You can’t beat Christmas in the country.
Eldon Dedini started out as a staff cartoonist at Esquire in 1942, before coming to Hollywood to work in animation. He was a storyboard artist at Universal for a few years in the mid-1940s, and joined Disney as a story artist on "Mickey & the Beanstalk", "Ichabod and Mr Toad" and several Donald Duck shorts. He continued to do cartoons for Esquire during this period, and moved to the New Yorker in 1950. He began contributing cartoons to Playboy in 1960, joining Phil Interlandi, Jack Cole, Doug Sneyd and Erich Sokol. Dedini passed away at his home in Carmel, CA in December of 2007.
Animation Resources supporter, Ken Kearney lives close to the Monterey area, where Dedini lived and worked for many years. In 2005, he produced an interview video, which he generously donated to archive database. Here is a clip from Ken’s video where Dedini tells how he got started as a cartoonist and his experiences as a story man with Disney on Fun & Fancy Free and Donald Duck cartoons like Dumbell of the Yukon.
Eldon Dedini Interview (Ken Kearney/2005)
(Quicktime 7 / 14.2 megs)
View the whole interview in five parts at YouTube
Here is a feature on Dedini’s famous "Satyr & Nymph" comics from Playboy, followed by some higher resolution images of individual cartoons…
We forgot the picnic basket!
I’d like you to meet my father, but I don’t dare.
You know how even old satyrs are!
It’s not that I didn’t believe in Santa Claus-
It’s just that you’ve shattered my image somehow…
Shouldn’t we be putting nuts away for the winter or something?
I hope nothing has happened to those two satyrs
who always surprise us at our bath.
It’s become traditional. During the holidays
the country cousin visits the city cousin.
Look at it this way- your medium is your message!
More great Dedini!
You know, I think I’m actually learning
quite a lot at my Mother’s Knee, Mom.
Well, I’ve always looked at it as sort of
stockpiling the American Dream!
Well, I guess it just goes to prove that
not all God’s children got rhythm.
Be sure to notice her dress. It’s a topless.
Hi!
Carl is always so interested in people
Terrific, eh? Each year we rent the old lady and come
out here and have a real underground Christmas.
Wow! This is the most consciousness-expanding
plum pudding I’ve ever eaten!
Don’t you find that some New Years
are harder to bring in than others?
Young man, you should be asleep!
I’m not sure if Ken is offering these for sale, but if you would like to inquire about ordering a DVD of Ken Kearney’s Dedini interview, email, kenkearneystudios@hotmail.com.
Stephen Worth
Director
Animation Resources
This posting is part of the online Encyclopedia of Cartooning under the subject heading, Magazine Cartoons.
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