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Cartoon Studio Founder Lou Scheimer Dies

Oct 21 2013

Lou Scheimer obituary: Filmation founder Lou Scheimer dies

Oct 20 2013

Early life and education

Scheimer was the son of a German Jew who, according to family legend, had to leave Germany in the early 1920's after punching a young Adolf Hitler in 1921 or 1922, "well before" the Beer Hall Putsch.²

Scheimer graduated from Carnegie Tech University (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1952.

Career

In the mid-1950s, Scheimer was appointed to the position of art director while working at Larry Harmon Pictures on the made-for-TV Bozo and Popeye cartoons. He formed a close working relationship with former Disney animator Hal Sutherland, with the two later becoming business partners. Larry Harmon eventually closed the studio in 1961. Scheimer and Sutherland went to work at a small company called True Line.³ While working there, they were contracted by SIB Productions, a Japanese firm with U.S. offices in Chicago, who approached them about producing a cartoon called Rod Rocket. The two agreed to take on the work and also took on a project for Family Films, Life of Christ, a series of ten short animated films based on the life of Christ. Paramount Pictures soon purchased SIB Productions, and the contract allowed True Line to hire additional staff, such as former radio disc jockey Norm Prescott. Scheimer and Sutherland formed a close relationship with their new co-worker.

In 1962, Scheimer, Sutherland and Prescott eventually left True Line, and Scheimer began independently working on commercials. He figured that he could form his own company to produce animation. In September of that year, he, Sutherland and Ira Epstein, who had worked for Harmon but had left the firm, formed Filmation Associates. The company's name was invented because according to Scheimer, "We were working on film, but doing animation." Prescott joined them soon after the company's formation, and the trio were the company's main producers.⁴⁵ They immediately started work on Journey Back to Oz, an animated sequel to the MGM film The Wizard of Oz and loosely based on the Oz series of books by L. Frank Baum. Due to financial problems, it took them about a decade to complete the film.

In the meantime, Filmation turned their attention to a more successful medium, network television. For the next few years they made television commercials and some other projects for other companies and made an unsuccessful pilot film for a Marx Brothers cartoon series. They also tried to develop an original series named The Adventures of Stanley Stoutheart (later renamed Yank and Doodle), but they were never able to sell it and almost closed down.⁶ That was until they were approached by DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger to do a cartoon based on Superman. Superman premiered on September 10, 1966, and was followed by several of the other DC superheroes, and then, in 1968, the first Archie Show. Both series greatly helped Filmation's popularity to increase into the 1970s, when it scored big with several of its series, such as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and Star Trek: The Animated Series.⁷⁸⁹ For Star Trek: The Animated Series, Scheimer won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment - Children's Series.¹⁰

Early in Filmation's history, Scheimer also contributed a number of guest or secondary voices for the various productions. Most notably, he provided the voice of Dumb Donald on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. He was also the voice of Legal Eagle and the Brown Hornet's sidekick Stinger, and did voice-over narration during the opening credits of the majority of Filmation shows and cartoons.¹¹ In Jason of Star Command and Space Academy, he was consistently heard as generic voices over intercoms. In the live-action series The Ghost Busters, which starred Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch with Bob Burns, he was the voice of Zero, the unseen boss of the main characters.

Scheimer also provided the voices of Stubby on The New Adventures of Gilligan, N'kima on Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle,¹² Bat-Mite, the Bat-Computer and Clayface on The New Adventures of Batman, M.O. on Space Sentinels, Trouble, Spinner and Scarab on Tarzan and the Super 7's Superstretch and Microwoman and Web Woman, Dinny on Fabulous Funnies, Mighty Mouse on The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle,¹³¹⁴ Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse, Spike, Tuffy, Slick Wolf and Barney Bear on The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show,¹⁵ the Olympian Computer on Sport Billy,¹⁶ Gremlin on The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, Bumper on Gilligan's Planet, and Tracy the Gorilla on Ghostbusters.

The Filmation studio had emerged as a leading company in television animation, but it was no longer an independent company. The studio was purchased by the TelePrompTer Corporation in 1969. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, through its Group W Productions division, acquired Filmation along with its purchase of TelePrompTer's cable and entertainment properties in 1981. Despite this, Scheimer continued leading the company.¹⁷ He played a significant role in the creation of the cartoons He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and BraveStarr. As well as the executive producer, he was also co-credited for the series' musical score under the pseudonym "Erika Lane" (which combined the names of his daughter Erika and son Lane).¹⁸ It had also been used as a character name on the 1967 Filmation series Fantastic Voyage.

