| Lou Scheimer | |
| Birthname: | Louis Scheimer |
| Birth Date: | 19 October 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Tarzana, California, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Occupation: | Animator, voice actor |
| Yearsactive: | 1957–2013 |
| Othername: | Erik Gunden, Erika Lane |
| Children: | 2, including Erika |
Louis Scheimer (October 19, 1928 – October 17, 2013) was an American producer and voice actor who was one of the original founders of Filmation. He was also credited as an executive producer of many of its cartoons.[1]
Scheimer was the son of a German Jew who, according to family legend, had to leave Germany in the early 1920s after punching a young Adolf Hitler in 1921 or 1922, "well before" the Beer Hall Putsch.[2]
Scheimer graduated from Carnegie Tech University (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1952.
In the mid-1950s, Scheimer was appointed to the position of art director while working at Larry Harmon Pictures on the made-for-TV Bozo and Popeye cartoons. He formed a close working relationship with former Disney animator Hal Sutherland, with the two later becoming business partners. Larry Harmon eventually closed the studio in 1961. Scheimer and Sutherland went to work at a small company called True Line. While working there, they were contracted by SIB Productions, a Japanese firm with U.S. offices in Chicago, who approached them about producing a cartoon called Rod Rocket. The two agreed to take on the work and also took on a project for Family Films, Life of Christ, a series of ten short animated films based on the life of Christ. Paramount Pictures soon purchased SIB Productions, and the contract allowed True Line to hire additional staff, such as former radio disc jockey Norm Prescott. Scheimer and Sutherland formed a close relationship with their new co-worker.
In 1962, Scheimer, Sutherland and Prescott eventually left True Line, and Scheimer began independently working on commercials. He figured that he could form his own company to produce animation. In September of that year, he, Sutherland and Ira Epstein, who had worked for Harmon but had left the firm, formed Filmation Associates. The company's name was invented because according to Scheimer, "We were working on film, but doing animation." Prescott joined them soon after the company's formation, and the trio were the company's main producers.[3] They immediately started work on Journey Back to Oz, an animated sequel to the MGM film The Wizard of Oz and loosely based on the Oz series of books by L. Frank Baum. Due to financial problems, it took them about a decade to complete the film.
In the meantime, Filmation turned their attention to a more successful medium, network television. For the next few years they made television commercials and some other projects for other companies and made an unsuccessful pilot film for a Marx Brothers cartoon series. They also tried to develop an original series named The Adventures of Stanley Stoutheart (later renamed Yank and Doodle), but they were never able to sell it and almost closed down. That was until they were approached by DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger to do a cartoon based on Superman. Superman premiered on September 10, 1966, and was followed by several of the other DC superheroes, and then, in 1968, the first Archie Show. Both series greatly helped Filmation's popularity to increase into the 1970s, when it scored big with several of its series, such as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and .[4] [5] [6] For Star Trek: The Animated Series, Scheimer won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment - Children's Series.[7]
Early in Filmation's history, Scheimer also contributed a number of guest or secondary voices for the various productions. Most notably, he provided the voice of Dumb Donald on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. He was also the voice of Legal Eagle and the Brown Hornet's sidekick Stinger and the voice-over narrator during the opening credits of the majority of Filmation shows and cartoons. In Jason of Star Command and Space Academy, he was consistently heard as generic voices over intercoms. In the live-action series The Ghost Busters, which starred Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch with Bob Burns, he was the voice of Zero, the unseen boss of the main characters.
Scheimer also provided the voices of Stubby on The New Adventures of Gilligan, N'kima on Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle,[8] Bat-Mite, the Bat-Computer and Clayface on The New Adventures of Batman, M.O. on Space Sentinels, Trouble, Spinner and Scarab on Tarzan and the Super 7s Superstretch and Microwoman and Web Woman, Dinny on Fabulous Funnies, Mighty Mouse on The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle,[9] Tom Cat, Jerry Mouse, Spike, Tuffy, Slick Wolf and Barney Bear on The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show,[10] the Olympian Computer on Sport Billy,[11] Gremlin on The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, Bumper on Gilligan's Planet, and Tracy the Gorilla on Ghostbusters.
