101-606: Christopher Mark Sievey (25 August 1955 – 21 June 2010) was an English musician, comedian and artist known for fronting the band the Freshies in the late 1970s and early 1980s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom from 1984 onwards. Sievey, under the guise of Sidebottom, made regular appearances on North West television throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, even becoming a reporter for Granada Reports . Later, he presented Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show in B/W for
202-434: A grassroots movement on various social networking websites raised £6,500 in a matter of hours. The appeal closed on Monday 28 June with a final balance of £21,631.55 from 1,632 donations. Sievey's funeral was held on 2 July 2010 at Altrincham Crematorium. The private service was attended by more than 200 members of his family, friends and former colleagues. On 8 July 2010, over 5,000 fans of Frank Sidebottom gathered for
303-514: A test card shown late at night on Channel M, where he and Little Frank ramble on and sing songs whilst framed in a parody of the classic Test Card F . On 6 March 2007, in an episode of the Podge and Rodge Show on Ireland's RTÉ Two , he appeared in their 'Sham-Rock' talent section, performing a medley of songs by The Smiths . He received an overall score of 22 points from judges James Nesbitt and Glenda Gilson , putting him in first place for all
404-416: A 1950s-style sharp suit, was portrayed as an aspiring pop star from the small village of Timperley , near Altrincham . His character was cheerfully optimistic, enthusiastic, and seemingly oblivious to his own failings. Although supposedly 35 years old (the age always attributed to Frank irrespective of the passage of time), he still lived at home with his mother, to whom he made frequent references. His mother
505-410: A Shirt", before breaking up. In 1982, Sievey would release a single with Barbara O'Donovan under the name the Freshies, titled "Fasten Your Seatbelts". In 1984, he released an untitled solo EP as the Freshies, and in 1985 would release The Johnny Radar Story , as the Freshies. Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer / ˈ f l aɪ ʃ ər / ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972)
606-425: A big success for Fleischer. That same year, Helen Kane filed a lawsuit against Fleischer, Fleischer Studios, and Paramount claiming that the cartoons were a deliberate caricature of her, created unfair competition, and had ruined her career. The suit went to trial in 1934. Judge Edward J. McGoldrick ruled, "The plaintiff has failed to sustain either cause of action by proof of sufficient probative force." In his opinion,
707-579: A book. Unable to get a deal, he set up his own Razz label in 1974. Sievey released two cassettes under his own name in 1975 and 1976 – Girl in My Blue Jeans and All Sleeps Secrets . In 1977 Sievey formed the Freshies , with various other musicians involved including Martin Jackson , Billy Duffy and former Nosebleeds bassist Rick Sarko. A string of singles and several cassettes were released between 1978 and 1983. Most of these were credited to
808-588: A cameo caricature in the early Talkartoon , Dizzy Dishes (1930). Fashioned after popular singer Helen Kane , she originated as a hybrid poodle/canine figure and was such a sensation in the New York preview that Paramount encouraged Fleischer to develop her into a continuing character. While she originated under animator Myron "Grim" Natwick , she was transformed into a human female under Seymour Kneitel and Berny Wolf and became Fleischer's most famous character. The "Betty Boop" series began in 1932 and became
909-480: A combined projector and easel for tracing images from a live-action film. This device, known as the Rotoscope , enabled Fleischer to produce the first realistic animation since the initial works of Winsor McCay . Although his patent was granted in 1917, Max and his brothers Joe and Dave Fleischer made their first series of tests between 1914 and 1916. The Pathé Film exchange offered Max his first opportunity as
1010-403: A composited image. This was an improvement over the method used by Bray where a series of 8" x 10" stills were made from motion picture film and used as backgrounds behind animation cels. The Rotograph technique went into more general use as "aerial image photography" and was a staple in animation and optical effects companies for making titles and various forms of matte composites. In addition to
1111-547: A demonstration film illustrating the Western Electric Variable Density sound recording and reproduction method. Despite the conflicts with Weiss, Fleischer managed to negotiate a new contract with Paramount to produce a revised version of the "Song Car-tunes", produced with sound and renamed Screen Songs , beginning with The Sidewalks of New York . At this early stage in the sound era, Fleischer produced many technically advanced films that were
