I've written a number of articles about great cartoon voice actors like Daws Butler, Mel Blanc, June Foray and Don Messick.  Often, e-mails ask where the heck is the in-depth article about the late, great Paul Frees?  Surely, he ranks with the others.  And he sure does.  Trouble is, apart from one brief phone call, I never met Paul Frees.  Never had the honor.  And while I could rattle off a list of roles and parrot some third-hand anecdotes, I don't know enough to craft the kind of article he deserves.  He was an amazing performer, much admired by his co-stars and incessantly coveted by casting directors.

Some others did more famous characters…though Frees's Boris Badenov is one of the great performances ever in animation.  (I especially love when Boris would adopt, say, an Irish accent…thereby requiring Frees to do a Russian guy talking with a brogue.  June Foray says these things never threw him, not even for a second.  The only other comparable feat I can recall was the WB cartoon — I think it was Rabbit Seasoning — in which Mel B. had to do Bugs imitating Daffy, then do Daffy imitating Bugs.)

During his career, Frees occasionally had his agent assemble a demo tape of his work.  Every voice actor has one — some have several — and their creation is an art unto itself.  The Paul Frees demos are duped and circulated throughout the voice biz and widely considered the best ever.  Most of them run 6-7 minutes and one of the top voice agents once said to me, "I am torn on the subject of handing copies of these out to people.  On the one hand, I want them to see how wonderful a voice demo can be.  On the other hand, Paul Frees was maybe the only human being ever in the field who could sustain a 7-minute demo tape.  And I mean that.  Mel Blanc in his prime probably couldn't have kept you listening for seven minutes.  If one of my clients today brought in a 7-minute demo, I'd kick him out into the street."

So I suppose you're eager to hear one of these legendary demo tapes, right?  Well, here's a link to a site that has one you can hear on-line via RealPlayer.  I have a couple of other tapes and I'll post them here if there's enough interest.

One of the many fine events at last year's Comic-Con International in San Diego was the memorable surprise birthday party for artist Gene Colan.  It was organized by a number of Gene's friends and fans but most notably Kevin Hall.  The Progress Report for next year's con says I organized it, which is not exactly true.  I moderated it…but Kevin and the others actually came up with the notion, got the cake, got Gene there, etc.

Just received my ballot in the current ASCAP elections.  I always thought the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers was one of the best-run, most secure enterprises around.  Then I noticed the name of the accounting firm to which I'm supposed to return my ballot: Arthur Andersen, LLP.  Why do I already not trust the count?

Wondering what's going to happen with Enron?  Well, so far, Joshua Micah Marshall has been right on-target with predictions posted over on his Talking Points Memo.  A good site to check out often.

KOCE, which is the secondary PBS outlet serving Southern California, has been running the Ed Sullivan compilations that were assembled a few years ago by Andrew Solt.  On them, one sees great acts with the occasional long-forgotten performer.  (Whatever happened to comedian Irwin C. Watson?)  The most interesting moments are often not the acts but Mr. Sullivan's brief references to what was then going on in show business, as well as his introduction of celebrities planted in the studio audience.  On the one that aired last night, he asked Dean Jones — "the star of the Broadway play, Company" — to take a bow.  And Dean Jones, who just happened to be in an aisle seat down front, did.

Jones was not the star of that historic musical for long.  He reportedly did not like the show or his role in it and was only able to get himself through opening night because he had the producers' assurance that they'd replace him at the earliest opportunity.  They did.  The show opened on Sunday, April 26, 1970 and on May 29, Larry Kert assumed the pivotal role of Bobby.  On last night's Sullivan retrospect, Ed referred to Company as having just won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.  Those awards are usually announced the first week of May…so this clip was probably from the Sullivan show of 5/10/70, by which point Larry Kert was either in rehearsal or just starting.  Dean Jones was there doing publicity for Company, knowing full well his departure was about to be announced.

Odd thing about that cast replacement: Jones recorded the album shortly after the show opened.  The CD currently available is from that version.  When Company opened in England some time later, they issued a "London cast" which was the same recording but with Kert replacing Jones's vocals…though not completely.  Dean can still be heard in some of the group numbers.  This version is said to be coming out shortly on CD, which will perhaps baffle those who purchase both.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Groo the Wanderer, a silly comic book that I've been doing with Sergio Aragonés since…well, since twenty years ago.  We do it just to put the lie to the once-made claim that a creator-owned comic book can neither exist nor come out in anything resembling "on time."

A number of Groo items are coming out before the year is over.  The second issue of our current, new 4-issue mini-series, Groo: Death and Taxes, is now in stores.  Coming out in the next two weeks are two trade paperbacks from Dark Horse, the covers of which are seen above.  The Groo Maiden (left) is a collection that reprints four stories from eons ago, when Marvel published Groo as part of their Epic line.  Groo: Mightier Than the Sword (right) is the collected edition of our recent mini-series of the same name — a story borne of its authors' rising distrust of the media.  Several more Groo paperbacks will materialize from Dark Horse in the coming months, including some sort of special anniversary volume reprinting Groo oddments and including some new stuff.

