LEO D. SULLIVAN DEAD AT 82

 

You can read the full story here.

He was a pioneer for Black animation that formed Vignette Films with Floyd Norman in the 1960s, which produced educational films about Black historical figures, and started a multimedia foundation to train underserved youth in new media technology. During his 60+-year career, he worked on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, the “Nanny and the Professor” episode of ABC Weekend Specials, Jabberjaw, Laff-A-Lympics, I am the Greatest!: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, CB Bears, Challenge of the Superfriends, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979), Casper and the Angels, The New Shmoo, The World’s Greatest SuperFriends, The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, Richie Rich, The Flintstones Comedy Show, The Little Rascals (1982), Pac-Man, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs (1993), Taz-Mania and Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series. He also wrote two Slimer! segments of Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters and directed 3 episodes of C-Bear and Jamal.

THE LEGEND OF CALAMITY JANE

 

THE LEGEND OF CALAMITY JANE
(Canal+, WB, September 13, 1997-June 26, 1998)
 
Gangster Productions, Contre-Allée, Canal+, Warner Bros. Animation

 

MAIN CAST:
Jennifer Jason Leigh (promos) & Barbara Scaff – Calamity Jane
Frank Welker – Joe Presto, President Ulysses S. Grant, various

  

            The Legend of Calamity Jane was a stylized fictional account of the life of American frontierswoman, sharpshooter and storyteller Martha “Calamity” Jane Cannary (or Canary); known for her compassion as much as her daredevil nature, addiction to alcohol, and penchant for wearing men’s clothing.

Calamity Jane.

            Much of the accounts of Jane’s life were full of exaggerations and inaccuracies; most of which were dictated by Jane herself (she was illiterate). Born in 1852 in Princeton, Missouri as the eldest of 6 children. While migrating with her family to Virginia City, Montana, she spent most of her time hunting with men in the caravan becoming a remarkably good shot and a fearless rider. Jane ended up having to care for her siblings by age 14 when both of her parents died. Relocating the family to Piedmont, Wyoming, she took on whatever jobs she could find before claiming to find work as a scout at Fort Russell and as a part-time prostitute at the Fort Laramie Three-Mile Hog Ranch in 1874.

The animated Jane squaring off against John O'Rourke.

            Jane was involved in several military conflicts with the Native Americans; one of which she claimed is where she earned the nickname “Calamity.” She alleged that during a 1872-73 campaign on Goose Creek, Wyoming (where Sheridan is now located), that Captain James Egan had been shot and she rode back through hostile fire to catch him before he fell out of his saddle without sustaining injury herself. Upon returning him to the fort, he said “I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains.” John Wallace “Captain Jack” Crawford disputed this claim, stating that she never saw any service but “possessed a generous streak which made her popular.” It’s believed the name instead came about due to her warnings to men that offended her that to do so was to “court calamity”.

The animated Deadwood.

            In 1876, she settled in Deadwood, South Dakota where she found occasional employment by her friend Dora DuFran, the leading madam of the area, and nursed the victims of a smallpox epidemic. Between 1881 and 1893, she made a couple attempts at being an innkeeper before appearing as a storyteller in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show (traveling vaudeville performances that romanticized the American frontier) and the 1901 Pan-American Exposition (where President William McKinley was assassinated). Jane died in 1903 from inflammation of the bowels and pneumonia, and was buried next to folk hero Wild Bill Hickok in Mount Moriah Cemetery, South Dakota. Some claim this was a posthumous joke on Wild Bill who had “absolutely no use” for Jane when she was alive, while others say this was at her dying request lending credence to the unconfirmed rumor that she and Wild Bill were secretly married before his death.

Sitting with Quanna.

            The animated series was set during her Deadwood years in 1876; denoted by the fact that Jane (Barbara Scaff) was said to be 24 and that one episode took place at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, animated Jane had very little in common with the historical figure. She was said to have grown up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and Atlanta, Georgia, and claimed to be a member of the Comanche tribe. She had left home at age 14 to become a frontier adventurer like her father, but ended up becoming haunted by the life she ended up leading and the lives she took along the way. She had pale skin, green eyes and red hair with a feather in it, preferred to use a whip over a gun (although she was handy with both), was functionally literate, and drank milk. Jane spent her time protecting the town of Deadwood from a variety of desperados, stopping bandits on the plains, keeping the peace between the local tribes and the United States army, and upholding law and order.

Joe fending off some desperados.

            Other characters included Joe Presto (Frank Welker), an old man that served as Jane’s occasional sidekick and preferred not to kill, carrying around a shotgun full of rock salt; Quanna Parker (Michael Horse), chief of the Comanche tribe and Jane’s blood brother who liked existential philosophy; Lonely Sue (Miriam Flynn), Jane’s other friend and the owner of the local saloon (likely based on DuFran); and Captain John O’Rourke (Tim Matheson), a cavalry officer that often aided Jane and had romantic feelings for her, and who blamed himself for the death of President Abraham Lincoln after he convinced his brother to skip guarding him to sit with him at the show at Ford’s Theatre.

