Fred Brunish (1902-1952) was Walter Lantz’s sole background artist in the last half of the ‘40s and into the early ‘50s; at least he was the only one credited on screen. At the age of 17, Brunish was sketching fashions in New York City; ten years later, he was an advertising artist in Detroit before heading west. He worked as an advertising company art director, and acquired a patent for an automatic slide projector in 1934, before eventually getting a job at the Lantz studio around 1940.
Not all of the cartoons he is credited on made it onto the Woody Woodpecker DVD, and one is 1948’s
Kiddie Koncert, starring Wally Walrus as animated by Ed Love. It opens with three of Brunish’s watercolours. In the second painting below, the orange stage curtain is on an overlay.
Thanks to Devon Baxter for the frame grabs.
This is one of my favorite cartoons ever. Not because of the story, which isn't exactly first rate thanks to Bugs Hardaway, but the animation makes up for it a whole lot. Especially Ed Love's phenomenal scenes of Wally conducting.
ReplyDeleteLove that this one-room schoolhouse somehow has space for an auditorium.
ReplyDeleteMust be the same contractor that built Snoopy's doghouse.