Bob Clampett did a lot of things in his life but he's remembered for two biggies: He was one of the key directors of Warner Brothers cartoons in their heyday…some would argue the best. And he was responsible for the puppet show Time for Beany and its subsequent animated version, Beany & Cecil. Either one of those all by itself would be enough to get you into a couple of Halls of Fame.
He was also in his later years, a wonderful convention guest and a friend to many in the new generation of animation creators. I have extremely fond memories of Bob calling (sometimes on the spur of the moment) and saying, "Hey, come on up to the house tonight. We're going to bring in pizzas and watch cartoons!" There were few things in my life I couldn't or wouldn't drop to take him up on those invites. Pizza and cartoons with Bob Clampett? I'll be there! I'd even have gone without the pizza. And the great thing about watching Clampett cartoons with Clampett was that you could say, "Hey, how was that scene done?" and he remembered. Sometimes, he'd even excuse himself, go into a mysterious room where he stored memorabilia and return with the actual cels or timing sheets or story sketches to use in his explanation.
Anyway, I miss Bob. He died in 1984 but I'm happy to say that his fine family has kept his name and work alive…and they've even put some of it out on DVD. They've also set up a new website which I highly suggest you visit, as much for what's going to be there as what's already up. It's beanyandcecil.com and it has some great interviews and artifacts of Bob. Go there. Order the two volumes of DVDs they have out, both of which are magnificent. Visit often. So come on, kids — let's flip our lids higher than the moon, 'cause now here's Beany and Cecil in…a Bob Clam-pett cartooooOOON…