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{{redirect|James Culhane|the rugby player|James Culhane (rugby union)}}
{{short description|American film director}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| othername = James Culhane<br>Jimmie Culhane<br>Jimmy Culhane
| othername = James Culhane<br>Jimmie Culhane<br>Jimmy Culhane
| yearsactive = 1925–1996
| yearsactive = 1925–1996
| employer = [[Bray Productions]] (1925-1928)<br>[[Screen Gems]] (1928-1930)<br>[[Fleischer Studios]] (1930-1932, 1939-1942)<br>[[Ub Iwerks Studio]] (1932-1935)<br>[[The Van Beuren Corporation|Van Beuren]] (1935)<br>[[Walt Disney Animation Studios]] (1935-1939)<br>[[Leon Schlesinger Productions]] (1942-1943)<br>[[Walter Lantz Productions]] (1943-1946)<br>[[Famous Studios]] (1966-1967)
| employer = [[Bray Productions]] (1925-1928)<br>[[Screen Gems]] (1928-1929)<br>[[Fleischer Studios]] (1929-1932, 1939-1942)<br>[[Ub Iwerks Studio]] (1932-1934)<br>[[The Van Beuren Corporation|Van Beuren]] (1934-1935)<br>[[Walt Disney Animation Studios]] (1935-1939)<br>[[Warner Bros. Cartoons]] (1942-1943)<br>[[Walter Lantz Productions]] (1943-1945)<br>Shamus Culhane Productions (1948-66)<br>[[Famous Studios]] (1966-1967)
| spouse = Maxine Marx<br>Juana Hegarty
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* Maxine Marx
* Juana Hegarty
}}
| children = 2
| children = 2
| website =
| website =
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'''James H.''' "'''Shamus'''" '''Culhane''' (November 12, 1908 – February 2, 1996) was an American [[animator]], film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the [[Golden age of American animation]].
'''James H.''' "'''Shamus'''" '''Culhane''' (November 12, 1908 – February 2, 1996) was an American [[animator]], film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the [[Golden age of American animation]].

==Career==
==Career==
Shamus Culhane worked for a number of American animation studios, including [[Fleischer Studios]], the [[Ub Iwerks]] studio, [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]], and [[Walter Lantz Productions]]. He began his animation career in 1925 working for [[Bray Productions]] on the [[Dinky Doodle]] series, produced under the supervision of [[Walter Lantz]]. After Bray he served as an inker on Ben Harrison’s and [[Manny Gould]]’s [[Krazy Kat]] cartoons before moving to [[Fleischer Studios]] in 1929 after producer [[Charles Mintz]] did not retain him upon transferring the studio to Hollywood.<ref name="NYT Obit">
Shamus Culhane worked for a number of American animation studios, including [[Fleischer Studios]], the [[Ub Iwerks]] studio, [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]], and [[Walter Lantz Productions]]. He began his animation career in 1925 working for [[Bray Productions]] on the [[Dinky Doodle]] series, produced under the supervision of [[Walter Lantz]]. After Bray he served as an inker on Ben Harrison’s and [[Manny Gould]]’s [[Krazy Kat]] cartoons before moving to [[Fleischer Studios]] in 1929 after producer [[Charles Mintz]] did not retain him upon transferring the studio to Hollywood.<ref name="NYT Obit">
{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E1DE1439F937A35751C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 |title=Shamus Culhane, a Pioneer in Film Animation, Dies at 87 |accessdate=August 1, 2008 |work=The New York Times |date =April 2, 1996 | first=Lawrence | last=Van Gelder}}</ref> and is known for promoting the animation talents of his inker/assistant at Fleischer in the early 1930s, [[Lillian Friedman Astor]], making her the first female studio animator.<ref>''Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators'', by Jeff Lenburg, p. 95-97</ref>. After serving as director on several [[Talkartoons] and early [Betty Boop]] shorts, Culhane moved to Hollywood to animate at Iwerks Studio, operated by influential former Disney alumnus [[Ub Iwerks]], under which he directed, alongside his longtime colleague and friend [[Al Eugster]], several [ComiColor Cartoons]]. On departing Iwerks's studio, Culhane briefly returned to New York to work under the reorganized [[Van Beuren Corporation]], then supervised by [[Burt Gillette]], before opting to apply to Disney in 1935.
{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E1DE1439F937A35751C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 |title=Shamus Culhane, a Pioneer in Film Animation, Dies at 87 |accessdate=August 1, 2008 |work=The New York Times |date =April 2, 1996 | first=Lawrence | last=Van Gelder}}</ref> Culhane is known for promoting the animation talents of his inker/assistant at Fleischer in the early 1930s, [[Lillian Friedman Astor]], making her the first female studio animator.<ref>''Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators'', by Jeff Lenburg, p. 95-97</ref> After serving as director on several [[Talkartoons]] and early [[Betty Boop]] shorts, Culhane moved to Hollywood to animate at the [[Iwerks Studio]], operated by influential former Disney alumnus [[Ub Iwerks]], under which he directed, alongside his longtime colleague and friend [[Al Eugster]], several [[ComiColor Cartoons]]. On departing Iwerks's studio, Culhane briefly returned to New York to direct at the reorganized [[Van Beuren Corporation]], then supervised by [[Burt Gillett]], before opting to apply to Disney in 1935.

