CURT PERKINS
Amazing Animators No. 8
CURT PERKINS
Jack Dunham, Joe Rinaldi and Curt Perkins in June 1938
Curtiss Dustin Perkins nasce il 25 aprile 1916 a Minneapolis, Minnesota, da Vernon A. Perkins (1884-1964) e Ella Van Horn (1885-?). Quando i suoi genitori si sposano a Minneapolis, il 9 dicembre 1914, Ella ha già avuto due figlie, Shirley (nata nel 1908) e Harriet (nata nel 1912), da un precedente matrimonio. Anche Vernon ha già un figlio, Grant (nato nel 1906).
Nei primi anni Trenta i Perkins si trasferiscono a Glendale, in California. A Hollywood, Curt debutta come layout man e character designer presso lo Studio Disney, contribuendo ai lungometraggi Biancaneve e i Sette Nani, Fantasia e Bambi.
Il 20 marzo 1939 Perkins sposa a Los Angeles Mildred Harriett Lacy (nata nel South Dakota nel 1917), e il figlio Russell nasce l’anno seguente.
Lasciata la Disney dopo il lungo sciopero del 1941, si trasferisce allo studio di Leon Schlesinger presso la Warner Bros., iniziando quel lavoro di scenografo che porterà avanti per il resto della sua carriera. Passa quindi al piccolo studio di Jim Davis, per il quale realizza anche diverse storie a fumetti con “animali buffi” che appaiono sugli albi pubblicati dall’editrice Better/Standard.
Arruolato nel 1943, Perkins è uno dei molti artisti dell’animazione impiegati presso il laboratorio scientifico della Marina USA ad Anacostia, Washington DC. Dopo il congedo, nel 1946, realizza alcune storie a fumetti con “animali buffi” per i Sangor Studios, poi pubblicate sugli albi dell’editrice Better/Standard. Torna anche a collaborare ai cortometraggi animati per lo studio dell’ex regista della Warner Bros. Bob Clampett. Negli anni Cinquanta realizza scenografie per Sketchbook Film Productions, Snowball (il nuovo studio di proprietà di Bob Clampett) e Jack Kinney Productions (contribuendo ai cartoni di Braccio di Ferro).
All’inizio degli anni Sessanta entra allo studio di Hanna-Barbera, contribuendo a numerose serie animate televisive fino al 1971. Trascorre tuttavia periodi presso altri studi quali Ed Graham Productions (Linus! The Lionhearted) e Grantray-Lawrence (super-eroi Marvel).
Gli anni Settanta lo vedono in forza alla Filmation Associates, dove collabora ancora a numerose serie animate televisive fino al 1981, con una pausa nel 1974, quando lavora alla Chuck Jones Enterprises sulle scenografie di Yankee Doodle Cricket.
Perkins scompare l’11 giugno 1996 a Woodland Hills, in California.
Curtiss Dustin Perkins was born April 25 1916 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Vernon A. Perkins (1884-1964) and Ella Van Horn (1885-?). When his parents got married in Minneapolis, on December 9, 1914, Ella already had two daughters, Shirley (born 1908) and Harriet (born 1912), from a previous marriage. Vernon, too, had another son, Grant (born 1906).
In the early thirties the Perkins family moved to Glendale, California. In Hollywood, Curt made his debut as a layout man and character designer at the Disney Studio, contributing to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia and Bambi.
On March 20, 1939 Perkins married Mildred Harriett Lacy (born 1917 in South Dakota) in Los Angeles, and a son, Russell, was born the following year.
Having left Disney after the 1941 strike, he moved to Leon Schlesinger’s studio at Warner Bros., as a background painter. He then worked at the small studio managed by Jim Davis, for whom he also drew some funny animal comics published by Better/Standard. Drafted in 1943, Perkins was one of the many animation workers employed by the United States Naval Photographic Science Laboratory in Anacostia, Washington DC. Back to civilian life in 1946, he drew a few stories for Sangor Studios which were published in funny animal comic books by Better/Standard. He also contributed to animated shorts produced by former Warner Bros. director Bob Clampett’s studio. During the fifties he painted backgrounds for Sketchbook Film Productions, Snowball (Bob Clampett’s new studio), and Jack Kinney Productions (on Popeye cartoons).
He joined the Hanna-Barbera studio in the early sixties, contributing to numerous animated TV series until 1971. He also did stints at Ed Graham Productions (Linus! The Lionhearted) and Grantray-Lawrence (Marvel Superheroes).
He spent the seventies at Filmation Associates, again contributing to several Saturday morning TV series until 1981, except for a period in 1974, when he worked on backgrounds for Yankee Doodle Cricket at Chuck Jones Enterprises.
Perkins passed away on June 11, 1996 in Woodland Hills, California.
