Dan Danglo 1925 - 2020

Long-time Berndt Toast Gang member, best known for his work on Felix the Cat, Dan Danglo passed away in his sleep this past Saturday night. He was 95.

Via Adrian C. Sinnott, BTG chair:

Dan was probably best known for his work on "Felix the Cat.” Dan worked in animation (Popeye, Scooby Doo & Scrappy, too and the Tasmanian Devil), advertising, comics and gag cartooning. As well as teaching classes at Hofstra University and SVA. He was also involved in the production of the animated feature “Tubby the Tuba” which indirectly started the 3D animated movie industry when two principles later formed Pixar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubby_the_Tuba_(1975_film)

From Dan's site:

Dan Danglo was born in Brooklyn with a burning desire to work for Walt Disney and 18 years later found himself working at Terry Toons.
During World War II, Dan served with the 4th Air Force in San Francisco as cartoonist for the headquarters newspaper.
After the war, Dan did comic book penciling, magazine gag cartoons and worked in the Story Department at Famous Studio doing Popeye and Casper the Friendly Ghost storyboards. He also did storyboards and layouts for the feature-length cartoon “Tubby the Tuba” at NY Tech.
In 1956, Dan became Art Director in the Visual Presentation Department at Young and Rubicam Advertising Agency. In 1970, Dan became Vice-President of Visual Presentation and Creative Director of Rollerman Enterprises creating corporate cartoon spokesmen and marketing properties.
Dan has also done storyboards for Warner Bros. and Hanna Barbera (such as Tazmanian Devil and Scooby Doo and Scrappy Too), as well as many projects involving Felix the Cat.
Dan has also taught Animation Storyboarding at Hofstra University and Animation Layout and design at the School of Visual Arts.

Dan really did have a wonderful life. He got to do storyboarding, comics, comic strips, advertising, animation, gag cartoons. And all of the characters he worked on: Popeye, Felix the Cat, the Tasmanian Devil, Scooby Doo, the Mario Brothers; and working for Terrytoons, Warner Brothers, Hanna Barbera. Wow!

From a 2007 email from Dan:

Mike:

This photo was taken in the 1950s, in the Famous studio story dept. I shared an office with Larz Bourne, (the tall gentleman in the sweater... who had started in the business in the early Fleischer days..went on to create Deputy Dawg..and later story editor at Hanna Barbera...The Gentleman in the middle, in the vest, was I. (Izzy) Klein...One of the earliest cartoonist on the New Yorker...Disney animator..and story man in the next office..and the youth with them used to be me....

Pretty illustrious company. Didn’t realize at the time how lucky I was...Still am, being a member of the Berndt Toast Gang.....

Dan Danglo

More here:  


Larz Bourne, Izzy Klein & Dan Danglo at the Famous Studio



Related:

The Daily Cartoonist 

Larz Bourne, Izzy Klein & Dan Danglo at the Famous Studio

I received an email to me from my friend Dan Danglo. I want to share it with you, and Dan said it was OK.

Some background: Dan Danglo was in the service in WWII, where he was the cartoonist for the 4th Air Force HQ newspaper. After the war, Brooklyn-born Dan was back on East Coast, penciling comics and doing the Wednesday afternoon gag magazine rounds in NYC. He sold his first cartoon to cartoon editor Lawrence Lariar at Liberty Magazine.

Soon, Dan's career became one of animated pictures, specifically: Felix the Cat and Terrytoons. Dan's ease and flow in his characterizations led to storyboarding and design work for the prolific studio for many years.

Dan is still working. He's now back to his old gig: selling gag cartoons! Cartoonists never retire -- not so long as there's a pencil and a piece of paper.

But, I digress. Let's go back to the 1950s and Famous Studios.

