The Pepe Le Pew controversy!

And I just hope they leave Speedy Gonzalez alone!

 

CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

 

Pink Christmas Wishes from The Pink Panther

I spent most of my professional years as a cartoonist, drawing and writing stories for The Pink Panther comics that were designed for the overseas market. Thanks to The Pink Panther (and Beep Beep, the Road Runner),  I managed to make a living and raise a family, and consequently, I will always feel a certain amount of indebtedness to this character.
Over the years, I've tried to keep him alive in my life by doing some new little illustration featuring this funny feline every once in a while. 

Thank you, Friz Freleng, David H DePatie and Blake Edwards for creating him!

As a bonus, I'm sharing the classic Pink Panther Christmas TV Special, which first aired on ABC on December 7, 1978. It was directed by Bill Perez and produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

                                          

(Another special, "A Very Pink Christmas", was produced in 2011 but the less said about it, the better).

IN LIKE FLYNN!

 ERROL FLYNN, born June 20, 1909 in Tasmania, Australia, was one of my first heroes from the silver screen. He is mostly remembered for being the best Robin Hood in films but his career spanned many other worthwhile performances.

 CAPTAIN BLOOD, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, DAWN PATROL, THE SEA HAWK, THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, GENTLEMAN JIM, VIRGINIA CITY, OBJECTIVE, BURMA!, DESPERATE JOURNEY, THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN and THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE  are just a few of his better and most fondly remembered films.

Because most of his performances were portraying heroic figures, he was admired by moviegoers as the ultimate swashbuckler. His career began to wane in the late forties and, except from a few memorable  appearances during the fifties, Flynn could never regain the top star status he had achieved during the thirties and early forties.
But still, his reputation as a movie icon has not tarnished. He still remains the template for all screen swashbucklers.

Long Live Errol Flynn!

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck paid homage to Flynn in two cartoons directed by Chuck Jones:
RABBIT HOOD (1949) and ROBIN HOOD DAFFY (1958)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20z63h

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3be23d

FATHER'S DAY 2019

You can celebrate ST. PATRICK'S DAY even if you're not Irish!

And of course there are many ways to remember St. Patrick's holiday which must include watching some great classic Irish-themed cartoons!
These two are my perennial favorites!

1951 - WEARING OF THE GRIN. Written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. The expressions on Porky's face make this, one of the funniest entries in the Merrie Melodies library!

 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4831na

1958 - DROOPY LEPRECHAUN - MGM-Hanna-Barbera Productions. Directed by Michael Lah.  Droopy's last theatrical cartoon is memorable for Spike, the Irish dog who's obsessed with catching a leprechaun! 

Opening scenes from DROOPY LEPRECHAUN:

Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

MOTHER'S DAY - 2018

The Gold Key Years

Beep Beep The Road Runner and The Pink Panther kept me busy writing and drawing comic book stories for them during the 70s, 80s and part of the 90s. Thanks to these wonderful characters, I made a comfortable living and gave my son an education. I will always be grateful to the great artists who were responsible in creating them: Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie and Chuck Jones. Somehow, after Dell, Gold Key and Whitman comics disappeared, life has never been the same for me!