Wild Bill talking down a sore loser.

            A number of characters based on real-life people and groups showed up as well. Wild Bill (Clancy Brown), for one, was an old friend and occasional ally of Jane despite his reservations about the law (although the real Hickok became a peace officer in Deadwood, and relied on his reputation to put an end to conflicts to compensate for his diminishing gun skills and failing eyesight). William “Bill” Doolin (Mark Rolston) was an outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang, which specialized in bank, train and stagecoach robberies. John Wesley Hardin (Robert Patrick) was an outlaw and gunfighter who was well known to exaggerate or fabricate stories about himself. He claimed to have killed his first man at the age of 15 in self-defense, and went on to boast a body count of 42; although newspapers only accounted for 27. Jane was responsible for transporting him to the trial that would see him jailed for 24 years in 1877. Eleanor Roosevelt (Mae Whitman), the future longest-serving first lady of the United States under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and early civil rights activist, made an anachronistic appearance (she was born 8 years after the series was set) as a little girl infatuated with the legend of Jane. Jane eventually set her against adopting her kind of lifestyle and instead pursue one of her own. President Ulysses S. Grant (Welker) was an attendee of the Centennial International Exhibition where Jane had to protect him from a plot to start a new revolution by Confederate soldiers. Additionally, there were the Buffalo Soldiers, army regiments comprised primarily of African American soldiers to serve on the frontier, and Blackfoot tribe.

Jane transporting an uncooperative John Wesley Harding.

            The Legend of Calamity Jane debuted on The WB as part of the Kids’ WB programming block on September 13, 1997; after being delayed a week by the funeral of Princess Diana. The original concept was developed by Françoise Boublil and Jean Helpert, with original designs by Pascal Ropars. As an American-French co-production, it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with Gangster Productions, Contre-Allée and Canal+, with the participation of France 3 and Centre National De la Cinematographie. The series was written by Mark Zaslove, Ken Pontac, David Bleiman, Jeremy Cushner and Michael Patrick Dobkins, with Zaslove serving as story editor and voice director. La Belle Equipe composed the music, and Hanay Geigomah served as the Native American consultant. Originally, Jennifer Jason Leigh was cast to play Jane; however, two weeks before the series was set to air, she was replaced by Scaff and all of her lines were re-recorded. Due to the last-minute change, Leigh’s dialogue remained in all of the footage used by the promos preceding the debut.

Jane comforting a young Eleanor Roosevelt.

            Despite the heavy promotion and anticipation for the series, the network pulled it from its line-up after three weeks; replacing it with Superman: The Animated Series. Although The WB clamed the show would return later in the year, it never did. Instead, the complete series only aired in Canada, Latin America and several European countries, particularly France. Although no reason was given as to why the American broadcasts ceased, many speculate it was due to the violent nature of the cartoon. The characters used real guns, although nobody was ever visibly shot, and there were some fights despite the bulk of that action happening off camera and only the results (bruises and such) eventually seen.

            Calamity Jane developed a cult following with those that remembered it and saw it during its initial airings. It had never received any kind of home video release and was considered lost media until VHS recordings of all but two episodes began finding their way online in 2010. The final two were finally uploaded in 2020. In 2022, in time for the show’s 25^th anniversary, a group called Comix.tv, a division of Piko Interactive, claimed to have acquired the rights to the show and launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring Calamity Jane to DVD for the first time. The special edition version would feature the series, an all-new 28-page comic book, Jane’s autobiography voiced by Scaff, and a walk-through of the official Calamity Jane Flash website. In the interim, Invincible Entertainment released their own complete series DVD; however, it was criticized for poor image quality and being out of order. At the beginning of 2023, Discotek Media announced they would be releasing the series onto Blu-ray. As this was sooner than Comix.tv anticipated, they offered to exchange their DVD for the Blu-ray to campaign backers. The entire series also became available to stream on Tubi.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Slip of the Whip” (9/13/97) – Bill Doolin sets the US Army and the Comanche against each other to cover his robbery of a military train full of reservation gold.

 

“An Army of Rogues” (9/20/97) – A Napoleon wannabe steals the armaments from a cavalry fort to use in his bid to conquer the US.

 

“Like Father, Like Daughter” (9/27/97) – A series of bank robberies happen just as a man claiming to be Jane’s father shows up.

 

“As Easy as One, Two, Three…” (3/24/98) – A group of bandit triplets causes trouble for Jane.

 

“Train Kept a’ Rollin’” (4/7/98) – Bill Doolin escapes from jail and steals a military train full of explosives.

 

“The Final Curtain” (4/14/98) – O’Rourke is convinced that a travelling actor is really John Wilkes Booth.