Sometimes, you hear names -- but so rarely do you get a chance to attach a face to them. Above is a rare photograph from Dan's collection. I added the hyperlinks to his description. Here's Dan:

------------------

Mike:

This photo was taken in the 1950s, in the Famous studio story dept. I shared an office with Larz Bourne, (the tall gentleman in the sweater... who had started in the business in the early Fleischer days..went on to create Deputy Dawg..and later story editor at Hanna Barbera...The Gentleman in the middle, in the vest, was I. (Izzy) Klein...One of the earliest cartoonist on the New Yorker...Disney animator..and story man in the next office..and the youth with them used to be me....

Pretty illustrious company. Didn’t realize at the time how lucky I was...Still am, being a member of the Berndt Toast Gang.....

Dan Danglo

------------------

OK, some further reading if you're interested:

Gene Deitch calls Larz Bourne "Terrytoons' best traditional gagman and storyboard artist" in his HOW TO SUCCEED IN ANIMATION essays at Blogspot.


An essay on Paramount/Famous Studios titles from the Cartoon Research team here.

Above: One of Dan's storyboards from his site.

Thanks, Dan, for sharing this with all of us!

Screen Cartoonists Local 1461, December 10, 1944 UPDATED

Above is the cover of the NYC-based Screen Cartoonists Local 1461 newsletter for December 10, 1944.

Sam Cobean, "VIP" Partch, Tom Johnson, George Baker, Gus Ariola [sic], and Dan Danglo are just some of the names of the members of the service listed in Santa's long flowing beard of talent above.

My thanks to Dan Danglo himself who forwarded this to me out of the blue. I don't have much to go on, but it looks like a reproduction of the original from a later newsletter. Read the blurbs on the right hand side. If Dan has some more information, I'd be glad to update this.

---

UPDATE: From Dan Danglo:

"Re the Santa I sent....When I worked at Terrytoons in 1942, my first friends there were Milton Stein and Jim Logan...I went into the service in 1943...I got out in 1946..I had kept up my correspondence with Jim and sometime in the course of the correspondence he sent me a copy of the Santa..On a visit to Jim and Elly (sadly they're both gone now)..we went out to dinner with animator, Dave Tendlar and his wife..Dave did the Santa drawing...If you are interested, I believe I have a file, or I loaned it to Howard Beckerman, of most of the pre Terrytoon strike, union bulletins. I'm a real pack rat. Best, Dan"

--

Heck, I'd sure like to see more from that time! Dan adds these 2 photos as well:



Dan adds:

"These pix were taken at Animation House...The two civilians on the left were from an agency."

Thanks so much, Dan, for these interesting items!

Berndt Toast Gang Meeting July 27, 2006

Dan Danglo volunteered to show some of his work at the latest Berndt Toast Gang meeting. I was asking around at the last minute. It's tradition that we have someone show their work. Unfortunately, it's getting to be tradition that I forget about it! Thanks to Dan for saving the day. Dan brought in his gag cartoons, and he had whole books of his storyboards.

"Joe Oriolo (the man behind the Felix cartoons, and creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost) would come in and describe a character, and I would sketch it out," Dan explained. 

Here's Marv Levy (Harvey Comics, Snowman's First Christmas), Dan Danglo (Felix the Cat, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Joe Edwards (Archie, Lil Jinx) and Marty Macaluso (Caricaturist)

Sandy Kossin and Elaine Duillo. Between these two talented painters, their art has appeared on hundreds of covers. Elaine has been called "Queen of the Romance Covers." She paints romance book covers. Below is just one of her works:

Aha! Now you know her work, right? Elaine's had a major retrospective at the Society of Illustrators and been part of the School of Visual Arts' 100 Year Salute. Her paintings have helped sell millions of romance books. Her grandson Josh came along and he showed a bunch of wonderful cartoon drawings of his own.

Another Berndt Toast tradition that I love: They'll Do It Every Time cartoonist and opera aficionado Al Scaduto serenades the group.

