Arthur Rankin Jr.

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Arthur Rankin Jr. (born July 19, 1924 in New York ; died January 30, 2014 in Harrington Sound , Bermuda ) was an American screenwriter, film director and producer, best known for his work in animated films.

His works, most of which he produced together with Jules Bass, included Christmas films such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Santa Claus Is Comin 'to Town (1970) and the cartoon adaptation of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit (1977) or The Last Unicorn after Peter S. Beagle .

Life

Signature Arthur Rankin Jr.

Rankin Jr. was born in New York City in 1924 to the actor couple Mignon Klemm and Arthur Rankin Sr., his father was the stepson of the well-known actor Harry Davenport . Arthur Rankin studied art and design in Manhattan, but had to interrupt his professional career for four years because of his service in the United States Navy during World War II .

On his return, he worked in the sales department at RKO Pictures in New York before starting his career as a graphic designer at the television station ABC in 1948 , where he quickly worked his way up to art director . In the mid-1950s he founded his own company called "Videocraft International Ltd." and initially mainly produced commercials there. Shortly thereafter, he took Jules Bass on as a co-producer and business partner in the company, which from 1960 operated under the name "Rankin / Bass Productions". In 1987 Rankin and Bass separated. Rankin continued to produce animated films such as The King and I in 1999 . From 2001 he worked again with Jules Bass, for example on the film Santa, Baby! to produce.

Rankin died at the age of 89 in the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Bermuda. He lived in Bermuda since the 1980s and left behind a wife (Olga Karlatos) and two sons from his first marriage.

Honors

  • 1950–1951: Several Art Direction Awards.
  • 1977: For the production of The Hobbit he received the Peabody Award together with Jules Bass and the broadcaster NBC-TV .
  • 1977. Nomination for the Emmy Award, for in the category: "Outstanding Children's Secial" for The Little Drummer Boy Book II (NBC)
  • On the occasion of his 90th birthday, his life's work was honored with an exhibition in the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art (Botanical Gardens Bermuda), which opened on July 16, 2014.

Filmography (selection)

Animated films ( stop motion or cartoons )

literature

  • Thomas S. Hischak: Rankin, Arthur, Jr. In: The Oxford companion to the American musical - theater, film, and television . Oxford University Press, New York 2008, ISBN 978-0-19-989147-4 , pp. 609 ( books.google.de - reading sample).
  • Rick Goldschmidt, Burl Ives: The enchanted world of Rankin / Bass. A portfolio . 1st edition. Tiger Mountain Press, Issaquah, Washington 1997, ISBN 0-9649542-7-3 .
  • Jeff Lenburg: Rankin Jr., Arthur . In: Who's who in Animated Cartoons. An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators . Hal Leonard Corporation, Applause Theater & Cinema Books, New York 2006, ISBN 1-55783-671-X , pp. 297–298 ( books.google.de - reading sample).
  • Mike Barnes: Animation Legend Arthur Rankin Jr. Dies at 89 . In: The Hollywood Reporter . January 31, 2014 ( hollywoodreporter.com ).
  • Deirdre Collins: Tributes paid to Arthur Rankin Jr . In: The Royal Gazette . August 4, 2014 ( royalgazette.com ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Paul Vitello: Arthur Rankin, 89, Dies; His Puppet Animation Was a Holiday Hallmark . In: The New York Times . New York February 5, 2014 ( nytimes.com - obituary).
  2. ↑ The Enchanted World of Rankin Bass. rankinbass.com, accessed November 23, 2018 .
  3. ^ Rankin / Bass Productions (Creator). TV Tropes, accessed November 23, 2018 (American English).
  4. ↑ Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times: Arthur Rankin, creator of TV's 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,' dies at 89 . In: Naples Daily New . February 6, 2014 ( naplesnews.com ).
  5. ↑ The Hobbit - Arthur Ranking peabodyawards.com
  6. ^ Arthur Rankin Jr. - Television Academy ( emmys.com ).
  7. ↑ An Insider's Guide to Bermuda: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Exhibit at Masterworks Museum 2014 ( wanderingeducators.com )
personal data
SURNAME Rankin, Arthur Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rankin, Arthur Gardner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter, film director and producer
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH new York
DATE OF DEATH January 30, 2014
Place of death Harrington Sound , Bermuda