 

“The Way of the Buffalo” (4/17/98) – Jane aids the Buffalo Soldiers in diffusing a conflict between the Blackfoot and a racist settler.

 

“Troubled Waters” (4/21/98) – The Comanches are threatened with losing their land because of the oil that can be found there.

 

“Waiting for the Cavalry” (5/29/98) – Desperados have Jane cornered in a shack with Joe and Wild Bill Hickok.

 

“Dead or Alive” (6/5/98) – Jane faces off against bounty hunters in order to get John Wesley Hardin to his trial.

 

“Protégé” (6/12/98) – Jane finds herself being followed around by a little girl who idolizes her.

 

“I’d Rather Be in Philadelphia” (6/19/98) – Confederates plan to assassinate President Grant during the Centennial International Exhibition.

 

“Without a Vengeance” (6/26/98) – Wild Bill seeks revenge on the outlaw that managed to badly beat Jane.

MICHAEL REAVES DEAD AT 72

 

You can read the announcement here.

He wrote for The Secrets of Isis, Shazam!, The New Archie/Sabrina Hour, Space Sentinels, Tarzan and the Super 7, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, The New Shmoo, Space Stars, Blackstar, The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, The Smurfs (1981), The Incredible Hulk (1982), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Biskitts, Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince, Pole Position (which he also developed), The Mighty Orbots (also story editor), CBS Storybreak, Dungeons & Dragons, The Littles, Challenge of the GoBots, Star Wars: Droids, Star Wars: Ewoks, The Real Ghostbusters, Teen Wolf: The Animated Series, Jem, Superman (1988), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), Dink the Little Dinosaur, Tiny Toon Adventures, Peter Pan and the Pirates (also story editor), Batman: The Animated Series and two of its movies  (also story editor), Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Conan and the Young Warriors  (also story editor), Gargoyles  (also story editor), Young Hercules, Godzilla: The Series, Spider-Man Unlimited  (also developer and story editor), Beast Machines: Transformers and Max Steel (2000). He also wrote an issue of Batman Adventures and three issues of Superman Adventures.

TARZAN AND THE SUPER 7: WEB WOMAN

 

TARZAN AND THE SUPER 7: WEB WOMAN
(CBS, September 16, 1978-January 13, 1979)
 
Filmation Associates

 

MAIN CAST:
Linda Gary – Web Woman/Kelly Webster, various
Lou Scheimer – Scarab, Spinner

 

For the 1977 season, Filmation paired up the second season of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle with reruns of The New Adventures of Batman in a block called The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour. With the show block being successful, Filmation decided to use the two established shows as a hook to bring audiences in for some new content.

Web Woman in Web Central.

In 1978, they renamed the block Tarzan and the Super 7 (the Super 7 referencing the seven different shows that would be featured with Tarzan) and expanded it to an hour and a half. Along with Tarzan and a truncated version of Batman, Filmation included the additional segments of The Freedom Force, Manta and Moray, Superstretch and Microwoman, Web Woman and Jason of Star Command (the only live-action show in the block). Another segment, Sunlight and Starbright, was planned but abandoned at the network’s behest (technically making it the Super SIX).

Web Woman and Spinner ensnare a diabolical robot.

Web Woman centered on NASA scientist-turned-farmer Kelly Webster (Linda Gary), who had rescued the insectoid alien Scarab (Lou Scheimer) from drowning. As a thanks, he turned her into the galactic hero Web Woman. She was given the strength and power of the world’s insects as well as the ability to communicate with them, a utility belt full of advanced technology including a Web Lasso, and a ring that created forcefields, shot energy that turned into solidified ensnaring webs, delivered sleeping gas and allowed her to communicate with Scarab remotely. She also gained a new companion/sidekick in furry alien Spinner (also Scheimer) who helped her on her farm as much as on adventures.

Receiving a mission from Scarab.

Kelly operated from a webbed subterranean base called Web Central (a rounded cave decorated in webs with several elevated platforms), which was accessed via a web-covered monorail that was accessed under her barn when Scarab summoned her. There she would communicate with Scarab from his galactic space station, Citadel Seven, via a giant crystal ball where he would tell her about a looming threat—from space pirates stealing the sun’s energy to disgraced military personnel out for revenge—followed by a cryptic riddle that would aid in her victory. When it was time to go into action, she would recite the chant “Insects of the world, small creatures of the cosmos, lend me your powers now!” and become Web Woman. Her primary mode of transportation was a spider-shaped ship called the Web Track, which could fly through the sky as easily as enter orbit.

Web Woman beside herself after being cloned.

Web Woman debuted along with the block on September 9, 1978 on CBS. Only five of the included segments aired each week, with Superstretch and Microwoman alternating with Web Woman every week beginning on the 16^th. Seven of the episodes were clocked in at 11-minutes, while three ran for 17. The segment was written by Gerry Boudreau, Len Janson, Don Heckman, Buzz Dixon, Chuck Menville, Michael Reaves, Patrick Harmon, Kathleen Barnes, David Wise and William S. Lipsher, with Menville and Janson serving as story editors. The music was composed by Ray Ellis (as Yvette Blais) and producer Norm Prescott (as Jeff Michael). Web Woman would follow its Super 7 compatriots over to NBC where the block was renamed Batman and the Super 7 as Tarzan stayed at CBS.

