Walter Lantz
Photo: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons16

Walter Lantz

American animator (1899–1994)

Walter Benjamin Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Walter Lantz (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 27, 1899, died Mar 22, 1994.1

Companies

Early life and education

Early years and start in animation

Lantz was born on April 27, 1899, in New Rochelle, New York, to Italian immigrant parents Francesco Paolo Lantz (formerly Lanza) from Castiglione Cosentino, Italy and Maria Gervasi (changed to Jarvis to avoid prejudice) from Calitri. Walter's father ran a grocery. His mother, Maria, died while giving birth to Walter's younger brother, Michael Lantz. Walter's father, Francesco, soon became physically incapacitated leaving Walter to run the grocery store at a young age. According to Joe Adamson's biography The Walter Lantz Story, Lantz's father was given his new surname by an immigration official who anglicized it. Walter Lantz was always interested in art, completing a mail-order drawing class at age 12. He was inspired when he saw Winsor McCay's animated short Gertie the Dinosaur.

While working as an auto mechanic, Lantz got his first break. Wealthy customer Fred Kafka liked his drawings on the garage's bulletin board and financed Lantz's studies at the Art Students League of New York. Kafka also helped him land a job as a copy boy at the New York American, owned by William Randolph Hearst. Lantz worked at the newspaper and attended art school at night.

By the age of 16, Lantz was working in the animation department of International Film Service studio under director Gregory La Cava. Lantz then worked at the John R. Bray Studios on the Jerry on the Job series. In 1924, Lantz directed, animated and even starred in his first cartoon series "Dinky Doodle", which included the popular fairy tale animated shorts Cinderella (1925) and Little Red Riding Hood (1925). Lantz soon replaced George "Vernon" Stallings as head of production at Bray in 1924. At the urging of his friend Robert G. Vignola, Lantz moved to Hollywood, California, after Bray switched to a publicity film studio in 1927, where he attempted to set up his own cartoon studio with Pinto Colvig, but their sound cartoons never got produced. In the meantime, he worked briefly for director Frank Capra and was a gag writer for Mack Sennett comedies. He also resorted to odd jobs, one of them being a chauffeur.

From Wikipedia’s article on Walter Lantz (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: comics artist, cartoonist, draftsperson, animator, film producer, director, film director.5

Later career

Walter Lantz brought his old theatrical cartoons to network television in 1957, with The Woody Woodpecker Show (1957-58). Each half-hour program featured new live-action segments with Lantz himself, hosting the show and demonstrating the animation process. The series, originally telecast on ABC, was later syndicated to local stations until 1966. The Woody Woodpecker Show returned to NBC's Saturday-morning schedule in 1970, minus the live-action appearances by Lantz, and again in 1976.

Lantz entertained the troops during the Vietnam War and visited hospitalized veterans. Walter Lantz was a good friend of special-effects animator George Pal.

By the late 1960s, other movie studios had discontinued their animation departments, leaving Lantz as one of two producers still making cartoons for theaters (the other was DePatie-Freleng Enterprises). Lantz finally closed his studio's doors for good in 1972, because by then, he explained, it was economically impossible to continue producing them and stay in business as rising inflation had strained his profits, and Universal serviced the remaining demand with reissues of his older cartoons.

From Wikipedia’s article on Walter Lantz (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornApr 27, 1899, New Rochelle6
  • DiedMar 22, 1994, Burbank7
  • CitizenshipUnited States8
  • ResidenceNew York City9
  • SpousesDoris Hollister10; Grace Stafford 1940 to 199210 11
  • Children112

Awards

  • 1979Academy Honorary Award13
  • 1973Winsor McCay Award13
  • Date not recordedAnnie Award13
  • Date not recordedstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame13

Sources

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