I still don't understand the attitude of Jerry Beck. He initially told me he'd be willing to study the matter of the Hardaway drawing, at a cost of 100 per day. He asked me, "what are your plans for the drawing?". He said, among other things, "nice drawing, the initials only heighten the mystery". Then, after a couple months of him trying to "make time" he took a totally different attitude. I then started a thread on the animation history forum at The Animation Show website which asked the question of why Hardaway's name appeared in the index of Beck's book but neither Bugs Hardaway nor his work appeared anywhere in the book. Ultimately, Jerry Beck deleted the thread.
I asked why the subject couldn't be discussed.
Jerry Beck responded;
"I'll let David Gerstien explain it to you in this thread at GAC:
http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=10228
There was some heavy last minute editing which caused that omission.
I will be deleting this thread in a few hours"
One of the moderators of the GAC forum, Tom Stathes, responded Nov 14 of 2007;
Perhaps the topic you're bringing up has some legal issues attached to it that prevent public discussion.
Huh? What legal issues could prevent discussion of cartoonists and their cartoons?
I still can't understand why a 60 year old subject would require "heavy last minute editing".
I still can't understand what "legal issues" David Gerstein and Tom Stathes are talking about.
I still can't understand those who have offered specific, informed, enthusiastic, opinions of the drawing initially, only to offer a contradictory opinion months later.
I still can't understand why several of Hardaway's contemporaries would give him credit for the design of the character and its personality, but 70 years later some self described cartoon historians and secretive cartoon club members would attempt to eliminate his input.
I still can't understand why a cartoon history enthusiast with the website called "Cartoon Research" would prevent discussion of the gordian knot of animation history.
I do understand dishonesty.
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Well, it's Beck to the old drawing board. I really don't understand a lot of this [if Washington State based like you, as your username implies, the only old school animation figures, are Chuck Jones and Janet Waldo]. Personally doc, it sounds like something that popular historian Marc Elliott found about Walt Disney researching his apparent Hispanic heritage [and that of his assuming ten additional years to his age (Elliott, Marcus: "Walt Disney: Animation's Dark Prince")].
Then there was John Kricfalusi's odd jokes about animimation being created by John K.'s alter ego, Al Smithee, (Raymond Spum), and that "Elmo Aardvark" story told by Will Ryan and Bigshot/Stepehn Worth.
Both in the 1990s. And getting weird. But still innocent..actually, SeattleChef, it is good if you're telling this if it is true, as that would be important, but, as Ray Pointer has, uh, pointed out, it seems unlikely that what you are saying is true....
Signed
Gumby's Horse (who KNOWS Art Clokey, NOT Ray Harryhausenm or some uncle of his, created me and Gumby. :-))
July 14 (Pacific Times), 2011.
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