Over two dozen of us attended the luncheon and we had a grand time. We chatted about an upcoming gallery show, shared photos from last month's Bunny Bash, and had the usual shop talk.

From the Dick Buchanan Files: Cops and Robbers Gag Cartoons 1939 - 1969

Dick Buchanan has graciously shared some vintage police and perpetrators cartoons from his stacks and stacks of vintage gag cartoons today. These are a lot of fun, and I enjoyed them a lot. And it was great to see some fellow Berndt Toast Gang members (Dan Danglo and Bill Hoest) in the mix. I laughed out loud at Larry Reynolds' "Butch" cartoon and really loved the wordless one by Robert Day. Chon Day's is, as usual, a howler. Thanks and take it away, Dick!

---

COPS & ROBBERS

1939 - 1967

The Cartoon Clip File is the repository of a great many gag cartoons dealing with the humorous side of crime. Here are a few we have recently officially certified as Vintage Gag Cartoons.


1. GEORGE SHANE. American Legion Magazine January, 1946.

2. BO BROWN. Brown was in law school when he sold two cartoons to The Saturday Evening Post and decided to become a gag cartoonist. American Legion Magazine July, 1963.

 

3. CHON DAY. The Saturday Evening Post March 27, 1948.

 

4. DAN DANGLO. Danglo was a cartoonist and animator who worked for Terrytoons, Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna Barbera. 1000 Jokes Magazine Spring, 1947.

 

5. DICK CAVALLI. Richard Cavalli was a commercial illustrator and cartoonist who created the comic strip Morty Meekle and its successor, Winthrop. The Saturday Evening Post January 29, 1953.

 

6. JOE ZEIS. The Saturday Evening Post October 30, 1954.

 

7. JACK TIPPIT. Tippit received the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for Amy in 1970. He also received the Society's Gag Cartoon Award for 1963 and 1966. The Saturday Evening Post May 25, 1957.

 

8. TOM HENDERSON. The Saturday Evening Post January 15, 1949.

 

9. LARRY REYNOLDS. Early appearance of the inept criminal who earned his own panel Butch which ran for more than 25 years in Collier’s and later Look Magazine. Collier’s December 23, 1939.

 

10. ROBERT DAY. Day was a long-time contributor to The New Yorker, with his drawings and eight covers appearing from 1931 to 1976. This Week Magazine February 12, 1956.

 

11. MISCHA RICHTER. Richter received the National Cartoonists Society’s Advertising and Illustration Award for 1979 and their Gag Cartoon Award for 1974. Collier’s April 16, 1954.

 

12. GEORGE HAMILTON GREEN. Collier’s November 24, 1951.

 

13. LESLIE STARKE. Starke began drawing while in the R.A.F. and became a full-time artist in 1946. Punch November 5, 1958.

 

14. BILL HOEST. Bill Hoest the creator of the gag panel series, The Lockhorns. American Legion Magazine March, 1967.

 

15. AL ROSS. Liberty Magazine July 21, 1945.

 

16. JAY IRVING. Irving’s gag cartoons featuring good-natured, rotund policemen appeared frequently in Collier’s and were the subject of many Collier’s covers in the late 1930’s. He created the comic strip Potsy in 1955. Collier’s December 23, 1939.

 

17. JERRY MARCUS. Collier’s April 5, 1952.

 

18. JO SPIER. Jo Spier was a Dutch journalist-cartoonist. He was one of the most notable book and advertising illustrators of his generation. Collier’s June 13, 1953.

 

Berndt Toast Gang Meeting March 29, 2007

It was the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for the Long Island chapter of the NCS to get together for lunch and shop talk. We started the meeting off as we usually do, with a "Berndt Toast."


Jumpin' Joe Giella and Don Orehek

We toasted King Features Editor-in-Chief Jay Kennedy. Joe Giella talked about the time when Jay took him out to lunch and told him he knew that Joe had been doing Batman and was used to drawing superheroes smashing through windows and so on -- but -- maybe -- he'd consider drawing Mary Worth.