Early concept art.

Early in Web Woman’s development, designs for her were labelled with the name “Spider Woman”. However, this was changed at some point as Marvel Comics had created their own Spider-Woman in 1977 to ensure they would own the trademark on the name. They had learned about Filmation’s production, and had already been burned by rival DC Comics for making a Wonder Man character while they had Wonder Woman only for them to later make a Power Girl character while Marvel already had a Power Man. Remnants of this early work could be found in the comic book print ads for the Super 7 as she was depicted in a blue, yellow and red full-body suit rather than the purple leotard that made it to air. Gary would go on to star in two other shows featuring Marvel’s more well-known arachnid: as Colleen in 1981’s Spider-Man, and as Aunt May for the first three seasons of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Ben Cooper produced a costume based on Web Woman while Imperial Toys released a Web Woman flash light, include the characters in their Super 7 puffy sticker collection, a set of Bubb-a-Loons balloon-maker tubes and two bubble maker sets.

Kelly about to transform into Web Woman.

Shortly after the block’s debut, DC Comics had sued Filmation for copyright infringement, feeling that Superstretch and Microwoman as well as Manta and Moray copied their characters Plastic Man and Aquaman a little too closely; especially considering Filmation was involved in the production of a series with one and in talks for the other. Many places claim that Marvel joined in on the suit in regards to Web Woman, however Scheimer stated in the book Creating the Filmation Generation that neither he nor his lawyer recall that particular nugget. However, deciding to be cautious and not press their luck, Web Woman ceased to air after it concluded its run as part of Batman and the Super 7. To date, episodes are only available to view through fan recordings on YouTube.

  

EPISODE GUIDE (dates are approximate):

“The Rainmaker” (9/9/78) – A disgruntled Major takes control of an experimental military weather satellite and starts causing weather problems around the world.

 

“The Eye of the Fly” (9/23/78) – A greedy treasure hunter stumbles upon a long-hidden alien spaceship and becomes a humanoid fly on a quest to find their greatest secret.

 

“The World Within” (10/7/78) – Dr. Abyss plans to bombard the world with deadly volcanos unless he’s named ruler of Earth.

 

“Madame Macabre’s Calamity Circus” (10/21/78) – Web Woman chases two crooks to a mysterious carnival where the owner captures beings from one world to exhibit on others.

 

“Red Snails at Sunset” (11/4/78) – Space pirates take control of Citadel Seven while Scarab escapes in a damaged ship that’s being pulled towards the sun.

 

“Send in the Clones” (11/18/78) – A vengeful mad scientist manages to get the drop on Web Woman and create a perfect duplicate of her.

 

“The Sun Thief” (12/2/78) – Space pirates plan to steal the sun’s energy to sell off to the highest bidder.

 

“Dr. Despair and the Mood Machine” (12/16/78) – Dr. Despair plans to turn members of the space program against it in order to become the master of space.

 

“The Perfect Crime” (12/30/78) – Mr. Perfect abducts law-breakers and brings them to his tiny island where he brainwashes them into being perfect people.

 

“The Lady in the Lamp” (1/13/79) – An ancient evil Scarab defeated before is freed and sets her sights on conquering the world—starting with Web Central.

LANCE REDDICK DEAD AT 60

 

You can read the full story here.

He voiced Lunaris in several episodes of DuckTales (2017).

IN REMEMBRANCE: 2022

             Our annual final round-up of those we lost that provided us with some of the many hours of entertainment on Saturday mornings. Because many of these people aren’t household names, we’re only finding out about and getting to honor them now. For others, this is our second and final farewell. See anyone we missed? Let us know.

 Here are the Saturday morning all-stars we lost in the year 2022:

Marion Brasch (January 10) – Actor. Played Gloria on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.

 

Ronnie Spector (January 12) – Singer best known as the leader of the girl group The Ronettes. She performed the theme song to Little Rosey.

 

Louie Anderson (January 21) – Comedian, actor, author and game show host. He co-created the animated series Life with Louie based on his comedy routine about his childhood growing up in a big family. He also voiced his younger self and his father, provided narration and appeared in live wraparound segments.

