VIVIE RISTO
Amazing Animators No. 5
VIVIE RISTO
Veve (Vive, Vivie) W. Risto nasce a Terry, South Dakota, il 1° novembre 1902 da genitori di origini finlandesi, Oscar W. Risto e Hilda Koistenen. Vive ha due fratelli, Wilfred (n. 1900) e Verner (n. 1901), e una sorella, Viena (n. 1907). Intorno al 1909 la famiglia si trasferisce a Lackamas, nello stato di Washington, dove nel 1911 nasce un altro figlio, Wally. Poi i genitori divorziano, e i figli continuano a vivere con la madre.
Vivie si trasferisce a New York, dove frequenta la Grand Central School. Dal 1930 al 1935 lavora come disegnatore-reporter per vari quotidiani, prima nella Grande Mela e poi a Portland, Oregon, dove frequenta anche la Academy of Fine Arts.
Nel 1935 debutta nel settore dell’animazione presso lo studio dei Fratelli Fleischer.
Successivamente si trasferisce in California, dove tra il 1935 e il 1938 è animatore presso lo studio Terrytoons. Continua intanto gli studi artistici a Los Angeles presso Lukits, UCLA e Chouinard Art Institute.
Dal 1938 al 1942 è animatore in forza allo studio di Leon Schlesinger, dove lavora con il regista Bob Clampett. Del suo team fanno parte anche John Carey, Izzy Ellis, Bobe Cannon, Dave Hoffman e Norman McCabe, che prima affianca e poi sostituisce Clampett alla regia. Durante questi ani Risto abita a Los Angeles, all’8543 di Pickford Ave., con la moglie Anita Lane (n. 1916) e la figlia Carolyn Virginia (n. 1940).
Per il Natale del 1941 realizza un biglietto illustrato di auguri che invia ai suoi colleghi e anche al boss Leon Schlesinger, il quale lo segnala all’editrice Western Printing per disegnare a fumetti i personaggi della Warner Bros. sull’albo Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.
Ben presto Risto abbandona l’animazione e dal 1942 al 1965 realizza per la Western un gran numero di storie con i personaggi di Warner Bros., Disney, MGM, Walter Lantz e Hanna-Barbera in uno stile inconfondibile. I lettori lo ricordano soprattutto per le avventure del cane della prateria Wuff (Flic e Floc), del falchetto Henery (Gigetto) e del pinguino Chilly Willy (Frigo). Fino al 1962 scrive anche molte storie, disegnandole completamente ed eseguendo anche il lettering. Successivamente si limita al disegno a matita e il suo tratto appare meno riconoscibile.
Il 29 giugno 1957 la figlia di Risto, Carolyn, sposa a Los Angeles il ventiduenne Harold Carl Thystrup.
Tra il 1961 e il 1964, sempre per la Western, disegna i personaggi di Hanna-Barbera anche per pubblicazioni britanniche. Per testate non americane disegna nel 1963-64 anche alcune storie con i paperi disneyani.
Nel 1964 torna all’animazione presso Hanna-Barbera, contribuendo per anni a diverse serie televisive, come animatore e direttore della sceneggiatura.
Nel 1975 inizia a realizzare quadri con i personaggi da lui animati negli anni Trenta, tra i quali Betty Boop. Ritiratosi nel 1979, scompare a Los Angeles, in California, il 23 aprile 1981.
Veve (Vive, Vivie) W. Risto was born November 1, 1902 in Terry, South Dakota, from Finnish-born parents Oscar W. Risto and Hilda Koistenen. Vivie had two brothers, Wilfred (b. 1900) and Verner (b. 1901), and a sister, Viena (b. 1907). Around 1909 the family moved to Lackamas, Washington, where another son, Wally, was born in 1911. Then the Ristos divorced, and the children continued living with their mother.
Vivie moved to New York, where he attended the Grand Central School. From 1930-35 he worked as an artist-reporter for various newspapers, in NYC and then in Portland, Oregon, where he also attended the Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1935 he made his debut in animation at the Fleischer studio. He later moved to California, where from 1935-38 he animated at Terrytoons. In the meantime he continued his art education in Los Angeles at Lukits, UCLA, and the Chouinard Art Institute.
