I had a nice time Thursday with Prof Dave Master doing the virtual classroom talk called AcmeAnimation. I was linked to several colleges, answered question about "the Biz" and critiqued work. For those of you who were on line and decided to check out my website- WELCOME!


Last time I was in New York Howard Beckerman gave me this wonderful photo of the Terrytoons crew in 1931. Art Babbitt is crouching down in front. Bill Tytla stand behind with the womans head turned towards him. Frank Moser second from the left with the fedora and faced in shadow. Shortly after this time both Babbitt and Tyla quit to go West and work for Walt Disney.
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Birthdays: Horace (Quintus Horatius) 65BC- author of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse, Mary Queen of Scots, Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus, Queen Christina Vasa of Sweden 1623, Jean Sibelius, George Melies the father of Motion Picture Special Effects, cartoonist James Thurber, Eli Whitney, Jim Morrison, Diego Rivera, animation pioneer Emile Reynaud, Sammy Davis Jr, Maximillian Schell- Swiss born actor who plays Nazi officers in all those movies, Flip Wilson, Sam Kinison,Teri Hatcher is 42, Sinead O’Connor is 40, Kim Basinger is 53

1868- According to Jules Verne’s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, tonight is the night Captain Nemo’s fantastic submarine the Nautilus attacked and sank a US warship and captured Professor Aronax and harpooner Ned Land.

1886-The American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed. The first president was former cigar maker Samuel Gompers.

1913- ground broken for the construction of San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts.

1891- George O'Brien invented the electric tattooing needle, making modern tattooing possible.

1940- Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo remarry. The two great Mexican artists had been married for ten years but divorced for a year because of their mutual infidelities. Diego also wanted to protect Frida from fallout from his political activities. But after a year apart that decided they couldn’t live without one another and remarried.

1941-DAY OF INFAMY Aftermath- On the day after the Pearl Harbor sneak attack, President Roosevelt did his famous "Day of Infamy" speech. Congress voted almost unanimously to declare war on Japan.
Interestingly enough the U.S. did not declare war on Germany along with Japan. Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. four days later. The only vote against the war was Montana Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin, who had voted against the First World War also in 1917. With the American Fleet sunk or scattered the US Pacific Coast braced for Japanese attack. In California Fourth interceptor Command reported two formations of enemy planes flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles. They turned out to be seagulls. Another panicky report of an approaching Japanese task force turned out to be Monterrey tuna boats. Blackouts began, as did mass arrests of Japanese-Americans. In Hollywood the Paramount Studio baseball team was allowed to finish it's game with the L.A. Nippons 6-3, after which the FBI arrested the entire team. The civil defense command placed anti-aircraft guns on the Walt Disney Studio lot because of it's proximity to the aircraft plant of Lockheed. Walt Disney himself was turned away at the gate for not wearing his identity badge.

1958- THIS IS JAZZ- Landmark live CBS television broadcast of jazz greats Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Lester Young , Coleman Hawkins and Thelonius Monk .

1961-"Surfin’" the first record by the Beach Boys started to climb the local LA pop charts.

1963- Frank Sinatra Jr was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe. After four tense days he was released unharmed, partly because he was part of the plot. Dad was not pleased.

1980- The Bravo Channel began. Remember when it played only classical concerts and ballets ?

1980- JOHN LENNON SHOT. . As he went in to his apartment building the Dakota in New York City Beatle-Composer John Lennon was stopped by a fan named Mark David Chapman for an autograph. A few hours later Lennon emerged from the building on another errand. Chapman was still there, except this time he pulled out a gun and shot Lennon dead. John Lennon was 40. The area of Central Park across from the apartment was dedicated to him as Strawberry Fields. The National Enquirer tabloid demonstrated it’s sensitivity by publishing on the front page the only photo taken of Lennon in his coffin. The photo was taken by a cousin of Lennon who wanted to make a few extra bucks.