Terrytoons

This theater regularly shows the Terrytoons cartoons.

Terrytoons was an animation studio in New Rochelle, New York, that produced animated cartoons for theatrical release from 1929 to 1972 (and briefly returned between 1987 and 1988 for television in name only). Terrytoons was founded by Paul Terry, Frank Moser, and Joseph Coffman, and operated out of the "K" Building in downtown New Rochelle. The studio created many cartoon characters including Heckle and Jeckle, Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Little Roquefort, and Luno; Terry's pre-existing character Farmer Al Falfa was also featured often in the series.

The "New Terrytoons" period of the late 1950s through mid 1960s produced such characters as Deputy Dawg, Hector Heathcote, Hashimoto, Sidney the Elephant, Possible Possum, James Hound, Astronut, Sad Cat, The Mighty Heroes, and Sally Sargent.

Ralph Bakshi got his start as an animator, and eventually as a director, at Terrytoons. The Terrytoons shorts were originally released to theaters by 20th Century Fox. The Terrytoons library was later purchased by CBS, and is now owned by Paramount Pictures.

Why It Rocks

1. Prior to CBS-TV's acquisition of Terrytoons, it was the purest form of 20th Century Fox animation, long before The Simpsons franchise was introduced in 1987.
2. It was the only cartoon studio, amazingly started in New York.
3. Like most of these major American animation studios, Terrytoons does a very good animation, that always depend on it.
4. It does great jazzy music, thanks to its music composer Philip A. Scheib.
   1. Phil Scheib does musical accompaniment, that features a distinctive bass harmonica for the Deputy Dawg series.
   2. Phil Scheib also does the jungle-style music score for the Sidney the Elephant series.
5. It had memorable characters:
   • Heckle and Jeckle: The Talking Magpies
   • Mighty Mouse (a parody of the Superman franchise)
   • Gandy Goose
   • Sourpuss
   • Dingbat
   • Dinky Duck
   • The Terry Bears
   • Little Roquefort
   • Kiko the Kangaroo
   • Farmer Al Falfa
   • Deputy Dawg
   • Hector Heathcote
   • Hashimoto
   • Gaston Le Crayon
   • Clint Clobber
   • Sidney the Elephant
   • Possible Possum
   • Luno the White Stallion
   • Foofle (a prototyped version of Gene Deitch's character, Nudnik)
   • James Hound (a parody of the James Bond franchise)
   • Astronut (a spin-off of the Deputy Dawg series)
   • Sad Cat
   • The Mighty Heroes
6. Prior to the infamous Gene Deitch era of MGM's Tom and Jerry franchise, the Gene Deitch era of Terrytoons are more stylized than the stylized UPA cartoons of the 1940s and '50s.
7. CBS-TV's acquisition of Terrytoons, it became CBS Television Network's very first animation division.
8. While making the theatrical cartoons, it does making best cartoons only for TV, Tom Terrific!, The Deputy Dawg Show, The Mighty Heroes and The Adventures of Lariat Sam.
9. In 1999, the Terrytoons characters made their comeback in half-hour animated short, entitled Curbside. However, It unfortunately failed and Killed whatever remaining interest Viacom had on the studio at the time
10. It successfully received comic books, clothes, video games, dishes and merchandises.
11. In 1956, it had its single-summer-season anthology television show, CBS Cartoon Theatre, which became primetime television's very FIRST cartoon show.
12. Its 1955 logo is really cute and very charming.
13. Detailed Background Art

Bad Qualities

1. Terrytoons didn't make color cartoons until 1938. And didn't switch to all color until 1942
2. It had a failed pilot, Sally Sargent.
3. Recycled Plots and Animation. Especially the John Foster written shorts
4. The animation can also be helter-skelter at times
5. Some bad cartoons here and there.