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Art Babbitt is an audio-only interview conducted in 1978 at the Bosustow Santa Monica studio for the Filmex Tribute screening in Century City, California.

Although Babbitt is not often though of as part of the UPA artists, he was connected in part by his role in the 1941 Disney strike, which many of the UPA artists participated in.  Plus, Babbitt animated on many of the UPA shorts, and is most often admired for his animation of the bear chasing the dandelion, a la ballet dancer/glider, in Grizzly Golfer.  He also directed UPAs Family Circus.

Art Babbitt is part of a presently unreleased scene.

We interviewed Steve Bosustow several times, probably the most important one was an audio-only interview in three consecutive sessions at a friend’s home in Bel Aire, in 1977. As a result of Dave and Zack’s departure, Bosustow ran UPA from the mid 1940s, until Hank Saperstein took over in 1960.

Bill Scott said, during a tribute to Bobe, Hub, and Steve, at the Motion Picture Academy, “Steve’s strength was sales.”  If that’s true, his single most important contribution was convincing Columbia Pictures to allow UPA to create a short of their own choosing, for every Mr. Magoo they made.  And, those “Jolly Frolics” as they were initially called were the biggest legacy of UPA, and the primary subjects of our documentary feature.

Steve Bosustow is part of two presently unreleased scenes.

We interviewed Fred Crippen in his his bustling Pantomime Pictures studio, in Studio City, California, in 2005.
Camera: Patrick Dunavan / Audio: Ken Gale

Fred Crippen was a fascinating artist to interview, because he worked first at the highly praised UPA New York studio as a budding animator, under the tutelage of Dwayne Crowther, and later moved to Burbank for the Ham & Hattie productions, while the CBS Gerald McBoing Boing television series was just getting under way. He directed some of the funniest segments, the Three Horned Flink, Fight on for Old, Winter Sports, among many others. Fred also made himself available for all our events, being on the panel for the 2004 AFI UPA Tribute, the epic 2006 Egyptian Theatre tribute, the 2010 AniMazSpot festival tribute at Woodbury, and the big 2012 Magoo at the Alex Tribute, which screened pristine 35mm prints of all 15 Oscar nominated UPA shorts. Plus, he gave unforgettable tours of his Pantomime Pictures studio to wide eyed attendees two AniMazSpot festivals.

Fred Crippen is part of the Unlimited Animation scene.

We interviewed Maxine Davis, audio-only, at her last home in Ensenada, Mexico in 1990.

Max, as she was called at UPA, was a secretary for the US Navy, where she met some of the UPA artists doing Navy training films in the early 1940s. She was convinced to move over to UPA, and began very early on as a receptionist and general organizer. Soon she became Steve Bosustow’s personal assistant, and, as Bosustow tells it, became
invaluable to the studio, bringing her organizational skills to Bosustow’s artistic tendencies.

Maxine Davis is part of an unreleased scene

We interviewed Eddie Friedman in his home in Tarzana in 2006
Camera: Patrick Dunavan / Audio: Ken Gale

Eddie Friedman was one of the first animators to animate the new styles that UPA created. During the early years in the Otto K. Oelsen building he began by taking scenes home to do, but soon became a cherished staff animator, working on nearly all the classic UPA masterpieces. Eddie was also an Olympic athlete who taught fencing, and was the champion ping pong player in the Toluca Lake patio area of the UPA studio, during lunch and break times.

Eddie Friedman is part of a presently unreleased scene.

Bill Hurtz is an audio-only interview conducted in 1978 at the Bosustow Santa Monica studio for the Filmex Tribute screening in Century City, California.

Bill Hurtz is known mostly for directing UPAs Unicorn in the Garden, but he directed a number of other UPA films including Man Alive!, the only UPA film that was nominated for a documentary short. Hurtz was also Bob Cannon’s frequent Layout Artist, including Gerald McBoing Boing.

Bill Hurtz is part of one of the presently unreleased scenes.

We interviewed Henrietta “Hank” Jordan at her home in Burbank, California in 2006.

Hank Jordan began in the very early days as a receptionist at the main UPA studio in Burbank/Toluca Lake. She very quickly rose through the ranks to become the
Production Co-Ordinator for Herb Klynn. Her interview is full of wonderfully candid opinions of what went on behind UPAs artistic public face.

We interviewed Millard and Lorraine Kaufman at their home in Bel Aire, California, in 2011.

Millard Kaufman is credited with the creation of Mr. Magoo, in terms of the character’s personality traits, and he worked with John Hubley to create the physical characteristics. Although, Kaufman wrote the first Magoo and many other UPA films, he was primarily a live action feature film writer.

Millard Kaufman is part of one of the presently unreleased scenes.

We interviewed Joe Messerli in his home in New York in 2006.

Joe Messerli was a comic book artist, when he decided to study at Choinards. There he met UPA artists who eventually led to him working there on the CBS television series. Joe met Evelyn Field, who was an ink and painter at UPA. They got married, and were still together when Joe died. Our UPA romance story, albeit with a bittersweet ending.

Joe Messerli is part of a presently unreleased scene.

We interviewed Willis Pyle i next to one of his paintings, in his home studio, in Seal Beach, California. in 2005
Camera: Patrick Dunavan / Audio: Andre Smith

Willie Pyle was an animator during the early days of the Columbia Pictures contract.  We first met him at a Smoke House restaurant reunion of UPA alumni, in Toluca Lake, California, across from the John Lautner designed UPA Studio.  Willie has spent most of this post-UPA years as an illustrator and painter in New York City.  After our interview he treated our crew to lunch at a local sea food restaurant, driving us there in his antique Rolls Royce.

Willis Pyle is part of a presently unreleased scene.

We interviewed Dave Weidman in his classic home studio in the hills above Hollywood, California, in 2006.

Dave Weidman was among the graphic sensations who arrived in the late 1950s, flourished during the CBS television series, and continued on at UPA into the 1960s. His later life was dedicated to independent graphic design projects, and his home was full of his brilliant designs. In fact, we spent almost as much time pouring over his creations as we did for our interview with him.

Dave Weidman is part of a presently unreleased scene.

We interviewed Ralph Young and recorded some Magoo lines, at Patrick Dunavan’s home production studio, in Bel Aire, California in 2003.
Camera: Patrick Dunavan

Ralph Young is best known as one half of Sandler & Young, one of the hottest singing teams in Las Vegas history, among other entertainment capitals of the world. But,
few know that Ralph was a hair’s breath away from becoming the voice of Mr. Magoo.

Ralph Young is part of an unreleased scene that will tell about how it almost happened.