The Filmation studio had emerged as a leading company in television animation, but it was no longer an independent company. The studio was purchased by the TelePrompTer Corporation in 1969. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, through its Group W Productions division, acquired Filmation along with its purchase of TelePrompTer's cable and entertainment properties in 1981. Despite this, Scheimer continued leading the company.[12] He played a significant role in the creation of the cartoons He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and BraveStarr. As well as the executive producer, he was also co-credited for the series' musical score under the pseudonym "Erika Lane" (which combined the names of his daughter Erika and son Lane).[13] It had also been used as a character name on the 1967 Filmation series Fantastic Voyage.
He became a voice actor for the show (as he had done for many of his company's previous productions), going under the pseudonym "Erik Gunden". The last name was taken from his father's original surname: "Gundenscheimer" (which was later shortened to Scheimer). The first name was Lou's middle name, which he was not given by his parents, but instead by his wife Jay, who felt that he should have one. Scheimer's contribution to the cast was, in fact, most notable as he voiced several supporting characters, including Orko (and other characters with a similar Smurfs-voice), Stratos, King Randor and others. The reason that Scheimer performed the voices for so many supporting characters was that the "official" voice actors were contracted to perform no more than three different voices per episode. Since there were usually only three regular cast members working on each show, Scheimer would fill in the rest of the male cast. This is also why his wife and daughter did various small parts in the first season of He-Man, with Erika Scheimer performing supporting female voices and occasional voice-acting for young boy characters.[14]
During the second season of He-Man, and all of , Erika received an onscreen credit as an actor and also directed the voice actors, and she and her father recorded the remaining voices on their own later, because he did not see himself as a "proper" actor and was ashamed of recording with the other voice actors due to severe budget restrictions.[15] [16] [9] The pitch of his voice was often changed by using a "harmonizer", which could control the pitch without altering the speed of the sound.[14] The animated series also pioneered a type of programming known as first-run syndication. Another first was the storyline being based on an action figure toy; before this time, FCC regulations had prohibited any type of children's programming being based on a toy. Scheimer transformed He-Man from a graphically violent version of Conan the Barbarian into a pro-social character, who imparted a life lesson to impressionable viewers in each episode.[17]
In 1989, Westinghouse decided to shut down Filmation and sell the studio's properties. Scheimer effectively went into retirement after the end of his studio. In the late 1990s, he returned to the field of animation. A Dutch investment company, Dreamweavers, NV., approached him with a concept based on an off-kilter Dutchman's renderings of characters aimed at young adults. Scheimer went into production on Robin and the Dreamweavers, an adult animated feature film. Robin, the first human to be born in cyberspace, battles Triple XXX: an evil siren who desires an earthly body, and who gains power through mankind's baser carnal desires. The movie, which has been compared to the majority of Ralph Bakshi's work, was never distributed. Scheimer also provided consultation work for Gang of Seven (G7) Animation.
The Lou Scheimer Gallery at the ToonSeum, a museum of comic and cartoon art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is named in his honor.
Scheimer was married to Joanne "Jay" Wucher (1931–2009) until her death. They had one son, Lane (b. 1956), and one daughter, Erika (b. 1960).
Scheimer underwent quadruple bypass surgery in the late 1990s and was subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In 2012, he was honored with an Inkpot Award for his contributions to animation.[18] [19] He died from the disease at his home in Tarzana, California, on October 17, 2013, two days before his 85th birthday.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Journey Back to Oz | Tin Woodman's Guard | Voice role; Uncredited | |
| 1973 | Treasure Island | Bearded Sailor / Pirate | Voice role; Uncredited | |
| 1982 | Mighty Mouse in the Great Space Chase | Mighty Mouse / Various voices | Voice role; Uncredited | |
