1914: Winsor McCay Screens GERTIE THE DINOSAUR Cartoon For Fellow Cartoonists

Above: some sketches drawn that evening by some of the cartoonists present at the screening (from left) Percy Crosby, Walter Hoban and Cliff Sterret.

What was it like when Winsor McCay screened his animated film GERTIE THE DINOSAUR for his New York Tribune cartoonist pals? Allan Holtz shares this article from the February 23, 1914 Tribune. The film had just premiered at Chicago's Palace Theater a few weeks earlier, on February 8, 1914. The original film consisted of Mr.McCay., live and in person, interacting with the onscreen Gertie. Before the end of the year, William Fox approached McCay to distribute it nationally. The result was the creation of a new live-action set up sequence for the animation.

And just n case you have not seen it, here is the then-groundbreaking GERTIE THE DINOSAUR, starring Mr. McCay, Gertie, and some of Mr. McCay's friends: TAD Dorgan, George McManus and Roy McCardell. My thanks to Scarpuss for posting this complete version, along with some great historic background.