He became a voice actor for the show (as he had done for many of his company's previous productions), going under the pseudonym "Erik Gunden". The last name was taken from his father's original surname: "Gundenscheimer" (which was later shortened to Scheimer). The first name was Lou's middle name, which he was not given by his parents, but instead by his wife Jay, who felt that he should have one. Scheimer's contribution to the cast was, in fact, most notable as he voiced several supporting characters, including Orko (and other characters with a similar Smurfs-voice), Stratos, King Randor and others. The reason that Scheimer performed the voices for so many supporting characters was that the "official" voice actors were contracted to perform no more than three different voices per episode. Since there were usually only three regular cast members working on each show, Scheimer would fill in the rest of the male cast. This is also why his wife and daughter did various small parts in the first season of He-Man, with Erika Scheimer performing supporting female voices and occasional voice-acting for young boy characters.¹⁹

During the second season of He-Man, and all of She-Ra: Princess of Power, Erika received an onscreen credit as an actor and also directed the voice actors, and she and her father recorded the remaining voices on their own later, because he did not see himself as a "proper" actor and was ashamed of recording with the other voice actors due to severe budget restrictions.²⁰²¹²² The pitch of his voice was often changed by using a "harmonizer", which could control the pitch without altering the speed of the sound.²³ The animated series also pioneered a type of programming known as first-run syndication. Another first was the storyline being based on an action figure toy; before this time, FCC regulations had prohibited any type of children's programming being based on a toy. Scheimer transformed He-Man from a graphically violent version of Conan the Barbarian into a pro-social character, who imparted a life lesson to impressionable viewers in each episode.²⁴²⁵

In 1989, Westinghouse decided to shut down Filmation and sell the studio's properties. Scheimer effectively went into retirement after the end of his studio. In the late 1990s, he returned to the field of animation. A Dutch investment company, Dreamweavers, NV., approached him with a concept based on an off-kilter Dutchman's renderings of characters aimed at young adults. Scheimer went into production on Robin and the Dreamweavers, an adult animated feature film. Robin, the first human to be born in cyberspace, battles Triple XXX: an evil siren who desires an earthly body, and who gains power through mankind's baser carnal desires. The movie, which has been compared to the majority of Ralph Bakshi's work, was never distributed. Scheimer also provided consultation work for Gang of Seven (G7) Animation.

The Lou Scheimer Gallery at the ToonSeum, a museum of comic and cartoon art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is named in his honor.

Personal life

Scheimer was married to Joanne "Jay" Wucher (1931–2009) until her death. They had one son, Lane (b. 1956), and one daughter, Erika (b. 1960).

Scheimer underwent quadruple bypass surgery in the late 1990s and was subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In 2012, he was honored with an Inkpot Award for his contributions to animation.²⁶²⁷ He died from the disease at his home in Tarzana, California, on October 17, 2013, two days before his 85th birthday.²⁸

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Filmmaking credits

Further reading

• Lou Scheimer & Andy Mangels. Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2nd edn. Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Pub., 2015.

External links

• Lou Scheimer at IMDb

History

• Guide To Animated Star Trek - Filmation Associates
• Animated Views - A Fond Look Back At Filmation (Part 1) (October 31, 2004)
• Animated Views - A Fond Look Back At Filmation (Part 2) (December 10, 2006)
• LouScheimerProductions.com - My Dad: The Trend Setter at the Wayback Machine (archived March 22, 2004)

Interviews

• The Unofficial Isis Appreciation Page - Interview (July 2002)
• Masters Cast - Comic-Con Interview (QuickTime) (July 30, 2006)
• Retro Crush - David Teague Interview
• The-Trades Interview - R.J. Carter (June 11, 2007)

References

1. "R.I.P. Animation Legend Lou Scheimer". Science Fiction. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013. https://sciencefiction.com/2013/10/18/r-p-animation-legend-lou-scheimer/ ↩

2. Fred Patten (December 19, 2012). "Book Review - 'Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation'". Animation World Network. Retrieved May 13, 2016. /wiki/Fred_Patten ↩

3. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (2012), Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing, pp. 37–48, ISBN 978-1-60549-044-1 978-1-60549-044-1 ↩

4. Bates, James (February 8, 1989). "Filmation Shuts Plant, Beats Closing Law Deadline by 1 Day". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 24, 2010. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-08-fi-2066-story.html ↩

5. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (2012), Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing, pp. 37–48, ISBN 978-1-60549-044-1 978-1-60549-044-1 ↩

6. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (2012), Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing, pp. 37–48, ISBN 978-1-60549-044-1 978-1-60549-044-1 ↩