| 1985 | He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword | King Randor / Spirit/Swift Wind / Kowl / Mantenna / Horde Trooper / Kobra Khan / Leech / Trap Jaw / Tri-Klops / Broom / Sprag / Sprocker / Garv the Innkeeper / Bard / Messenger / Horde Computer | Voice role; Credited as "Erik Gunden" | |
| 1987 | Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night | Water Bug / Doorman | Voice role; Uncredited | |
| 1988 | BraveStarr: The Legend | Captain Andrews / Townsman | Voice role; Uncredited | |
| 1989 | Happily Ever After | Mouse | Voice role; Uncredited |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-1969 | The Adventures of Batman | Various voices | Voice role; 17 episodes | |
| 1972 | The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie | Movie Director / Lance / Town Crier | Voice role; Episode: Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies | |
| 1972-1985 | Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | Dumb Donald / Cluck / Albert's Father / Stinger / Legal Eagle / Various voices | Voice role; 110 episodes | |
| 1973 | Lassie's Rescue Rangers | Duane Johnson / Mr. Johnson | Voice role; Episode: "Lost" | |
| Mr. Mayor / Reporter | Voice role; Episode: "The City Inside the Earth" | |||
| 1973-1974 | Dramian Guard / Romulan Crewman / Lemus | Voice role; 3 episodes | ||
| 1974-1975 | The New Adventures of Gilligan | Snubby the Monkey | Voice role; 24 voices | |
| 1974-1976 | Shazam! | Narrator / Solomon / Hercules / Atlas / Zeus / Achilles / Mercury | Voice role; 27 episodes | |
| 1975 | The Ghost Busters | Zero | Voice role; 15 episodes | |
| 1976 | Ark II | Adam / Merry Man / Kitchen Computer | Voice role; 15 episodes | |
| 1976-1979 | Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle | N'Kima / Bol Mangani Guard / Various voices | Voice role; 36 episodes | |
| 1977 | The New Adventures of Batman | Bat-Mite / Batcomputer / Clayface/Matt Hagen / Lucky's Henchman / Prison Guard | Voice role; 16 episodes | |
| The Fat Albert Halloween Special | Dumb Donald | Voice role; Television movie | ||
| Space Sentinels | M.O. / Brad / Dr. Kerlin / Various voices | Voice role; 13 episodes | ||
| Space Academy | Station Intercome / Fracture the Parrot / Taca | Voice role; 9 episodes | ||
| The Fat Albert Christmas Special | Dumb Donald / Doctor | Voice role; Television movie | ||
| 1978 | Fabulous Funnies | Dinny / Magic Mirror / Fish / Michael / Angelo / Mr. Clangborn / Cashier / Hazy Woods / Police Officer / Various voices | Voice roles; 13 episodes | |
| 1978-1979 | Tarzan and the Super 7 | Trouble / Spinner / Scarab / Thirsty Egyptian / Police Officer / Various voices | Voice roles; 26 episodes | |
| Jason of Star Command | Narrator / Various voices | Voice roles; 28 episodes | ||
| 1979-1980 | The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle | Mighty Mouse / Various voices | Voice role; 16 episodes | |
| 1979-1982 | The New Adventures of Flash Gordon | Gremlin / Robot / Lizard Man | Voice role; 16 episodes | |
| 1980-1981 | Sport Billy | Olympian Computer / Various voices | Voice role; 25 episodes | |
| 1980-1982 | The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour | Les Barton / Trail Boss / Kurt | Voice role; 27 episodes | |
| The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show | Tom Cat / Jerry Mouse / Spike (wraparound segments, episodes 6-15) / Tuffy / Slick (wraparound segments, episodes 7-15) / Barney Bear (wraparound segments, episode 4, episodes 7-15) / Various voices | Voice role; 15 episodes | ||
| 1981-1982 | Hero High | A.W.O.L. / Narrator | Voice role; 26 episodes | |
| The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! | Mister Mind / Black Adam / Ibac / Narrator | Voice role; 38 episodes | ||
| The New Adventures of Zorro | Peasant / Coach Driver / Servant | Voice role; 7 episodes | ||
| Blackstar | Prince Dahl / Vizier / Ice Guard | Voice role; 9 episodes | ||
| 1982 | The Fat Albert Easter Special | Dumb Donald / Stinger / Narrator / Seymour / Kaznak / Rabbits / Doctor | Voice role; Television movie | |
| Gilligan's Planet | Bumper | Voice role; 13 episodes | ||
| 1983-1985 | He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | Orko / King Randor / Stratos / Man-E-Faces / Mekaneck / Zodac / Fisto / Sy-Klone / Moss Man / Lizard Man / Trap Jaw / Tri-Klops / Kobra Khan / Clawful / Attak Trak / Jitsu / Spikor / Two Bad / Modulok / Various voices | Voice role; 130 episodes | |
| 1985 | He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special | Orko / King Randor / Spirit/Swift Wind / Spikor / Two-Bad / Modulok / Kowl / Rattlor / Horde Prime / Multi-Bot / Monstroid / Father | Voice role; Television movie | |
