When Eddie Murphy debuted on SNL in 1980, he instantly became the show’s biggest star — in large part because of the characters he created. And it definitely was characters, as in plural, as in many more than just one. In fact, they’ve transcended era, too, as they’ve remained some of the most well-known in SNL history, particularly Gumby, Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson and Murphy’s take on James Brown.
For the most part, Murphy crafted them with the help of the writing duo Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, both of whom would later play a big part in Murphy’s film career, writing Coming to America, Nutty Professor and several other of his movies.
I recently caught up with Blaustein about his time writing with Murphy on SNL, who, during our call, shared the financial advice James Brown gave Murphy, why Gumby’s creator loved Murphy’s twist...
For the most part, Murphy crafted them with the help of the writing duo Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, both of whom would later play a big part in Murphy’s film career, writing Coming to America, Nutty Professor and several other of his movies.
I recently caught up with Blaustein about his time writing with Murphy on SNL, who, during our call, shared the financial advice James Brown gave Murphy, why Gumby’s creator loved Murphy’s twist...
- 10/28/2024
- Cracked
Thomas Sarnoff, the son of NBC’s founder who went from key NBC executive to leading roles at the Television Academy and TV Academy Foundation and founded the Archive of American Television, has died. He was 96.
TV Academy spokesman Jim Yeager said Sarnoff died June 4 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s nursing home in Woodland Hills.
Born on February 23, 1927, he was the youngest son of RCA/NBC media mogul David Sarnoff. Family lore has it that the younger Sarnoff was TV’s “first live star,” serving as a test subject for the RCA/NBC World’s Fair demonstration of television in the late 1930s.
But in 1949 — after serving in World War II and graduating from Stanford University — rather than join NBC, Sarnoff became a floor manager at ABC in Los Angeles. He was hired at NBC in 1952 as an assistant to the director of finance and operations and...
TV Academy spokesman Jim Yeager said Sarnoff died June 4 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s nursing home in Woodland Hills.
Born on February 23, 1927, he was the youngest son of RCA/NBC media mogul David Sarnoff. Family lore has it that the younger Sarnoff was TV’s “first live star,” serving as a test subject for the RCA/NBC World’s Fair demonstration of television in the late 1930s.
But in 1949 — after serving in World War II and graduating from Stanford University — rather than join NBC, Sarnoff became a floor manager at ABC in Los Angeles. He was hired at NBC in 1952 as an assistant to the director of finance and operations and...
- 6/9/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Thomas W. Sarnoff, who had a six-decade career at NBC as the youngest son of RCA/NBC media mogul David Sarnoff, has died. He was 96.
Sarnoff died Sunday, a spokesperson for the Television Academy Foundation told The Hollywood Reporter . No cause of death was indicated.
He was born in New York City into the fabled American media family on Feb. 23, 1927, and legend has it he was television’s “first live star” — a test subject for the Radio Corporation of America/NBC World’s Fair demonstration of the TV medium in the 1930s.
One of his two brothers was Robert Sarnoff, best known for succeeding his father as the CEO and chairman of the board of RCA.
Thomas Sarnoff attended Princeton University before his World War II service as a combat engineer and as a signal corps instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
After the war, he transferred to Stanford University,...
Sarnoff died Sunday, a spokesperson for the Television Academy Foundation told The Hollywood Reporter . No cause of death was indicated.
He was born in New York City into the fabled American media family on Feb. 23, 1927, and legend has it he was television’s “first live star” — a test subject for the Radio Corporation of America/NBC World’s Fair demonstration of the TV medium in the 1930s.
One of his two brothers was Robert Sarnoff, best known for succeeding his father as the CEO and chairman of the board of RCA.