From 1938-42 he was an animator at the Leon Schlesinger/Warner Bros. Studio, under director Bob Clampett. In his team there were also John Carey, Izzy Ellis, Bobe Cannon, Dave Hoffman, and Norman McCabe, who first assisted and then replaced Clampett as a director. During these years Risto lived in Los Angeles at 8543 Pickford with wife Anita Lane (b. 1916) and daughter Carolyn Virginia (b. 1940).
At Christmas 1941 he created an illustrated card he sent to his colleagues as well as to his boss Leon Schlesinger, who introduced him to Western Printing to draw comics featuring the Warner Bros. characters on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Soon afterwards Risto left animation and from 1942-65 concentrated on comics, drawing for Western a great deal of stories featuring Warner Bros., Disney, MGM, Walter Lantz and Hanna-Barbera characters in his unmistakable style. Readers remember him mostly because of the adventures of Wuff the prairie dog, of Henery Hawk, and of penguin Chilly Willy. Until 1962 he also wrote several stories, drawing and lettering them. Later on Risto limited himself to penciling, so that his style was no longer easily identifiable.
On June 29, 1957 Risto’s daughter, Carolyn, married 22-year-old Harold Carl Thystrup in Los Angeles.
From 1961-64, again for Western, he also drew the Hanna-Barbera characters for British periodicals. During 1963-64 he also pencilled a few Disney stories for Overseas publication.
In 1964 he went back to animation with Hanna-Barbera, contributing for years to various TV series, both as animator and story director.
In 1975 he started doing paintings of the characters he had animated back in the Thirties, like Betty Boop. Having retired in 1979, he passed away on April 23, 1981 in Los Angeles, California.
FILMOGRAFIA / FILMOGRAPHY
Studio: FLEISCHER 1935
1935 Betty Boop
Studio: TERRYTOONS 1935-1938
1935-1937 Farmer Al Falfa
1937-1938 Puddy
Studio: LEON SCHLESINGER/WARNER BROS. 1938-1942
Animatore / Animator
26/11/1938 The Daffy Doc [Looney Tunes – Daffy Duck & Porky Pig]
07/01/1939 The Lone Stranger and Porky [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
18/02/1939 Porky’s Tire Trouble [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
11/03/1939 Porky’s Movie Mystery [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
01/04/1939 Chicken Jitters [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
13/05/1939 Kristopher Kolumbus Jr. [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
03/06/1939 Polar Pals [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
24/06/1939 Scalp Trouble [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig & Daffy Duck]
15/07/1939 Porky’s Picnic [Merrie Melodies – Porky Pig & Petunia]
02/09/1939 Porky’s Hotel [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
23/09/1939 Jeepers Creepers [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
07/10/1939 Naughty Neighbors [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
04/11/1939 Pied Piper Porky [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
16/12/1939 The Film Fan [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
06/01/1940 Porky’s Last Stand [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
27/01/1940 Africa Squeaks [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
17/02/1940 Ali-Baba Bound [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
16/03/1940 Pilgrim Porky [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
13/04/1940 Slap-Happy Pappy [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
27/04/1940 Porky’s Poor Fish [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
08/06/1940 The Chewin’ Bruin [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
24/08/1940 Patient Porky [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
12/10/1940 Prehistoric Porky [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
02/11/1940 The Sour Puss [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
21/12/1940 The Timid Toreador [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
11/01/1941 Porky’s Snooze Reel [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
29/03/1941 Goofy Groceries [Merrie Melodies]
10/05/1941 Farm Frolics [Merrie Melodies]
07/06/1941 A Coy Decoy [Looney Tunes – Daffy Duck & Porky Pig]