| 1985-1987 | Spirit/Swift Wind / Kowl / Mantenna / Leech / Horde Troopers / Horde Prime / Light Hope / Broom / Grizzlor / Modulok / Multi-Bot / Orko / Various voices | Voice role; 93 episodes | ||
| 1986 | Ghostbusters | Tracy the Gorilla / Sir Trance-A-Lot / Ansabone / Skelevision / Fuddy / Various voices | Voice role; 65 episodes | |
| 1987-1988 | BraveStarr | Sandstorm / Hog-Tie / Two-Face / Goldtooth / Howler / Dingo Dan / Barker / Diamondback / Doc Clayton / Fleeder's Father | Voice role; 64 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The U.S. of Archie | Mandan Indian[21] | Record produced in 1976 | |
| 1977 | Halloween Starring Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | Dumb Donald / Clerk / Sci-Fi Movie Actor[22] | Record produced in 1977 |
| Year | Title | Producer | Executive producer | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The New Adventures of Superman | 4 episodes | |||
| 1967 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | 17 episodes | |||
| The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure | 3 episodes | ||||
| 1967-1969 | Aquaman | 18 episodes | |||
| 1968-1969 | The Adventures of Batman | 3 episodes | |||
| Fantasic Voyage | 17 episodes | ||||
| 1968-1971 | The Archie Show | Aka Archie's Funhouse | |||
| 1969 | Archie and His New Pals | Television movie | |||
| 1969-1971 | The Hardy Boys | ||||
| 1969-1972 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | 61 episodes | |||
| 1970 | Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down | Episode: "Computer Suitor" | |||
| Groovie Goolies | 16 episodes | ||||
| 1971 | Aesop's Fables | Television movie | |||
| Archie's TV Funnies | 16 episodes | ||||
| 1972 | Journey Back to Oz | ||||
| The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie | 3 episodes | ||||
| 1972-1973 | The Brady Kids | 22 episodes | |||
| Lassie's Rescue Rangers | 16 episodes | ||||
| 1973 | Treasure Island | ||||
| My Favorite Martians | 16 episodes | ||||
| 16 episodes | |||||
| 1973-1974 | 22 episodes | ||||
| 1974 | Oliver Twist | ||||
| The U.S. Of Archie | 16 episodes | ||||
| 1974-1975 | The New Adventures of Gilligan | 24 episodes | |||
| 1974-1976 | Shazam! | 28 episodes | |||
| 1975 | The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty | 13 episodes | |||
| The Ghost Busters | 15 episodes | ||||
| Wacky and Packy | Episodes: "The New York Sweats" | ||||
| 1975-1976 | Uncle Croc's Block | ||||
| The Secrets of Isis | 22 episodes | ||||
| 1976 | Ark II | 15 episodes | |||
| 1976-1979 | Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle | 36 episodes | |||
| 1977 | The New Adventures of Batman | 16 episodes | |||
| The New Archie and Sabrina Hour | |||||
| The Fat Albert Halloween Special | Television movie | ||||
| Space Sentinels | 13 episodes | ||||
| Space Academy | 15 episodes | ||||
| The Fat Albert Christmas Special | Television movie | ||||
| 1977-1978 | Sabrina, Super Witch | ||||
| Archie's Bang-Shang Lalapalooza Show | |||||
| 1978 | The Freedom Force | 5 episodes | |||
| Fabulous Funnies | 13 episodes | ||||
| 1978-1979 | Tarzan and the Super 7 | 33 episodes | |||
| 1978-1979 | Jason of Star Command | 28 episodes | |||
| 1979-1980 | The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle | ||||
| 1979-1982 | The New Adventures of Flash Gordon | 24 episodes | |||
| 1979-1985 | Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | 5 episodes | |||
| 1980-1981 | Sport Billy | 26 episodes | |||
| 1980 | A Snow White Christmas | Television movie | |||
| 1980-1982 | The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show | ||||
| The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour | 28 episodes | ||||
| 1981 | Blackstar | 13 episodes | |||
| The New Adventures of Zorro | 13 episodes | ||||
| 1981-1982 | The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! | ||||
| Hero High | |||||
| 1982 | The Fat Albert Easter Special | Television movie | |||
| Television movie | |||||
| Mighty Mouse in the Great Space Chase | |||||
| Gilligan's Planet | 13 episodes | ||||
| 1983-1985 | He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | 130 episodes | |||
| 1985 | He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword | ||||
| He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special | Television movie | ||||
| 1985-1987 | 93 episodes | ||||
| 1986 | Ghostbusters | 65 episodes | |||
| 1987 | Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night | ||||
| 1987-1988 | BraveStarr | 65 episodes | |||
| 1988 | BraveStarr: The Legend | ||||
| 1989 | Town Musicians of Bremen | ||||
| Happily Ever After | |||||
| 2000 | Robin and the Dreamweavers |