Thomas Sarnoff attended Princeton University before his World War II service as a combat engineer and as a signal corps instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
After the war, he transferred to Stanford University,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Move over MCU, Dceu, and Netflix Holiday Movie Universe, because the fine folks over at Fox have acquired the gigantic green claymation universe of Gumby, Pokey, Prickle, Goo, Minga, Professor Kapp, and all of the other characters from Art Clokey's "Gumby" universe. Fox is planning on reviving and reimagining the character for "a new generation," across linear, digital, and blockchain platforms. If they don't try to promote their inevitable "Gumby meets Bored Ape" Nft with "The Blockheads Are Heading To The Blockchain," I will eat my own hat.
In related news that is far more important than the inevitable trading...
The post Fox Acquires the Rights to the Gumby Universe, Which is a Thing That Exists appeared first on /Film.
In related news that is far more important than the inevitable trading...
The post Fox Acquires the Rights to the Gumby Universe, Which is a Thing That Exists appeared first on /Film.
- 2/8/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
The Gumby universe, featuring the classic green clay figure, has been acquired by Fox.
The company is planning to reimagine the character created by Art Clokey for a new generation with new series across linear, digital and blockchain platforms
Fox is plotting both new animated series as well as live-action content for Gumby, who has been the subject of two television series – for NBC in the 1950s and Lorimar-Telepictures in 1988 – as well as a feature film in 1995.
Deadline understands that Fox is already in conversations with a range of A-list creatives to come on board the series projects.
The company struck the deal, which also includes all of Gumby’s friends, with the estate of Joseph Clokey, son of creator Art Clokey. It is its latest acquisition following the purchase of MarVista Entertainment and TMZ as well as partnerships with the likes of Studio Ramsay Global.
Fox has acquired all rights including film,...
The company is planning to reimagine the character created by Art Clokey for a new generation with new series across linear, digital and blockchain platforms
Fox is plotting both new animated series as well as live-action content for Gumby, who has been the subject of two television series – for NBC in the 1950s and Lorimar-Telepictures in 1988 – as well as a feature film in 1995.
Deadline understands that Fox is already in conversations with a range of A-list creatives to come on board the series projects.
The company struck the deal, which also includes all of Gumby’s friends, with the estate of Joseph Clokey, son of creator Art Clokey. It is its latest acquisition following the purchase of MarVista Entertainment and TMZ as well as partnerships with the likes of Studio Ramsay Global.
Fox has acquired all rights including film,...
- 2/8/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox Entertainment has acquired the rights to the Gumby franchise.
The deal was made between Fox and the estate of Joseph Clokey, the son of Gumby creator Art Clokey. It gives Fox all rights to Gumby and associated characters across film, television and streaming, consumer products, licensing, publishing, and all other categories.
“Competition for globally recognized intellectual property is fierce,” said Charlie Collier, CEO of Fox Entertainment. “Uncovering this gem, with its built-in awareness and affinity, and bringing it to Fox, adds meaningful value and creative possibilities to the IP itself and to multiple divisions of our company. Fox is proud to be home to these iconic characters. Welcome one and all.”
The deal also gives Fox access to the full library of Gumby animated series, specials, movies and content, which will expand Tubi’s current offerings of the franchise. Fox will now work to develop new projects around the character for broadcast,...
The deal was made between Fox and the estate of Joseph Clokey, the son of Gumby creator Art Clokey. It gives Fox all rights to Gumby and associated characters across film, television and streaming, consumer products, licensing, publishing, and all other categories.
“Competition for globally recognized intellectual property is fierce,” said Charlie Collier, CEO of Fox Entertainment. “Uncovering this gem, with its built-in awareness and affinity, and bringing it to Fox, adds meaningful value and creative possibilities to the IP itself and to multiple divisions of our company. Fox is proud to be home to these iconic characters. Welcome one and all.”
The deal also gives Fox access to the full library of Gumby animated series, specials, movies and content, which will expand Tubi’s current offerings of the franchise. Fox will now work to develop new projects around the character for broadcast,...
- 2/8/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier announced on Tuesday that the network has acquired all rights to Gumby, Pokey and all their friends, from the estate of Joseph Clokey, whose father, Art Clokey, created the iconic claymation character in 1953.
