Now
we call it “claymation.” Back when Art Clokey started his
career, they called it brand new.
(And
they also called it “Gumby”!)
Art
Clokey, born on this date in 1921, was a pioneer in stop-motion clay
animation. His 1953 film experiment was called Gumbasia, and
later Clokey and his wife came up with the characters Gumby and his
horse Pokey.
I
shuddered when I read about Clokey's childhood. He was born Arthur
Farrington, in Detroit, Michigan, and his parents divorced when he
was 9. He stayed with his father—but then his father died.
Tragic—but he still had his mother, right? Apparently not; she had
remarried, and her new husband didn't want to raise another man's
son, so Clokey went to an orphanage! Yikes!
But
here's the wonderful part: When Art was 11 or 12, a man named Joseph
Clokey adopted him. His new father was a classical music composer and
organist and college professor. He taught at Pomona College in
Claremont, California—a town just a few minutes away from where I
live! Art learned music, art, and film making from his adoptive
father, and he went on trips to Canada and Mexico. Art went to the
wonderful Webb School, where he went on fossil-digging expeditions.
He attended at least three universities, too (as well as serving in
the military during World War II); his stop-motion experiment was
influenced by a film professor at USC.
Gumby
was a star of his own TV show in the 1950s and 1960s. A revival of
popularity occurred in the 1980s, partly thanks to comedian Eddie
Murphy's parody of Gumby. In the 1990s, even more fame came to Gumby
and Clokey: a full-length movie, a gig as spokescharacter for the
Library of Congress, appearances in Cheerios commercials, video
games, and toys. In 2007 Gumby got a YouTube deal, and a website, and in 2011,
Google played tribute to Gumby and Clokey.
Clokey
had a good, long life and managed to see most of the popularity of
his character. He died at age 88 in 2010.
Also
on this date:
National Day of Mourning, aka Indigenous People's Day, aka Dia de la Raza
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