Favorite Fleschier/Famous Studios director?

[Stumpos]

During the Fleschier Studios era from 1929-42, studio co-founder Dave Fleschier was sole director on every short.

When the studio became Famous Studios in 1942, three director units opened with Seymour Kneitel, Dan Gordon, and Izzy Sparber.

This lasted until 1944 (though his final shorts were released in 1945) when Dan Gordon was fired for alcohol related issues and former Disney animator Bill Tytla took over his unit.

In 1950, Tytla left for Tempo Productions and with budget cuts also likely influencing things, the director units got reduced to two with Kneitel and Sparber as the two units.

This did change in 1953 when a third unit opened and was headed by studio veteran since 1931, Dave Tendlar.

By 1956, Dave Tendlar had left for Terrytoons. In that same year, Paramount decided to cut costs further by reducing the director units to just 1, with Izzy Sparber laid off (though both Sparber and Tendlar's last shorts weren't released until 1958) and leaving Seymour Kneitel as sole director.

In 1964, Seymour Kneitel passed away and comic artist Howard Post became the new director. Two years later, Post went back to comics and animation veteran Shamus Culhane became director.

By 1967, Culhane left and went into semi-retirement with Ralph Bakshi taking over as director for the last batch before the studio closed that year.

Any thoughts on each Fleschier/Famous director and who your favorite and least favorite is and why?

• Dave Fleschier
• Dan Gordon
• Izzy Sparber
• Seymour Kneitel
• Bill Tytla
• Dave Tendlar
• Howard Post
• Shamus Culhane
• Ralph Bakshi

 

[Leviathan]

The credited "directors" at Fleischer and Famous were closer to modern-day supervising producers, just overseeing production. The "real" directors are the first animator listed in the credits. People like

- Willard Bowsky
- Seymour Knietel (pre-Famous)
- Dave Tendlar (pre-"director" credit)
- Myron Waldman
- Tom Johnson
- Al Eugster
- George Germanetti
- Orestes Calpini
- Jim Tyer

My favorites of them would be Bowsky, Knietel, Tendlar and Tyer.

Bowsky and Knietel directed a lot of the best of the pre-Code Betty Boops and classic Popeyes.

Tendlar specialized in animal chase cartoons that could rival WB or MGM and also did right by Popeye.

Tyer's cartoons are some of the wildest and funniest shorts Famous ever did. Check out Shape Ahoy or Cheese Burglar to see his work in action.

In terms of the credited directors. Dave Fleischer, Dan Gordon and Bill Tylta were the best, since they better encouraged the actual directors to do their best work.

 

[Stumpos]

The credited "directors" at Fleischer and Famous were closer to modern-day supervising producers, just overseeing production. The "real" directors are the first animator listed in the credits. People like

Huh, you learn something new every day. Surprising given other studios like Disney, Warner Bros, MGM, and Lantz usually had the "real director" openly credited.

Certainly makes finding the director of their earliest shorts from 1929-30 hard since they didn't begin crediting animators until May 9 1930 with Fire Bugs.

 

[Leviathan]

Huh, you learn something new every day. Surprising given other studios like Disney, Warner Bros, MGM, and Lantz usually had the "real director" openly credited.

It's a pretty well known fact among GAC fans. From what I heard, Dave Fleischer's director credit was a remnant from the Out of the Inkwell days because he would direct the actor that would serve as rotoscope reference for Koko.

The head animators/real directors have their own styles and idiosyncracies.

Myron Waldman - cutesy cartoons with kids and small animals. His wheelhouse was Pudgy, Hunkey and Spunky, Little Lulu and Casper.
Dave Tendlar - violent slapstick. Specialized on earlier Popeyes, Baby Huey and Herman and Katnip
Willard Bowsky - Epic, cinematic, intense cartoons. He did Popeye Meets Sindbad and Popeye Meets Ali Baba. If a Popeye cartoon has Bluto be a physical threat to Popeye and Olive, it's most likely him.
Jim Tyer - Crazier cartoons with shades of the animation style he would perfect at Terrytoons. Dan Gordon, Izzy Sparber and Bill Tytla gave him a longer leash to strut his stuff than Seymour Kneitel did.

Shamus Culhane and Ralph Bakshi are unqiue in that they hated the head animator system. If a cartoon gives them a director credit, they directed it like a Disney/WB/MGM director would.

 

[Stumpos]

It's a pretty well known fact among GAC fans. From what I heard, Dave Fleischer's director credit was a remnant from the Out of the Inkwell days because he would direct the actor that would serve as rotoscope reference for Koko.

The head animators/real directors have their own styles and idiosyncracies.

Myron Waldman - cutesy cartoons with kids and small animals. His wheelhouse was Pudgy, Hunkey and Spunky, Little Lulu and Casper.
Dave Tendlar - violent slapstick. Specialized on earlier Popeyes, Baby Huey and Herman and Katnip
Willard Bowsky - Epic, cinematic, intense cartoons. He did Popeye Meets Sindbad and Popeye Meets Ali Baba. If a Popeye cartoon has Bluto be a physical threat to Popeye and Olive, it's most likely him.
Jim Tyer - Crazier cartoons with shades of the animation style he would perfect at Terrytoons. Dan Gordon, Izzy Sparber and Bill Tytla gave him a longer leash to strut his stuff than Seymour Kneitel did.

Shamus Culhane and Ralph Bakshi are unqiue in that they hated the head animator system. If a cartoon gives them a director credit, they directed it like a Disney/WB/MGM director would.

So, that'd mean Howard Post was the last director to use the "first animator credited is the director" system?

Curious, in cases like this where two are credited at the same time, would the credit go to Ted Sears for Fire Bugs and Willard Bowsky for Wise Flies or is it Ted Sears for both?

 

[Leviathan]

Consulting with people with historian knowledge, it's possible Grim Natwick directed Fire Bugs. The Talkartoon was embryonic and when the directorial system was being established.

More info: Fleischer didn't get a proper unit system for its animators until around late 1931. Until then, it was a loose-knit collection of animators, with experienced artists like Ted Sears, Grim Natwick and Dick Heumer would offer advice to the animators but otherwise leave them to their own decies. A kind of remnant from the silent days