The acquisition includes the full library of existing Gumby animated shows, specials, movies and content, which currently air on Fox-owned Tubi. The company now owns the rights to film, television and streaming, consumer products, licensing and publishing for the beloved green guy, who first made his appearance in Clokey’s 1953 short film “Gumbasia.” Internal teams are also working on reimagining the “Gumby” franchise for broadcast and streaming.
Fox issued a statement on behalf of Gumby, saying, “Picking a new home was important to me, and I’ve found great partners in Fox Entertainment. They have a vision for my modern, multi-platform reemergence, which is thrilling. Throughout our conversations, Pokey and I reiterated...
The acquisition includes the full library of existing Gumby animated shows, specials, movies and content, which currently air on Fox-owned Tubi. The company now owns the rights to film, television and streaming, consumer products, licensing and publishing for the beloved green guy, who first made his appearance in Clokey’s 1953 short film “Gumbasia.” Internal teams are also working on reimagining the “Gumby” franchise for broadcast and streaming.
Fox issued a statement on behalf of Gumby, saying, “Picking a new home was important to me, and I’ve found great partners in Fox Entertainment. They have a vision for my modern, multi-platform reemergence, which is thrilling. Throughout our conversations, Pokey and I reiterated...
- 2/8/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
It was bound to happen, The Puppetoons meet Gumby in Arnold Leibovit’s 1987 tribute to director/animator George Pal. The film features 11 of the shorts Pal made between 1933 and 1948, some of the most charming animation ever produced – the essence of childhood fantasy. Pal’s classic work is also supplemented by newly animated wraparound segments including Gumby and Pokey, among others. Art Clokey supplied the Gumby and Pokey figures and provided the voice of Pokey. Gumby animator Peter Kleinow animated the characters, Gene Warren Jr. directed the animation, and Leibovit produced the enterprise and directed the voice performances of Art Clokey, Dallas McKennon, Dick Beals, and Paul Frees.
The post The Puppetoon Movie appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Puppetoon Movie appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 7/29/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
Blu ray
Olive Films
1965 / 2.35 : 1 / 93 Min.
Starring Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Mickey Rooney
Cinematography by Floyd Crosby
Directed by William Asher
Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson, the men behind such teen-friendly drive-in fare as Reform School Girl and High School Hellcats, caught a monster wave with 1963’s Beach Party and hung on for three long years before sinking into the sunset with Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, a haunted house spoof starring Tommy Kirk and a frail Boris Karloff.
It was a wild ride sustained by Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon and a rotating cast of fun-loving deadbeats who would become as familiar to 60’s audiences as Eugene Pallette and Hugh Herbert were to depression era movie fans. As weighty as a cherry popsicle in July, the movies were aimed at high schoolers but the gags were older than dirt – vaudeville humor with that Coppertone tan.
Blu ray
Olive Films
1965 / 2.35 : 1 / 93 Min.
Starring Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Mickey Rooney
Cinematography by Floyd Crosby
Directed by William Asher
Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson, the men behind such teen-friendly drive-in fare as Reform School Girl and High School Hellcats, caught a monster wave with 1963’s Beach Party and hung on for three long years before sinking into the sunset with Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, a haunted house spoof starring Tommy Kirk and a frail Boris Karloff.
It was a wild ride sustained by Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon and a rotating cast of fun-loving deadbeats who would become as familiar to 60’s audiences as Eugene Pallette and Hugh Herbert were to depression era movie fans. As weighty as a cherry popsicle in July, the movies were aimed at high schoolers but the gags were older than dirt – vaudeville humor with that Coppertone tan.
- 6/15/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
This week, the pioneering studio Laika returns with “Missing Link,” the stop-motion animated family film starring Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifianakis. With “Missing Link” landing in theaters on Friday, TheWrap looks back at the history of stop-motion animation, going all the way back to the dawn of cinema.
“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898)
The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897 and 1898, “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” Though the film is lost to history, the directors used their daughter’s dolls to imagine acrobats and animals in motion.
