Irv is my favorite Tom and Jerry animator, his Tom wild takes and reactions were the funniest, and he is one of the only people who animated for Tex Avery at both Warner Bros and MGM the other was Robert "Bobe" Cannon.
For those of you who don't know who Spence is, i'll explain. He was born on April 24, 1909 in Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. Spence interest in drawing began in his youth, when he provided cartoons for his high school newspaper (along with classmate William Hanna). Spence's earliest animation work was for Charles B. Mintz's Winkler Pictures, and then for Ub Iwerks, where he worked on the "Flip the Frog" series. After Iwerks Studio folded in 1936, Spence worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons as an animator in Tex Avery's animation unit. There, he brought an eccentric drawing/animation style to already irreverent animated films. He later moved to Metro Goldwyn Mayer's cartoon department in 1938, starting with the Captain and the Kids cartoons. Spence animated for Milt Gross (on the Count Screwloose cartoons), Hugh Harman, and for the Bill Hanna/Joe Barbera unit. Spence also animated Tex Avery's first four cartoons (Blitz Wolf, The Early Bird Dood It!, Dumb-Hounded and Red Hot Riding Hood) following Avery's arrival at the studio in 1942, before moving over to the Hanna/Barbera unit again. Spence's first credit in a Tom and Jerry short was in The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), which received an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Spence, during his time at MGM, would also directed two live-action spoof films, Rats in Spats in 1941, and Rugged Rangers in 1942. Both films star various staff members who worked in the studio at the time. Spence would briefly leave the studio in the mid-40's to work for John Sutherland Productions, but later returned in '47, and would continue to work on the Tom and Jerry series, albeit discontinuously, until his final departure from MGM in 1956, with his final credit appearing on 1957's Timid Tabby. He then joined Animation, Inc., a commercial production studio, before joining his former bosses at Hanna-Barbera Productions seven years later.[6] He provided animation for many animated television series, including Jonny Quest (1964), Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles (1966), and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971). In addition to his work for Hanna-Barbera, Spence also worked for Chuck Jones (the 1970 television adaptation of Horton Hears a Who!), DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (Roland and Ratfink, The Ant and the Aardvark), and Ralph Bakshi (Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, and the 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings). Spence's last animation credit was on Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992). Spence also conducted a workshop for animators under the auspices of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Local 839. He received the 1986 Winsor McCay Award from the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, for his lifetime contributions to the field of animation. Spence married Alice Amelia Hossfeld in a Latter Day Saints ceremony on January 15, 1931. He was managing a Standard Oil station in Compton, California at the time. They had one daughter. Alice died in 1984 and Spence remarried. Spence died of a heart attack on September 21, 1995, in Dallas, Texas.
There's some stuff in Wizards that looks like it was copied from some earlier Tom and Jerry work. Some of that scrambling legs thing that the old Tom & Jerry toons had, you see that a little bit in Wizards.
***** Thanks. He animated Hanna Barbera cartoons including Hey There, it's Yogi Bear and The Man Called Flintstones. However, Iri animated cartoons in depatie-freleng enterprises films, including few Ant and the Aardvark shorts and One Tijuana Toads short.
Devon Baxter Thanks Devon! Thad Komorowski's reel already included most of those scenes. I made this video to highlight more of Irv's Tom and Jerry work! :)
Zamzam Bouraleh Thanks for your feedback! Personally, I think Irv's animation was funnier in the mid 40's. I used more Tom clips because they're easier to identify (and more entertaining)! re: Ed Barge - Thanks for the correction!
@@zamzambouraleh9724 What the heck do you mean? Tom's design was unappealing in the 1944-1945 years? Are you BLIND? 1944-1945 features some of the best cartoons and Tom's design is iconic.
Irv Spence has a very distinctive style that I can recognize just by looking at his drawings. For some of the other animators (mostly the Disney guys) I went off studio documentation that records which scenes they did.
Thank you. I have been looking for records of studio documentation detailing the scenes Disney animators. Hans Perk's blog has some information in that regard, but essentially for the older Disney guys. Do you happen to know if there is any documentation available online for the "post- 9 old men" generation animators?
Irv is my favorite Tom and Jerry animator, his Tom wild takes and reactions were the funniest, and he is one of the only people who animated for Tex Avery at both Warner Bros and MGM the other was Robert "Bobe" Cannon.
For those of you who don't know who Spence is, i'll explain.
He was born on April 24, 1909 in Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Spence interest in drawing began in his youth, when he provided cartoons for his high school newspaper (along with classmate William Hanna). Spence's earliest animation work was for Charles B. Mintz's Winkler Pictures, and then for Ub Iwerks, where he worked on the "Flip the Frog" series.
After Iwerks Studio folded in 1936, Spence worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons as an animator in Tex Avery's animation unit. There, he brought an eccentric drawing/animation style to already irreverent animated films. He later moved to Metro Goldwyn Mayer's cartoon department in 1938, starting with the Captain and the Kids cartoons. Spence animated for Milt Gross (on the Count Screwloose cartoons), Hugh Harman, and for the Bill Hanna/Joe Barbera unit. Spence also animated Tex Avery's first four cartoons (Blitz Wolf, The Early Bird Dood It!, Dumb-Hounded and Red Hot Riding Hood) following Avery's arrival at the studio in 1942, before moving over to the Hanna/Barbera unit again. Spence's first credit in a Tom and Jerry short was in The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), which received an Academy Award for Best Animated Short.