 

Myrna Bushman (January 26) – Timer, checker and director. She was continuity coordinator for The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Darkwing Duck, Raw Toonage and Goof Troop; animation checker for Fangface, Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Heathcliff (1980), and The Get Along Gang; timing and checking supervisor for Inspector Gadget (1983), Pole Position, Kissyfur, Kidd Video (timing only), Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling, and episodes of ABC Weekend Specials; animation director for Muppet Babies (1983) and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures; timing director for Spiral Zone and Tiny Toon Adventures; sheet timer for All-New Dennis the Menace; slugging director for 101 Dalmatians: The Series; storyboard timer for Camp Candy and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures; and did storyboard slugging for Disney’s Doug, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Swamp Thing (1991), Captain Planet and the Planeteers, All-New Dennis the Menace, Madeline, The Wacky World of Tex Avery, Sabrina the Animated Series, and Sherlock Holmes in the 22^nd Century.

 

Pedro De Aguillon, Jr. (February 3) – Actor. Provided the Spanish dubs for Ray Stantz in the Ghostbusters franchise, including The Real Ghostbusters.

  

Anne D. Bernstein (February 8) – Writer and story editor. Worked on the animated adaptation of video game series Viva Piñata.

Mary Locatell (February 10) – Artist. Worked as a background painter on Lilo & Stitch: The Series.

 

Mel Keefer (February 11) – Artist. Provided layouts for Aquaman (1967), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1967), The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, The Batman/Superman Hour, The Hardy Boys (1969), Skyhawks, Groovie Goolies, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1970), The New Adventures of Gilligan, The U.S. of Archie, The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour, and Galtar and the Golden Lance; character models for Spider-Woman; and character designs for The Little Rascals (1982), Shirt Tales, The Dukes, The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show, Challenge of the GoBots, and The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (as well as props).

 

Ivan Reitman (February 12) – Director and producer, probably best remembered for directing the original two Ghostbusters films. He served as a creative consultant on The Real Ghostbusters and an executive producer on both Alienators: Evolution Continues, which was spun-off of his film Evolution, and Beethoven: The Animated Series, which stemmed from the first two entries in the Beethoven film franchise he produced.

 

Farrah Forke (February 25) – Actor. Played Big Barda in the DC Animated Universe beginning with two episodes of Batman Beyond.

 

Johnny Brown (March 2) – Actor. Best known for starring in Good Times, he played Fat Man in an episode of The Ghost Busters and Dandy Andy in an episode of Monster Squad, and provided voices for The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show and Alvin & the Chipmunks (1983).

 

Mia Ikumi (March 7) – Writer and artist. Created the manga Tokyo Mew Mew that was adapted into the anime Mew Mew Power.

  

John Korty (March 9) – Director and animator. He directed and animated on several episodes of Sesame Street.

Emilio Delgado (March 10) – Actor and singer. Best known for his tenure as Luis Rodriguez on Sesame Street from 1971-2017, he also appeared as White Bull in the “Tales of the Nunundaga” episode of ABC Weekend Specials.

 

Sari Gennis (March 14) – Animator. Worked on the special effects for The Chipmunk Adventure.

 

Carl Bell (March 28) – Animator. Worked on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, The Fat Albert Halloween Special, Space Sentinels, Heathcliff (1980) and The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.

 

Estelle Harris (April 2) – Actor. Best known as George’s mother from Seinfeld and Mrs. Potato Head from the Toy Story franchise, she also played Timon’s mother in Timon & Pumbaa; Ruth in an episode of The Tick (1994); Lt. Kellaway’s Mother in an episode of The Mask: The Animated Series; Phil’s Mother in Hercules: The Animated Series; an old lady and a receptionist in an episode of Godzilla: The Series; Frank’s owner in The Secret Files of the SpyDogs; Mrs. Turtle in Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse; Mrs. Broogin in the Teacher’s Pet movie; and Peg-Leg Peg in Jake and the Never Land Pirates. She also provided a voice for Aladdin.

 

David M. Jones (April 8) – Visual effects artist. He supervised the outer space and miniature sequences for Space Academy.

 

Gilbert Gottfried (April 12) – Actor and comedian. His distinctive voice often made him a perfect fit for loud and obnoxious characters. He played Iago in Disney’s Aladdin franchise and House of Mouse; a mad scientist and karate sensei in episodes of Bobby’s World; a woodpecker in an episode of Timon & Pumbaa; Odiferous J. Stench in an episode of Bump in the Night; an imaginary version of himself on The Weird Al Show; Mr. Mxyzptlk in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Action; Clion in an episode of Hercules: The Animated Series; Denny the Dispatcher in an episode of Sesame Street; Barn Buddy in an episode of Back at the Barnyard; Kraang Sub-Prime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012); Sal in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants; and The Coal Miner in an episode of Teen Titans Go! He also provided voices for The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.

 

Liz Sheridan (April 15) – Actor. Played neighbor Mrs. Stillman in Life with Louie.

 

Robert Morse (April 20) – Actor. Played Moncho in Monchhichis; Commissioner James Gordon in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians; Howler and his ancestor, Barkerville and Mrs. Gugenfeller in Pound Puppies (1986); DeSaad in Superman: The Animated Series; and Santa Claus in Teen Titans Go! He also provided voices for Pro Stars.