7. "'Sesame Street' Breakthrough For New Programming". Florence Times—Tri-Cities Daily. Florence, AL. Associated Press. April 27, 1970. p. 2. Retrieved March 25, 2012. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zAAsAAAAIBAJ&pg=855,4920190&dq=hal-sutherland&hl=en ↩

8. Kleiner, Dick (June 14, 1973). "New Animated TV Show Is Aimed At Adults". Portsmouth Times. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 21. Retrieved March 25, 2012. /wiki/Dick_Kleiner ↩

9. Margulies, Lee (May 12, 1975). "Filmation – its sole product is for kids". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, VA. Associated Press. p. 20. Retrieved March 25, 2012. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=895LAAAAIBAJ&pg=7238,1750056&dq=hal-sutherland&hl=en ↩

10. Mangels, Andy (Summer 2018). "Star Trek: The Animated Series". RetroFan (1). TwoMorrows Publishing: 25–37. https://issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/retrofan1preview/2?ff ↩

11. "TITANS OF TELEPHEMERA: FILMATION - part 1". STARBURST Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2024. https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/titans-of-telephemera-filmation-part-1/ ↩

12. "The Animated Tarzan". Cartoon Research. Retrieved May 29, 2021. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-animated-tarzan/ ↩

13. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

14. "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle". The TV IV. Retrieved September 10, 2024. http://tviv.org/The_New_Adventures_of_Mighty_Mouse_and_Heckle_%26_Jeckle ↩

15. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 9, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

16. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 9, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

17. "Group W sells Filmation." Broadcasting, February 13, 1989, pg. 94 https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1989/BC-1989-02-13.pdf ↩

18. "Cartoon Studio Founder Lou Scheimer Dies". Time. October 21, 2013. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131023024824/http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/21/cartoon-studio-founder-lou-scheimer-dies/ ↩

19. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

20. "Remembering She-Ra and He-Man: Interview with Lou Scheimer". Animation World Network. November 7, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2013. https://www.awn.com/animationworld/remembering-she-ra-and-he-man-interview-lou-scheimer ↩

21. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

22. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

23. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

24. "He-Man cartoon producer Lou Scheimer dies aged 84". BBC News. October 22, 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24623154 ↩

25. "Remembering She-Ra and He-Man: Interview with Lou Scheimer". Animation World Network. November 7, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2013. https://www.awn.com/animationworld/remembering-she-ra-and-he-man-interview-lou-scheimer ↩

26. Inkpot Award https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot ↩

27. "Lou Scheimer 2012 Inkpot Award". AniMA Firenze. July 2, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2024. http://www.animafirenze.com/lou-scheimer-2012-inkpot-award/ ↩

28. Colker, David (October 20, 2013). "Lou Scheimer obituary: Filmation founder Lou Scheimer dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 20, 2013. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-lou-scheimer-20131020-story.html ↩

29. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

30. "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle". The TV IV. Retrieved September 10, 2024. http://tviv.org/The_New_Adventures_of_Mighty_Mouse_and_Heckle_%26_Jeckle ↩

31. "Remembering Filmation Co-Founder Lou Scheimer, 1928-2013". www.startrek.com. July 25, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2024. https://www.startrek.com/news/remembering-filmation-co-founder-lou-scheimer-1928-2013 ↩

32. "TITANS OF TELEPHEMERA: FILMATION - part 1". STARBURST Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2024. https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/titans-of-telephemera-filmation-part-1/ ↩

33. "The Animated Tarzan". Cartoon Research. Retrieved May 29, 2021. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-animated-tarzan/ ↩

34. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

35. "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle". The TV IV. Retrieved September 10, 2024. http://tviv.org/The_New_Adventures_of_Mighty_Mouse_and_Heckle_%26_Jeckle ↩

36. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 9, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

37. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 9, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

38. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

39. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (December 15, 2012). Creating The Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved April 27, 2024. 9781605490441 ↩

40. ""The Archies" America on Records". Cartoon Research. Retrieved April 28, 2024. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-archies-america-on-records/ ↩

41. "Filmation Tribute: "Groovie Goolies" & "Fat Albert Halloween"". Cartoon Research. Retrieved April 28, 2024. https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/filmation-tribute-groovie-goolies-fat-albert-halloween/ ↩

42. "Remembering Filmation Co-Founder Lou Scheimer, 1928-2013". www.startrek.com. July 25, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2024. https://www.startrek.com/news/remembering-filmation-co-founder-lou-scheimer-1928-2013 ↩