In Remembrance: Myron Waldman

     Myron Waldman, an animator who worked on several classic Fleischer Studios cartoon series including Betty Boop, Popeye and Casper the Friendly Ghost and who created Betty Boop’s pet dog Pudgy, has passed away on February 4, 2006 in Bethpage, New York. He was 97.

     Born on April 23, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York, Waldman studied in Pratt University’s Fine and Applied Arts program. Following graduation in 1930, he was hired by the Fleischer Studio as an opaquer and was quickly promoted to a position in the inking department. As a prize for winning an in-studio competition, Waldman was promoted to in-betweener before finally given his own animation unit in 1933, working under the direction of studio founder Dave Fleischer. Waldman worked primarily on the Studios famous Betty Boop series, with Waldman creating Betty’s pet dog Pudgy for the 1934 cartoon Betty Boop’s Little Pal.

     Waldman was known at the studio for his sense of humor. He once carried a script for the studio’s Stone Age series into Fleischer’s office, announcing that “It stinks!” He was also known for his attention to detail. For the 1935 Betty Boop cartoon A Language All My Own, in which the curvaceous cartoon character travels to Japan, Waldman had several Japanese exchange students view his work in order to make sure Betty wouldn’t unintentionally do something offensive to the Japanese audience.

     Under the direction of Fleischer, Waldman served as animator on two of the four Academy Award nominated shorts that the studio produced- Educated Fish (1937) and Hunky And Spunky (1939). In 1941, he served as an animation director on the Fleischer Studio’s two-reel Raggedy Ann And Andy cartoon and the studio’s second feature length animated film Mr. Bug Goes To Town.

     Waldman stayed with Fleischer Studios when, in 1942, it was absorbed into Paramount Pictures and renamed Famous Studios. However, he only worked on two more Superman cartoons before entering into the United States Army for a three year stint. Following his discharge, he returned to Famous Studios, working there for almost a decade on such series as Screen Songs, Casper and Little Lulu. One of his final cartoon shorts at the studio was 1954’s Boo Moon, the only Casper cartoon produced in 3-D.

     In addition to his work at Famous Studios, Waldman created one of the first graphic novels, Eve: A Pictorial Love Story, which was released in 1943 to positive critical reviews. He also created and served as artist for the children’s Sunday comic strip Happy The Humbug.

     From 1958 to 1968, Waldman worked as a director at Hal Seeger productions. One of his projects was a syndicated television revival of the Fleischer Out Of The Inkwell series which starred Koko The Clown. In 1997 he won was awarded the Windsor McKay Award.