Samuel Singer (August 27, 1912 – January 25, 2001)
was an American
animator
An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
and
animation
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
producer. He is best known as executive producer of ''
The Adventures of Pow Wow'', a cartoon which also later appeared as a segment in early episodes of ''
Captain Kangaroo
''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...
''. He also directed ''
The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican'' and produced ''
''.
Animation historian Jerry Beck
Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is an American animation historian, author, blogger (person), blogger, and video producer.
Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''Looney Tunes and ...
has referred to Singer as "the
Ed Wood
Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novelist.
In the 1950s, Wood directed several B movie, low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult c ...
of animation" for his low-budget and generally ill-reviewed cartoons.
Career
Singer was born on August 27, 1912 to Abraham and Ida Singer. He was
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
. In his early career, he worked at
Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
before leaving to pursue his
animation
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
career. Before that, Singer also worked for various other animation studios located in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
in the 1930s, moving to Chicago in the 1940s. His first TV show was called Uncle Mistletoe, which aired from 1948 to 1952. In 1956, Singer created ''
Adventures of Pow Wow,'' which received generally negative reviews from critics, naming it as
one of the worst television series of all time. He also created and
executive produced ''
The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican,
,'' and ''
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse.'' His final cartoon that he ever worked on was ''
Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt.'' Instead of the show being created by Singer, he served as executive producer while
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...
and
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera.
Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...
(founders of
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
along with
George Sidney
George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive back ...
) created the show, because he couldn't handle demands of the schedule. The negative reception of his shows led to his retirement after ''Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt'' ended in 1966.
Death
Singer died on January 25, 2001, at the age of 88.
Filmography
Television
*''Uncle Mistletoe'' (1948–1952)
*''Paddy the Pelican'' (1950) - Creator
*''
The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican'' (1954) - Creator, writer, director, and voice actor
*''
Adventures of Pow Wow'' (1956–1958) - Creator and director
*''Trips the Trapper'' (1959) - Executive producer
*''
'' (1959–1960) - Executive producer
*''
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse'' (1960–1962) - Executive producer
*''
Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt'' (1965–1966) - Executive producer
Film
*''
Tubby the Tuba'' (1975) - Animation supervisor
References
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
1912 births
2001 deaths
American animated film directors
American animated film producers
American television directors
American television producers
Walt Disney Animation Studios people
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