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#17327940887451212-514: A feature just when he was preparing to move the studio from New York City to Miami, Florida . Once in Miami relations between Max and Dave began deteriorating, beginning with the pressures to deliver their first feature, complicated further by Dave's adulterous affair with his secretary, Mae Schwartz. Jonathan Swift's classic novel Gulliver's Travels was a favorite of Max's and was pressed into production. Fleischer and Paramount originally budgeted
1313-621: A metaphoric account of the building and loss of his studio, casting himself as Noah. Following the war, he supervised the production of the animated adaptation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948), sponsored by Montgomery Ward . Fleischer left Handy in 1953 and returned as production manager for the Bray Studios in New York, where he developed an educational television pilot about unusual birds and animals titled, Imagine That! In 1954, Max's son, Richard Fleischer ,
1414-460: A new album, entitled Scilly Automatic . One track from this, "Lazy Rising More Slowly, Where R.U, Oh 'Chele ' ", was released on the 2019 outtakes and rarities compilation Being Frank . Frank had faded into obscurity in the late 1990s, rarely appearing either on TV or making live appearances, but a one-off performance at Manchester's Club Indigo Vs Manic Street Mania in December 2005 seemed to be
1515-651: A party at the Castlefield Arena in Manchester to celebrate Sievey's life. The acts included Badly Drawn Boy and surviving members of Frank's Oh Blimey Big Band who played in tribute. From 1 March to 30 April 2019, Manchester Central Library held an exhibition Bobbins: Frank Sidebottom and Chris Sievey , which featured never-before-seen items from Sievey’s archives, from puppets to home videos to personal artefacts. The exhibition covered both Frank Sidebottom as well as Sievey's other creative endeavours. It
1616-750: A poor Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn . He continued his education at evening high school. He received commercial art training at Cooper Union and formal art instruction at the Art Students League of New York , studying under George Bridgman . He also attended the Mechanics and Tradesman's School in midtown Manhattan . Fleischer began his career at The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . Beginning as an errand boy, he advanced to photographer, photoengraver, and eventually, staff cartoonist. At first, he drew single-panel editorial cartoons, but then graduated to
1717-442: A producer due in part to the fact that Dave had been working there as a film cutter since 1914. Max chose a political satire of a hunting trip by Theodore Roosevelt . After several months of labor, the film was rejected, and Max was making the rounds again when he was reunited with John R. Bray at Paramount Pictures . Bray had a distribution contract with Paramount at the time and hired Max as production supervisor for his studio. With
1818-523: A regular cast member on the first two seasons of What's Up Doc? On the show, as well playing Frank, Sievey would portray Mr. Fantastico, removed after the first season, and Life with the Amoebas. Throughout the rest of the 1990s, Frank's television appearances would lessen, not attaching himself as a regular cast of anything, but making occasional appearances. After retiring the character of Frank Sidebottom, Sievey became prop designer and set dresser on
1919-568: A short film featuring Frank touring 100 of his friends around the characters' home town of Timperley . Soundtrack In memory of Chris Sievey, 1955–2010. Creator of Frank Sidebottom. "As long as i gaze on timperley sunset i am in paradise" Sievey was posthumously recognised with the special judges' award at the 2011 Chortle Awards. A publicly funded statue of Frank by Colin Spofforth was unveiled on 20 October 2013 at 11:37 in Timperley village,
2020-656: A sideshow clown at Coney Island. It was one of the later tests made from footage of Dave as a clown that interested Bray. Fleischer's initial series was first produced at the Bray Studios and released as a monthly installment in the Bray-Goldwyn Pictograph Screen Magazine from 1919 to 1921. In addition to producing Out of the Inkwell , Max's position at Bray was primarily production manager, and supervisor of several educational and technical films such as The Electric Bell , All Aboard for
2121-527: A similar line-up, minus Paul Whittle who is replaced by Sievey on keyboards. In 1980, Bob Dixon was replaced by Neil Tomkinson on drums for the "Yellow Spot" and "My Tape's Gone" singles, before himself being replaced by Mike Doherty for the Rough N Ready mini-album. Also replaced for the mini-album was Richard Maunder on bass guitar, who was replaced with Rick Sarko. This line up would play on two 1981 singles; "Dancin' Doctors" and "If You Really Love Me, Buy Me