⚫
While at the Disney studio, he discovered while working on ''[[Hawaiian Holiday]]''{{'}}s crab sequence an animation method that involved stewing for multiple days, before drawing the entire thing in rough sketches all at once, straight ahead. He was a lead animator on ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'', animating arguably the most well-known sequence in the film, the animation of the [[dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]] marching home singing "[[Heigh-Ho]]". The scene took Culhane and his assistants six months to complete. During this time he developed his "High-speed" technique of animating with quick dashed-off sketches.


⚫
While at the Disney studio, he discovered while working on ''[[Hawaiian Holiday]]''{{'}}s crab sequence an animation method that involved stewing{{clarify|date=August 2022}} for multiple days, before drawing the entire thing in rough sketches all at once, straight ahead.{{cn|date=August 2022}} He was a lead animator on ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'', animating arguably the most well-known sequence in the film, the animation of the [[dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]] marching home singing "[[Heigh-Ho]]". The scene took Culhane and his assistants six months to complete. During this time he developed his "High-speed" technique of animating with quick dashed-off sketches.
⚫
He also worked as an animator on ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'', where he worked on Honest John and Gideon. However, he was left uncredited on the film. During the production of the film he left Disney to work at Fleischer Studios.<ref>{{cite web|title=A note on Pinocchio...|first=Hans|last=Perk|date=February 23, 2007|url=http://afilmla.blogspot.com/2007/02/a-note-on-pinocchio_23.html|accessdate=December 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A Quick Culhane/Tate note...|first=Hans|last=Perk|date=March 4, 2007|url=http://afilmla.blogspot.com/2007/03/a-quick-culhanetate-note_4.html|accessdate=December 28, 2020}}</ref> While there, he worked as an animator on ''[[Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)|Gulliver's Travels]]'' and as the uncredited co-director on ''[[Mr. Bug Goes to Town]]''.


⚫
He also worked as an animator on ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'', where he worked on Honest John and Gideon. However, he was left uncredited on the film. During the production of the film he left Disney to work at Fleischer Studios.<ref>{{cite web|title=A note on Pinocchio...|first=Hans|last=Perk|date=February 23, 2007|url=http://afilmla.blogspot.com/2007/02/a-note-on-pinocchio_23.html|accessdate=December 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A Quick Culhane/Tate note...|first=Hans|last=Perk|date=March 4, 2007|url=http://afilmla.blogspot.com/2007/03/a-quick-culhanetate-note_4.html|accessdate=December 28, 2020}}</ref> While there, he worked as an animator on several crowd scenes in ''[[Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)|Gulliver's Travels]]'' and as the uncredited co-director on ''[[Mr. Bug Goes to Town]]''. Following the completion of ''Gulliver'', Culhane was assigned his own unit, which he attempted to instil with the artistic principles and ethos he had acquired at Disney, yielding shorts such as ''[[Popeye Meets William Tell]]'', notable for their unusually fluid and expressive character animation relative to much of Fleischer's previous work.
Later in his career, Culhane worked briefly in the units of [[Chuck Jones]] and [[Frank Tashlin]] at [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]], before moving on to being an animator and director for Walter Lantz.


