Calling all Eshbaugh Fans: Check out this Vintage article ASAP!!!!!

[J. A. Boschen]

This is awsome, check it out
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/08/04/how-the-first-color-cartoons-were-made/?Qwd=./ModernMechanix/1-1932/color_cartoon&Qif=color_cartoon_0.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig

Six High-res JPEGS of awsome vintage material!!!

[Sogturtle]

Very interesting! At least from that article we have a GLIMPSE of what EARLY Eshbaugh cartoons looked like in color!

A nice find!

[rex racer]

Tis an interesting article. First time I've seen anything on the making of the Goofy Goat cartoon. Shame no one seems to know of an actual color print :(

Nice to actually have a face to put with the name also. I'm thinkin our resident archivest toitle just might have a bit more on the fellow:D Still hoping to see Eshbaugh's Van Beuren cartoon titles in restored color someday.....and Teapot Town!

[Bugsmer]

That's an interesting site. There's also an article on an invention (http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/05/30/machine-shows-cartoons-without-screen/) used by Max Fleischer, as well as a few articles on some of the processes used by Disney.

[J. A. Boschen]

I finally read the whole article after I posted the link last night. I must say with the amount of work and enthusiasm Eshbaugh put into the Goofy Goat Cartoon, its pretty sad and a royal shame that those fellows at Official films ruined that cartoon the way they did.

It always amazed me how some of these vintage "technology" experimental films had so much care and thought put into them, such as the stuff that Fleischer, Eshbaugh, and many other individuals did, and a TV distributor takes it, trashes it, and ruins it for audiences and fans.:(

[Tom Stathes]

J.A., your harsh words for Official may be out of context. What's to say if Official hadn't reissued it, we would even be able to see it at all? (Without an original color print surfacing, that is.)
Also, don't forget Official was the reason many silent Felixes made it to the 50s and remain with us today.
Reissues usually meant butchering though in many cases it meant posterity for many cartoons.

[J. A. Boschen]

J.A., your harsh words for Official may be out of context. What's to say if Official hadn't reissued it, we would even be able to see it at all? (Without an original color print surfacing, that is.)
Also, don't forget Official was the reason many silent Felixes made it to the 50s and remain with us today.
Reissues usually meant butchering though in many cases it meant posterity for many cartoons.

That is a good point Tom, and I do realize that its because of many of these TV re-issuers that we get to see many of these classic films. What bothers me however was how they re-issued these cartoons. For the time era, when these companies re-issued these films, they didn't assume that there would be audiences in the future who would want to see these cartoons in their original form (with original titles and original presentation), and I realize this. Had they re-issued many of these cartoons (and films) with their original titles, original color, etc. I would have full respect for them.

[Tom Stathes]

Color is an issue in its own realm. Of course there were no color TVs in the early days and most people wouldn't get color until the 60s or even 70s, there would be no reason to reissue a color cartoon in color.
Also, to be fair, these were companies looking for a profit. Leaving original titles on would mean free advertising for a company or studio that no longer owned the films outright.
Just something to consider.

[rex racer]

Color is an issue in its own realm. Of course there were no color TVs in the early days and most people wouldn't get color until the 60s or even 70s, there would be no reason to reissue a color cartoon in color.


:confused: WHAT ABOUT 16MM???, the home theater of the 1930's thru 1960's? ;) Did "Official" ever market films in color?? (Others, such as Castle or Gutlohn did...) Official re-released "Goof Goat (Antics)" in the early 1940's if memory serves...They must have gotten the negs from Eshbaugh, (wonder whatever became of them???)

[Steve Stanch]

Commonwealth offered a lot of Van Beuren material in the 40's in color. It's hard to say what became of all of Eshbaugh's negs, although I have tracked down many of the titles in 35mm prints (including, finally, Sunshine Makers). Eshbaugh's contributions do deserve a better release, with historical information (Mark Kausler did a nice commentary track for Goofy Goat on Cultoons 1, and remembered seeing original color cels from Goofy Goat in LA at a Science Museum). This Article is a gem...

[Steve Stanch]

Rental prints were offered throughout the 40's in color, so all the prints out there are not just TV prints- lots and lots of rental prints over the years too. The Blue Track IB prints you find of the Lantz films were sold by Castle. Pictoreels offered the MGM cartoons in Kodachrome as early as 1944....

[Tom Stathes]

AFAIK, Official never released anything in color. They probably didn't want to get involved in all the extra processing costs. Remember, I'm not completely defending Official, just rationalizing what they and other companies did from a business point of view.:felix:

[Jack G.]

...I have tracked down many of the titles in 35mm prints (including, finally, Sunshine Makers).Yeah!!!:)
Hope you'll be putting that one out soon.;)

[Sogturtle]

I know I shouldn't be dredging up a thread from in Feb. ;), but this is a little bit interesting... Some time back a 1922 oil-painting of some sailboats turned up on Ebay (and sold for just a few bucks)... The thing that is fascinating is that it was painted and signed by... Ted Eshbaugh!!:eek: (who would've been just 16 years old at the time). [I don't know of any other Ted Eshbaughs' than the cartoon director...]

Sooooo if something like that can turn up from the guy's ancient history then we may have even more hope of his lost/semi-lost color toons showing up!:)

[Sogturtle]

J.A. Boschen asked me privately about the Eshbaugh painting that I mentioned above, soooo here it is...
http://www.clearpointadv.com/images/ebay/ted.jpg

[J. A. Boschen]

Pretty Cool!! Thanks Sogturtle:)

[Steve Stanch]

Did you win that, ol' Soggy buddy??? Looks like it was painted in Gaspar color....

In many ways I wish there was more praise for Eshbaugh.. though there is some effort being made to present some of his great work in their original form, but a color print of Goofy Goat has yet to turn up. Who knows, after looking for 20 years a color print of Spring Song showed up, so it's always possible....

[Sogturtle]

J.A. Boschen and Steve Stanch~

Glad to hear you appreciated the Eshbaugh painting... And ahem, yessss I did win the it;) and it is pretty darned large (guess it will go next to those 1940's watercolors by animator George Grandpre:)). And yeah like both of you I DO wish that Eshbaugh would get more praise, the main obstacle to that is that he has so few films surviving in really good shape. I'm also hoping that color prints turn up sooner rather than later.

Now if anybody can find any of the Tat's Tales animation...

[J. A. Boschen]

Was Eshbaugh involved with Tat's Tales? That studio always sparked a little interst in me.

[Sogturtle]

Was Eshbaugh involved with Tat's Tales? That studio always sparked a little interst in me.

J.A.~

Nooooo Eshbaugh wasn't KNOWN to be involved in any way with the Tat's Tales studio... But Frank Tashlin:eek: and some other very familiar folks were!