ASIFA-San Francisco April 1998

April 1998

BOOK REVIEW

FOR THE LOVE OF PRAGUE by Gene Deitch "The one American who lived inside Communist Czechoslovakia for 30 years, and yet was outside. The untold love story!"
Deitch won an Oscar for his short Munro in 1960 (based on a Jules Feiffer story) and he headed CBS's Terrytoons Studios for a brief period in the late 1950's. He is the father of "Tom Terrific and his Mighty Dog Manfred." He directed the Weston Wood's animated version of Where the Wild Things Are. He got his animation education at the UPA studio in New York City, and he worked with a lot of great names in animation.
Animation scholars and fans will be disappointed to know that Deitch has not written about his career in the 1950's in New York. Instead he gives us a wonderful and informative book about why he left his career and family in New York for a new life in Czechoslovakia. The book is full of wonderful events and a few tragic ones. He tells us about his romance with the woman he eventually married. There are strange stories about Communist bureaucrats and their odd ways of doing things (Franz Kafka was alive and well in Czechoslovakia during the Communist control of the country). He tells how he learned second-hand that he won an Oscar and how a producer, who had almost nothing to do with the production, entered it in the competition without telling him. The producer, not Deitch, won the award! He tells what it was like to live through the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, and what it is like there now free of Communist control.
There are also lots of strange little events mentioned. One crazy moment was helping a friend fill a giant balloon with the only thing available - natural gas. He knew that one spark would...
Animation does get discussed from time to time as the woman he eventually married runs the studio he has used since 1960. They met when he was convinced by a producer to go direct a project at the Czech studio. They fell in love, so much of the book is about their romance and adventures through life. There are only brief mentions of their animation careers. He only writes briefly about working with Maurice Sendak.
I hope Deitch has the interest and energy to write a second book (or a long scholarly article) about a poorly documented period of animation history. New York City in the 1950's was a great creative center and Deitch was a major figure in the industry at that time.
Meanwhile, if you want to read a delightful, informative book about work, life and romance behind the Iron Curtain send Gene Deitch a check for $15 (includes air postage from Europe) to Mostecka 273/B, CZ-118 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic. Ask him to autograph it for you.

MAGAZINES

ANIMATION BLAST, ISSUE #1 is a fine new animation "zine" from Amid Amidi who has run the Animation and Cartoon Heaven site at http://www.geocities.com
/Hollywood/Hills/1684/ for the past two years. The first issue is small (16 pages), but the editor writes the next issue, planned for an August release, will be either 24 or 32 pages.
The issue contains several pages of news, an article on 11 censored Warner Bros. cartoons that Turner refuses to release on TV or on video (and how some can be found on bootleg video tapes), an article about Don Bluth's best work (Dragon's Lair and Space Ace), a first-hand account by Eric Lurio about trying to get a job working on Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, book reviews and more. The "more" includes an article on several web sites. There is a Daws Butler page at www.comedyorama.com, a Warner Bros. cartoon companion at http://members.aol.com/EOCostello/index.html and a Thief and Cobbler page at Cartoon Heaven.
You can not subscribe yet, but you can buy the first issue by sending $2 cash to Amid Amidi, PO Box 260491, Encino, CA 91426-0491. Apparently Amid is waiting to see how much interest there is before cranking out issue #2.

McBOING BOING SAY GOODBYE, BUT McGUIRE WRITES ON Dewey McGuire published 12 issues of his informative zine before he called it quits. The final issue was mailed out a few weeks ago and it, like those that came before it, is full of well written and research articles. Now McGuire will have less to do, but you can read his future articles in Animato!
The final issue starts with "All Killer, No Filler," an eclectic list by John Hayes with descriptions of 50 great cartoons (many are really hard to see, even on video). Then comes "Heil, Darn Ya, Heil," a discussion of the lyrics to Der Fuehrer's Face - both the Disney Oscar winner and the Spike Jones record. The author found new verses added by Disney, and notes that the words and music are by Oliver Wallace who worked for Disney on several films from the time of Dumbo to the time of Lady and the Tramp.
There is a fine article by Dewey McGuire on the unseen Disney World War II cartoons. That is followed by an article on Freleng, a rave review of Karl Cohen's Forbidden Animation ("This is one of the most valuable books available anywhere and I give it my highest recommendation.") and an index to all 12 issues. There are also a few news items.
The final 32 page issue sells for $7. Other issues sell for $4 - 5 each. A list of the articles in back issues is printed in the final issue. Contact Dewey McGuire, 134 Cardiff Circle, Iowa City, IA 52246 (319) 337-5410.

ANIMATION MAGAZINE, MARCH, 1998 is the World Animation Celebration '98 program guide, except it was printed in advance so it doesn't actually contain details about what was shown. Instead it is full of background information about the companies and/or artists. The short articles are designed to get a prospective audience interested in attending each event discussed. For example, the notes on Henry Selick sound interesting, telling us about his interest in stop-motion features as a boy, his training at CAL Arts and some of the work he has done since graduating. It doesn't say what Selick will show.
In some cases the articles mention work that wasn't shown, but if that doesn't matter to you it's a good reference guide. The issue provides information about many of the companies and artists who had work screened at WAC.
Subscriptions are $45 a year for 12 issues from Animation Magazine, 30101 Agoura Court, Suite 110, Agoura, CA 91301-9987 (800) 996-TOON They may sell individual copies if you just want this special issue. Call and find out.

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