Apr
14
Crew Picture Hanna-Barbera
1980 Crew
Hanna-Barbera
Photo Care of Phil Phillipson
A lot of animation artists in late 1970’s and early 1980’s cut their teeth in the business at television animation studios like Hanna-Barbera and Filmation Studios. These union studios had on the job training programs where you could learn the trade and get your start in an entry level union position as an inbetweener with the opportunity to work your way up to assistant animator and animator. The above photo is of the crew of artists that were working on Hanna-Barbera’s second feature film Heidi’s Song.
I see many people that I know went on to work at Walt Disney Feature Animation. Let me know who you recognize in the text box below.
Tags: Crew Pictures, Hanna Barbera
These photos are really cool - Thanks for posting them.
From Lureline Kohler:
I have this picture too. That was my first animation job and I remember being so incredibly happy to have it. I was going to be a career inbetweener, then came the first layoff. I was freaked out by that. Ha. By the time I got to Filmation and the grueling TV schedule I looked forward to layoff. I remember so many of those people several of whom are not with us anymore like Moe Gollub and Stan, can’t remember his last name but he was a gentle sweet soul, and Gilda Palinginis. Marilyn Taylor is the one who really gave me my first opportunity to work in animation. I had a quick visit with Bob Taylor and he sent me directly to Marilyn. She kindly took me in and trained me, luckily I caught on quickly enough to please her. I loved working at Hanna Barbera and hated leaving there when it was all over.
From Rik Maki:
Hanna Barbera was my first job when I came down from Canada. I just got off the bus and took a cab up Cahuenga Blvd and walked in and met the guard Lobby Bobby and said to him, “I’m here to start work” .
They put me in the old camera room right next to Betty Doyle and I think Mauro Maressa was right behind me. I just remember we were all crammed in on the 3rd floor. My first supervisor was Bob Goe who had worked for Jay Ward. He was the best guy ever and my first scene was from Mitch Rochon and it was of this Seaweed Monster on long pan paper and trying to flip this huge pan paper was a bitch!.
I remember this photo was taken in late august and it was a Friday morning and I wasn’t there because my father died and I had to go back to Canada. We were working on Heidi’s Song. That was the first big project I worked on. I was an assistant animator working for Bob Taylor, Charlie Downs, Hal Ambro. We were in a pool and you picked up work.
I learned a lot from those people. They were great. Everybody was so willing to help you learn. Nobody every hesitated to give you information. The guy that really helped me the most Hal Ambro.
You could walk into Hal’s office and you would see his work on this little tiny moviola screen and oh my gosh, what beautiful work. He was amazing… I remember on his desk he had a big “H” and a big “A” .. ha!
I am trying to think of the best words to say here because I don’t want to disrespect him but Hal Ambro was the best guy. He always helped everyone try to make the work better. Hal Ambro told me to “Stick to the drawing the board” and I’ve never forgotten that.
From Barbara Wiles:
AND yes, that’s the younger slim me! The photo is awesome…Would love to be able to put names with familiar faces. Bet Mauro has a bunch of them identified. Give him a hug for me, will you?
From Merry Clingen:
I am in this photo!!! I am in the second row, second kneeling person from the right.
We sat in a building that had been converted into a sports club. It was like a big warehouse with only a small number of wall plugs and lots and lots of extention cords. I often wondered what would happen if the fire department did an inspection.
I sat at several different desks. My first roomate was Mabel Gessner, and another older women, both of whom chain-smoked (this was before the no smoking legislation). Mabel was like everyone’s mom, and she would bring a cake every time she heard it was someone’s birthday.
I sat over the wall from David Pacheco, who drew silly cartoons of everyone and used to tie me to my chair with masking tape. Later, I moved across the hall from Mauro Maressa, who was a character animator at the time.
THE FUNNIEST person I worked with was Phil Mendez, who was doing storyboards. He acquired an entire room to himself, and was boarding H&B cartoon Disney style, pinning them all over the wall. One day, Jane Barbara went into his office and told him his room was going to house executives, and that he had to sit out with everyone else.
Phil said “where should I sit?” and Jane told him to pick a desk. Not to be daunted, Phil moved a desk into the Men’s Room. He added “dez” after the word “Men” so that the sign said “Mendez.” Phil started working in there, putting up storyboards on the wall all over the men’s room. He sat in there for several weeks before he was discovered and thrown out.
After he finished the project, he was laid off, and Phil decided to leave his mark– literally. He did a mural of a cartoon animal marching band on the wall in the hallway with permanant marker. It was fantastic! Management decided to paint it over, but the ink kept bleeding through. I thought it was a shame, because the mural was beautiful.
About a year later, Phil dropped by to visit us. He was such a funny guy, and soon every one was gathered around laughing at his stories. Our new supervisor, John Borsma (a big gruff guy that looked like a former Marine) came down the hall and started barking orders. Everyone slunk back to their seats, but Phil just stood there watching him go. When John Borsma had reached his desk at the other end of the large room, Phil said in a loud voice “Who the hell was that?!!!” Of course being a storyman, it was perfect timing, and it cracked everyone up.