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#17327940887452222-776: A slightly different title ("I'm in Love with the Girl on a Certain Manchester Megastore Checkout Desk") as there were objections about using the Virgin brand name. The record peaked at No 54. They had regional success in the Manchester area with "My Tape's Gone", "No Money" / "Oh Girl" and "Yellow Spot". Radio 1 , and in particular Mike Read , gave the Freshies a lot of airplay, especially the MCA release. After
2323-604: A studio due to the demand for military training films, Fleischer was brought in as head of the animation department for the industrial film company, The Jam Handy Organization in Detroit, Michigan. While there he supervised the technical and cartoon animation departments, producing training films for the Army and Navy. Fleischer was also involved with top-secret research and development for the war effort including an aircraft bomber sighting system. In 1944, he published Noah's Shoes ,
2424-461: A television programme shown in 1992 featuring Sievey as fictional character Frank Sidebottom. Guests included Caroline Aherne , Phil Cornwell , Midge Ure , Gerry Anderson , the Farm , Pop Will Eat Itself , Oceanic and Keith Chegwin . The show was produced by Dave Behrens for Yorkshire Television and was shown on ITV . The show only went on for one season. Following its conclusion, Sievey became
2525-818: A year, the Fleischer brothers started experiencing mismanagement under Weiss and left the company in late 1928. Inkwell Films, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in January 1929, and Fleischer formed Fleischer Studios, Inc. in March 1929. Fleischer first set up operations at Carpenter-Goldman Laboratories in Queens with a small staff (see Fleischer Studios ). After eight months, his new company was solvent enough to move back to its former location at 1600 Broadway, where it remained until 1938. At Carpenter-Goldman, Fleischer began producing industrial films including Finding His Voice (1929),
2626-789: Is 1980's "I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Check-out Desk" renamed as "I'm in Love with the Girl on a Certain Manchester Megastore Check-out Desk" on request from Radio 1 (a version with "Virgin" bleeped out to allow it to be played on the radio without being considered advertising was also released), which reached number 54 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1981 after being picked up by MCA, eventually selling over 40,000 copies. At
2727-549: The Superman series has been grossly overstated for decades on the basis of Dave Fleischer's UCLA 1968 Oral History interview by Joe Adamson. The actual figure stated in Fleischer's 1941 contract was in the $ 30,000 range, twice the cost of a Popeye cartoon. Superman was a "serious" type of cartoon that was not being made by rival studios which features anthropomorphic comic animal characters. The science fiction/fantasy elements of Superman appealed to Max's interests, finally leading
2828-497: The Motion Picture Country House in 1967. Fleischer died from arterial sclerosis of the brain on September 11, 1972, two months after his 89th birthday. In the announcement of his death, Time Magazine labeled him the "dean of animated cartoons". His death preceded the reclaiming of his star character, Betty Boop, and a national retrospective. The anthology film The Betty Boop Scandals of 1974 started
2929-730: The "Stereoptical Process", a precursor to Disney's Multiplane animation. This technique used 3-D model sets replacing flat pan backgrounds, with the animation cels photographed in front. This technique was used to the greatest degree in the two-reel Popeye Features Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) and Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves (1937). These double-length cartoons demonstrated Fleischer's interest in animated feature films. While Fleischer petitioned for this for three years, it
3030-462: The "baby" technique of singing did not originate with Kane. Fleischer's greatest business decision came with his licensing of the comic strip character Popeye the Sailor , who was introduced to audiences in the Betty Boop cartoon short, Popeye the Sailor (1933). Popeye became one of the most successful screen adaptations of a comic strip in cinema history. Much of this success was due to
3131-560: The "success" of "I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk", the group released further singles, "Wrap Up the Rockets" and "I Can't Get 'Bouncing Babies' by The Teardrop Explodes ", and although commercially successful in the Manchester area, they failed to make the national charts. They released two further cassettes, Manchester Plays the Freshies and London Plays
