Shirley Silvey
Encyclopedia
Shirley Silvey was an American
animator
, whose credits included Mr. Magoo
, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
, Dudley Do-Right Show and George of the Jungle
. Silvey was considered a pioneer in animation, as she was one of the first women to work in the field.
Silvey graduated from Jepson Art Institute
in Los Angeles
. She began her career at United Productions of America
(UPA) during the late 1950s. A friend had suggested that she approach cartoon director Ed Levitt for a job at UPA, since he was looking for beginning animators and was also an alumna of Jepson Art Institute. Levitt hired Silvey when he joined UPA, where she first worked in layout
, storyboard
and character
design. Her credits at UPA included Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, Mister Magoo 1001 Arabian Nights and Gerald McBoing-Boing
.
Silvey moved to Jay Ward Productions
in 1959. She worked with Jay Ward
on numerous animated cartoons, including The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
, George of the Jungle
, Fractured Fairy Tales, Dudley Do-Right
and the Cap'n Crunch
television commercials. Silvey remained at Jay Ward Productions until 1973. She also briefly worked on Bugs Bunny
cartoons at Warner Bros.
.
Shirley Silvey died of heart failure on July 17, 2010, in Fresno, California
, at the age of 82. She was survived by a daughter, two grandchildren and her brother, storyboard and design artist David Jonas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, whose credits included Mr. Magoo
Mr. Magoo
Quincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
, Dudley Do-Right Show and George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle was an American animated series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the legend of Tarzan. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American TV...
. Silvey was considered a pioneer in animation, as she was one of the first women to work in the field.
Silvey graduated from Jepson Art Institute
Jepson Art Institute
Jepson Art Institute, founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by artist Herbert Jepson, was an art school located at 2861 West 7th Street that flourished from 1947 to 1953 - becoming an important center for experimental figure drawing, art theory and printmaking. Prior to this, Jepson served as an...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She began her career at United Productions of America
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
(UPA) during the late 1950s. A friend had suggested that she approach cartoon director Ed Levitt for a job at UPA, since he was looking for beginning animators and was also an alumna of Jepson Art Institute. Levitt hired Silvey when he joined UPA, where she first worked in layout
Layout
Layout may refer to:* Page layout** Comprehensive layout** In computer graphics, another name for a scene used to render 2D/3D graphics or animation* Layout , software that automatically calculates the positions of objects...
, storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
and character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
design. Her credits at UPA included Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, Mister Magoo 1001 Arabian Nights and Gerald McBoing-Boing
Gerald McBoing-Boing
Gerald McBoing-Boing is an animated short film produced by United Productions of America and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950...
.
Silvey moved to Jay Ward Productions
Jay Ward Productions
Jay Ward Productions was an Amercian animated television cartoon series production company, founded in 1949 by American animator Jay Ward. It made extensive use of limited animation techniques....
in 1959. She worked with Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
on numerous animated cartoons, including The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
, George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle was an American animated series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the legend of Tarzan. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American TV...
, Fractured Fairy Tales, Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right, created by Alex Anderson, is the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film in the form of the Northern genre....
and the Cap'n Crunch
Cap'n Crunch
Cap'n Crunch is a product line of sweetened corn and oat breakfast cereals introduced in 1963 and manufactured by Quaker Oats Company. Quaker Oats has been a division of PepsiCo since 2001. The product line is heralded by a cartoon mascot named Cap'n Crunch, a sea captain .-Development:Pamela Low,...
television commercials. Silvey remained at Jay Ward Productions until 1973. She also briefly worked on Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
cartoons at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
.
Shirley Silvey died of heart failure on July 17, 2010, in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, at the age of 82. She was survived by a daughter, two grandchildren and her brother, storyboard and design artist David Jonas.