkin. I later switched to animation at age 14, where I mentored at Duck Soup Produckions in Santa Monica.

DL : So did you have Preston Blair's How to Draw Animated Cartoons book?

CC : Yes! Yes, I picked that ups at the Santa Monica air store, Mittels. Got them both. I use It as a text book while teaching my animation classes at Santa Monica College.

He shows me a video with porky pig on how to animate on a musical beat

DL : Well, that book is such a great help! I have it at home. I mean, the way he shows how to walk cycles and character movement is purely genius!

CC : I agree. Here's that Shep Mention movie I did in 1968. https://youtu.be/u3qiLTp64Bo?si=1xdyuqAESw0F6srT

youtube

DL : I'm watching the short Right Now.

CC : cool!

DL : So I got the basic gist of the short, YOU want to go help the chickens as the other boy promised you but he changes his mind at the last second.

CC : Yes, It was a tough time in 1968, the story was needed for the kids...I guess. I had an agent from 1970- 1972, no work, Only two black boy actors were working then, George Spell and Marc Copage (Julia TV show), so I went to animation, lol.

DL : So, how was working on the Film as a child actor? Were you payed? Was a grown up with you? Did you get a 30 minute break every 1 hour?

CC : Yes I was paid $55, which was a lot for an 8 year old kid in 1968. I bought my very first 45 record, "Here Come the Judge" by Shorty Long. Yeah I got lots of breaks. We shot in Santa Monica at my school John Muir, Hollywood, and Malibu.

DL : Ah, do you royalties from the film?

Sends me a video of the song “Here Comes the Judge” by Shorty Long

CC : No royalties, it was an educational non union film. Funny Shep later did voices on some Charlie Brown specials I animated on. I did not know at the time.

DL : So, ironic! So how was your high school years?

CC : I went to Santa Monica high school. We all rode the bus from Malibu. I played on the football team and studied art. We had great teachers from SM College teaching us, they were very exacting and inspiring. I was already doing animation tests at Duck Soup Studio on the side.

DL : Ah, so how did you get into animation?

CC : At age 14 I used to help my mom's first grade class by teaching the kids how to draw cartoons. One of the kid's dad was an animator who was working with Corny Cole. Corny brought his just finished Flip Wilson special to the class and showed a 16mm print. Later Corny invited me to Duck Soup Studios in Santa Monica by the beach. They studio offered me a mentorship by doing tests, they would film the tests on the tail end of there commercial reels and give me pointers. I later worked there for five years while going to college on summer breaks Upon graduation I've been freelancing ever since.

Duck Soup spot....https://youtu.be/ZmoMCnzXTkY?si=M3dXoeZWKGVrBvzs

youtube

He sends me a 1980 commercial for 9 Lives cat food featuring Sylvester the cat.

Directed by Duane Crowther, Layouts Corny Cole, Animation Abby Paliwoda, Jeff Howard, Backgrounds Toby Bluth, Animation asst. me

DL : WAIT! Don Bluth's BROTHER did background design!

CC : Yes, He also directed Babes in Toyland for MGM. The Bluths went to Santa Monica High School as well.

DL : Yeah, knew that! Shame he died in 2013.

CC : We was a great painter......master at watercolor. His nephew Colby is a friend of mine and does great watercolors as well. Colby did the bg for this quick Fosters Freeze spot I animated. https://youtu.be/7dYpT-dY60s?si=HAN3xSv148-6e99s

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He sends me a commercial for Foster’s Freeze’s Ice Cream which he and Colby Bluth worked together on.

DL : COOL! So what apart did you animated on the Sylvester 9 Lives ad?

CC : I assisted on the Sylvester stuff behind Amby. I was 19 years old just starting. We later worked together just the two of us on Tony the Tiger spots... https://youtu.be/zLrvjgwTpLk?si=g9Lgm65QZ86QKa-Z

youtube

He sends me a commercial for The vain of my existence, Frosted Flakes Banana Flavor which he and Amby worked together on.

DL : Smooth Animation for the time, when Hanna Barbera and Filmation was shoveling cheap looking stuff.

CC : thanks!

DL : How did you felt about the animation Industry at that point, in the 1970s to the early part of the 80s?

CC : I wanted to stay doing fully animated commercais, and maybe some feature work, but the work was spotty. I did not want to do Saturday morning. I loved many of their concepts but a lot of it was really crappy. I liked what Bakshi was doing and some of the indie features. I could never get into Disney, but many of my assistants did for some reason. So I just figured I would be an independent animator and be part of that scene. There was an off the lot Westside LA Disney incubator division were projects like Tron, Roger Rabbit, and Brave Little Toaster came from. I was part of that. Projects Brought from outside the studio into the lot, mostly during the Tom Wilhite era. When MGM was still happening in Culver City, we had a great film lab and several studios here on the westside in the 70s -80s. MGM, Fox, Boss Film, Dream Quest, Duck Soup, Tigerfly, West Indigo,... it was cracking.

DL : So, how was the environment at Duck Soup?

CC : It was a family, very creative , and with tip top talent. Very inspiring

DL : Any stories at the studio?