Chris Sievey - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-567: The 36 Song Car-Tunes 12 used the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, the first of which was My Old Kentucky Home in 1926. This preceded Walt Disney 's Steamboat Willie (1928), which has been erroneously cited for decades as the first cartoon to synchronize sound with animation. The Song Car-Tunes series lasted until early 1927 and was interrupted by the bankruptcy of the Red Seal company—just five months before
3333-555: The East Coast, extending as far west as Cleveland, Ohio . During this period, Fleischer invented the " Follow the Bouncing Ball " technique in his Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes series of animated sing-along shorts. In these films, the lyrics of a song appear on screen and theater patrons are encouraged to sing along with the characters. An animated ball bounces across the top of the lyrics to indicate when words should be sung. Of
3434-620: The Fleischer Renaissance with new 35mm prints of a selection of the best Fleischer cartoons made between 1928 and 1934. This was followed by The Popeye Follies . These special theatrical programs generated interest in Max Fleischer as the alternative to Walt Disney, spawning a new wave of film research devoted to an expanded interest in animation beyond trivial entertainment. Notes Citations Also, he appears in Walt
3535-520: The Frank character began to make fewer public appearances before seemingly being retired. During this time, Sievey began working on a solo album entitled Life in 74 Minutes , which he later abandoned. In 2000 he began working in stop motion animation and became a regular crew member on series 4–6 of Bob the Builder , as well as a writer on the fourth series of Pingu . In 2003, Chris began working on
3636-405: The Freshies ; these were both essentially radio interviews with local and national DJs and concert recordings from each city. Sievey had written his first LP by this stage, The Johnny Radar Story , which, owing to contractual complications, was never released on vinyl. There are master copies on cassette in circulation though (albeit very few). In February 1982, Sievey abandoned the quartet lineup of
3737-415: The Freshies in 1974. According to Sievey, when the band were looking for a guitarist, a fourteen-year-old Johnny Marr appeared at his house wanting to join the band but was told that he was too young. The Freshies EP was released in 1978 on Sievey's own Razz record label , and was followed later that year by the hopefully titled Straight In at No. 2 EP. Others who played with Sievey included, in
3838-565: The Freshies), Patrick Gallagher on bass, and later, Jon Ronson on keyboards. At the same time as touring, Frank would become a semi-regular cast member on the two final seasons of the ITV children's programme No. 73 , eventually being grandfathered into its spin off, 7T3 . In 1987, Frank released his first album, a spoken word cassette called ' Fantastic Tales ', released through his own 11:37 label. His first musical album, entitled ' 5:9:88 ',
3939-593: The Freshies, and reformed it as a duo with Barbara O'Donovan. The duo version of the Freshies released one single, "Fasten Your Seat Belts". In 1982, he released the mini-album Denigration Now , his first work outside the Freshies since 1976's All Sleeps Secrets . The following year he had a solo release, " Camouflage ", with the A-side a song, and the B-side being computer programming. The Frank Sidebottom character first appeared on an untitled 1984 EP by Chris Sievey &
4040-451: The Freshies, but were occasionally listed as Chris Sievey & the Freshies. In 1981, Sievey played on "Some Boys" by Going Red?, the band formed by former Jilted John star Graham Fellows . The Freshies biggest UK hit was "I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk", released initially on his own Razz label (RAZZ 10), it was reissued by the US giant MCA Records with
4141-452: The Freshies, in a spoken-word track wherein Frank talks to Sievey. The character was instantly recognisable by his large spheroidal head, styled like an early Max Fleischer cartoon. This was initially made from papier-mâché , but later of fibreglass . In the documentary Being Frank , Martin Sievey (Chris's brother) states this was made using plaster of Paris . Frank, usually dressed in
Chris Sievey - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-605: The Inkwell Films, Inc. and partnered with his former animator Hal Seeger , to produce 100 color Out of the Inkwell (1960–1961) cartoons for television. Actor Larry Storch performed the voices for Koko the Clown and supporting characters Kokonut and Mean Moe. While Max appeared in the un-aired pilot, he became too ill to appear in the series, and, in poor health, he spent the rest of his life attempting to regain ownership of Betty Boop . Fleischer and wife Essie moved to
