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John Stephenson, Voice Actor, 1923 - 2015
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http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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Toonzone Interviews Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier on Early New York Animation - Toon Zone News
5/21/15, 2:45 AM
Tommy Stathes
Many animation fans have seen and even purchased collections of public domain cartoons on home video, but Tommy Jos Stathes used those
earliest collections (on VHS tapes in the 1990s) as a springboard to become an early animation historian, archivist, and preservationist, with a focus on
the earliest animated cartoons produced from the 1900s to the 1930s. While this early period has been documented in contemporary histories of
animation, Mr. Stathes realized that very few of the cartoons themselves were available for viewing. A quest to find any surviving animated shorts from
the period and the rise of the Internet (and eBay) led to Mr. Stathes amassing a formidable collection of early cartoons, many from before the advent of
sound in film.
Animation industry veteran J.J. Sedelmaier has also been instrumental in numerous highly influential cartoons since he and his wife founded J.J.
Sedelmaier Productions in 1990. The list of works from the studio include such influential cartoons as Beavis and Butt-head; the pilot episode of
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law; the Tek Jansen cartoons for The Colbert Report; Saturday Night Lives Ambiguously Gay Duo and The X-Presidents;
and the interstitial cartoons for the USA TV series Psych. In the world of advertising, Mr. Sedelmeiers studio resurrected the Speedy Alka-Seltzer and
Scrubbing Bubbles characters, as well as creating the original network IDs for Nickelodeons Nicktoons and Nick at Nite blocks.
Mr. Stathes and Mr. Sedelmaier will be presenting The History of Silent and Early Sound New York Animation at the Academy Theater in New York
City on May 19, 2015, showcasing over a dozen early animated shorts (almost all from Mr. Stathes collection) with live jazz accompaniment. Before the
event, we were able to talk with the two gentlemen via e-mail about this period of animation history.
TOONZONE NEWS: Up until relatively recently, people stopped watching cartoons as they grew older. Why didnt you?
TOMMY STATHES: Ive always had an interest in a combination of media and history, to an extent where if I find something fascinating, I will research
and enjoy it no matter the materials intended audience and no matter the prevailing societal opinion of a given medium. With thanks to my mother,
who was always painting, making art, or studying art history, I was always encouraged to appreciate artistic mediums of my own choice, and on my
own terms. So, the popular and shortsighted viewpoint that cartoons are for kids never resonated with me, as I was looking at the art form with the
informed and keen eye of a developing art lover and historian, realizing early on that animation is as vast an art form as live-action film is.
My appreciation for animation does not mean that my consumption hasnt changed over the years, especially upon entering adulthood. This might
come as a shock to some, but since I began working professionally with cartoons, I evolved in the sense that I dont seek them out much for
extracurricular entertainment. I dont really watch new productions, or even seek out much new-old material to watch for fun unless its something I
can add to and use in my archival collection. Since I work with the medium, I need to take breaks from it and during free time Im much more likely to
be listening to music, reading news articles, or talking with friends about social issues than watching cartoons for leisure. Ill watch cartoons when Im
acquiring them, prepping and reviewing them for projects, and the most fun of all is watching them with the audiences at my public screenings, since
its a shared experience.
http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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Toonzone Interviews Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier on Early New York Animation - Toon Zone News
5/21/15, 2:45 AM
http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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Toonzone Interviews Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier on Early New York Animation - Toon Zone News
5/21/15, 2:45 AM
TOONZONE NEWS: Despite the success of The Simpsons and Adult Swim and the like, I think theres still a wider perception that cartoons
are for kids. Can you contextualize how true that statement was in the earliest days of animation?
TOMMY STATHES: The statement that cartoons are for kids was most untrue during the first two or three decades of animation production,
compared with later decades. The earliest cartoons were filmed vaudeville chalk talks interspersed with clever in-camera editing techniques, which
were G-rated enough, but many of the other early cartoons were completely bizarre abstract streams of consciousness, as in Emil Cohls early works.
