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Seymour Kneitel is a Director, Producer and Animation American born on 16 march 1908 at New York City (USA)

Seymour Kneitel

Seymour Kneitel
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Nationality USA
Birth 16 march 1908 at New York City (USA)
Death 30 july 1964 (at 56 years) at Los Angeles (USA)

Seymour Kneitel (March 16, 1908 – July 30, 1964) was an American animator. He is best known for his work with Fleischer Studios and its successor, Famous Studios.

Biography

Early years
Kneitel was born in New York City where he graduated from P.S. 10 in Manhattan and attended the High School of Commerce, taking commercial art courses. He also took evening classes at the National Academy of Design. His father died when Kneitel was about 16, and he needed work to provide support for his mother and sister.

He was able to attend an annex of Commerce HS and work after school and Saturdays for Bray Studios, coloring drawings for Colonel Heeza Liar cartoons. On graduation, he was able to find employment with a small company, L.F. Cornwell, producers of a series called Ebinizer Ebony, which were being made in a now-extinct color process called Kelly Color. He began as an office boy and within a year was one of their three animators. From 1925 to 1927, he worked as an inbetweener at Max Fleischer's "Out of the Inkwell" Studio, and was there for two years when he was offered an opportunity to go to MGM Studios in California as a junior writer.

Kneitel spent six months at MGM writing sub-titles for silent pictures, but was let go when sound arrived. Heading back East he worked briefly for an outfit that produced cartoons based on the popular Joe Jinks comic strips (they never got out of the projection room). In 1928 he worked for six months at Loucks and Norling on industrial films and the Mutt and Jeff series.


Fleischer Studios
In 1928, Kneitel returned to Fleischer Studios as an inbetweener, staying there for fourteen years (1928–1942), He was there only about six months when he became an animator, and a year later became a head animator. During his time there he provided animation for many films, including the Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor series, Talkartoons, Screen Songs (with the famous "Bouncing Ball"), and the studio's first feature-length film, Gulliver's Travels.

In early 1939, Kneitel suffered a heart attack, and was absent from the studio until late 1941. Kneitel returned just when Fleischer obtained the right to animate Superman. Kneitel wrote several Superman episodes with Isadore (Izzy) Sparber, and directed one short, The Mechanical Monsters (1941).

In January 1942, the Fleischer brothers were forced to resign from the studio they had created; they had borrowed money from Paramount between 1938 and 1941 to finance their expanded Miami facilities and two feature films. After the failure of their second feature, Mister Bug Goes to Town, the studio called in their loans, effectively foreclosing the studio. The successor studio was re-formed by Kneitel, Sam Buchwald and Isadore Sparber and renamed it Famous Studios.


Famous Studios
Kneitel, Buchwald and Sparber ran Famous Studios for eleven years (1942–1953), after which Paramount Pictures subsidized the studio, and Kneitel was employed as director of production. Kneitel himself had become one of the most prolific directors of the Popeye shorts and also directed many of the Casper the Friendly Ghost shorts. Famous Studios also created a series called Noveltoons that included the three popular series; Casper the Friendly Ghost, Herman and Katnip and Baby Huey.


Popeye the Sailor TV series

In the summer of 1957, Paramount ceased production of theatrical Popeye shorts. King Features Syndicate, aware of the high ratings that the Popeye shorts had earned on television, commissioned a new series of Popeye shorts for syndication in 1960. Kneitel, head of the Paramount Cartoon Studios (renamed from Famous Studios in 1956), supervised one of four animation units assigned to this project. Due to the usage of limited animation, the quality of these films are inferior to those produced by the Fleischer and Famous Studios.


Death
Kneitel died of a heart attack on July 30, 1964. Three years later, Paramount shut down their animation studio. Kneitel's last cartoon credit was Space Kid (1966).


Personal
Kneitel was married to Ruth Fleischer, making him Max Fleischer's son-in-law and director Richard Fleischer's brother-in-law. He was also the nephew of musician Sammy Timberg, who wrote many of the scores for Fleischer's cartoons. Seymour Kneitel also had a cousin Abner Kneitel, who was the animator and assistant animator for Fleischers and Famous from 1935 to 1944.

His son, the late Tom Kneitel, an avid amateur radio operator (License K2AES), was the founding editor of Popular Communications magazine.

Usually with

Jack Mercer
Jack Mercer
(5 films)
Izzy Sparber
Izzy Sparber
(4 films)
Al Eugster
Al Eugster
(4 films)
Mae Questel
Mae Questel
(4 films)
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
(2 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Seymour Kneitel (8 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

