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Being the proprietor of Scrappyland has its fringe benefits–none more pleasant than the opportunity to meet Dr. Richard P. Huemer, son of Scrappy’s creator, Dick Huemer. (See my terrible cameraphone picture to the right.)
Dr. Huemer, who was in San Francisco with his wife Mary Kay for a medical conference, has a wonderful Web site with lots of material on his father’s work, and has a general appreciation for Dick Huemer’s legacy. He shared other tidbits during our visit–some of which weren’t surprising, such as the fact that Dick was probably most proud of his work on Fantasia and Dumbo. But did you know that Dick Huemer and Joe Grant almost left Disney for MGM, or that Roy Williams had a game show that Dick wrote for? Or that Dick and A.C. Gamer formed a company together that did very early animated TV commercials?
As for what it was like to grow up with a father who worked for Walt Disney, Dr. Huemer said it didn’t occur to him that this was anything of note–especially since some of the kids who he hung out with had movie stars for parents. But he did like getting to ride Ward Kimball’s train, to eat in the Disney commisary, and to meet Walt himself.
I’m sorry that I never got to meet the Dick Huemer who worked in the animation business for so long–I did read and love his Funnyworld writings–but I’m delighted to have gotten the chance to meet the charming gent named Dick Huemer (and his equally charming spouse) who I had lunch with today.
Hi Harry, this is a fun site!!! Good luck with it! As a fan of older cartoons myself (the old Popeyes, the earlier Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes, etc.), I will continue to explore this site with great interest.
Dear Dr.Huemer,
My name is Kevin S.Butler
..I’m a writer and an actor and
I have some info about yor father’s
movie cartoon character”Scrappy”?
During the early 1960’s WOR TV
Ch.9 in NYC became the first NYC based
tv station to rerun “The Scrappy”,”Krazy
Kat” and most of the Columbia/Charles
Mintz Movie cartoons.
The films were seen weekday evenings
on a daily kids tv series titled”Merry-
toon Circus”.
Claude Kirchner the former ringmaster
host of ABC TV’s pioneering children’s
circus show”Super Circus” mc’d the program
Set against the backdrop of a traveling
circus..Mr.Kirchner and his puppet Pal
“Clownie”would entertain and inform their
viewers inbetween the reruns of the films.
“MerryToon Circus”screened the entire
series of “Scrappy” and “Krazy Kat”movie
cartoons..along with The Columbia/”Lil
Abner”films and the Paramount/Famous
“Talkertoons”.
The series became popular with NYC
youngsters and the show actually beat
out the network news broadcasts in the
local ratings.
Which didn’t thrill the news directors
at the networks.
“Merrytoon Circus” was on the air on
WOR TV Ch.9 in NYC From Monday April 30,
1962..until the series went off the air
on Friday September 20,1963.
The “Scrappy”,”Krazy Kat” and other
Columbia movie cartoons were also dropped
and they haven’t been seen on tv since?
I Hope that you might be able to
use my info about the NYC tv reruns of
your father’s movie cartoons for your
own archives?
Thank You for your
time and considerations
Dr.Huemer,
Yours Truly,
Kevin S.Butler At St******@Be*******.Net.