“The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “The Trip to the Moon” (1902)
Early cinema experimented with editing techniques to create illusions and special effects on screen in what would become traditional stop motion. Shorts like “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) or “Fun in a Bakery Shop” (1902) found actors on screen manipulating drawings or piles of dough as if by magic.
“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” (1898)
The first ever stop-motion animated film was made by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith between 1897 and 1898, “The Humpty Dumpty Circus.” Though the film is lost to history, the directors used their daughter’s dolls to imagine acrobats and animals in motion.
“The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “The Trip to the Moon” (1902)
Early cinema experimented with editing techniques to create illusions and special effects on screen in what would become traditional stop motion. Shorts like “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) or “Fun in a Bakery Shop” (1902) found actors on screen manipulating drawings or piles of dough as if by magic.
- 4/12/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Joe Clokey, a producer and the caretaker of the Gumby empire that began in the early 1950s with the creation of the pliable clay figure by his father, the late Art Clokey, has died. He was 56.
Clokey died March 2 in Santa Barbara after an episode of cardiac arrest, family friend Cathie Lou Parker told The Hollywood Reporter.
Affectionately known as "Gumby's Little Brother," Joe Clokey served as president of Premavision/Clokey Productions, the company behind the original TV shows that featured Gumby (and his pal, Pokey) and Davey and Goliath, a boy and his dog.
Clokey remastered the Gumby...
Clokey died March 2 in Santa Barbara after an episode of cardiac arrest, family friend Cathie Lou Parker told The Hollywood Reporter.
Affectionately known as "Gumby's Little Brother," Joe Clokey served as president of Premavision/Clokey Productions, the company behind the original TV shows that featured Gumby (and his pal, Pokey) and Davey and Goliath, a boy and his dog.
Clokey remastered the Gumby...
- 5/1/2018
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When I was working at Dave's Video, back in 1991, I got to know people from a wide array of crafts in the film industry, and I loved meeting the wizards behind some of the most magical moments in movie history. Jim Danforth and his wife Karen were two of our regular customers, and you seriously couldn't ask for nicer people. Jim began his work in the industry working for Art Clokey, who created "Gumby," and when Ray Harryhausen worked on "Clash of the Titans," Danforth worked with him. One particular afternoon, Jim and Karen came into the store, and they...
- 5/8/2013
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Directed by: Steven Kostanski
Written by: Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski
Starring: Matthew Kennedy, Adam Brooks, Meredith Sweeney, Connor Sweeney, Ludwig Lee, Jeremy Gillespie
The warped geniuses at Astron-6, the collective responsible for the irresponsible beauty that was Father’s Day, have unleashed yet another jolt of cinematic insanity. Manborg is a goofy/smart satire of bargain basement sci-fi spectacles, CD-rom games and any number of junky toy-based Saturday morning cartoons. A direct descendent of Charles Band '80s-era exploitation fare such as Metalstorm: the Destruction of Jared Syn and Eliminators, it’s an unabashed love letter to kid-friendly "exploi-tainment."
Manborg begins, as most of these spectacles must, with a post-apocalyptic Earth. Hell has literally taken over the planet with armies of ferocious Nazi demons bent on destroying mankind. Led by the evil (natch) Count Draculon (a hilarious Adam Brooks), the armies have decimated cities throughout the world. A small...
Written by: Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski
Starring: Matthew Kennedy, Adam Brooks, Meredith Sweeney, Connor Sweeney, Ludwig Lee, Jeremy Gillespie
The warped geniuses at Astron-6, the collective responsible for the irresponsible beauty that was Father’s Day, have unleashed yet another jolt of cinematic insanity. Manborg is a goofy/smart satire of bargain basement sci-fi spectacles, CD-rom games and any number of junky toy-based Saturday morning cartoons. A direct descendent of Charles Band '80s-era exploitation fare such as Metalstorm: the Destruction of Jared Syn and Eliminators, it’s an unabashed love letter to kid-friendly "exploi-tainment."
