what inspired you to visit prague?I'm not sure. It was really just a whim. I have always heard it's a cool place, but I wasn't really JONESing to go there. Neither was Brigham. It just seemed like a good place to explore.
did you visit gene deitch while you were there?Yes we did, and a nicer guy you'll never meet. He was very busy that week - and apparently is very busy every week, a real workaholic. And we had a bit of a logistical runaround hooking up with him because Brigham tore a ligament in his foot and was on crutches on day 4, and on a cane for the rest of the trip.
Trying to find out where to buy a set of crutches in Prague can be quite trying when you don't know the language and are not yet aware of their 3-tier system of healthcare stores: Drugerie (cosmetics, notions, toiletries, all the junk that is not medicine you can buy in a dugstore), Farmacie (all drugs, including aspirin and "over the counter" drugs, which must all be brought to the counter from behind the counter by the farmacist) and finally - uh - I'm not sure if this upper tier has a specific name, but there is a third type of store that specializes in medical hardware, like neck braces, IV tubes, crutches...
Anyway, back to Gene Deitch - I called him Saturday and he immediately started trying to arrange a meeting in the midst of his busy working weekend. I told him no no no, we did not expect to drop in on him unannounced, let's just wait til Monday! OK, fine...
Monday I called him back, and once again he immediately launched into a series of calculations and negotiations with his schedule, until I was finally able to get a word in edgewise and tell him that once again we must bow out due to Brigham's inability to walk on his foot even a little bit, since he had torn the ligament since we last talked to Gene. Upon finding out that I had already been out once searching for crutches and come up emptyhanded (in case you are wondering, the hotel concierge was NO HELP AT ALL, scratching her head in utter bafflement at the very idea of renting or buying crutches) Gene sent me to a clinic in Prague that "has experience dealing with tourists and foreigners".
This story goes on and on in spectacular "The Out Of Towners" fashion, but back to Gene Deitch. Just as soon as I tell you that if you ever need crutches in Prague, you need "BERLE" (pronounced behr-lah). That is what you will learn after you pantomime walking with crutches and draw a little picture of a man on crutches and show it to people.
GENE DEITCH: So we finally hook up with him on our last day there, him crowbarring us in between meetings, and me racing across Prague and back to collect Brigham, who was out taking pictures in Old Town. We all finally merged at Cafe Savoy, a beautiful historic fancy INEXPENSIVE cafe around the block from Gene's studio. Here's a pic Brigham made of the ceiling
*, and here's
some more pics.
*Well heck, the pics of the Savoy ceiling won't open, due to an incomplete string in the jpeg code or some such tech gumbo. Instead I'll go ahead and show this picture I took for Bissette.
Gene Deitch, who had a day cram full of work and meetings, spent a relaxed hour regaling me and Brigham with with the kind of stories that probably make his wife think "Oh God, THAT one again!" but are quite entertaining and fascinating to someone he just met. He really has lived an interesting life, the kind of life that would make a great movie, if Hollywood did not alter the story and ruin it.
If you'd like to read all about Gene Deitch's life,
buy this book.
I bought one. In fact I bought 3. Then I forgot and left 2 in my hotel room when we went to meet Gene, so only one is signed, to me and Brigham. Sorry, Mike and Steve. Then I lost one of the other two. I can't imagine where the hell that book wound up. Sorry, Steve. I bet you own it anyway. Or maybe Mike owns it anyway. We'll work it out.
(I'm talking to Steve Bissette and Mike Dobbs here. Mike is more of an animation historian than Steve, that is he is more FOCUSED on animation vs all film. That's why I said "Sorry, Steve". I figure Mike needs the book the most.)
Mike also sent two questions along for Mr. Deitch. Here is my mini-interview as Mike Dobbs' proxy in Prague:
Me: My friend Mike Dobbs is an animation buff who grew up in Springfield Massachusetts, and he was always WOWed as a young boy when Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog would say "HOLY OKE MASSACHUSETTS!" What's the story behind that?
Gene D: Oh gosh, yeah, Holy Oke, you know, Tom Terrific was actually based on Terr'ble Thompson, did you know that? (I did NOT! - me) I was friends with Bob Keeshan back then, we knew each other, so when he called me up and said they needed a cartoon and they needed it fast I just re-worked Terr'ble Thompson and turned him into Tom Terrific. I had a hell of a time getting the animators to stay on model with that thing. It's a terribly simple cartoon but you still have to stay on model you know. Somebody gave me a DVD recently with all those old Tom Terrifics on it! I didn't even have them all before that. You know the studio owns all that stuff, that's the sad thing about creating stuff for a studio. Viacom bought the whole Terry Toons catalog and they don't have any interest in Tom Terrific because it's black and white, can't do anything with it, they can't see any value in it because it's black and white. All these big conglomerates gobbling everything up, all this crap from China. You wanta support your local economy whatever it is and just buy local, just try it! You can't buy anything that's not made in China. Now Mattell's gonna take a huge hit with that stuff from China, HUGE! Huge multinational corporation's not even immune, Mattell's got Barbie and all that shit, now look at 'em!
Me: So "Holy Oke Massachusetts", where did that come from?
Gene D: Well, it's just like "Holy Smokes" with a twist. He said all kinds of things like that! What were they? I can't remember them now, but it's like saying "Cheese and Crackers!" instead of "Jesus Christ!" Manfred had a whole arsenal of sayings like that.That's the end of the mini-interview. I had a second question but I never got it in there before it was time for Gene to head off for his noon meeting.
This entire mini-interview is paraphrased from memory. I did not record it, and I did not nag Mr. Deitch for a photo, although I'm sure he was actually dying for me to ask for one. He's a bundle of energy and a tireless self-promoter and an inspiration! He never stops smiling! I'm glad I got to meet him when I visited Prague.
Brigham liked him too! Sorry this all sounds so ME ME ME! Brigham and Gene talked about saw blades and China and how much Gene LOVES to go to "Home Depot", which is a store just like Home Depot but with a Czech name that I can't remember. He really does, and I mean REALLY! That man loves hardware!!!
Here's the very first time Fred (as a dog) ever materialized. For whatever that's worth.
Here's a sketch for a gag that Nickelodeon turned down because it's similar to another gag they already have.
Here's a tree in Prague. Can anybody explain to me and Brigham how that tree assumed that shape?
Here's a Prague pic. Brigham caught this one. He said it's actually a pretty swanky hotel.
Me: My friend Mike Dobbs is an animation buff who grew up in Springfield Massachusetts, and he was always WOWed as a young boy when Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog would say "HOLY OKE MASSACHUSETTS!" What's the story behind that?
2. Changed planes in Amsterdam
3. Took a taxi to the fabulous Movenpick Hotel Prague
