To continue from the previous entry, here is a UPA crew photo taken in spring 1955, shortly after UPA had won the Oscar for WHEN MAGOO FLEW.
I’ve been able to identify the following people in the photo:
Top row: (left to right): Bob Dranko, Joe Siracusa, Ray Thursby, David Weidman, Alan Zaslove, unknown, Tom McDonald, unknown, unknown, Charleen Peterson, Osmond Evans, Bud Partch, unknown, unknown, Alex Ignatiev, Harry Hess, Rev Chaney, Sam Clayberger, Bob McIntosh, Morey Fagin, Buddy Getzler, Aurelius Battaglia, Jack Eckes.
Second row: (starts halfway in the middle) Earl Burnett, all women unidentified.
Third row: Frank Smith, Maurin Faillace, Rudy Larriva, Stan Wilkins, unknown, Al Wade, Henrietta Jordan, Jules Engel, Barney Posner, unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown.
Bottom row: Lew Keller, Herb Klynn, Bobe Cannon, Steve Bosustow, Pete Burness, unknown, Cecil Surry, unknown, Ed Friedman, unknown, unknown.
Right around the time of this photo, UPA signed a deal with CBS to produce THE BOING BOING SHOW. They would embark on a major expansion drive around summer and fall ‘55, with the studio hiring more artists between 1955 and 1956 than at anytime else in its history. The BOING BOING SHOW was an exciting time for UPA and would prove to be its last notable achievement before the studio’s slide into mediocrity.The new artists who joined UPA for the BOING BOING SHOW comprised a mix of animation veterans and graphically-oriented art school recruits. They included Jimmy Murakami, Ernie Pintoff, Dolores Cannata, John Urie, Roy Morita, John Whitney, Phil Duncan, Ervin Kaplan, Rod Scribner, Shirley Silvey, Ed Levitt, Dun Roman, Mordi Gerstein, Tod Dockstader, Gerry Ray, Gil Turner and Norm Gottfredson. I wish a crew photo existed with all these other artists, but, as far as I’m aware, the photo above was the last group shot taken of the entire UPA crew.




I think that’s Steve Bosustow in the front row between Cannon and Burness.
(Love the site, can’t wait for the book)
Comment by Frank — March 22, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
Thanks for catching that, Frank. I have no idea why I skipped him in the identification.
Comment by Amid — March 22, 2006 @ 4:14 pm
The bushy-haired fellow in the middle, short row, is EARL BENNET, not “Burnett,” who was once with the Spike Jones band. Cecil Surry (front row) was my father, who died too young in 1960.
Comment by K.Richter — March 28, 2006 @ 11:06 am