05/07/1941 Meet John Doughboy [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
09/08/1941 We, the Animals – Squeak! [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
30/08/1941 The Henpecked Duck [Looney Tunes – Daffy Duck & Porky Pig]
11/10/1941 Robinson Crusoe, Jr. [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
27/12/1941 Porky’s Pooch [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
14/02/1942 Who’s Who in the Zoo [Looney Tunes – Porky Pig]
02/05/1942 Daffy’s Southern Exposure [Looney Tunes – Daffy Duck]
06/06/1942 Hobby Horse-Laffs [Looney Tunes]
20/06/1942 Gopher Goofy [Looney Tunes]
01/08/1942 The Ducktators [Looney Tunes]
05/09/1942 The Impatient Patient [Looney Tunes – Daffy Duck]
Model Sheets
29/08/1942 Elmer Fudd Model Sheet
Studio: HANNA-BARBERA 1964-1978
Animatore / Animator
00/00/1965 Loopy de Loop
00/09/1965-02/09/1966 The Flintstones [TV Series]
10/09/1966-07/09/1968 Space Ghost and Dino Boy [TV Series]
14/09/1968-04/01/1969 The Wacky Races [TV Series, 17 episodes]
13/09/1969-03/01/1970 Dastardly and Muttley and Their Flying Machines [TV Series, 17 episodes]
06/11/1971 Gobs of Gobaloons [Help! It’s the Hair Bear Bunch TV Series]
08/09/1973 Mr. Bigot [Yogi’s Gang TV Series]
15/12/1973 Mr. Hothead [Yogi’s Gang TV Series]
07/09/1974-00/00/1974 Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch [TV Series]
21/12/1974 Comedy Cowboys [Hong Kong Phooey TV Series]
06/09/1975-00/00/1975 The New Tom and Jerry Show [TV Series]
11/09/1976-18/12/1976 The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour [TV Series, 16 episodes]
04/12/1976-03/09/1977 The Mumbly Cartoon Show [TV Series]
10/09/1977-09/12/1977 The All-New Super Friends Hour [TV Series, 7 episodes]
10/09/1977-12/12/1977 Scooby’s All-Star Laff-a-Lympics [TV Series, 13 episodes]
03/06/1978-02/09/1978 Dynomutt Dog Wonder [TV Series]
09/09/1978-23/12/1978 Challenge of the Super Friends [TV Series, 16 episodes]
09/09/1978-08/09/1979 Scooby’s All-Stars [TV Series]
09/09/1978-01/12/1979 Godzilla [TV Series, 20 episodes]
Assistente animatore / Assistant animator
07/08/1966 The Man Called Flintstone
Direttore della sceneggiatura / Story Director
08/09/1973-27/10/1973 The New Scooby-Doo Movies [TV series, 8 episodes]
Animatore e direttore della sceneggiatura / Animator and story director
08/09/1973-31/08/1974 Inch High, Private Eye [TV Series]
FUMETTOGRAFIA / COMICOGRAPHY
COMIC BOOKS
Editore/Publisher: DELL (alias K.K. PUBLICATIONS, WESTERN PRINTING)
Beaky Buzzard – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #19, 22, 24, 33, 48, 49 (1942-45).
Bucky Bug – WDC&S #43-49, 73, 77 (1944/46/47).
Bozo the Clown – Bozo the Clown (1951).
Bugs Bunny – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #96 (1949).
Chester Turtle – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1943).
Chilly Willy – Andy Panda #34-39, 42-56 (1956-57/58-61); Dell Giant Comics #24, 54 (1959/61); Four Color Comics #792, 852, 967, 1017, 1074, 1122, 1177, 1212, 1281 [solo matite / pencils only #1281] (1957-62); New Funnies #222-260, 278-284 (1955-58/60-61); Woody Woodpecker #37-61 (1956-60); Woody Woodpecker’s Back to School #4, 6 (1955/57); Woody Woodpecker’s County Fair #5 (1956), 2 (1958).
Copertine / Cover art – Four Color Comics #1122, 1177, 1212 (1960-61).
Cousin Bertie – WDC&S #36 (1943).
Daffy Duck and Henery Hawk – Bugs Bunny’s Vacation Funnies #1 (1951); Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #158 (1954).
Elmer Fudd – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #15, 18, 21, 40-76, 79-84, 96-101 (1943/44-48/49-50).
Gremlins – WDC&S #33 (1943).
Henery Hawk – Bugs Bunny’s Christmas Funnies #1-5 (1950-53); Bugs Bunny’s Christmas Parade #6-9 (1955-59); Bugs Bunny’s County Fair #1 (1957); Bugs Bunny’s Halloween Parade #1, 2 (1953/54); Bugs Bunny’s Trick ’n’ Treat Halloween Fun #3 (1955); Bugs Bunny’s Vacation Funnies #1-7 (1951/52/53/54/55/56/57); Dell Giant Comics #28, 32, 46 (1960/61); Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #33-127, 129-155 (1944-54); Porky Pig #46-81 (1956-62).
Homer Pigeon – Animal Comics #6 (1943); Comic Album #13 (1961); Dell Giant Comics #24, 54 (1959/61); New Funnies #82-100, 178, 181-210, 222-236 (1943-45/51-56); Woody Woodpecker’s County Fair #2 (1958); Woody Woodpecker’s Back to School #1-4, 6 (1952/53/54/57); Woody Woodpecker’s County Fair #5 (1956), 2 (1958).