FILMOGRAFIA / FILMOGRAPHY
Studio: DISNEY c.1936-1941
Design dei personaggi, Layouts / Character Design, Layouts
21/12/1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
13/11/1940 Fantasia [Nutcracker Suite]
13/08/1942 Bambi
Studio: SCHLESINGER/WARNER BROS. c.1941-1943
Scenografie, Design delle scenografie / Backgrounds, Background Design
1941-1943 Cortometraggi sconosciuti / Unknown shorts
16/09/1944 Plane Daffy [Looney Tunes – Daffy Duck]
Studio: JIM DAVIS PRODUCTIONS c.1943
Scenografie / Backgrounds
Studio: U.S. NAVAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SCIENCE LAB c.1943-1945
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1944-1945 Inserti animati in film per la Marina USA / Animated Inserts in U.S. Navy Training Films
Studio: BOB CLAMPETT PRODUCTIONS 1946
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1947 It’s a Grand Old Nag [with Charlie Horse, for REPUBLIC]
Studio: SKETCHBOOK FILM PRODUCTIONS c.1954
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1954 Tom Schuler–Cobbler, Statesman [for US Information Agency]
Studio: SNOWBALL c.1958-1959
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1959 Matty’s Funday Funnies aka Beany and Cecil [TV series – 2 episodes]
Studio: JACK KINNEY PRODUCTIONS c.1960
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1960-1961 Popeye
Studio: HANNA-BARBERA c.1962-1963/1967-1971
Scenografie / Backgrounds
05/09/1963 Not in Nottingham [Loopy de Loop]
15/09/1968 The Magic Shillelah [TV series The New Adventures of Huck Finn]
01/01/1969 A Fair Day for Tooly [TV series The Banana Splits Adventure Hour]
05/01/1969 Mission of Captain Mordecai [TV series The New Adventures of Huck Finn]
13/09/1969-03/01/1970 Dastardly and Muttley and Their Flying Machines [TV series – 17 episodes]
1970 Josie and the Pussycats [TV series]
19/09/1970-31/10/1970 Scooby-Doo Where Are You? [TV series – 8 episodes]
06/11/1971 Gobs of Gobaloons [TV series Help! It’s the Hair Bear Bunch]
14/10/1972 Hectic Holiday [TV series The Roman Holidays]
02/12/1972 Cyrano deHappius [TV series The Roman Holidays]
Design delle scenografie / Background Designer
03/06/1964 Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear!
Studio: ED GRAHAM c.1964-1965
Scenografie / Backgrounds
26/09/1964 Mocking Bird [TV series Linus! The Lionhearted]
03/10/1964 Adrift on the Rapids [TV series Linus! The Lionhearted]
11/09/1965 Linus to the Rescue [TV series Linus! The Lionhearted]
Studio: GRANTRAY-LAWRENCE c.1965-1967
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1966 The Marvel Super Heroes [TV series]
09/09/1967-20/01/1968 Spider-Man [TV series – 25 episodes]
Studio: FILMATION ASSOCIATES c.1972-1981
Scenografie / Backgrounds
1973 Mission: Magic! [TV series]
1973 My Favorite Martians [TV series]
1973 Treasure Island [TV Special]
1973 Lassie’s Rescue Rangers [TV series]
07/09/1974-00/00/1974 The New Adventures of Gilligan [TV series]
08/09/1973-12/10/1974 Star Trek [TV series – 22 episodes]
1974 Oliver Twist [TV Special]
07/09/1974-21/12/1974 The US of Archie [TV series – 16 episodes]
1975 The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty [TV series]
11/09/1976-18/12/1976 Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle [TV series – 16 episodes]
1976-1980 Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids [TV series]
10/02/1977-1977 The New Adventures of Batman [TV series – 16 episodes]
10/09/1977-1977 Space Sentinels [TV series]
24/10/1977 The Fat Albert Halloween Special [TV Special]
18/12/1977 The Fat Albert Christmas Special [TV Special]
1977 The New Archie/Sabrina Hour [TV series]
1978 Tarzan and the Super 7 [TV series]
1978 Fabulous Funnies [TV series]
1979 The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle/Quacula [TV series]
22/09/1979-05/01/1980 Flash Gordon [TV series – 16 episodes]
16/09/1979-16/11/1980 Sport Billy [TV series – 26 episodes]
1980 The New Adventures of Tom and Jerry [TV series]
1980 The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour [TV series]
19/11/1980 A Snow White Christmas [TV Movie]
21/08/1982 Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All [TV Movie]
1982 Mighty Mouse in the Great Space Chase [TV Special]
10/03/1983 The Fat Albert Easter Special [TV Special]
Studio: CHUCK JONES ENTERPRISES 1974
Scenografie / Backgrounds
16/01/1975 Yankee Doodle Cricket [TV Movie]
FUMETTOGRAFIA / COMICOGRAPHY
Editore / Publisher: BETTER (aka NEDOR, STANDARD)
Gilbert – Coo Coo Comics #22, 26, 27 (1946).
Gooligan – Goofy Comics #17 (1946).
Hi-Ho Silver Fox – Goofy Comics #17 (1946).
A Pig Tale – Coo Coo Comics #28 (1946) [anche testi / also script].