In 1944 at Walter Lantz Productions, he collaborated on ''The Greatest Man in Siam'' with the layout artist Art Heinemann. In that animation, "the king of Siam bolts past doorways that are distinctly phallic in shape and peers at another that mimics a vagina."<ref name=NYTexperriment>{{cite web|title=That Noisy Woodpecker Had an Animated Secret|first=Michael|last=Cieply|date=April 10, 2011|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/arts/design/woody-woodpecker-and-shamus-culhanes-animation.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=April 11, 2011}}</ref> Later the same year he helmed [[Woody Woodpecker]]'s classic ''[[The Barber of Seville (1944 film)|The Barber of Seville]]''. The cartoon debuted a new streamlined design for the woodpecker, and is also known for featuring one of the first uses of [[fast cutting]], after taking the idea from [[Sergei Eisenstein]]. At Lantz, he introduced [[Russian avant-garde]] influenced experimental art into the cartoons.<ref name=NYTexperriment/>
A year following his departure from Fleischer, Culhane worked briefly in the units of [[Chuck Jones]] and [[Frank Tashlin]] at [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]], before moving on to being a director for Walter Lantz. At Lantz, he collaborated on ''The Greatest Man in Siam'' with the layout artist (and former Disney and Chuck Jones alumnus) Art Heinemann. In that animation, "the king of Siam bolts past doorways that are distinctly phallic in shape and peers at another that mimics a vagina."<ref name=NYTexperriment>{{cite web|title=That Noisy Woodpecker Had an Animated Secret|first=Michael|last=Cieply|date=April 10, 2011|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/arts/design/woody-woodpecker-and-shamus-culhanes-animation.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=April 11, 2011}}</ref> Later the same year he helmed [[Woody Woodpecker]]'s classic ''[[The Barber of Seville (1944 film)|The Barber of Seville]]''. The cartoon debuted a new streamlined design for the woodpecker, and is also known for featuring one of the first uses of [[fast cutting]], after taking the idea from [[Sergei Eisenstein]]. At Lantz, he sporadically introduced [[Russian avant-garde]] influenced experimental art into the cartoons.<ref name=NYTexperriment/>; one example is briefly visible during an explosion in the Woody Woodpecker short ''[[The Loose Nut]]''.


In the late-1940s, he founded Shamus Culhane Productions (Culhane had gone by his birthname of ''James'' up until this point, before going by its Irish variant ''Shamus''), one of the first companies to create animated television commercials. It also produced the animation for at least one of the [[Bell Telephone Science Series]] films. Shamus Culhane Productions folded in the 1960s, at which point Culhane became the head of the successor to Fleischer Studios, [[Famous Studios|Paramount Cartoon Studios]]. He left the studio in 1967, and went into semi-retirement.
Culhane departed Lantz in October 1945 following a pay dispute. Following a succession of aborted projects, he returned to New York in 1948 to found Shamus Culhane Productions (Culhane had gone by his birthname of ''James'' up until this point, before going by its Irish variant ''Shamus''), one of the first companies to create animated television commercials, among them an iconic Muriel Cigars commercial featuring a [[Mae West]] caricature stylized as a cigar. It also produced the animation for at least one of the [[Bell Telephone Science Series]] films. Shamus Culhane Productions folded in the 1960s, at which point Culhane became the head of the successor to Fleischer Studios, [[Famous Studios|Paramount Cartoon Studios]]. He left the studio in 1967, ceding its creative supervision to a young [[Ralph Bakshi]], and went into semi-retirement.