Manborg begins, as most of these spectacles must, with a post-apocalyptic Earth. Hell has literally taken over the planet with armies of ferocious Nazi demons bent on destroying mankind. Led by the evil (natch) Count Draculon (a hilarious Adam Brooks), the armies have decimated cities throughout the world. A small...
- 4/30/2013
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
DVD Release Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Price: DVD $19.95
Studio: Microcinema
The 2011 soon-to-be-a-cult fave short film Three Fragments of a Lost Tale is this first stop-motion animated short by American sculptor John Frame.
The 20-minute-long film is based on one of Frame’s art installations—one that was originally exhibited at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California—which consists of 35 articulated, sculpted characters set on a strange, ever-changing detailed backdrop. That the characters are “articulated” refers to their moving fingers, bodies, and jaws.
“Mr. Frame is part of an underground group of stop-motion artists in Southern California who labor in the shadows of the major studios,” writes The New York Times. “Long the center of studio-backed stop-motion animation made by artists like Ray Harryhausen and Art Clokey, the area is now home to scores of solo practitioners more interested in creating highly personal art pieces than commercial works.
Price: DVD $19.95
Studio: Microcinema
The 2011 soon-to-be-a-cult fave short film Three Fragments of a Lost Tale is this first stop-motion animated short by American sculptor John Frame.
The 20-minute-long film is based on one of Frame’s art installations—one that was originally exhibited at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California—which consists of 35 articulated, sculpted characters set on a strange, ever-changing detailed backdrop. That the characters are “articulated” refers to their moving fingers, bodies, and jaws.
“Mr. Frame is part of an underground group of stop-motion artists in Southern California who labor in the shadows of the major studios,” writes The New York Times. “Long the center of studio-backed stop-motion animation made by artists like Ray Harryhausen and Art Clokey, the area is now home to scores of solo practitioners more interested in creating highly personal art pieces than commercial works.
- 10/9/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Gumby creator Art Clokey died at the age of 88 about two years ago, and now comes word that Dick Beals, who voiced the animated character, has passed away as well. He was 85 years old. Beals was the original voice of the title character on "The Gumby Show" in the late 1950s, as well as the voice of Davey in "Davey and Goliath." He also was the unseen pitchman in more than 3,000 commercials for such products as Oscar Mayer and Campbell's Soup. He often got jobs that called for him to sound like a child because he suffered from a glandular condition. His voice hadn't changed since elementary school and neither did his body. Beals was 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighed less than 70 pounds.
- 6/2/2012
- WorstPreviews.com
If you’re wondering what that glass-and-steel doodle occupying the upper left corner of your search engine today is, look no farther than Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Google is honoring the vanguard of modern architecture on what would have been his 126th birthday.
Mies’ buildings defined post-World War I architecture and, indeed, generations to come. His masterpiece — and the building shown in the doodle — S.R. Crown Hall was also where Mies taught at the the Illinois Institute of Technology’s architecture school for several decades.
Before Mies immigrated to the States, he had already established himself as a...
Mies’ buildings defined post-World War I architecture and, indeed, generations to come. His masterpiece — and the building shown in the doodle — S.R. Crown Hall was also where Mies taught at the the Illinois Institute of Technology’s architecture school for several decades.
Before Mies immigrated to the States, he had already established himself as a...
- 3/27/2012
- by Lanford Beard
- EW.com - PopWatch
You guys, I just can’t get enough. Yesterday, we all learned that typing “do a barrel roll” into Google would make your screen turn 360 degrees. And perhaps it’s because I’m nostalgic for the days of playing Star Fox on N64 in junior high, but I’m typing the phrase in Non. Stop. I am so easy amused and I need Pepto-Bismol. (Also: Way to distract those who hate Gmail change with something so awesome, Google!)
So, as we all sit here making ourselves nauseous, I find myself wondering, is this the greatest pop culture roll? (I also now find myself wondering,...
