Some Highlights of Gene Deitch’s Life, a man who was responsible for our happy cartoon hours

Highlights of Gene Deitch’s Life

For those of us who don’t know Gene Deitch, he is the director of our favourite cartoon show Tom and Jerry. However, there’s more to his life than one knows. This man was an animator, director and a comic artist. Throughout his life, he worked so that shows like Tom and Jerry and Popeye could bring entertainment and laughter into our childhoods.
Gene Deitch, on April 16, 2020, was reported dead in his apartment in Prague. He was demised at the age of 95, and the reason still remains undisclosed.

Here’s a quick highlight of Gene Deitch’s life:

FAMOUS WORKS

Gene Deitch has been working hard ever since he got graduated (1942-2008.) Every year, one could find him aiming for something new alongside the project he’d have currently signed up for. Here are some of his famous works

1. Creation of some famous animated cartoons like Munro, Tom Terrific, and Nudnik
2. Collaboration with Rembrandt to direct Popeye 
3. Creative director of Terrytoons, for which he created characters like Sidney the elephant, Gaston Le Crayon and  Clint Clobber
4. Wrote and drew the United Feature Syndicate comic strip The Real-Great Adventures of Terr’ble Thompson
5. Created an animated short film Munro funded by Rembrandt
6. Directed 13 new shorts for Tom and Jerry
7. Directed Alice of Wonderland in Paris 

LOVE LIFE

Deitch married Marie (both worked at North American Aviation)   in 1943 and they had 3 sons. However, when he was working on Munro in Prague, he met Zdenka Najmanová, the production manager at the studio Bratři v triku where he worked. He only decided to stay in Prague for 10 days, but changed his mind and decided to settle down in the city permanently. They got married in 1964. Who knew that going reluctantly to Prague would result in him finding his life partner?

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SOME REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

1. He got an Oscar for Munro for the best animated film in 1961
2. He was awarded the Annie Awards’ Winson McCay for his life long contribution to animation. 
3. His theatrical cartoon Sidney’s Family Tree was also nominated for an Academic award in 1958.

LIFE IN PRAGUE

Deitch didn’t initially want to go to Prague because of the cold war. However, Bill Sydner, a US producer claimed to help him with Munro only if it was made in Prague. Deitch agreed for a 10-day stay, but meeting Zdenka changed his mind. The communist city had him expecting the worst. However, he said that he was the only free American living in Prague during the 30 years of communist party dictatorship. Deitch’s memoir ‘ For the Love of Prague’ was based on the same story. 

CRITIQUES

1. Deitch got fired from Terrytoons in 1958 for trying to change the conventional style and by challenging the crew. He wanted to try something new and original but was not entertained much by the viewers. None of the characters was reused except Sidney the Elephant 
2. The contemporary critics claimed that the shorts by Deitch in Tom and Jerry were the worst. However, Deitch was indifferent. He said that his fans wrote him letters telling him that his shorts were their favourite in the show. And, that for Deitch, was enough.