Thread by @dee_bax

I’ve always wanted to do a thread dedicated to the artists that drew the character models/layouts for the MGM cartoons, often known as “model men”. The directors and animators contributed highly, but these artists were truly the unsung heroes. So, today is that day...

Before starting, this is as comprehensive as it can be. This may not be *every* confirmed artist involved with this job at the studio, but this is meant to display the artists that gave the MGM cartoons their distinct style. Feel free to grab a snack and/or your drawing tablet!

In early 1934, producer/directors Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising signed a contract to produce Happy Harmonies for MGM. One of their first, TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS, had character models drawn by Melvin Schwartzman (changed to Mel Shaw). Shaw would later work on Disney's BAMBI.

I’m not sure of who else could have drew character models/layouts for Harman-Ising. However, judging from his animation I’ve seen in other Happy Harmonies, I have a feeling Bob Allen (brother of story-man Heck Allen) might have been the principal character designer.

To further my hypothesis, here's a scene animated by Bob Allen from ALIAS ST. NICK ('35), which has a similar drawing style to the model sheets above. (Way too early to be thinking about the Yuletide season, but it's still nice work, regardless.)

In one particular variance around 1936, Bill Hanna made his directorial debut with the Technicolor splendor of TO SPRING (’36). Lee Blair (husband of renowned concept artist Mary Blair) co-directed the film and drew the character layouts.

In the summer of 1937, MGM cut ties from Harman & Ising and formed their own animation department, producing cartoons based on “The Captain and the Kids” comic strip. Former Disney artist Charlie Thorson was one of their new hires and became their principal character designer.

Harman and Ising were hired back at MGM as separate entities in the fall of 1938, and were both given their own layout artists. By 1939, Bob Allen was put into Rudy Ising’s unit; one of the titles he contributed was a certain cat and mouse film entitled PUSS GETS THE BOOT (’40).

In Hugh Harman’s unit, Gus Arriola drew character models for several titles, including THE LONESOME STRANGER and DANCE OF THE WEED. Arriola later shifted to the new Hanna-Barbera unit as a gag-man on the early Tom and Jerry cartoons before leaving to draw his comic strip ‘Gordo’.

With some of the first official Tom and Jerry cartoons in the series, Joe Barbera was his own character layout artist. A pose reel exists for the second T&J, THE MIDNIGHT SNACK (’41). I wonder if many, if not all, the drawings are his work:
dailymotion.com/video/x1zgi03

After his suspension from WB and a brief stint at Jerry Fairbanks Productions, Tex Avery became a director at MGM in 1941. His first “model man” was former Disney animator Berny Wolf, who drew the character models/layouts from BLITZ WOLF (’42) up to WHAT’S BUZZIN’ BUZZARD (’43).

(Looking at this pose reel a little closely, I found notations related to "Harvey", which is fascinating. We'll get to him in a moment.)

Soon, Berny Wolf enlisted in military service on training films. Claude Smith (another ex-Disney animator) became Tex’s new “model man,” starting with SCREWBALL SQUIRREL ('44). Smith drew character models/layouts on several of Tex's best cartoons at MGM during the 1940s.

A couple more of Claude Smith's model sheets. Solid, crisp cartooning.

Related to Smith's model sheets, animator Preston Blair published an instructional book on animation using these same drawings; many have misattributed these as Blair's work. A friend joked to me: “It SHOULD be Claude Smith’s ‘Animation’...he drew about 90% of the damn book!”

Meanwhile in the H/B unit, Harvey Eisenberg became the series’ principal character (and background) layout artist. Not many of his character drawings have surfaced, but this model sheet of Tom is mostly taken from Eisenberg’s layouts from various cartoons:

Well, I'll wrap this up for tonight and resume tomorrow. Hope you're all enjoying this!

Now, let's continue on with our thread about the MGM "model men"...

Claude Smith left the studio in late ‘44, and animator Irv Spence—who previously worked with Tex at WB in the '30s—moved from T&J over to Tex’s unit to draw character layouts. Spence’s loose sketches mixed with Tex’s own drawing style worked perfectly.

After Irv Spence left MGM (briefly), Walter Clinton doubled as an animator and character layout artist in Tex's unit for KING-SIZE CANARY and UNCLE TOM’S CABANA (both ’47). Though the model sheet of CANARY is unsigned, it appears much like his drawing/animation style.

Back in the H/B unit, Harvey Eisenberg left the studio to go into comic-book work by ‘46. Dick Bickenbach left Warner Bros. and was hired at MGM as an animator on T&J. After a brief period, he succeeded Eisenberg as the main character layout artist throughout much of T&J's run.

Here are some of Bickenbach's layouts from the start of PET PEEVE ('54)...

Meanwhile in Tex’s unit, Walter Clinton resumed as a regular animator and another “model man” was needed. Louie Schmitt (yet another ex-Disney animator) soon filled the position, drawing character models/layouts from LITTLE ‘TINKER (’48) up to BAD LUCK BLACKIE (’49).

After Louie Schmitt left MGM, Tex entrusted Gene Hazelton to draw character models/layouts for his cartoons. He became his principal ‘model man' at least up until the early 1950s.

One anomaly occurred in Tex’s unit when Tom Oreb—laid off from Disney’s— was allowed to draw character and background layouts for much of SYMPHONY IN SLANG (’51). With this, Oreb’s style displayed the flat, angular style that permeated the animated cartoon during the 1950s.

In relation to the “modern” 1950s style of cartooning, Ed Benedict later began drawing character models/layouts for Tex’s unit, namely on DIXIELAND DROOPY ('54), DEPUTY DROOPY, THE FIRST BAD MAN, FIELD AND SCREAM and CELLBOUND (all '55)—some of Avery's last films for MGM.

When Tex’s unit was shuttered, Mike Lah finished up the direction on DEPUTY DROOPY and CELLBOUND. Some time later, he worked on the live-action/animation “Sinbad the Sailor” sequence for Gene Kelly’s INVITATION TO THE DANCE (’56), with character designs/layouts by Gene Hazelton.

In the waning years of MGM’s animated theatricals, Dick Bickenbach continued as a layout artist for H/B and it seems Ed Benedict worked with Mike Lah, who now had his own unit. I believe Gene Hazelton would alternate between the two, but I might be mistaken.

MGM closed its animation division in ’57, which led to Hanna and Barbera forming their own studio devoted to TV animation. Dick Bickenbach, Gene Hazelton, Walter Clinton, Harvey Eisenberg and Ed Benedict were all hired at their new company as character designers/layout artists.

(R&R and Quick Draw drawn by Bickenbach, early Fred Flintstone by Benedict, and Pebbles drawn by Hazelton.)

And that's a wrap on this extensive thread! Hope everyone enjoyed it...