Al Scaduto said what a shock it all was. It was Joe who called Al to give him the sad news. Here's Al:

"Many years ago, when I was still working at Bob Dunn's office up at King Features on the 17th floor, Jay Kennedy was assigned the job of Comic Editor. He was always very 'low key' and a true gentlemen, with a tremendous knowledge of comics. I met him several times, either at cartoon conventions or at King Features affairs, as well as at NCS meetings and of course, at Bunny Hoest's Annual Bash. Talking to him on the phone one day, he praised me by saying, 'Al, you do a handsome feature.' I'll truly miss this gentle man."


Sandy Kossin, Al Scaduto, Chuck Goll, Sy Barry

I got the shocking news by phone. I'd just gone out to the store, and missed a couple of calls. Bunny Hoest had left the message and I called her back. Even though it's been a couple of weeks since Jay's death, it's all, still, just hard to believe.

Like a lot of cartoonists, I first met Jay at a cartooning get together; in this case, a NYC Reubens convention back in 2000. The first thing I said embarrasses me to this day. I blurted out something like, "I'm Mike Lynch and you rejected my strip."

Gee whiz. Not really the nicest thing to say to the guy. But I caught myself and said it was OK. It was a "good rejection," I quickly added. He'd written some notes on the standard form rejection letter. These were specific comments about the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. I told him I appreciated the notes. I hoped he didn't think I was being insincere. He told me that he usually didn't write notes on rejection letters, and he asked my name. And he never forgot it.

Bill Kresse played us out, with a rendition of Amazing Grace on the harmonica.

A card for a friend of Sy's that we all signed.

We wished a happy birthday to our March birthday boys: Sy Barry, Dan Danglo, and Mort Drucker.

Joe Bennett and Emelio Squeglio. This is Joe's second visit this year. Joe, an SVA student, is going to do a documentary about the Gang.

Joe Giella and Bunny Hoest

Greg Fox, Helen Murdock Prep, Al Scaduto

Al favored us with a song. It was great to welcome him back (and Claire too!!!!) and hear him sing again.

Beauty, Beast, Beauty; Jeanine Manheim, Mike Lynch, Helen Murdock Prep

We put envelopes on the table to collect the lunch money. I doodled the diner, and someone else (my suspects are Dan Danglo or Bill Kresse) took the lump of food I'd drawn and transformed it into a face, complete with a word balloon. Instead of signing the envelope, Bill drew himself and Lorraine. See? You try to give a cartoonist a little structure and he rebels!

And so another lunch ends: the lovely restaurant hostess takes our money, and we are shown the door.

Oddball Comics LIVE Presented by Scott Shaw!

If you've ever visited Oddball Comics, an affectionate and very informative site about real life oddball comic books and the people who created them, then you'll be happy to know that Scott Shaw! (Yes, it's spelled with an exclamation point!) has taken is Web site on the road. Here is some video of his presentation:



More here:

Oddball Comics Part 2 - Lucky
Oddball Comics Part 3 - Space Western
Oddball Comics Part 4 - Sardineland
Oddball Comics Part 5 - Bizarro
Oddball Comics Part 6 - Popular Teenagers
Oddball Comics Part 7 - Supergirl and Calling All Boys

RELATED:

Fellow Berndt Toast Gang member Dan Danglo emailed me about his comic book BACHMAN THE MASTER RAILROADER. He wrote:

Mike: I came across this accidentally....Thought you might like to use it your blog...Best, Dan

You bet, Dan. For the whole story go to Scott Shaw!'s site Oddball Comics and click here.

THIS INKING LIFE Preview

This is a sneak preview of the THIS INKING LIFE gallery show. It is pretty much all hung by now, with over 100 original cartoons, comic strips and illustrations. There's a reception on Sunday afternoon at 4pm at the gallery, the Great Neck Arts Center, and most of the cartoonists will be there. Here are a few selected photos of this large exhibit of original cartoon art.