CC : yup. I met Grim Natwick at the studio back in 1974 when I was 14. I had no idea he was the creator of Betty Boop at the time. I would have asked him about Louis Armstrong. Later I found out that my grandmother used to cook for Louis Armstrong in the 30's on Fridays. He returned to New Orleans from his Cotton Club West residency in Culver City, he later took his band to New York to do a Betty Boop cartoon. Grim probably met him but I did not know at the time. The Duck Soup logo has a real 30's rubber hose vibe to it, so there is a connection. I think the TV show Duck Factory was inspired by it. When I worked there there were 4 directors, Duane Crowther, Roger Choinard, Randy Akers, and Frank Terry... all master designers and animators. https://youtu.be/wVzJVa_EHQs?si=Ku1sSTcE9XtRxFSE

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He sends me the theme song to 1984 NBC sitcom, The Duck Factory.

DL : So You were at Spungbuggy Works in 1981. You were assistant animator on a Superman hot cocoa ad.

CC : Yes

DL : But you were still at Duck Soup, how was that? Did you had a contract with Duck Soup?

CC : No, it was all freelance. 30 second commercials are all Donne in 8 weeks, you go back and forth to different studios. animators and directors too. Superman spot was Bill Kroyer director.

DL : I thought it was Richard Williams.

CC : No.

I send him the Superman Anti-Smoking PSAs animated at Richard Williams studios.

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Even Gabor Csupo worked at Spungbuggy on Dutchboys paint. Williams had their own studio in the valley, they worked directly on cell ...no paper. I never worked there though.

DL : Wait? Dick was in LA? I thought he was still in London? When did he start up a LA division?

CC : He had a studio on Cahenga as well as London early 80's. Barbara Cimity was the producer....she is at Six Point now. Williams had just finished Raggedy Ann.

DL : Well, that's something I thought i'll never hear of today.

CC : Yes.

DL : So how was that studio?

CC : Richard was trying to finish the Thief and the Cobbler on the side.....There was and animator at Filmfair working on it in the ink and paint department in the 80's. I never worked at Williams, but I did take his class in San Francisco in the 90's.

DL : Thought he taught only in Vancouver as he moved there in ‘95?

CC : He was flying around teaching classes before he released his book. They were 3 day classes....excellent.

DL : Well back to the question, how was was Spungbuggy Works!

CC : I was fun! Corny and Frank Terry directed there a lot. There was a good relationship with Duck Soup, they had completely different clients. Spungbuggy got a lot of the Post cereal stuff, Duck Soup was Kellogs. Spungbuggy had a lot of the Raid bugs stuff, that was cool. They were on Sunset Blvd on the strip, they had more of a Hollywood hipster vibe like Jay Ward. Duck Soup was more beachy 30's - 40's retro. Spugbuggy also did a lot of Live Action, with fun casting calls. Rows of folks all looking the same...

DL : Any stories on Spugbuggy?

CC : My 1969 Volkswagen square back trying to make the left hand turn into the parking lot on a 45 percent grade on La Cienega Blvd.....that's what I remember. lol. I also worked there summer and winter breaks while in college. They would try a lot of strange techniques like painting water colors right on the cels. It gave it a really funky look, like Hubley films or something. I first woke with Gabor Csupo there on a Dutch Boy paints spot. Upon graduation I would be his six employee in his home studio. Later I worked for him starting up the Simpsons TV show, and after that he had a studio, Klask Csupo emplying over 500 people...

DL : Gabor at this time was just a assistant animator who was already a professional animator from Hungary. Which I think he was laid off from Hanna Barbera at this time, As that studio was sending more stuff to Wang Film in Taiwan.

CC : Spugbuggy era https://youtu.be/QCmEUyTZ7Tk?si=fOY5Iu01sGApyItp

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He sends me a commercial for Golden Crisps he and Csupo worked on for Spugbuggy.

correct about HB.

DL : Yeah I talk to Greg Bailey about this, He was among the foreigners who were at the studio in the 1979 season. He said that Bill would tell them to marry an american because he wasn't going to keep them employed for longer. Glad Gabor married Arlene!

CC : haha. Yeah! They also had a studio dog named Stocky who would lick your elbow while you were working. Gabor was a good businessman.

DL : So You worked at Filmfair right?

CC : Yes. Frank Terry was there too. They did animation and Live Action and actually had a little stage. Donkey Kong, Keeblers Cookies, and the Al Jeareau video were their highlights. I wore a suit to the interview, they said they would hire me if I never wear that suit to work. lol.

DL : Can you answer this question? WHO the HELL is GUS JEKEL?

CC : He owned the place. they hade other studios in London and New York I think.

DL : I can't find anything on this man! On Wikipedia, it said that he used to work at Disney, but his IMDB has diddly squat about that!

CC : He was a producer. Actually Swinton Scott worked there with me at the same time. He might know more. The late Rusty Mills was there too with me. They always had a lot of work over there, but I think they had a lot of overhead with that huge building. There were a lot of annexes, expanding and contracting all the time. I likes seeing the Keeblers Elves miniature sets, that was cool.

DL : SO guess what? the UK division is more well known than the US one. They produced Paddington Bear, Simon and the Land of Chalk Drawings, The Herbs, The Wombles, etc

CC : Wow!

DL : You ever knew or watch these programs?

CC : Paddington yes. cute show.

DL : Simon was on Captain Kangaroo.

CC : Hey, alright

#Youtube #Spotify #animation #animation interview #tooning in.#Craig Clark #filmfair #duck soup productions #commercials #spugbuggy works #black animator

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