4343-533: The Manchester-based television station Channel M . Throughout his career, Sidebottom made appearances on radio stations such as Manchester's Piccadilly Radio and on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 5 , alongside Mark and Lard . Sievey grew up in Ashton-on-Mersey , Sale, Cheshire (2.5 miles from Timperley ). In 1969, when he was 14, Sievey began writing and recording his own music, and by
4444-463: The Moon , and Hello, Mars . And it was as production manager that Fleischer hired his first animator, Roland Crandall , who remained with him throughout the active years of Fleischer's studio. Out of the Inkwell featured the novelty of combining live action and animation and served as semi-documentaries with the appearance of Max Fleischer as the artist who dipped his pen into the ink bottle to produce
4545-667: The Oh Blimey Band, introducing Richard Jones from the recently broken up local band the Desert Wolves on bass guitar, along with a new guitarist and saxophonist. Chris wanted to give the band a more professional sound, and booked a 30 date tour, the longest the band had ever undertook. This new lineup was a source of tension between the members, with Richard Jones and Jon Ronson taking a near instant disliking for each other. The tour and its new sound were panned by audience members and critics alike, leading to Sievey abandoning
4646-633: The Series 3 Awards show, and the final web-exclusive episode ("Closedown"). Frank appeared briefly as a Manchester United fan in an advert for the FIFA 10 video game in 2009. Frank performed at Bloom Festival in 2007 and Kendal Calling in 2008. In late 2009 and early 2010 he supported John Cooper Clarke on a UK tour. Frank's last professional appearance was at the Pyramid Arts Centre , Warrington, on 4 June 2010. His last personal appearance
4747-575: The Spectrum game Flying Train ). The Freshies split up in February 1982. Sievey continued with the Freshies name for a while, working as a duo with Barbara O'Donovan, and released the "Fasten Your Seatbelts" single (as the Freshies) in September 1982 and "Camouflage" (under his own name) in 1983. Sievey later found fame as Frank Sidebottom. Sievey died on 21 June 2010 in Hale, Greater Manchester , at
4848-623: The UK Charts on 31 August 1985 before dropping completely. In order to promote the EP, he made an appearance on the TV programme ' TX ' the first of many appearances on the ITV network. His second Zonophone EP, ' Oh Blimey, It's Christmas' charted slightly higher than the first, at number 87, before dropping off again. It was likely the failure of his third Zonophone EP, Sci-Fi , that caused him to be dropped by
4949-538: The age of 15 was playing in local bands. In 1971, he hitch-hiked to London with his brother, staging a sit-in at the Apple Records HQ, demanding to see one of The Beatles . When they were asked to leave they insisted on recording something, and were booked into the studio after playing a song to head of A&R Tony King. Sievey subsequently recorded several demos, which he sent to record companies, receiving many rejection letters which he later compiled into
5050-456: The age of 54. He had been suffering from cancer. On the Freshies' first release, 1977's All Sleep's Secrets , Sievey was the only credited artist. The earliest known line up of the band beyond just Sievey also consists of Barry Spencer on vocals and guitar, Paul Whittle on keyboards, Richard Maunder on bass, and Bob Dixon on drums. This is the lineup featured on the 1978 promo cassette Manchester Plays . The 1979 Banana Island album credits
5151-522: The band permanently in 2019, following the release of the documentary Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story . This lineup of the Freshies includes Paul Taylor (guitar) and Chris Connolly (drums). In 2020, the band announced plans to release their first new material since 1982. Chris Sievey had recorded since the early 1970s, and released two cassettes under his own name before starting the Bees Knees in 1972 with bass guitarist Paul Burke which they renamed
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#17327940887455252-663: The catalyst for a comeback. In 2006, Frank reappeared in Greater Manchester on local television channel Channel M . His new show, Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show in B/W , featured celebrity guests and animation. The first showing of each show was in black and white ("so you don't have to turn the colour down"), whilst subsequent repeats were shown in full colour. He also made five appearances on Iain Lee 's programme on London's LBC as well as on numerous community radio stations such as Forever Manchester. Frank appeared as