Also in the meantime, Graphitti Designs is bringing out a fancy, hardbound limited edition which reprints the two graphic novels we did for Marvel/Epic.  One is The Life of Groo and the other, appropriately enough, is The Death of Groo.  They're repackaged back-to-back in fine binding with new bookplates signed by Sergio and me.  (That's what I was doing for a couple days last week: Signing my name.)  You can order this one over at Graphitti's website.  Or you can forget about the books altogether and just send money to Sergio.  Every so often, he shares it with me.

I haven't seen the issue, but a Comics Buyer's Guide is apparently now reaching subscribers with word of my abdication.  This I know from the flurry of e-mails that is suddenly descending on me, asking why I've stopped doing my column.  I dunno what they said in CBG but the truth is that I was having some business-type contractual problems with the folks there and they kinda killed my enthusiasm for continuing there.  I miss writing that kind of material and one of these days, I'll find a new venue for it.  In the meantime, I'll be updating this site with short items, and I thank you all for your notes.

Not long ago, Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) set out to make an epic film about Don Quixote.  He had six disastrous days of shooting, with everything going wrong that could go wrong, and then production was shut down for good.  A film did emerge from the debris, however…an acclaimed documentary about how Gilliam's movie crashed and burned.  Here's a link to an article in the L.A. Times about the "unMaking of…" film.

As predicted here, Conan O'Brien will not be leaving NBC.  He'll stay right where he is but for a lot more money.  The brief flurry of reports that he might be heading to Fox most likely represented a hankering on the part of a few entertainment reporters for another "late night war."  One is not likely.  Mssrs. Leno and Letterman have carved out secure little homes for themselves.  Odds are, both men can do those shows until they die or choose voluntary retirement.  If there is any big change in the ratings, it's unlikely to be because of anything Dave or Jay do.  Rather, it will be because of some huge, unlikely change in the respective fortunes of CBS and NBC…or, only slightly more likely, some formidable new entrant into the time slot.

I frankly think both Dave and Jay are vulnerable to a challenge.  Both have gotten a bit predictable, relying on goofy stunts…especially those that rely on the inherent clumsiness of non-professionals — stagehands and people on the street — when put on camera.  Jay and Dave are both good at winging it, but both seem to be configuring their shows to minimize any chance that they might have to prove this.  If someone came along with a truly unpredictable late night show — the way Steve Allen's was in the early sixties, f'rinstance, eliminating pre-tapes and putting the star occasionally on the spot — they might have a shot at grabbing a slice of the 11:35 pie.  That no one probably will is because there doesn't seem to be a host on the horizon who's capable of presiding over such a show.  If one ever emerges, watch out.

Those of you who travel to Vegas should know about www.billhere.com, one of those nice, more-or-less altruistic web services.  Billhere is, they say, a lifelong Las Vegas visitor who retired to his favorite city and now, mostly as a hobby, sends out a regular, advertising-free e-mail letter that's probably the most complete listing of who's about to play the town and what else is about to happen there.  He also collects and distributes coupons for discounts and freebees, and if you sign up for his newsletter, he'll tell you how to browse his on-line coupon list.  If you want any, he'll ship them to you for little more than the cost of postage.  Very nice of him.

Jack Swersie is a comedian who juggles Spam luncheon meat, as well as more conventional items.  Over at his website, he has an interesting journal giving his impressions of every celebrity with whom he's ever shared a bill.  I stumbled on the page by accident and enjoyed perusing it.  Perhaps you will, as well.

Just spent an hour I could ill afford reading interesting articles and looking at pretty pictures at www.comicartville.com, a terrific compendium of comic art history.  At the moment, they have — among other goodies — a lovely gallery of Alex Toth art, a good article about Doug Wildey's career, a memoir by Shel Dorf about lettering for Milton Caniff, a discussion of Russ Heath's art and an essay on Al Williamson's art for the Flash Gordon comic book.  The above illo was cribbed from the Williamson piece.

Nothing more I need to add.  If any of those names mean anything to you, click on the link and go spend an hour you probably can't afford, either.

There's a wonderful reward that one derives from operating a site like this.  It's hearing from (a) old friends you haven't heard from in years and (b) people you always admired.  I've had plenty in both categories but a biggie in the latter came the other day with a lovely e-mail from Peter and Alice Gowland.  At various times earlier in my ongoing childhood, I wanted to be Rob Petrie, Stan Freberg, Bob Clampett, Al Feldstein and Peter Gowland.  The last of these was not merely because Mr. Gowland got paid for taking pictures of beautiful women in little or no clothing (although that would have been quite sufficient) but because, of all the folks who did that, he actually seemed to do a lot more than just hire gorgeous women and light them correctly.