Spence, during his time at MGM, would also directed two live-action spoof films, Rats in Spats in 1941, and Rugged Rangers in 1942. Both films star various staff members who worked in the studio at the time.
Spence would briefly leave the studio in the mid-40's to work for John Sutherland Productions, but later returned in '47, and would continue to work on the Tom and Jerry series, albeit discontinuously, until his final departure from MGM in 1956, with his final credit appearing on 1957's Timid Tabby. He then joined Animation, Inc., a commercial production studio, before joining his former bosses at Hanna-Barbera Productions seven years later.[6] He provided animation for many animated television series, including Jonny Quest (1964), Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles (1966), and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971).
In addition to his work for Hanna-Barbera, Spence also worked for Chuck Jones (the 1970 television adaptation of Horton Hears a Who!), DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (Roland and Ratfink, The Ant and the Aardvark), and Ralph Bakshi (Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, and the 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings). Spence's last animation credit was on Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992). Spence also conducted a workshop for animators under the auspices of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Local 839. He received the 1986 Winsor McCay Award from the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, for his lifetime contributions to the field of animation.
Spence married Alice Amelia Hossfeld in a Latter Day Saints ceremony on January 15, 1931. He was managing a Standard Oil station in Compton, California at the time. They had one daughter. Alice died in 1984 and Spence remarried. Spence died of a heart attack on September 21, 1995, in Dallas, Texas.
Yo me and him share a birthday
Irvin.. One of My Favorite MGM Animators.
He also worked for Ralph Bakshi on movies like Fritz the Cat & his other movies.
He also worked on the 1993 Tom and Jerry film too.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh shut up
Actually he didn’t work on Fritz the Cat.
There's some stuff in Wizards that looks like it was copied from some earlier Tom and Jerry work. Some of that scrambling legs thing that the old Tom & Jerry toons had, you see that a little bit in Wizards.
3:15-3:18 was actually done by Ed Barge.
2:55 was also done by Ed Bardge
Angel Martinez No, that's actually Irven. Ed's style is more cute.
I channeled some of Irv Spence's shtick while animating Hermes in Disney's Hercules, especially the "scramble and zip off screen."
Don't forget a Warner Bros cartoon, Daffy Duck and Egghead where Daffy sings merry-go-round broke down in 1938.
***** Where?
***** Thanks. He animated Hanna Barbera cartoons including Hey There, it's Yogi Bear and The Man Called Flintstones. However, Iri animated cartoons in depatie-freleng enterprises films, including few Ant and the Aardvark shorts and One Tijuana Toads short.
I saw some of his animation on the Merrie Melodies cartoon Little Red Walking Hood!
the Spence animation
Your Forgeting Blitz Wolf
Awesomeness. Can't wait for more in the future.
I'm really enjoying these videos, keep it up!
While we're at it, please do Ray Patterson next.
Funny
I Did Irv Spence Clips On My Other Channel Called Nathan Vlogs
Great video, but I would have varied it up a bit with different series (a little more Tex MGMs and Warners cartoons, for instance.)
Devon Baxter Thanks Devon! Thad Komorowski's reel already included most of those scenes. I made this video to highlight more of Irv's Tom and Jerry work! :)
Devon Baxter I think he used too many clips from 1944-1945. Tom's design was unappealing during those years. Also not enough clips with Jerry.
Zamzam Bouraleh Thanks for your feedback! Personally, I think Irv's animation was funnier in the mid 40's. I used more Tom clips because they're easier to identify (and more entertaining)!
re: Ed Barge - Thanks for the correction!
@@officialanneboonchuy180 nope. still irv
@@zamzambouraleh9724 What the heck do you mean? Tom's design was unappealing in the 1944-1945 years? Are you BLIND?
1944-1945 features some of the best cartoons and Tom's design is iconic.
April 24, 1909. Irv Spence's zodiac is Taurus ♉.
Great job, as usual! Can you do Ed Barge soon?
Zoot cat 4491
How were you able to find out exactly which shots were Irv Spence's shots....or any other animator for that matter?
Irv Spence has a very distinctive style that I can recognize just by looking at his drawings. For some of the other animators (mostly the Disney guys) I went off studio documentation that records which scenes they did.
Thank you. I have been looking for records of studio documentation detailing the scenes Disney animators. Hans Perk's blog has some information in that regard, but essentially for the older Disney guys. Do you happen to know if there is any documentation available online for the "post- 9 old men" generation animators?
Unfortunately there's no drafts online that I know of for the later Disney films. Books and interviews are your best bet.
Thanks again! I really appreciate it.
Irv Spence helped animate on an episode of this cartoon called Rolland and Ratfink - Robin GoodWood. His animation shows a strongly.