 

Evelyn A.R. Gabai (April 30) – Writer. Worked on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Saturday Supercade, Monchhichis, Turbo Teen, Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Jem, The Smurfs (1981), Alvin & the Chipmunks (1983), The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Where’s Waldo? (1991), Beetlejuice (1989), The Mask: The Animated Series, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, X-M-Men: Evolution, and The Penguins of Madagascar.

 

Pamela Kosh (May 4) – Actor. Played hard-of-hearing teacher Miss Simpson on Saved by the Bell (1989) and in an episode of the spin-off Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

 

George Pérez (May 6) – Comic book artist and writer. He was the co-creator of the most well-known iteration of DC Comics’ Teen Titans, as well as members Starfire, Raven and Cyborg, who had been adapted into various media including Teen Titans Go! He was also involved in the rebranding of the original Robin into Nightwing. Other shows that made use of his work included X-Men: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, The Batman, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Beware the Batman, and Justice League Action. Both he and writer Marv Wolfman voiced themselves in two episodes of Teen Titans Go!, on which he was also credited for additional designs.

 

John R. Cherry III (May 8) – Director, producer and writer. He was one of the co-creators of the Ernest P. Worrell character brought to life by Jim Varney; beginning as a regional pitchman before exploding into a national phenomenon. As with the other Ernest projects, he directed and executive produced the Saturday morning series Hey Vern, It’s Ernest!

 

Burt Medall (May 24) – Animator and timing director. He worked on The World’s Greatest SuperFriends, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, Blackstar, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Denver the Last Dinosaur, Garfield and Friends, Gargoyles, Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Hercules: The Animated Series, The Weekenders, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Young Justice.

  

Karl Geurs (May 25) – Writer, producer and editor. He wrote for The Skatebirds, Dungeons & Dragons (also story editor and producer), The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (also producer), Horseland and Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures (also story editor); story edited on Goof Troop; and served as production manager on Pandamonium and Meatballs and Spaghetti.

 

Ray Liotta (May 26) – Actor. Known primarily for his tough guy characters on film, he also voiced the Bubble Poppin Leader in the “Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?” episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

 

Olga Orlova (June 5) – Animator. Worked on Angelina Ballerina.

 

Billy Kametz (June 9) – Actor. Provided the English voice for Fubuki Sumiye in Beyblade Burst and guest-starred as Navareth in the “Witches Before Wizards” episode of The Owl House.

  

Simon Deitch (June 21) – Cartoonist, designer and layout designer. Worked as a prop designer, character designer and assistant layout artist on the Nickelodeon episodes of Doug.

Steven Wilzbach (June 23) – Producer and camera operator. He worked on The Pink Panther Show, Fantastic Four (1978), Spider-Woman, The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, Blackstar and Tutenstein.

 

Everett Peck (June 14) – Artist and animator. He worked as a character designer on The Real Ghostbusters and Godzilla: The Series, the latter of which he also served as an executive design consultant as he did on Men in Black: The Series. He also provided animation for “The Worm Winter Games” episode of Sesame Street.

 

Mike Reynolds (July 2) – Actor and writer. He voiced Mondo the Magician, Lanterra and Spitflower on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; Lobstatron, Masked Rider Strongman, Masked Rider Warrior Commander, Tentaclon and Skull Reapers on Masked Rider; Hammerhands and Terror Bear on Big Bad Beetleborgs; Destructipede on Power Rangers in Space; Captain Mutiny on Power Rangers Lost Galaxy; Centaur King in Mon Colle Knights; Gennai in Digimon: Digital Monsters, of which he also wrote three episodes; Railspike in Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2000); Mr, Mechanau on Power Rangers Time Force; and Ship Org on Power Rangers Wild Force.

 

Kazuki Takahshi (July 6) – Artist and game creator. Created Yu-Gi-Oh! which has been adapted into an anime whose English dub has been broadcast on Saturday mornings for most of its existence. 

 

Wendell Washer (July 8) – Artist. Did layouts for Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, My Favorite Martians, Lassie’s Rescue Rangers, Mission: Magic!, The New Adventures of Gilligan, Star Trek: The Animated Series, U.S. of Archie, The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty and The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour; designed characters for The Puppy’s Further Adventures; and worked on storyboards for The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, Dynomutt Dog Wonder, The Freedom Force, Fabulous Funnies, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Hecke and Jeckle, The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, Blackstar, The New Adventures of Zorro, The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, Pac-Man, The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour, The Puppy’s Further Adventures, The Dukes, Muppet Babies (1984), Little Muppet Monsters, Dungeons & Dragons, The Little Wizards, Jem, Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, Gargoyles, Aladdin, Timon & Pumbaa, Hercules: The Animated Series, The New Woody Woodpecker Show, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Ozzy & Drix. He also provided the voice for Chester P. Chieseler in Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures.