I appreciated the work of other glamour photographers but Gowland consistently worked a magic that others could only occasionally touch upon.  You wanna see what I'm babbling about?  Go to his site — it's, as you've probably guessed, www.petergowland.com — and browse a few of his galleries.  Note how he (and his partner/spouse, Alice) always caught something about their subjects' faces that was strikingly human.  Even the ladies with the most spectacular, undraped physiques were sexiest from the neck up.  And while you're there, tear yourself away from the pages of bikini babes and look at the shots of Hollywood celebs and such.  Isn't that the best picture of Alfred Hitchcock you ever saw?

Mr. Gowland was mentioned in an article I posted here about the store where I used to buy my comic books, Pico Drugs.  It was near the corner of Pico and Overland in West L.A. and I was astounded one day to discover Gowland's studio right around the corner on Overland.  (He has some pictures of that building on his site, on this page.)  The mention seems to have drawn the Gowlands to this site, which is great…because they sent me a fan letter and I got to send them an even gushier fan letter and, boy, I think I've now "connected" with every one of my childhood heroes who lived into my alleged adulthood.  Wheeee!

Another nice "connect" via website: My obit on Billy Barty caught the eye of some folks who are assembling an authorized biography.  They asked if they could include my piece in the book and, yes, of course they can.  I'll announce here when it's published and where you can snag a copy.

Steven Webber, — best known for his role on Wings — is the new Leo Bloom in the Broadway company of The Producers.  Again, we have no comment other than that the folks running the show haven't made any serious missteps yet, so it's unlikely this is the first.  What I find more interesting to discuss is to what extent, if any, the success of this show connects with, or perhaps will be perpetuated by the headlines over, first dot-coms turning out to be ponzi schemes and now companies the size and seeming stability of Enron.

Over on his site, my pal Jay Zilber quotes our discussion here of the new Bialystock and then writes…

A snarky aside: I'm just waiting for it to dawn on Maureen Dowd that there's grist for a whole 750-word column to be had, by drawing comparisons between The Producers and the Enron saga. "Do you realize," the Leo Bloom character would say in an unguarded moment of creative accounting theorizing, "that under the right conditions, you could make more money bankrupting a company than if you produced something of value!" (Or is that just so obvious that even Ms. Dowd can resist the temptation?)

I actually mentioned something like this a year or three ago in one of the many columns I haven't posted here.  I suggested that if Mel Brooks were to update his classic film — not that this would have been a good idea — it would be about Bialystock and Bloom selling shares in www.springtime4hitler.com.  (Don't bother try to go to that URL, by the way.  The name's registered but it doesn't connect to anything.)

It applies to Enron, too.  One thing that this mess is bringing to light is the extent to which some companies seem to exist only to make short-term zillions for their top executives and no one else.  The comic book, animation and even live-action entertainment industries have all suffered to some extent the last few years from situations where the highest-ranking officers have taken home huge checks.  The salaries and bonuses were tolerated because of apparent success…and by the time some or all of that success was found to be illusory, the officers had cashed in their stock options and fled.  Not that long ago, the current boss of an animation studio admitted to me that he wasn't interested in the long-range health of his company.  He has no plans to stick around.  He just wants to make a huge splash this year, get what he can get…and then get out.  If the company crumbles in a couple of years, it won't matter to him.  He'll be gone.

The machinations of Bialystock and Bloom in The Producers only differ slightly from that strategy.  Instead of not caring if there is failure, they actively covet it.  Other than that, the modus operandi is the same: The guys who set up the pyramid flee to Rio with the bucks while the investors get bupkis.  For the animation business, this is especially deadly since the making of cartoons (features, especially) requires long-term investment.

Therein lies a maddening conflict.  Animation is traditionally one of the safest of all show business investments.  In the age of home video and cable, a cartoon has to be pretty lousy (or its marketers, uncommonly inept) not to turn a profit.  But it isn't a quick profit.  Tomorrow, if you and I came up with something that was certain to be the next Lion King, a lot of studios wouldn't touch it.  Making it would take a huge output of current cash and even if that money would be recouped twenty times over, it would take 3-4 years.  At some studios, the person with the power to greenlight doesn't figure on being there in 3 years.  He just wants the books to look good for the next few quarters so he can justify, at least for a while, that platinum-lined contract with a golden parachute attached.

The tale of Enron is nothing new.  We've seen it for years in the entertainment industry, especially in content-themed dot-coms.  What's new is that someone is finally noticing that when these companies crash and burn, they take peoples' lives with them. Somehow, this time, I don't think the investors will be as forgiving as the Little Old Ladies who got screwed two ways by Max Bialystock.

My longtime friend has just been promoted to both President and Publisher of DC Comics (For details, click here).  I forget which one he was before but he's both now.  I have a tendency to claim that most senior execs of publishing firms are weasely, lying incompetents.  This is because most are.  Paul is that rare exception.  In fact — keying off the above remarks — one of the reasons there's still a DC Comics is because of some smart moves that Paul made ten or more years ago.