Both of these kinds of films would have been mesmerizing to children, but they often contain references to alcohol, misogyny, hallucinations, and
other very adult subject matter. The cartoons of the 1910s involved humongous mosquitos piercing human prey, over-eating and exploding animals,
political satires, WWI subjects, and other material geared toward adults. The 1920s produced many subjects about flappers, alcohol, and international
aairs. The antics of new cartoon stars like Felix the Cat and Koko the Clown obviously amused children, but they did things on screen that clearly
only adults would understand. That was true entirely from the beginning, and smarmy cartoons expressly produced with children in mind were more a
side eect of the Great Depression and a response to large-scale film censorship in the 1930s.
http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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Toonzone Interviews Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier on Early New York Animation - Toon Zone News
5/21/15, 2:45 AM
TOONZONE NEWS: The show youre doing next Tuesday is focusing on the early animation scene in New York City, which I always
associated with the Fleischer Bros. vs. Disney in Hollywood. How would you describe the dierence in attitude between the animation made
here vs. the cartoons that were coming out of Hollywood?
http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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Toonzone Interviews Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier on Early New York Animation - Toon Zone News
5/21/15, 2:45 AM
TOONZONE NEWS: Sensibilities have changed since the earliest years of the 20th century. What do you think is the hardest thing for modern
audiences to wrap their brain around or adapt to in cartoons from this era?
TOMMY STATHES: I think animated cartoons have the potential for being far less dated than historic live-action films, since its occasionally easier to
appreciate an illustration on an objectively timeless and abstract level. With live-action films, human beings in genuine 1910s clothing living in genuine
1910s cities are always going to immediately suggest that the visual information is a hundred years old, and that there is a century between us and
the actors. Similarly, though, there are always going to be many topical and time period-based pieces of information within animated cartoons that
modern audiences will not recognize or understand. Assuming someone watches and enjoys these films, perhaps the only diculty they might have in
the process is not being able to decipher every reference or identify every object or product in the film. Sometimes humor and key plot points are lost
on a viewer for that reason, but I think the mere fascination of watching a century-old animated film usually outweighs such problems.
J.J. SEDELMAIER: I suppose the innocence both in technique and content can be rough on a modern audience, as well as the pace. But
fortunately, an audience watching films like these is most likely subconsciously putting the experience in an historical context. Joel Forresters live
music that well have accompanying the first set of films will also elevate the experience for everyone!
TOONZONE NEWS: Whats next for you? Anything upcoming you want to plug?
TOMMY STATHES: In the near future, I hope to build upon my recent venture of professionally re-releasing films for the home video market. At the
end of last year, I debuted the new Cartoon Roots Blu-ray/DVD combo through my Cartoons On Film label. Cartoon Roots is a collection of fifteen fun
silent and rare early sound cartoons; a great introduction to the art form for general audiences, and the collection boasts brand new HD restorations of
rare films that have been impressing longtime fans and historians. If all goes according to plan, I should have another Blu-ray out this Fall, and I might
need to rely on a crowdfunding campaign to finish up this next release. Anyone who is interested in keeping up to date with these projects, or my
screenings, should get in touch with me via the Contact page on my personal site, TommyJose.com, so they can be added to my mailing list.
J.J. SEDELMAIER: Anything thats in production now is confidential, but I can say that were embarking on a wonderful project that consists of
separate films designed by cartoonists I admire and have wanted to work with since I was a kid! Im also very proud of the articles I write for Print
Magazines online Imprint blog. Ill also be doing multiple Wizard World ComicCon presentations in Chicago, Fort Lauderdale and Austin TX. Finally,
Im programming an animation screening event in Bridgeport at the Bijou Theater in November.
Toonzone News would like to thank Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier for taking the time to speak with us, and to Isabelle Lopez at Frank PR for
setting up the interview. Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier will be presenting The History of Silent and Early Sound New York Animation at the
http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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Toonzone Interviews Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier on Early New York Animation - Toon Zone News
5/21/15, 2:45 AM
Academy Theater on 111 E 59th St. in New York, NY, on May 19, 2015, at 7:00 PM; for more details and to buy tickets check out the event webpage
here.
Embedded videos are all courtesy of Tommy Stathes Cartoons on Film YouTube channel. You can keep up with Tommy Stathes at his website
TommyJose.com and on Jerry Becks Cartoon Research website in the Cartoons on Film section, and with J.J. Sedelmaier at J.J. Sedelmaier
Productions, and at the aforementioned articles on Print Magazines Imprint blog. Tommy Stathes 16mm want list is also available.
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7 Digital Media, Events, Industry, Interviews, Movies, News, Toons
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AMPASfrom celluloid to cgihistoryJ.J. Sedelmaiersilent filmsThe History of Silent and Early Sound New York AnimationTommy Stathes
Ed Liu
How New York City Launched the Animation Industry - An AMPAS Event with Tommy Stathes and J.J. Sedelmaier
"An Animation Showcase: From Celluloid to CGI" in NYC from April 24 - May 29, 2015
http://www.toonzone.net/2015/05/toonzone-interviews-tommy-stathes-and-j-j-sedelmaier-on-early-new-york-animation/
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