So, as we all sit here making ourselves nauseous, I find myself wondering, is this the greatest pop culture roll? (I also now find myself wondering,...
- 11/4/2011
- by Kate Ward
- EW.com - PopWatch
If you’re wondering why Google is featuring Gumby on its homepage today, look no further. Today would have been the 90th birthday of Gumby creator Art Clokey. The interactive stop motion homepage doodle features the best-known characters from Clokey’s creation, which has lived in pop culture for more than five decades. “Art Clokey was an innovator in the field of animation and also a compassionate, inspiring artist,” said Google doodler Sophia Foster-Dimino. “We were excited to work with the incredibly talented animator Anthony Scott to produce this doodle, and we hope that it brightens your day!”
So, young Facebook generation,...
So, young Facebook generation,...
- 10/12/2011
- by Lanford Beard
- EW.com - PopWatch
In honor of Art Clokey's 90th birthday (which Google is celebrating with a Gumby logo), here's "Gumbasia," a trippy student film Clokey made at USC in 1953 that explored claymation and prefigured Clokey's bendy green man. "Gumby," the show, lasted 35 years and comprised 233 episodes, all of which made this scene and this hilarious robbery possible. Thanks Art Clokey!
Watch:
(via The Atlantic)...
Watch:
(via The Atlantic)...
- 10/12/2011
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
In honor of Art Clokey’s 90th birthday, Google is honoring the Gumby creator with an interactive stop motion doodle today. The doodle, which replaces the search engine’s logo on its homepage, features a child’s block with the letter G on it. It’s followed by five colored clay balls for the remaining letters of Google’s logo. By clicking on the balls of clay, Gumby characters appear, including The Blockheads, Prickle, Goo, Gumby and Pokey. The characters pose for a moment before rolling back into a ball. The doodle was created by Clokey Productions Premavision studios, under the direction of animator Anthony Scott. He started his career on the ‘Gumby’ series in...
- 10/12/2011
- by karen
- ShockYa
As a way of celebrating this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we reached out to as many as we could in an effort to better understand what went into their films, what they've gotten out of the experience, and where they've found their inspiration, both in regards to their work and other works of art that might've inspired them from the past year. Their answers will be published on a daily basis throughout February.
Nik Fackler is just full of surprises. As a 23-year-old directing for the first time, one could've easily expected a romance about what it's like to be young and foolish and wildly in love from Fackler. That last one applies to "Lovely, Still," but in penning a love story of two people closing in on their eighties, the writer/director proved canny beyond his years, attracting Oscar...
Nik Fackler is just full of surprises. As a 23-year-old directing for the first time, one could've easily expected a romance about what it's like to be young and foolish and wildly in love from Fackler. That last one applies to "Lovely, Still," but in penning a love story of two people closing in on their eighties, the writer/director proved canny beyond his years, attracting Oscar...
- 2/14/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Art Clokey, whose legendary green clay TV character Gumby tickled, amused and/or confounded more than three generations of Americans, passed away in his sleep Sunday at his home in Los Osos. He was 88. A one-time orphan and would-be priest whose experimental animation blossomed into an empire of clay, Clokey first developed Gumby in 1956 for The Howdy Doody Show before spinning the grinning green slab off to his own children's series in 1957. A farewell glimpse at his handiwork -- and the unlikely fruits it wrought -- after the jump.
- 1/11/2010
- Movieline
The creator of everyone’s favorite and most flexible green man died on Friday in his home in California. Art Clokey was 88 years old when, according to his son, he died in his sleep. Gumby made his television debut in 1956 on The Howdy Doody Show. A year later he starred in his own stop-motion animation program, The Gumby Show, which followed the adventures of the bendy clay man and his trusty orange steed, Pokey. Clokey also created the animated TV series Davey and Goliath that ran in the 1960s and 1970s....
- 1/11/2010
- Pastemagazine.com
Gumby Creator Clokey Dead At 88
Animator Art Clokey has died at the age of 88.
