Magilla was an un-sellable gorilla that lived in the display window of a pet shop. Mr. Peebles, shop owner, couldn’t afford to feed him and urgently wanted Magilla to find a home elsewhere. Thus, like much of Dickens, Magilla was about the need for love, acceptance, and finding one's place in the world.
This first story (Magilla Gorilla No. 4, March 1964) is by Pete Alvarado, who was a major background and layout man for Warner Bros. Animation during the glory years. This tale travels far and wide, but Alvarado moves us along easily with graceful layouts and a cast of perfectly rendered characters.
This first story (Magilla Gorilla No. 4, March 1964) is by Pete Alvarado, who was a major background and layout man for Warner Bros. Animation during the glory years. This tale travels far and wide, but Alvarado moves us along easily with graceful layouts and a cast of perfectly rendered characters.
These following 4-pagers are both by Phil DeLara. Another ex Warner Bros. animator, DeLara worked in Chuck Jones’ unit before the war, then post-war worked in Bob McKimson’s unit. He quit Warner Bros. in the 1950s and went to work drawing comics for Western Publishing. The opening splash panels on both stories expand the mind.
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20 comments:
Amazing how quickly all the VOICE characterizations of these great animated cartoon characters jump back into my head (or I really am schizophrenic). I haven't thought of Pinky Puss for YEARS ! Also, wonderful analogy, Mykal~ comparing Magilla Gorilla to an archtypal Dickens character !
Lysdexicuss: Me too with the voices. Regarding Dickens, I tell you, my friend, Magilla can tear your heart out. He so trusts and loves Mr. Peebles, so needs acceptance. Please, Sir, May I have some more? -- Mykal
Funny... I wrote PINKY Puss instead'a Punkin'... I finished a screenplay last May with a cat named Pinky, and I guess she is still haunting my thoughts ! Yeah, I wonder if the creators of Magilla were inspired by classics of literature~!
I wonder how ex-animators felt about drawing comics. It seems like after animating for years, doing comics would be a cakewalk dream job for them. These guys are excellent. It's easy to see they were animators in their pasts. Everything feels alive and moving.
I can't believe you could get all this for 12 cents. I know inflation accounts for some of it buy they want 3 or 4 dollars nowadays. sheesh!
Lysdexicuss: I think of Magilla as the last, great Hanna-Barbera cartoon - I think the classics of literature are "classics" because their stories express perfectly some universal, like in Magilla's case, a need for security, safety, and love. These themes keep coming up over and over in all art because they nearly always are guaranteed to touch both audiance and artist, I think.
I love the idea of a cat named Pinky. I have already imagined personalities for either him or her.
KW: That's a good question. I know that most comic book artists from that era were actually animators first, including Walt Kelly (who by all accounts didn't care much at all for animimation or Disney Studios (or both). I think many of them, particularily the Warner's people, did it while they animated to pick up extra cash. In reading some of the comments here and there from some of these guys, like Dan Gordon, it was just work - neither deemed higher or lower in status. I know Dan Gordon, for one, considered it light, breezy and easy. -- Mykal
Mykal: Let's not forget the similarities between Tom and Jerry and Tolstoy...
Welcome (at last) to Ape-ril in January!!!
Your pal,
Aaron
Aaron: of course! -- Mykal
I do the same thing as Dex, read these comics in the voices from the show... and being from Missouri you plum know I dun always had me a fondness for them thar dad'burned hillbilly aminals!
And yes, I said aminals.
Karswell: I think the voice thing is unavoidable, but I found It happened more for me here (particularily Mr. Peebles) than the Huck post I did a while back, even though I saw a ton more Huck than Magilla.
My ma's side is all from Kentucky. Cuz, I got all the 'billy you'uns could ever want. Hey, did you catch that broken jug a corn there in the splash page, with the helpful ear next to it as an identification guide? I guess ol' Punkin had hisself a still just outside the front porch! -- Mykal
mykal, thanks so much for posting these! these are fantastic!!
Brad: My pleasure, pal! -- Mykal
Great work on all three of these features. I love the Hanna-Barbera stuff whether in comics or on the tube.
Chuck: Me Too!
I was never much of a fan of the Gold Key comics on the H-B cartoons. It always seemed to me that while the cartooning was excellent, the stories never were as funny as the cartoons themselves. Maybe it was just me. The Mushmouse story you posted here is pretty good. Thanks for the glimpse.
Gary: Thanks for stopping by and giving it your consideration. I liked the Mushmouse/Punkin Puss story a great deal myself. I thought it quick and very clever - I think it was the iron skillets that did it for me. -- Mykal
I would take Magilla any day as a pet! The fact that he used his pants as a parachute really got me in the ticker. He also gets extra points because he reminds me of a Monchhichi!
Jacque: Magilla always got me in the ticker. He tries so hard. -- Mykal
My dog should really take a cue from him!
nothing against the talents of those involved but i never liked the Magilla character- i mean, he's the ultimate freeloader! it's not like he can't fit in somewhere else, he just doesn't want to deal with it! he had a great theme song though...
Prof.: Oh, you heartless so-n-so;)!
don't you see? Sure he could have fit in somewhere else, but he loved Mr. Peebles! . . .Excuse me now. I have something in my eyes. Where are those tissues. -- Mykal
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