KREG and the KATZ

It's a funny thing about cats. They love me. Lots. Must know that I'm somewhat allergic. When I was younger, it was even worse - - puddy tats had me hacking and wheezing like Mister Magoo laughing.

Ironically, some of our most fun and profitable puppet projects involved cats. Here are pictures of a few of our Flexitoon felines. . . nothing more than felines. . .

I built COUNTRY CAT in 1974 when my then partner Holly Smith and I began touring schools after several CoLoRfUl years performing psychedlic puppet shows at colleges with the MARKO PUPPET THEATRE. Country Cat, bless him, has worn the wear well, as you can see in the above picture from a recent star turn in Film Fest Fave FOREST 40 TREES. He is assayed here by one-time VENTRILOQUIST OF THE YEAR - - ALAN SEMOK.

In 1986 we helped pioneer INTERACTIVE TELEVISION invented by Dr. Michael Freeman. The man was a genius. Not only did he create many and lasting patents for true interactivity but, he also hired us. His network was ACTV, and we starred on programs for pre-schoolers (A SPECIAL PLACE, THE BOB SHOW); school-age kids (CARTOON CAVALCADE); and pre-teens (GUESS WHAT?) Pictured above is the rascally star of A Special Place, KATMANDOO.
Starred on FOX-TV as DJ KAT (another cat-in-the-cradle). Here's a backstage view with my exuberant on-camera co-star, CARMEN DeLa Paz. Since my hands are otherwise occupied, she's scratching my head. What price fame?

When DJ KAT won the New York State Broadcasters Award for Outstanding Children's Television Series, FOX-TV decided to change the format and strip the show 5 days a week from 2:00 - 5:00, using the Kat and other Flexitoon Puppets as hosts of a daily cartoon fest. We called the show the DJ KAT CLUB. The network wanted the character softend, so we did (below. Taken at NAPTE. I'm looking at the camera - - he's looking at Xena).

"Goin' Up" (PBS Special) brought another cat into our fold, the streetwise, KATITUDE. (That's me con el gatto, and Olga Felgemacher goosing Skylar into existence.)

And here's the CHESHIRE CAT from our stage production of ALICE IN WINTER WONDERLANDTM

All these cats have been furry-furry good to us through the years. Which brings us to today. Our latest project is a new comedy series starring Flexitoon Puppet versions of the World's Most Famous Feline:

Felix was created by the brilliant animator JOE ORIOLO, and we've been friends with his son Don for years. We've been jamming ways to puppetize the characters and now suddenly, it's a happening thing! Don is a terrific talent: very creative, artistic, musical and funny, and his team at Felix Productions are great guys (and goils) as well.

Here's how Don tells all:

http://www.donsfelixblog.com/2009-07-28_BLOG.html

We're very excited and pleased 'cause now all we gotta do is . . . take these globally beloved characters and turn them into three dimensional living breathing puppets that captures the essence of Felix, The Professor, Poindexter, VaVoom. Hmmmmmm. . .

filmed in SUPERMARIONATION!!!

Had a request for SUPERCAR!

above:

SUPERCAR & ZOMBIES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL2vaSNbPbo&feature=PlayList&p=E08B1E1D3CA16C41&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10

OBAZ TURNS 16!

What's an OBAZ?

Fair question. He's our family dog.

But if you look at the pictures, even that explanation falls short. . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OBAZ!!!

LOOPY SLOOP

HEINZ EDELMANN DIES

Whom, you may ask? HEINZ EDELMANN designed all the characters, creatures and landscapes in the landmark animated oddessy:

YELLOW SUBMARINE

Yep, it was Heinz (not Peter Max) who inspired a generation af animators with his far-out and fully realized alternate Cartooniverse. Of course, the music was pretty great too!

I saw this movie about 28 times when it first came out. You know what I mean. In fact, in our MARKO PUPPET THEATRE production "THE FAMILY", the two lovers plot a clandestine meeting at the movies. What's playing? YELLOW SUBMARINE!

Here's the obituary in the NY TImes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/arts/design/23edelmann.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=heinz%20edlemann%20yellow%20submarine%20artist%20dies&st=cse

A POTPOUREE OF POWERFUL PUPPETS

"LET'S HAVE FUN"

with

CHUCK McCANN

(my former partner) Holly Smith, Me, Steve Stegman and

PAUL ASHLEY

Backstage in Warwick, R.I. 1974

PAUL ASHLEY'S VARIETY SHOW PUPPETS


BIL BAIRD & SLUGGER RYAN


BIL & CORA
On The Bridge


DISHONEST JOHN & CECIL
from
"TIME FOR BEANY"
(1949)


BOB CLAMPETT & CECIL


GEORGE PAL
He of the
PUPPETOONS


WINCHELL/MAHONEY TIME

SHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Secret shot. . .