5353-864: The characters name, she had crafted her own thing out of it. Frank was perhaps most popular in the North West of England , where his success was caught up in that of the Madchester scene, and for a time was a regular on regional ITV station Granada , even featuring as a reporter on its regional news programme, Granada Reports . Along with his frequent television appearances, the Frank Sidebottom character also made appearances on radio, on stations such as Manchester's Piccadilly Radio and on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 5, alongside Mark and Lard. Jon Ronson first played with Frank's Oh Blimey Band in 1987, when their original keyboardist ( Mark Radcliffe )
5454-576: The clown figure on his drawing board. While the technique of combining animation with live action was already established by others at the Bray Studio, it was Fleischer's clever use of it combined with Fleischer's realistic animation that made his series unique. In 1921, Max and Dave established Out of the Inkwell Films, Incorporated, and continued production of Out of the Inkwell through various states-rights distributors. "The Clown" had no name until 1924, when Dick Huemer came aboard after animating on
5555-421: The contestants. The popularity of these appearances led to him getting his own show on the network, Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show , which lasted one series in 1992. Afterwards he migrated to What's Up Doc? , where Sievey would not only portray Sidebottom, but also create the recurring segment Life with the Amoebas . After the first two series, Sievey left the show. As the 1990s reached their midpoint,
5656-529: The early Mutt and Jeff cartoons. He set the style for the series, redesigning "The Clown", and named him "Ko-Ko". Huemer created Ko-Ko's canine companion, known as Fitz, and moved the Fleischers away from their dependency on the Rotoscope for fluid animation, leaving it for special uses and reference points where compositing was involved. Because Max valued Huemer's work, he instructed Huemer to make just
5757-725: The early lineup, Martin Jackson (later with Magazine and Swing Out Sister ) and Billy Duffy (later with the Cult ). In 1978, the band included Barry Spencer (guitar), Eddie Carter (guitar), and Bob Dixon (drums). By 1979, the band was Sievey, Spencer, Rick Sarko (bass, ex- the Nosebleeds ) and Mike Doherty (drums, ex- the Smirks ). Others who played in the band include Lyn Oakey (guitar), Steve Hopkins (keyboards), Paul Whittall(keyboards), Paul Burgess (drums), and Rick Maunder (bass). The band's biggest selling single and best known song
5858-474: The film Gulliver's Travels at $ 500,000—the same miscalculation made by Disney with Snow White . The final cost for Gulliver's Travels was $ 1.5 million. It played limited engagements with only 24 prints in 36 theaters during the 1939 Christmas season, but grossed more than $ 3 million during the Christmas week, giving Paramount a profit of $ 1.5 million before going into foreign release. But Fleischer Studios
5959-668: The fourth series of stop motion animation Bob the Builder . He remained a crew member until the show's sixth series, but continued to work on specials until 2005. In 2003, he became a writer on Fimbles , and then, in 2004, on the British revival of the Swiss stop motion programme Pingu . In 2006, Sievey revived the character of Frank Sidebottom with the short-lived television series Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show . Throughout 2007, Frank made several television appearances, before releasing his final project, Magical Timperley Tour ,
6060-612: The full strips "Little Algie" and "S.K. Sposher, the Camera Fiend". These satirical strips reflected his life in Brownsville and his fascination with technology and photography, respectively—both displaying his sense of irony and fatalism. It was during this period he met newspaper cartoonist and early animator, John Randolph Bray , who would later give him his start in the animation field. On December 25, 1905, Fleischer married his childhood sweetheart, Ethel (Essie) Goldstein. On
6161-460: The key poses and have an assistant fill in the remaining drawings. Max assigned Art Davis as Huemer's assistant and this was the beginning of the animation position of "inbetweener", which was essentially another Fleischer "invention" that resulted in efficient production and was adopted by the entire industry by the 1930s. It was during this time that Max developed Rotoscoping , a means of photographing live action film footage with animation cels for
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#17327940887456262-589: The label. Afterwards he was signed to Marc Riley 's In Tape label, on which he would release two albums and four EPs. Despite the minimal chart success from these EPs, Frank had developed a cult following that allowed him to attract audiences upwards of 500 in Northern England and London . This act of extensively touring the country would develop Frank's status. Performances were often varied from straightforward stand-up comedy and featured novelty components such as tombola , and crowd interaction. Sometimes
