Cambria Productions was the

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...

animation production studio most famous for its wide usage of the

Syncro-Vox Syncro-Vox (sometimes spelled Synchro-Vox) is a filming method that combines static images with moving images, the most common use of which is to superimpose talking lips on a photograph of a celebrity or a cartoon drawing. It is one of the most ex ...

technique of animation developed by

Edwin Gillette Edwin Gillette (August 11, 1909 in Chicago – September 30, 2003 in Los Angeles) was a cameraman and inventor notable for the development of the Syncro-Vox technique of limited animation, which was used in the series ''Clutch Cargo''. Early life B ...

, who was a co-partner in the studio. Owned by Clark S. Haas, Jr. from 1957 until 1965, the studio produced ''

Clutch Cargo ''Clutch Cargo'' is an American animated television series created by cartoonist Clark Haas and produced by Cambria Productions, and syndicated beginning on March 9, 1959. The series was notable for its limited animation yet imaginative storie ...

'' (1959-1960), ''

Space Angel ''Space Angel'' is an animated science fiction television series produced in the United States from early 1962 through 1964. It used the same Synchro-Vox lip technique as '' Clutch Cargo'', the first cartoon produced by the same studio, Cambria P ...

'' (1962), ''

Captain Fathom ''Captain Fathom'' is an animated television series produced in 1965 by Cambria Studios. Like Cambria's other productions, ''Clutch Cargo'' and ''Space Angel'', it was produced in Synchro-Vox. At least 26 30-minute episodes, all in color, were fi ...

'' (1965), and '' The New 3 Stooges'' (1965-1966). A test film for another series, '' Doc Potts'' or ''Doc Potts and Weselly'', was prepared in 1960, though the series was apparently never produced. Two sample episodes of a proposed

Moon Mullins ''Moon Mullins'' is an American comic strip which had a run as both a daily and Sunday feature from June 19, 1923 to June 2, 1991. Syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate, the strip depicts the lives of diverse lowbrow charact ...

series were produced along with a sales film to promote it to local television stations, but it didn't clear enough markets to go into production. Despite operating on a shoestring budget, the studio was able to produce series which are fondly remembered for their imaginative and entertaining storylines, and for their inventive ways of compensating for budgetary limitations. Among the artists and entertainers who found employment at Cambria Studios were musician/composer Paul Horn,

Margaret Kerry Margaret Kerry (née Lynch; born May 11, 1929) is an American screen actress, dancer, voice artist, camera double, radio producer, director and host and media personality, best known for her work as a model for Walt Disney Pictures, where she ser ...

, Hal Smith,

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...

, Warren Tufts and

Doug Wildey Douglas S. Wildey He recalled his professional start as freelancing for the magazine and comic book company Street & Smith in 1947. Because comic-book writer and artist credits were not routinely given during this era, the earliest confirmed Wilde ...

. Wildey's and Toth's artistic styles (both were established in the comic book industry) were evident throughout Cambria's existence. Wildey carried much of it over to

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer t ...

when he joined that studio in 1962; he created ''

Jonny Quest ''Jonny Quest'' is a science fiction-adventure media franchise that revolves around the titular boy named Jonny Quest, who accompanies his scientist father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964–1965 television serie ...

'' for Hanna-Barbera, a series with artistic models more akin to Cambria's than to Hanna-Barbera's.Olbrich, David W
"Doug Wildey, an interview with the creator of Jonny Quest"
''

Amazing Heroes ''Amazing Heroes'' was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, ''The Comics Journal'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analyt ...

'' #95 (), May 15, 1986, p. 3
WebCitation archive
/ref> Toth also joined Hanna-Barbera after leaving Cambria, where he created several of Hanna-Barbera's action series of the late 1960s.

References

* "Don't believe your eyes! How 'Clutch Cargo' cuts corners as a television comic strip." ''TV Guide'' December 24, 1960, p. 28-29.

External links

1957 establishments in California 1965 disestablishments in California American companies established in 1957 American companies disestablished in 1965 Mass media companies established in 1957 Mass media companies disestablished in 1965 American animation studios Companies based in Los Angeles County, California {{animation-studio-stub