 

Larry Storch (July 9) – Actor. Best known for his starring role in F-Troop (which was seen in archival footage on an episode of Freakazoid!), he also had an extensive career on Saturday morning. He starred as Phineas J. Whoopee, as well as Rocky Maninoff, G. Washington Bridgit and Red Beard in Tennessee Tuxedo and his Tales; Joker in The Batman/Superman Hour and The New Scooby-Doo Movies; Drac, Ratso, Hagatha and Ghoulihand in Groovie Goolies, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies (where he was also The Phantom), The New Archie/Sabrina Hour and Sabrina, Super Witch; Marlon, Fleetwood and Chuck White in “The Brady Kids on Mysterious Island” episode of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, which was followed with The Brady Kids where he was also Mop Top, Sleezy Sam, Knuckles, Coach, Chuckonis Ospro, Krunk, Nets Nolan, Hoax, Orville Wrong, Wilbur Wrong, Major LeTraine and Colonel Jones; Eddie Spencer and Big Al on The Ghost Busters; and Mr. Mendaelbaum and Herbert Finagle in episodes of Garfield and Friends. He also provided voices for Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp, The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, The Puppy’s Further Adventures, and Foofur.

 

Sean Kelly (July 11) – Writer, humorist and founding editor of Heavy Metal. Wrote two episodes each for The Magic School Bus and Goosebumps.

 

Jessica Klein (July 13) – Writer and producer. Wrote for and produced Scout’s Safari.

 

Alan Grant (July 20) – Comic book writer. Co-created the Batman characters Ventriloquist and Scarface, who appeared in both Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman, and Anarky, who was the main antagonist in Beware the Batman. He also wrote the issue of Batman Adventures that featured Anarky.

 

Jared Barclay (July 23) – Actor. Provided voices for Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979), The Kwicky Koala Show, Trollkins, The Little Rascals (1982), Richie Rich, The Dukes, Challenge of the GoBots, Pole Position, Foofur, and The Smurfs (1981).

 

Paul Coker, Jr. (July 23) – Illustrator best known for his tenure on Mad magazine and as a character designer for Rankin/Bass Productions. Among his work was the series The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show and two episodes of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie.

 

David Warner (July 24) – Actor. He played Ra's al Ghul throughout the DC Animated Universe; Ice Breaker in an episode of Biker Mice from Mars (1993); the Archmage in episodes of Gargoyles; The Glyph in an episode of Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys; The Lobe in Freakazoid!, which he reprised for a guest-appearance in Teen Titans Go!; Herbert Landon and the first voice of Red Skull in Spider-Man: The Animated Series;  Alpha in Men in Black: The Series; Doctor Vic Frankenstein in Toonsylvania; Lord Angstrom in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command; and an old man in What's New, Scooby-Doo?

 

Pat Carroll (July 30) – Actor and comedian. Best known as the permanent voice of sea-witch Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid franchise and House of Mouse, she was also Katrina Stoneheart in Pound Puppies (1986); Ms. Biddy McBrain in Galaxy High School; Hazel in Foofur; Queen Hippolyta in Superman (1988); Paula P. Casso in an episode of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo; and Old Lady Crowley in Tangled: The Series. She also provided additional voices in Yogi’s Treasure Hunt.

 

Nichelle Nichols (July 30) – Actor, singer and dancer. Best known for her trailblazing role as Lt. Nyota Uhura from the original Star Trek, a role she reprised for Star Trek: The Animated Series with the additional roles of Dara, Davison, Anne Nored, a female miner, Devna, Kali, an alien entity, Dr. Sarah April and Karla Five. She also played the SS Stella in the “Commander Toad in Space” episode of ABC Weekend Specials; Diane Maza in episodes of Gargoyles; Miriam Brooks, aka the Vampire Queen, in two episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series; and Chief in an episode of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

Lori Jo Hanson Garcia (August 2) – Ink and paint artist, painter and final checker. Worked on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) as a painter and Life with Louie as a color model assistant.

 

Gerald Potterton (August 23) – Director, writer, producer and animator. He directed Cool McCool and was story director for Rubik, the Amazing Cube. He also appeared on two episodes of Sesame Street as George the Farmer.

Jeff Howard (August 25) – Animator. Provided special effects for Life with Louie and Lilo & Stitch: The Series. He also did some uncredited animation for The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.

 

Ralph Eggleston (August 28) – Artist. Did character designs for Pound Puppies (1985) and storyboards for Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

 

Vladimir Vyshegorodtsev (September 9) – Animator. Worked on Kipper and Angelina Ballerina.

 

Henry Silva (September 14) – Actor. Primarily an on-screen actor, he did voice the villain Bane in Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series.

 

Hank Saroyan (September 23) – Writer, story editor, voice director and composer. Worked on Trollkins, Muppet Babies (1984), Little Muppet Monsters, Dungeons & Dragons, Rude Dog and the Dweebs, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, Fievel’s American Tails and three episodes of ABC Weekend Specials.

