Alex Lovy

[frizfrelengfan]

I wanted to start a discussion about director Alex Lovy. He worked at several studios (Screen Gems, Lantz, WB, H-B) but no one ever seems to talk about him. He directed some good Woody cartoons while at Lantz. He worked as a writer, animator, director and producer. What do people think of him? (Also, how did he pronounce his last name?)

[Matt the Y]

I wanted to start a discussion about director Alex Lovy. He worked at several studios (Screen Gems, Lantz, WB, H-B) but no one ever seems to talk about him. He directed some good Woody cartoons while at Lantz. He worked as a writer, animator, director and producer. What do people think of him? (Also, how did he pronounce his last name?)

Well, here's a conversation I'd certainly like to leap into!!!!!

I've always been a huge fan of Mr. Lovy's work. Frankly, I think he's quite underrated as a director. Even in terms of the Lantz studio, which, in itself is vastly underrated, nobody talks about him as much as he deserves. Sure, everybody discusses Sid Marcus 'til they're blue in the face but how about Lovy????? Paul Smith is overlooked due to his general incompetence but there's other non-Smith Lantz directors besides Marcus (and, of course, Tex Avery and Don Patterson) as well. Lovy is one. Incidentally, I believe Alex Lovy's last name is pronounced Low-vee (with a long "o").

Alex Lovy has ties with Lantz that date back to the late 1930's. He got his start directing at Lantz's studio in 1938 or so. His directorial work at Lantz in the later 1930's includes "Crackpot Cruise", "Arabs With Dirty Fezzes", "The Big Cat and the Little Mousie", "Slap Happy Valley", and "Life Begins for Andy Panda", the first Andy Panda short. During this time, Lantz's studio temporarily closed and when it re-opened less than a year later, Lantz re-hired Lovy as an animator, not a director, with Lantz himself temporarily taking over directing duties. Lovy receives top animator credit on every Lantz short from 1940's "Recruiting Daze" to 1942's "Goodbye, Mr. Moth" (minus "Mother Goose on the Loose"). By "Nutty Pine Cabin", Lovy was back directing again but this was short-lived because Lovy went into military service shortly afterward. Of course, this was just before a certain Mr. Culhane came to the studio for directing duties..... It is my opinion that Lovy's best 1940's cartoons as director are "Yankee Doodle Swing Shift", "The Loan Stranger", and "Boogie Woogie Sioux".

After Tex Avery departed Lantz's studio in 1955, Lantz re-hired his old pal Lovy to take Avery's place as director. Lovy remained at Lantz as a director for five years until 1959 or so when Joe Barbera hired him to his animation studio as an associate producer (the doity S.O.B.!!!!!:mad: ). But I digress. At any rate, in my opinion, Lovy's cartoons as director for Lantz during this time are some of the most consistantly entertaining and certainly the most overlooked and underrated Lantz cartoons of all time. They're timed pretty slickly with a certain punch and pace that his 1940's cartoons actually lack (apparently, his absence actually gave him time to improve) and, though he suffered from having Ray Abrams as an animator, LaVerne Harding and the always brilliant Don Patterson made up for that in spades with serviceable animation quality. If I were to choose favorites of Lovy's cartoons during this period, they would be.....

The Tree Medic
Pigeon Holed
Room and Wrath
Woody Meets Davy Crewcut
The Plumber of Seville
To Catch a Woodpecker
The Big Snooze
The Bongo Punch
Little Televillain
Yukon Have It
Space Mouse
Mouse Trapped
Witty Kitty
Bally Hooey

Lovy did entertaining work as a director outside the Lantz studio as well. His short-lived stint as director for the Columbia studio is quite good. His "Flora" is considered one of the greatest cartoons to come out of that studio (with superb voice-over work by Gerald Mohr) and his "Grape Nutty" is, IMHO, one of the better Fox & Crow shorts. "Lo, The Poor Buffal" is also a rather good short if you don't mind the slightly annoying buffalo character who is a rather obvious knock-off of Elmer Fudd!

And, although most of the post-1964 WB cartoons are mediocre at best, Lovy did his best as director to make them entertaining enough. If you want to find merit in Lovy's directorial work during this period, do NOT try to seek out his Daffy & Speedy cartoons. Those are completely humorless, worthless, unentertaining, and have no redeeming qualities AT ALL!!!!! However, some of his other 1960's efforts fare a bit better. They're no match for any of the CLASSIC WB cartoons but they're adequate and pleasant enough, IMHO. "Cool Cat" is a pretty funny short and "Hocus Pocus Powwow" is some surprisingly funny gags for a late 1960's short, as does the surprisingly fast-paced and entertaining "Chimp & Zee". "Norman Normal" is, IMHO, possibly the best short to come out of the late 1960's with its' thought-provoking and poignant social message; effective to a certain extent today even. Animation wise, these shorts fare fairly well with veteran LaVerne Harding providing work here and there and Disney veteran Volus Jones doing some pretty good work as well. Ed Solomon's animation is pretty piss-poor, though, so that weighs things down a bit. The other major downfall is Larry Storch's REALLY painfully bad and obnoxious voicework.

At any rate, sorry if this thread seems a bit long-winded. But I agree; nobody seems to talk about Lovy so I more than made up for that with this post! :D The thing that disappoints me the most is that in the rare occasion when people do remember and discuss Lovy, it's usually ONLY about his career as associate producer at Hanna-Barbera (Does the Lantz Studio mean anything to animation fans at ALL?????!!!!!). :(

[nickramer]

Well, I like his Lantz, Columbia, and WB (excluding Daffy and Speedy) work. Didn't you see the quote I used from one of his Chilly Willy films in The Looney Bin fourm, Matt? That's one of my favorite cartoons.

[AardvarkDog]

I was just thinking about Lovy, actually, and was pleased to find someone managed to bring him up. I've seen Lovy's work about - his Columbia Cartoons were well directed and had slick animation and you've got to give the guy credit, too. Only a man can put up with the Speedy/Daffy cartoons! :D

All things considered, I reckon his best work was with Walter Lantz. Next to Sid Marcus, Alex really brought life to the cartoons, even when the budget got cheaper as the years went by. His style and gag timing are very reminiscent to Tex Avery's, espicially his Chilly Willy cartoons. My all time fave Alex Lovy cartoon is "Hot and Cold Penguin", which he wrote AND directed. I just love the "shave and a haircut, two bits" shuffle Smedley does before lying down!

[millsie]

I like the Woody's that he directed and am a big fan of Cool Cat. That is definately one of the better late 60s WB cartoons. (Well I think so anyway)

[Daws Butler Jr.]

Incidentally, I believe Alex Lovy's last name is pronounced Low-vee (with a long "o").

You are correct. I worked with Alex at Hanna-Barbera. He always drew really nice storyboards. We had an example of one on one of The Flintstones DVD's where he had done a pilot for a Gruesomes series, but with character models that looked like Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist from the Snooper and Blabber cartoons.

He was still doing boards as late as Yogi's Treasure Hunt.

[Ray Pointer]

You are correct. I worked with Alex at Hanna-Barbera. He always drew really nice storyboards. We had an example of one on one of The Flintstones DVD's where he had done a pilot for a Gruesomes series, but with character models that looked like Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist from the Snooper and Blabber cartoons.

He was still doing boards as late as Yogi's Treasure Hunt.

Not only that, but he was ambidextrous. According to legend, he could write out a sentence using both hands from the center out.

[frizfrelengfan]

Thanks all! Especially Matt the Y!

[Dave Bennett]

Well, here's a conversation I'd certainly like to leap into!!!!!



. . . and I'm really glad you did!! Great post on a neglected talent!