Emails from Thad Komorowski and his impressions of the Hardaway drawing

I showed the drawing some years ago to Thad Komorowski who is a long time animation enthusiast. He's maintained several different blogs concerning identifying animators and their work, and he's moderated a couple of the forums that purport to discuss animation history. I'm posting these because Thad's attitude changed completely after presenting the drawing to his secret cartoon club called Apatoons. He offered lengthy descriptions of the quality and professionalism of the drawing as well as his understanding of the plight of Hardaway initially, then some months later, he bad mouthed me on a forum as "the crazy guy with the fake drawing". His mysterious about face is similar to the turn around in the attitude of Jerry Beck. After exchanging a few emails and phone calls Jerry Beck told me he'd be willing to research the subject of Hardaway's drawing at a cost of 100 dollars a day, he said it would take about 3 days. Then, some months later, he dismissed the subject as idiotic and deleted the discussion thread from the forum citing "legal reasons".. Jerry Beck also eliminated Hardaway from his book Art of Warner Brothers", but left him in the index.  The Warner Brothers artist Kirk Mueller also immediately recognized the drawing as Hardaway's and promised to contact others and respond to me. He also did an about face and would not respond .

Only one question from Milton Gray

A while back, a member of Apatoons offered to show the Hardaway drawing to some of the members. Some time later I received a forwarded copy of a comment received. The question, as presented to me, was from Milton Gray, a well respected and knowledgeable animation historian, a pioneer of the study of cartoon history.

From Milt Gray:"I have only one question regarding your [friend's]speculations over the origin of the "Speedy" rabbit drawing: If this is the way that Ben Hardaway was inclined to draw rabbits, then why didn't "the rabbit" look more that way in "Porky's Hare Hunt"?

I was a little suprised that there was only one question and even more suprised at the question. I had read an interview published in the magazine Funnyworld vol 12 from 1970. In the interview, Bob Clampett describes, in great detail, how he spent a weekend drawing the prototype rabbit for "his story" which was "Porky's Hare Hunt".

The interview lasted for five hours and took place in Clampett's office in Hollywood in June of 1969. Clampett was joined by his wife, Sody. The interview was conducted and recorded by Mike Barrier and Milton Gray. The interview is posted at http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Funnyworld/Clampett/interview_bob_clampett.htm