Homer Pigeon and Chilly Willy – New Funnies #211-219 (1954-55).
Huckleberry Hound – Huckleberry Hound #16, 17 (1962).
Inspector Willoughby – Comic Album #17 (1962); Dell Giant Comics #54 (1961); New Funnies #287 (1962).
Knothead and Splinter – Comic Album #17 (1962); New Funnies #198 (1953).
The Li’l Bad Wolf – WDC&S #110 (1949).
Little Iodine – Little Iodine [solo testi / scripts only] (1949-55).
Mickey Mouse – Four Color Comics #79 (1945).
Ping and Pong – Four Color Comics #1281 (1962).
Porky Pig – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #47, 48 (1945).
Public Service Page – (1942).
Quick Draw McGraw – Quick Draw McGraw #8-11 [solo matite / pencils only] (1961-62).
Shutterbug – Comic Album #1-3 [anche testi / also scripts] (1958).
Tavole con testo narrativo e illustrazioni / Text Illustration Pages – Andy Panda #54 (1961); Bugs Bunny #78, 80 (1961); Comic Album #9, 13 (1960/61); Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #79, 239 (1948/61); MGM’s Spike and Tyke #8 [?], 24 (1956/60); New Funnies #287 (1962); Space Mouse #1-5.
Wuff the Prairie Dog – Dell Giant Comics #21 (1959); Our Gang Comics #23-59 (1946-49); Tom and Jerry Back to School #1 (1956); Tom and Jerry Comics #60-212 (1949-62); Tom and Jerry Picnic Time #1 (1958); Tom and Jerry Toy Fair #1 (1958); Tom and Jerry’s Summer Fun #1-4 (1954-57); Tom and Jerry’s Winter Carnival #1, 2 (1952/53); Tom and Jerry’s Winter Funnies #3-7 (1954/55/56/57).
Editore/Publisher: GOLD KEY (alias K.K. PUBLICATIONS, WESTERN PRINTING)
Andy Panda and Charlie Chicken – Woody Woopecker #73, 74 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962).
Augie Doggie – Quick Draw McGraw #12 [solo matite / pencils only] (1963).
Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy – Augie Doggie #1 [solo matite / pencils only] (1963); Top Cat #4 [solo matite / pencils only – chine/inks: Steve Steere] (1962).
The Flintstones – The Flintstones Bigger and Boulder #1 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962).
Henery Hawk – Bugs Bunny #88 [solo matite / pencils only] (1963).
Huckleberry Hound – Huckleberry Hound #16, 17 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962).
Inspector Willoughby – Woody Woodpecker #75 [solo matite / pencils only] (1963).
Quick Draw McGraw – Quick Draw McGraw #12 [solo matite / pencils only] (1963); Yogi Bear #21 [solo matite – chine di Steve Steere] (1965).
Snooper and Blabber – Quick Draw McGraw #12 [solo matite / pencils only] (1963); Snagglepuss #2 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962); Snooper and Blabber Detectives #1, 2 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962-63).
Tavole con testo narrativo e illustrazioni – Space Mouse #1-5 (1962-63).
Top Cat – Top Cat #4 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962).
Wuff the Prairie Dog – Tom and Jerry #213-218 [solo matite / pencils only] (1962-64).
B) FUMETTI PER IL MERCATO EXTRA-americano / COMICS FOR NON-AMERICAN PUBLICATIONS
Editore/Publisher: CITY [Gran Bretagna / Great Britain]
Huckleberry Hound – Huckleberry Hound Weekly #1-? (07/10/1961-1964).
Yogi Bear – Yogi Bear’s Own Weekly #1-76 (27/10/1962-28/03/1964).
Editore/Publisher: WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS
[NOTA / NOTE: Queste storie non sono state pubblicate negli USA / These stories were only published outside the USA; Chine / Inks: Ellis Eringer]
S64005 (1964) Uncle Scrooge – It’s Seasonal.
S64013 (1964) Uncle Scrooge – The Mighty Hunters.
S64014 (1964) Uncle Scrooge – Count Down.
S64019 (1964) Donald Duck – Snooze Cruize.
S64022 (1964) Uncle Scrooge – A Star is Born.
Betty's Balancing Act, oil on canvas, 1975