I was four years old when TOM TERRIFIC premiered on CAPTAIN KANGAROO, and I thouroughly loved it.
The cleaver stories with verbal puns and the lessons in problem solveing using imagination were life lessons that I have carried on into adulthood.

I knew Fred Crippen from Detroit, and still worked with him on occaision. Your description of him 50 years still applies today. He is a diamond in the ruff with a heart of gold.

I am particularly intersted in your time spent at Jam Handy. I came along there 15 years later when they were on their last legs. The Production Manager, Bob Kennedy spoke of you often. I believe your influence there improved their product tremendously, and your absence there by my time was greatly felt.

I LOVED Tom Terrific.

This is important stuff. Keep up the good work. It's very important to hear about someone working on the East Coast (and in your case, EXTREMELy far East) and doing something other than feature animation...great job.

Gene - if your "overriding goal was to reinvent Terrytoons, to create a new reputation, to win the support of the disgruntled staff, to revise, where practical, films in production, without interrupting workflow", it seems to me, by virtue of the existing films, that you succeeded!

It's fascinating to read about your experiences, at Terry in particular, as your films were certainly noticed for their bold stylistic innovations.

A couple of questions:

Did any of your old UPA co-workers (or John Hubley) comment on your Terrytoons at the time?

Any interaction with that young whipper-snapper Ralph Bakshi?

Did you ever get to know old timers Connie Rasinski or Jim Tyer (to name only two) well?
What was your relationship with Phil Eastman? Did he work at the studio?

Do you still have proofs (or stats or clippings) of the TERRIBLE THOMPSON comic strip?

I think you are being too hard on yourself, Gene. Tom Terrific was, well, a terrific character. The style, the voices, the music--it all worked. While I was never a big fan of Clint Clobber or Gaston Le Crayon, the cartoons were stylistically ingenious for their time.

As for Paul Terry, I hope you have more stories about him. He appears to be an amazing individual. Anyone who can produce cartoons by measuring the stack of drawings with a ruler must truly be an animation genius! : )