 

Susan Tolsky (October 9) – Actor. Played Annabell in Foofur; Mrs. Orso in Bobby’s World; Binkie Muddlefoot and Aunt Trudy in Darkwing Duck; Mrs. PennyPacker in an episode of Goof Troop; Scara in Aladdin; a librarian in two episodes of The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper; Peeps’ Mother in an episode of 101 Dalamtians: The Series; Aunts Janie and Lanie and an astronomer in Pepper Ann; a junior Prometheus Academy teacher and Mrs. Bob in episodes of Hercules: The Animated Series; a cat shelter owner in an episode of Teacher’s Pet; Mrs. Slugbath in an episode of Lloyd in Space; and Mrs. Pesky in The Buzz on Maggie. She also provided additional voices for The Smurfs and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures.

 

J. Edward Hudson (October 14) – Artist. Worked as a set decorator on “The Gold Bug” episode of ABC Weekend Specials.

 

Ron Masak (October 20) – Actor. Voiced Slug and a Toy Ghost in an episode of The Real Ghostbusters and provided additional voices to an episode of Ruby-Spears’ Superman.

 

Michael Kopsa (October 23) – Actor. Played Doctor X in Action Man (2000); Hank McCoy aka Beast in X-Men: Evolution; Samukai, Vex and Elder Three in Ninjago; and Roger Baxter and several minor voices in Littlest Pet Shop (2012). He also provided voices for Gadget and the Gadgetinis.

 

Jules Bass (October 25) – Producer, director, composer, lyricist and writer. He co-founded Rankin/Bass Productions with Arthur Rankin Jr., who are probably best-known for their collection of holiday stop-motion animated specials. He was involved in the making of The King Kong Show, The Smokey Bear Show, The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show, Tomfoolery Show, The Jackson 5ive, Kid Power, The Osmonds and several episodes of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie. He was also credited as a consulting producer on ThunderCats Roar; his first work in television since the death of Rankin in 2014.

 

Kevin Conroy (November 10) – Actor. Best known as the voice of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in the DC Animated Universe; a role he’s reprised many times over in various other DC Comics media including some DC Nation shorts, Justice League Action and Teen Titans Go! He also voiced Thomas Wayne and several minor roles in Batman: The Animated Series and Zeus in one of the DC Nation Shazam! shorts.

 

Jason David Frank (November 19) – Actor and martial artist. Best known as Tommy Oliver from the Power Rangers franchise; starring in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Power Rangers Zeo, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers Dino Thunder, and appearing in Power Rangers Wild Force, Power Rangers Megaforce, Power Rangers HyperForce and Power Rangers Ninja Steel. He also reprised the role for the shorts Power Rangers: Shattered Grid and Power Rangers Legacy Wars: Street Fighter Shwodown, the video game Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, and two episodes of the web series Super Power Beat Down.

 

Blake James (November 20) – Cinematographer, animator, layout and background artist. Worked on The Beatles, Schoolhouse Rock!, Dennis the Menace (1986) and Tales from the Cryptkeeper.

Irene Cara (November 25) – Singer, songwriter, actor and producer. Best-known for her hit singles “Fame” and “Flashdance…What a Feeling”, she made a couple appearances on American Bandstand as a guest performer. Her song “Breakdance” was also featured in an episode of Kidd Video.

 

George Newall (November 30) – Co-creator of Schoolhouse Rock!, on which he executive produced and directed every episode.

 

Bob McGrath (December 4) – Actor and musician. Played music teacher Bob Johnson on Sesame Street from 1969-2017.

 

Mills Lane III (December 6) – Television personality, former boxer and referee, and district court judge. Best known for starting bouts with the phrase “Let’s get it on!” and for his stint as a clay version of himself on MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch, he later parodied another aspect of his career by voicing a judge in an episode of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

  

Barry Bruce (December 14) – Clay animator, director and designer. He was credited for the original concept in The California Raisins Show and worked as a supervising animation director and character designer for several episodes of Sesame Street.

 

Darel Glaser (December 7) – Actor. Played Joe Oliveira in an episode of Shazam! (1974).

 

Helen Slayton-Hughes (December 7) – Actor. Played an elderly lady in an episode of Power Rangers Time Force.

 

Andrei Svislotski (December 19) – Animator and director. He was a storyboard artist and character designer on Santo Bugito, a director on All Grown Up!, and a storyboard artist on Doc McStuffins.

 

Yuji Nunokawa (December 25) – Producer and founder of Studio Pierrot who produced the anime Mew Mew Power (known as Tokyo Mew Mew in Japan).

Todd Brian (December 28) – Director of animation development for DHX Media/WildBrain. He served as a production executive on Esme & Roy.

 

Anita Pointer (December 31) – Singer and songwriter. Founding member of The Pointer Sisters, they recorded the “Pinball Number Count” song for Sesame Street and their song “I’m So Excited” was used in a much-memed anti-drug episode of Saved by the Bell (1989), “Jessie’s Song”.