Original hand painted production animation cel of Ringo Starr from "The Beatles," 1965-67, King Features Syndicate; Numbered 2R in ink lower right; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Ringo Starr: 4 1/2 x 5 3/4", Image 9 1/2 x 12 1/2"; Unframed.
"I still get a blast out of watching the Beatles cartoons on TV." - John Lennon
"I always kind of liked them (the cartoons). They were so bad or silly that they were good, if you know what I mean, and I think the passage of time might make them more fun now." - George Harrison
"The Beatles" (The Beatles Cartoon) is an animated television series featuring the English rock band of the same name that was originally broadcast in the United States on Saturday mornings, from 1965 to 1967 on ABC; with reruns airing until 1969. The series debuted on September 25, 1965 at 10:30 AM EST and ended with the third season airing at 12:00 PM EST and ending on October 21, 1967. The fourth season which aired on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM EST from 1968 to 1969 consisted of reruns. There were 39 episodes produced and each episode was named after a Beatles song. The plot of each episode was based on the song lyrics, there were sing-along sequences, and the title song was played in the episode. The original series was rebroadcast in syndication by MTV in 1986 and 1987 and on The Disney Channel beginning in 1989 on Fridays at 5PM. "The Beatles" made history as it was the first weekly TV series to feature animated versions of living people.
"The Beatles" showcased the band in their early mop top (or as they called it the Arthur) and suit look, which was also depicted in the 1964 live-action film "A Hard Day's Night;" even though the band had moved beyond this attire during the cartoon series run. The band members were not involved with the production beyond the use of their music recordings. Veteran voice actor Paul Frees performed the roles of John Lennon, George Harrison, and Brain Epstein, along with other characters; while Lance Percival voiced Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The female voices were provided by Julie Bennett and Carol Corbett.
Each Beatles figure was a loose and somewhat exaggerated depiction, with John and Paul wearing a blue collar-less suit and tie and George and Ringo wearing navy blue turtlenecks and light blue blazer jackets. All of them wore matching blue drainpipe trousers and their signature Beatle Boots (the ankle high, black, and pointed toe boot that the group had made popular).
"King Features Syndicate, Inc." is an American content distribution and animation studio that was responsible for "The Beatles" cartoons. Most of the episodes of the series were produced by "Artransa Park Film Studios" in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and by George Dunning's company "TVC Animation" located in London. A few of the episodes were made in Hollywood, CA.
This is a wonderful original hand painted production animation cel of Ringo Star from "The Beatles," 1965-67. A fantastic full figure image of Ring Starr carrying a drum stick and running. A great action oriented piece that would be a stand out for any Beatles and/or animation art collection!