KUKLA FRAN & OLLIE & JERRY & PAUL

BURR'S EYE VIEW

(Burr Tillstrom)

POOKIE THE LION . . .

. . . courtesy of

FRANK NASTASI

WALTER CRONKITE HAS PASSED AWAY

He set the standard rarely broached any longer. . .

(if you'd like to see the Cronkite puppet in action, scroll down two posts below: He opens Cartoony Vision)

SOUPY+POOKIE+CRAIG (oh, man!)

FLEXITOON TRIBUTE TO SOUPY SALES at the Sons Of The Desert Founding Tent party at the PLAYERS CLUB in NYC. Pie was served.

CARTOONY VISION

WAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy back in 1985 I had an idea for a syndicated series that used cartoons the same way MTV used music videos back in the day when MTV actually played music videos. The resulting show was called CARTOONY VISION (CTV) and it starred CJ the CARTOON JOCKEY in his VideoBooth, where he screened "all your favorite frantic animated antics." I co-wrote it with National Lampoon vet Sean Kelly, and the music is by Peter S. Bliss. Here are all three parts -- sans cartoons and dubbed from an oft-screened VHS -- of Episode One.

WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT?

What's new? Lotsa great stuff, I'll tell ya what.
And in the interim, here's a swing past Schemer's Arcade @ Shining Time Station, where the Juke Box Band has been replaced by the RAT'S NEST . . .

RANKIN, BASS AND RICK

If you guys love the ANIMAGIC specials like

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

&

THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS

Then there is only one spot on the web that gives them their due, and that's

Created by artist, historian, writer, musician and all around good-guy mensch and my pal RICK GOLDSCHMIDT, this is a vertitable treasure trove for all things Rankin/Bass.

http://www.enchantedworldofrankinbass.blogspot.com/
Get thee hence and smile!

HOWDY DOODY CONVENTION of AUGHT-FOUR

Our good friend (and excellent-but-occasional puppeteer) JACK ROTH threw a convention for the HOWDY DOODY CLUB in White Plains. NY. The dates were Friday October 1--Sunday October 3, 2004. He (they) put together a fun event with a chance for fans to get celebrity autographs (SOUPY SALES was there!) as well as purchase memorabila. But mostly they assembled from far-and-wide to collude with like-minded denizens of DoodyVille.

The event culminated with a once-in-a-lifetime performance featuring a Buffalo Bob impersonator yes, but the pulse-racing stars of the evening were spot-on replicas of the ORIGINAL HOWDY DOODY MARIONETTES, built to perfection by puppet craftsman RIC LILJEBLAD (Ric has worked with Flexitoon on and off for several years as well.)

(from left: Graphic Artist Dan Tremblay, Olga Felgemacher, Pady Blackwood, puppet-maker Ric Liljeblad, light and sound technician Alex Bartosh, and me directing sans riders crop, though Ric would probably disagree.)

Jack wrote a broadcast-worthy script and brought in the one-and-only-and-legendary marionette-manipulator PADY BLACKWOOD to spring Howdy to life once again (Pady has been Howdy's main puppenspieler since the early 1970's. See OLDER POSTS for more of Pady's storied career.) Jack also asked OLGA FELGEMACHER to puppeteer. Pady and Olga hadn't worked together since his days at the BIL BAIRD THEATER in Manhattan, so it was a wonderful reunion to witness, both off-stage and on.

Olga & Pady

When Jack called and asked me to direct, Mike Campbell and I were in the middle of editing the Flexitoon series THE HAMPTOONS . . .

. . . but I couldn't say no to Jack.

The performance was a real crowd-pleaser and went off amazingly smoothly. However, I offered the assembled a curtain-raiser caveat just in case it didn't - -

"If something goes wrong, we meant to do it."

This trip down MemoryLane also signaled the very last performance ever by the magical Lew Anderson.

Lew who?

How about CLARABELLE himself!

We re-costumed our Didi The Drummer marionette (from Shining Time Station) as PRINCESS SUMMERFALL WINTERSPRING.


Above are four of the actual original marionettes built for the Howdy Doody Show by RUFUS ROSE: MAMBO THE ELEPHANT, TOMMY TURTLE, and HIDE AND ZEKE.

JOHN J. FADOOZLE is brought to life once again by Olga!

Even BUFFALO BEE and the FLUB-A-DUB were there!

Jackson Roth? You done DOODY good!