Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Dec 15, 2014 14:59:36 GMT -6
blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/martha-goldman-sigall-1917-2014-20141213
Martha Goldman Sigall (1917-2014)
With a heavy heart I report that my good friend Martha Goldman Sigall passed away this afternoon of natural age related causes. She was 97 and spent much of her life in the animation business, mainly as a painter, inker and other associated activities at various studios - including Leon Schlesinger Productions (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), The MGM Cartoon Department, Graphic Films (a precursor to UPA), Snowball (Bob Clampett) and freelance on dozens of projects starring Charlie Brown, Charlie Tuna to Pink Panther. It’s safe to say that, outside of the Disney stable, there were hardly any classic cartoon characters Martha didn’t have a hand in.
She was also one of the best friends the animation community – and animation historians, such as I – ever had. She lived for the community. I think that was the secret to her long healthy life – and I think she knew it too. Animators were fun people – and Martha never wanted the party to stop. Makes sense that she was one of the last to leave.
Martha may have in fact been the last living member of the gang from Termite Terrace. I met her in 1992 when she called me out of the blue and invited me to join her and her husband Sol for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina Del Rey. She had every book on animation history (including mine) and a private collection of almost every Warner Bros. cartoon on VHS. She somehow figured that I might be able to help her track down the final 100 Looney Tunes she didn’t have.
Within a few months we completed her collection – and became “Best Friends Forever” from that point on. Martha not only knew Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Michael Maltese, Friz Freleng, Leon Schlesinger, Bob Clampett, Frank Tashlin… and on and on… but was personal friends with all of them, their wives, and their families.
She had such wonderful stories about her days at Schlesinger’s studio (she had co-edited the in-house newsletter in the early 40s!) and her later jobs at MGM and so on. I could listen to her tell her stories for hours. It was like being there. She loved talking about how much fun animation was the golden age, so much so, that I goaded her into writing her stories down and later helped her find a publisher (I highly recommend her book Living Life Inside The Lines: Tales From The Golden Age of Animation). She and Sol were never idle. They became docents at the Warner Bros. Museum (on the Warner lot in Burbank), and appeared at all the animation industry functions in Hollywood.
Martha received a Golden Award from the Animation Guild in 1989, Asifa-Hollywood gave her the June Foray Award at the Annies ceremony in 2004, and she was a guest of honor at the San Diego Comic Con in 2005. She appeared on PBS’ History Detectives in 2010 and joined me on several Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs doing both audio commentary and appearing on bonus documentaries recalling her days at Termite Terrace.
She now rejoins her husband Sol, and the rest of the staff of Schlesingers and MGM. I really don’t know what else to say. I’m going to miss our phone calls, our dinners at the Cheesecake Factory, our friendship. All of this will live on in my fondest memories.
Martha was more than an ink and paint girl. She was more than a professional artist and a great friend. She cared. She cared for the work, she cared for the fans, she cared for the history that she embodied. Martha was one of us - and indeed everything all of us in animation strive to be. A great lady, a wonderful person. I'm blessed to have had her in my life. Rest in Peace, Martha.
Martha Goldman Sigall (1917-2014)
With a heavy heart I report that my good friend Martha Goldman Sigall passed away this afternoon of natural age related causes. She was 97 and spent much of her life in the animation business, mainly as a painter, inker and other associated activities at various studios - including Leon Schlesinger Productions (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), The MGM Cartoon Department, Graphic Films (a precursor to UPA), Snowball (Bob Clampett) and freelance on dozens of projects starring Charlie Brown, Charlie Tuna to Pink Panther. It’s safe to say that, outside of the Disney stable, there were hardly any classic cartoon characters Martha didn’t have a hand in.
She was also one of the best friends the animation community – and animation historians, such as I – ever had. She lived for the community. I think that was the secret to her long healthy life – and I think she knew it too. Animators were fun people – and Martha never wanted the party to stop. Makes sense that she was one of the last to leave.
Martha may have in fact been the last living member of the gang from Termite Terrace. I met her in 1992 when she called me out of the blue and invited me to join her and her husband Sol for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina Del Rey. She had every book on animation history (including mine) and a private collection of almost every Warner Bros. cartoon on VHS. She somehow figured that I might be able to help her track down the final 100 Looney Tunes she didn’t have.
Within a few months we completed her collection – and became “Best Friends Forever” from that point on. Martha not only knew Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Michael Maltese, Friz Freleng, Leon Schlesinger, Bob Clampett, Frank Tashlin… and on and on… but was personal friends with all of them, their wives, and their families.
She had such wonderful stories about her days at Schlesinger’s studio (she had co-edited the in-house newsletter in the early 40s!) and her later jobs at MGM and so on. I could listen to her tell her stories for hours. It was like being there. She loved talking about how much fun animation was the golden age, so much so, that I goaded her into writing her stories down and later helped her find a publisher (I highly recommend her book Living Life Inside The Lines: Tales From The Golden Age of Animation). She and Sol were never idle. They became docents at the Warner Bros. Museum (on the Warner lot in Burbank), and appeared at all the animation industry functions in Hollywood.
Martha received a Golden Award from the Animation Guild in 1989, Asifa-Hollywood gave her the June Foray Award at the Annies ceremony in 2004, and she was a guest of honor at the San Diego Comic Con in 2005. She appeared on PBS’ History Detectives in 2010 and joined me on several Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs doing both audio commentary and appearing on bonus documentaries recalling her days at Termite Terrace.
She now rejoins her husband Sol, and the rest of the staff of Schlesingers and MGM. I really don’t know what else to say. I’m going to miss our phone calls, our dinners at the Cheesecake Factory, our friendship. All of this will live on in my fondest memories.
Martha was more than an ink and paint girl. She was more than a professional artist and a great friend. She cared. She cared for the work, she cared for the fans, she cared for the history that she embodied. Martha was one of us - and indeed everything all of us in animation strive to be. A great lady, a wonderful person. I'm blessed to have had her in my life. Rest in Peace, Martha.