Above: this is what you see as you walk in: Ray Alma, Stan Goldberg, Mort Drucker, Joe Giella, Hy Eisman and (you can only see the edge) Brian Fies.

Click on any of these for a larger version.


Above: a closer shot of Brian Fies' work. Brian is the author of the award winning graphic novel "Mom's Cancer." Here he lays out the graphic novel whole process: the rough (bottom left, complete with copious scribbly notes to himself), the finished art, and the published result. This is one of those you can stand in front of for a while. This is the only place in the world where you can see Brian's work and I got such a kick out of him sharing his work with us.

Here's one of my favorites titled "You Wish" by Kim Warp. Under each of the three household devices is written: "Washer," "Dryer," "Folder." This cartoon originally appeared in the New Yorker.

And next to Kim's are ...


... a couple of mine, above, from Reader's Digest and Barron's. I framed the original and the published version. Brian Fies copied me. I had the idea first. Really I did!


A rare piece of Joe Edwards' original work. Joe created and drew every Lil Jinx story in Archie. And he was, as he says, there at the beginning -- when Bob Montana created Archie, Jughead and the Riverdale gang.

A stunning page by Frank Springer, above. He's worked in everything from syndicated strips, comics, to National Lampoon. Frank also has an original painting on display.

Above, Bill Kresse's verve and color add to the show. A lot of people grew up with Bill's "Super Duper" strip which ran in the NY Daily News.

Irwin Hasen's Dondi. Some breezy brush work in Dondi, which ran from 1955 to 1986. The National Cartoonists Society Division Award was awarded to Dondi twice for "Best Story Strip," in 1961 and 1962.

One of several stunning Mort Drucker originals on display. There are a couple of color ones too. This is a gatefold homage to Star Trek, showing a mountain of caricatures. Another page where you stand and look and look.

Above, some of Stephanie Piro's work. I love her inky style. The giant foot going "THWAK!" makes me smile!

Joe Giella contributes a Mary Worth Sunday. He also has a Batman and Robin portrait just as you enter. Joe's work is featured on the new series of US Postal Service DC Super Hero stamps.

Dan Danglo lets us peek in on his style with these pencils. Dan says jokingly that he attended the "University of Terrytoons," where he storyboarded many cartoons, including Felix the Cat.

Above, Benita Epstein's distinctive color magazine cartoon work. I remember laughing out loud at the one on the left when I first saw it.

Another rarity: an original Millie the Model cover by Stan Goldberg.

Above, gag cartoonist Mark Anderson shows us his process; from original to published final version. Stop copying my idea, Mark Anderson! Mark is flying down from his Chicago studio to be part of the September 16th panel. More about the panels here.


Some big Nancy Sundays, brought all the way over from Simsbury, Connecticut, far beyond the Long Island Sound, courtesy of Brad & Guy Gilchrist. Guy helms the Guy Gilchrist's Cartoonist's Academy where you "Learn Cartooning from the Professionals."

And I'm not even mentioning Lee Ames, Isabella Bannerman, Sy Barry, Howard Beckerman, Ray Billingsley, John Caldwell, Dave Carpenter, Art Cumings, Tony D'Adamo, Nick Downes, Bunny Hoest, Sandy Kossin, Robert Leighton, Arnie Levin, Sho Murase, Tony Murphy, Sam Norkin, Don Orehek, Rina Piccolo, John Reiner, Al Scaduto, Adrian Sinnott, Emilio Squeglio, Carla Ventresca, Rick Stromoski, Mort Walker, Dan Piraro --well -- you get the idea! This will be a fun show. It runs until October 1, 2006.

And don't forget that next month there will be a couple of meet-the-cartoonist panels. I hope that these will be good opportunities to meet some real pros and be able to ask them questions. See previous blog post for who will be there and the times.