==Post-animation Career==
==Post-animation career==
Culhane wrote two highly regarded books on animation: the [[how-to]]/[[textbook]] ''Animation from Script to Screen'', and his autobiography ''Talking Animals and Other People''. Since Culhane worked for a number of major Hollywood animation studios, his autobiography gives a balanced general overview of the history of the [[Golden age of American animation]].
Culhane wrote two highly regarded books on animation: the how-to/[[textbook]] ''Animation from Script to Screen'', and his autobiography ''Talking Animals and Other People''. Since Culhane worked for a number of major Hollywood animation studios, his autobiography gives a balanced general overview of the history of the [[Golden age of American animation]].


At his death on February 2, 1996, Culhane was survived by his fourth wife, the former Juana Hegarty, and by two sons from his third marriage,<ref>Maxine Marx, ''Growing Up With Chico'', p. 168: "... Shamus, who was twice divorced" when he married Maxine.</ref> to Maxine Marx (the daughter of [[Chico Marx]]): Brian Culhane of Seattle and Kevin Marx Culhane of Portland, Ore.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>
At his death on February 2, 1996, Culhane was survived by his fourth wife, the former Juana Hegarty, and by two sons from his third marriage,<ref>Maxine Marx, ''Growing Up With Chico'', p. 168: "... Shamus, who was twice divorced" when he married Maxine.</ref> to Maxine Marx (the daughter of [[Chico Marx]]): Brian Culhane of Seattle and Kevin Marx Culhane of Portland, Oregon.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>


==References==
==References==
Line 44: Line 49:
==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0191386|name=Shamus Culhane}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0191386|name=Shamus Culhane}}
*{{IMDb company|0066837|Shamus Culhane Productions}}
{{Winsor McCay Award 1980s}}
{{Winsor McCay Award 1980s}}


Revision as of 16:02, 18 September 2023

"James Culhane" redirects here. For the rugby player, see James Culhane (rugby union).

Shamus Culhane
Born
James H. Culhane

(1908-11-12)November 12, 1908
Ware, Massachusetts, United States
DiedFebruary 2, 1996(1996-02-02) (aged 87)
New York City, United States
Other namesJames Culhane
Jimmie Culhane
Jimmy Culhane
Years active1925–1996
Employer(s)Bray Productions (1925-1928)
Screen Gems (1928-1929)
Fleischer Studios (1929-1932, 1939-1942)
Ub Iwerks Studio (1932-1934)
Van Beuren (1934-1935)
Walt Disney Animation Studios (1935-1939)
Warner Bros. Cartoons (1942-1943)
Walter Lantz Productions (1943-1945)
Shamus Culhane Productions (1948-66)
Famous Studios (1966-1967)
Spouses
  • Maxine Marx
  • Juana Hegarty
Children2
AwardsWinsor McCay Award, 1986

James H. "Shamus" Culhane (November 12, 1908 – February 2, 1996) was an American animator, film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the Golden age of American animation.

Career

Shamus Culhane worked for a number of American animation studios, including Fleischer Studios, the Ub Iwerks studio, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Walter Lantz Productions. He began his animation career in 1925 working for Bray Productions on the Dinky Doodle series, produced under the supervision of Walter Lantz. After Bray he served as an inker on Ben Harrison’s and Manny Gould’s Krazy Kat cartoons before moving to Fleischer Studios in 1929 after producer Charles Mintz did not retain him upon transferring the studio to Hollywood.[1] Culhane is known for promoting the animation talents of his inker/assistant at Fleischer in the early 1930s, Lillian Friedman Astor, making her the first female studio animator.[2] After serving as director on several Talkartoons and early Betty Boop shorts, Culhane moved to Hollywood to animate at the Iwerks Studio, operated by influential former Disney alumnus Ub Iwerks, under which he directed, alongside his longtime colleague and friend Al Eugster, several ComiColor Cartoons. On departing Iwerks's studio, Culhane briefly returned to New York to direct at the reorganized Van Beuren Corporation, then supervised by Burt Gillett, before opting to apply to Disney in 1935.