Fright to the Finish, 6minutes
Directed by Seymour Kneitel, Al Eugster
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Animation
Actors Jackson Beck, Jack Mercer, Mae Questel
Rating62% 3.148553.148553.148553.148553.14855
It is Halloween night and Olive is reading ghost stories to Popeye and Bluto. Both of the men want to have alone time with Olive, with Popeye wondering why Bluto hasn't gone home and Bluto wondering what to do to get rid of Popeye. Bluto decides to stage various pranks (a headless man, an animated skeleton, and a sheet-over-balloon ghost) to scare Olive and Popeye. He pins the blame on Popeye, Olive kicks him out of her house, and Bluto goes to comfort her.
Lighthouse Keeping, 7minutes
Directed by Seymour Kneitel, Jack Hannah
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about birds, Mise en scène d'un canard, Children's films
Actors Arnold Stang, Clarence Nash
Rating68% 3.433333.433333.433333.433333.43333
Donald doit lutter contre Marblehead, un pélican têtu, bien décidé à éteindre la lumière du phare qui le dérange et que Donald doit garder allumé…
Gulliver's Travels, 1h16
Directed by Roland Dimon Crandall, Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Seymour Kneitel, Grim Natwick
Origin USA
Genres Musical theatre, Action, Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Musical films
Actors Pinto Colvig, Jack Mercer, Cal Howard, Tedd Pierce, Gus Wickie
Rating65% 3.294793.294793.294793.294793.29479
On November 5, 1699, Gulliver (voiced by Sam Parker) washes onto Lilliput, after a shipwreck. While scouting the forest, the town crier 'Gabby' (voiced by Pinto Colvig), finds Gulliver unconscious body and rushes to warn the ruler of Lilliput, King Little (voiced by Jack Mercer). At this time, Little and his friend, King Bombo (voiced by Tedd Pierce) of Blefuscu, are signing a wedding contract, granting their children, Princess Glory of Lilliput (voiced by Jessica Dragonette) to Prince David of Blefuscu (voiced by Lanny Ross), permission to marry. When they argue over which song is to play at the wedding, Bombo declares war.
Christmas Comes But Once a Year, 8minutes
Directed by Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Seymour Kneitel
Origin USA
Genres Animation
Actors Jack Mercer, Mae Questel
Rating71% 3.586093.586093.586093.586093.58609
Dans un orphelinat, les enfants sont tristes car ils ont reçu en cadeau des jouets cassés. Le professeur Grampy voit les enfants en passant dans son traîneau et a une idée pour leur offrir un joyeux Noël.

Producer

Fright to the Finish, 6minutes
Directed by Seymour Kneitel, Al Eugster
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Animation
Actors Jackson Beck, Jack Mercer, Mae Questel
Roles Producer
Rating62% 3.148553.148553.148553.148553.14855
It is Halloween night and Olive is reading ghost stories to Popeye and Bluto. Both of the men want to have alone time with Olive, with Popeye wondering why Bluto hasn't gone home and Bluto wondering what to do to get rid of Popeye. Bluto decides to stage various pranks (a headless man, an animated skeleton, and a sheet-over-balloon ghost) to scare Olive and Popeye. He pins the blame on Popeye, Olive kicks him out of her house, and Bluto goes to comfort her.
Bride and Gloom, 6minutes
Directed by Izzy Sparber
Origin USA
Genres Animation
Actors Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Cecil Roy
Roles Producer
Rating59% 2.954622.954622.954622.954622.95462
Popeye se marie avec Olive demain; il est extatique. Elle a un rêve d’avenir, y compris des fils jumeaux qui s’avèrent être une vraie poignée. Quand Popeye passe le lendemain matin, il reçoit un accueil glacial.
Hysterical History
Directed by Izzy Sparber
Origin USA
Genres Animation
Actors Jackson Beck, Jack Mercer, Mae Questel
Roles Producer
Rating50% 2.5084352.5084352.5084352.5084352.508435
The story of American History is told. The cartoon starts when Columbus discovers America, arrives at the new land, where he finds cameramen and newspaper reporters.
Lighthouse Keeping, 7minutes
Directed by Seymour Kneitel, Jack Hannah
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about birds, Mise en scène d'un canard, Children's films
Actors Arnold Stang, Clarence Nash
Roles Producer
Rating68% 3.433333.433333.433333.433333.43333
Donald doit lutter contre Marblehead, un pélican têtu, bien décidé à éteindre la lumière du phare qui le dérange et que Donald doit garder allumé…

Visual effects

The Vanishing Private, 7minutes
Directed by Bob Clampett, Jack King
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Politique, Films about birds, Political films, Mise en scène d'un canard, Children's films
Actors Clarence Nash, Billy Bletcher, Arnold Stang
Roles Animation
Rating70% 3.526653.526653.526653.526653.52665
Donald Duck est peintre en camouflage dans l'armée. Il peint un canon géant d'abord avec des couleurs criardes mais ce fait reprendre à l'ordre par le sergent Pat Hibulaire. Donald découvre par mégarde une peinture expérimentale faisant disparaître. Donald utilise alors cette peinture invisible pour le canon.
The Vanishing Private, 7minutes
Directed by Bob Clampett, Jack King
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Politique, Transport films, Aviation films, Films about birds, Political films, Mise en scène d'un canard, Children's films
Actors Clarence Nash, Billy Bletcher, Arnold Stang
Roles Animation
Rating66% 3.3328353.3328353.3328353.3328353.332835
Donald Duck se retrouve sur une base aérienne, pour un entraînement de parachutiste.
Christmas Comes But Once a Year, 8minutes
Directed by Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Seymour Kneitel
Origin USA
Genres Animation
Actors Jack Mercer, Mae Questel
Roles Animation Director
Rating71% 3.586093.586093.586093.586093.58609
Dans un orphelinat, les enfants sont tristes car ils ont reçu en cadeau des jouets cassés. Le professeur Grampy voit les enfants en passant dans son traîneau et a une idée pour leur offrir un joyeux Noël.