The star, who found fame as the creator of bendable doll Gumby, died in his sleep on Friday in Los Osos, California.
Clokey's Gumby toys featured on U.S. TV's The Howdy Doody Show in the 1950s and soon became a toy phenomenon.
Gumby, a green clay figure born from a student art project, enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 1980s when comedian Eddie Murphy performed a skit portraying the doll as a prima donna on sketch show Saturday Night Live.
Clokey also created and produced the 1960s programme Davey and Goliath and later landed his own syndicated show with Gumby.
The star, who found fame as the creator of bendable doll Gumby, died in his sleep on Friday in Los Osos, California.
Clokey's Gumby toys featured on U.S. TV's The Howdy Doody Show in the 1950s and soon became a toy phenomenon.
Gumby, a green clay figure born from a student art project, enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 1980s when comedian Eddie Murphy performed a skit portraying the doll as a prima donna on sketch show Saturday Night Live.
Clokey also created and produced the 1960s programme Davey and Goliath and later landed his own syndicated show with Gumby.
- 1/11/2010
- WENN
By Reuters
Art Clokey, the creator of the iconic cartoonish clay figure Gumby, died in his sleep on Friday at his home in Los Osos, California, at age 88, after battling repeated bladder infections, his son told Reuters. Clokey, 88, invented the whimsical green clay character Gumby in the early 1950s that debuted on the "The Howdy Doody Show" and went on to become the star of his own successful television show, "The Adventures of Gumby." Read mor...
Art Clokey, the creator of the iconic cartoonish clay figure Gumby, died in his sleep on Friday at his home in Los Osos, California, at age 88, after battling repeated bladder infections, his son told Reuters. Clokey, 88, invented the whimsical green clay character Gumby in the early 1950s that debuted on the "The Howdy Doody Show" and went on to become the star of his own successful television show, "The Adventures of Gumby." Read mor...
- 1/11/2010
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
It's a sad day in Gumbopolis. Art Clokey, the creator of claymation icon, Gumby, has died at his Los Osos, California home at 88, according to the La Times. Starting in the '50s, Clokey's slanty-headed little green guy and his horse pal Pokey paved the way for a new world of mainstream psychedelic transformations using only colored clay and stop-motion animation. After creating the Fantasia spoof, Gumbasia, while at USC, Clokey got a chance to do his own children's show and the result was Gumby, the six-inch-tall boy who could melt hearts, not to mention melting himself down at will and reforming into anything he wanted. Gumby and Pokey became popular, bendy action figures in the '60s, and went on to star...
- 1/9/2010
- E! Online
Art Clokey, whose bendable creations became a pop culture phenomenon through countless satires, toys and revivals, has died at age 88.
Caretaker Chrisanne Wollett Clokey says Clokey died Friday in Los Osos on California's Central Coast.
Clokey is best known for the creation of Gumby, the green clay character with his horse friend Pokey. Clokey first molded Gumby for a surreal student project at the University of Southern California called "Gumbasia." That led to his making shorts for the Howdy Doody Show and several series through the years. He said he based Gumby's swooping head on the hairdo of his father, who died when Clokey was nine.
Clokey also created the moralizing and often satirized claymation duo Davey and Goliath, which became the direct inspriation for Adult Swim's Moral Orel.
Eddie Murphy restored Gumby's popularity in the 1980s with his send-up of the character on "Saturday Night Live" as a cigar-smoking primadonna.
Caretaker Chrisanne Wollett Clokey says Clokey died Friday in Los Osos on California's Central Coast.
Clokey is best known for the creation of Gumby, the green clay character with his horse friend Pokey. Clokey first molded Gumby for a surreal student project at the University of Southern California called "Gumbasia." That led to his making shorts for the Howdy Doody Show and several series through the years. He said he based Gumby's swooping head on the hairdo of his father, who died when Clokey was nine.
Clokey also created the moralizing and often satirized claymation duo Davey and Goliath, which became the direct inspriation for Adult Swim's Moral Orel.