While at the Disney studio, he discovered while working on Hawaiian Holiday's crab sequence an animation method that involved stewing[clarification needed] for multiple days, before drawing the entire thing in rough sketches all at once, straight ahead.[citation needed] He was a lead animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, animating arguably the most well-known sequence in the film, the animation of the dwarves marching home singing "Heigh-Ho". The scene took Culhane and his assistants six months to complete. During this time he developed his "High-speed" technique of animating with quick dashed-off sketches.

He also worked as an animator on Pinocchio, where he worked on Honest John and Gideon. However, he was left uncredited on the film. During the production of the film he left Disney to work at Fleischer Studios.[3][4] While there, he worked as an animator on several crowd scenes in Gulliver's Travels and as the uncredited co-director on Mr. Bug Goes to Town. Following the completion of Gulliver, Culhane was assigned his own unit, which he attempted to instil with the artistic principles and ethos he had acquired at Disney, yielding shorts such as Popeye Meets William Tell, notable for their unusually fluid and expressive character animation relative to much of Fleischer's previous work.

A year following his departure from Fleischer, Culhane worked briefly in the units of Chuck Jones and Frank Tashlin at Warner Bros. Cartoons, before moving on to being a director for Walter Lantz. At Lantz, he collaborated on The Greatest Man in Siam with the layout artist (and former Disney and Chuck Jones alumnus) Art Heinemann. In that animation, "the king of Siam bolts past doorways that are distinctly phallic in shape and peers at another that mimics a vagina."[5] Later the same year he helmed Woody Woodpecker's classic The Barber of Seville. The cartoon debuted a new streamlined design for the woodpecker, and is also known for featuring one of the first uses of fast cutting, after taking the idea from Sergei Eisenstein. At Lantz, he sporadically introduced Russian avant-garde influenced experimental art into the cartoons.[5]; one example is briefly visible during an explosion in the Woody Woodpecker short The Loose Nut.

Culhane departed Lantz in October 1945 following a pay dispute. Following a succession of aborted projects, he returned to New York in 1948 to found Shamus Culhane Productions (Culhane had gone by his birthname of James up until this point, before going by its Irish variant Shamus), one of the first companies to create animated television commercials, among them an iconic Muriel Cigars commercial featuring a Mae West caricature stylized as a cigar. It also produced the animation for at least one of the Bell Telephone Science Series films. Shamus Culhane Productions folded in the 1960s, at which point Culhane became the head of the successor to Fleischer Studios, Paramount Cartoon Studios. He left the studio in 1967, ceding its creative supervision to a young Ralph Bakshi, and went into semi-retirement.

Post-animation career

Culhane wrote two highly regarded books on animation: the how-to/textbook Animation from Script to Screen, and his autobiography Talking Animals and Other People. Since Culhane worked for a number of major Hollywood animation studios, his autobiography gives a balanced general overview of the history of the Golden age of American animation.

At his death on February 2, 1996, Culhane was survived by his fourth wife, the former Juana Hegarty, and by two sons from his third marriage,[6] to Maxine Marx (the daughter of Chico Marx): Brian Culhane of Seattle and Kevin Marx Culhane of Portland, Oregon.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Van Gelder, Lawrence (April 2, 1996). "Shamus Culhane, a Pioneer in Film Animation, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
  2. ^ Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators, by Jeff Lenburg, p. 95-97
  3. ^ Perk, Hans (February 23, 2007). "A note on Pinocchio..." Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Perk, Hans (March 4, 2007). "A Quick Culhane/Tate note..." Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Cieply, Michael (April 10, 2011). "That Noisy Woodpecker Had an Animated Secret". New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  6. ^ Maxine Marx, Growing Up With Chico, p. 168: "... Shamus, who was twice divorced" when he married Maxine.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shamus_Culhane&oldid=1175966384"