Eddie Murphy restored Gumby's popularity in the 1980s with his send-up of the character on "Saturday Night Live" as a cigar-smoking primadonna.
- 1/9/2010
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
Everything about Comic Con is wrapped up in one big blog sandwich for you to peruse and share.
If you were at Comic-Con 2009, maybe this round-up will provide a bit of a flashback, or fill in the gaps of stuff you missed.
Didn’t make it to Comic Con 2009? Follow along for a virtual ride through panels, booths, parties, and fan-dom at this epic popular culture festival.
Comic-Con vids & pics: Comic Con San Diego sitelet on MovieSet
MovieSet Comic Con photos
MovieSet Comic Con videos
Twilight Comic-Con 2009 Press Conference Full Video Exclusive Interview With Stone Cold Steve Austin at Comic Con 2009 Tim Burton discusses Alice in Wonderland at Comic Con San Diego Comic Con Interviews with Robert Pattinson, Tim Burton and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Comic-Con San Diego reveal of the Black Beauty the car from The Green Hornet Movie They aren't refugees, they're Twi-hards camping out for Hall H...
If you were at Comic-Con 2009, maybe this round-up will provide a bit of a flashback, or fill in the gaps of stuff you missed.
Didn’t make it to Comic Con 2009? Follow along for a virtual ride through panels, booths, parties, and fan-dom at this epic popular culture festival.
Comic-Con vids & pics: Comic Con San Diego sitelet on MovieSet
MovieSet Comic Con photos
MovieSet Comic Con videos
Twilight Comic-Con 2009 Press Conference Full Video Exclusive Interview With Stone Cold Steve Austin at Comic Con 2009 Tim Burton discusses Alice in Wonderland at Comic Con San Diego Comic Con Interviews with Robert Pattinson, Tim Burton and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Comic-Con San Diego reveal of the Black Beauty the car from The Green Hornet Movie They aren't refugees, they're Twi-hards camping out for Hall H...
- 7/29/2009
- by Dave Olson
- MovieSet.com
Here at the MovieSet Home Office, we’re not sure about what the details are about this award but it seems that pioneering clay-stop-motion creator Art Clokey received an award at Comic Con.
So, Mr. Clokey, whatever the reason for the award, Congratulations!
In case you don’t know about Mr. Clokey’s claim to fame, consider learning more about Gumby (and his pay Pokey of course) - ditto if you only know the flexible friend via Eddie Murphy’s classic SNL sketches - here’s a primer pack to study:
Gumby and Art Clokey Roundup Art Clokey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Art Clokey: Creator Extraordinaire Art Clokey Imdb Premavision / Clokey Productions Gumby: 8 Delightful Adventures StewF Flickr Photoset Gumby - Wikipedia
Photo StewF on Flickr...
So, Mr. Clokey, whatever the reason for the award, Congratulations!
In case you don’t know about Mr. Clokey’s claim to fame, consider learning more about Gumby (and his pay Pokey of course) - ditto if you only know the flexible friend via Eddie Murphy’s classic SNL sketches - here’s a primer pack to study:
Gumby and Art Clokey Roundup Art Clokey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Art Clokey: Creator Extraordinaire Art Clokey Imdb Premavision / Clokey Productions Gumby: 8 Delightful Adventures StewF Flickr Photoset Gumby - Wikipedia
Photo StewF on Flickr...
- 7/23/2009
- by Dave Olson
- MovieSet.com
Classic seals deal with Premavision on Gumby
Classic Media has finalized a long-term Joint Venture with Premavision to manage all rights to the Gumby characters, from Pokey to Blockhead to the big clay guy himself. The two companies are now developing a straight-to-video Gumby feature set for a 2008 release and a new Gumby TV series. International film, video, digital media and promotional rights are included in the deal, including all 223 episodes of the classic claymation series and 1995's Gumby: The Movie. Creator Art Clokey's Clokey Productions will produce all future projects.
- 10/8/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.