6363-528: The latter half of the series: Big Jake, the theme park ghost, and Reg the Greengrocer. Reg is one of the few examples of Sievey playing a character on television not related to Frank Sidebottom. Three years following the end of 7T3 , Frank became a regular cast member on the fourth, and final, season of the children's TV series Motormouth . After Motormouth ' s cancellation, Frank was given his own show, titled Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show,
6464-411: The mere mention of Disney's name, Max would mutter, "that son-of-a-bitch". Fleischer won a lawsuit against Paramount in 1955 over the removal of his name from the credits of his films. While Fleischer had issues over the breach of contract, he had avoided suing for a decade to protect his son-in-law, Seymour Kneitel, who was a lead director at Paramount's Famous Studios. In 1958, Fleischer revived Out of
6565-426: The new line-up in 1990, instead choosing to perform solo from then on. After this, Frank began to make semi-regular guest appearances on the final season of ITV programme and No. 73 successor Motormouth , as well as numerous appearances on Channel 4 , including the British version of the game show Remote Control which was presented by Tony Wilson , where each week he would pose "Frank's Fantastic Question" to
6666-499: The outbreak of World War I , Max was sent to Fort Sill , Oklahoma to produce the first Army training films on subjects that included Contour Map Reading , Operating the Stokes Mortar , Firing the Lewis Machine Gun , and Submarine Mine Laying . Following the Armistice , Fleischer returned to Bray and the production of theatrical and educational films. Fleischer produced his Out of the Inkwell films featuring "The Clown" character, which his brother Dave originated; he had worked as
6767-421: The perfect match of the Fleischer Studio style combined with its unique use of music. By the late 1930s, a survey indicated that Popeye had eclipsed Mickey Mouse in popularity, challenging Disney's preeminence in the market. During its zenith by the mid-1930s, Fleischer Studios was producing four series, Betty Boop , Popeye , Screen Songs , and Color Classics , resulting in 52 releases each year. From
6868-536: The recommendation of Bray, Fleischer was hired as a technical illustrator for the Electro-Light Engraving Company in Boston. In 1909 he moved to Syracuse, New York , working as a catalog illustrator for the Crouse-Hinds Company, and a year later returned to New York as art editor for Popular Science magazine under editor Waldemar Kaempffert . By 1914, the first commercially produced animated cartoons began to appear in movie theaters. They tended to be stiff and jerky. Fleischer devised an improvement in animation through
6969-477: The release of his first Zonophone EP. The following year, Sievey guest starred on the sixth season of British television series No 73 , after which he, portraying Frank, would become a regular cast member for its final two seasons (the character generally credited as played by 'Francis Sidebottom'). Sievey would be carried over to the show's short-lived spin-off , 7T3 , portraying Frank in two early episodes and (credited under his own name) two one-off characters in
7070-414: The result of his continued research and development that perfected the post-production method of sound recording. Several of these devices provided visual cues for the musical conductor to follow. As dialogue and songs became major elements, more precise analysis of soundtracks was possible through other inventions from Fleischer such as "The Cue Meter". Max Fleischer's Betty Boop character was born out of
7171-561: The second of six children of a tailor from Dąbrowa Tarnowska , Aaron Fleischer, who later changed his name to William in the United States, and Malka "Amelia" Pałasz. His family emigrated to the United States in March 1887, settling in New York City, where he attended public school. During his early formative years, he enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, the result of his father's success as an exclusive tailor to high society clients. This changed drastically after his father lost his business ten years later. His teens were spent in Brownsville ,
7272-428: The self-financing ethic of punk when he created his own record label Razz in 1974. Razz went on to release over sixty titles, including much of the Freshies material. They also produced the first multi-media single by including The Biz , a ZX Spectrum game, on the tape version of one of their singles, something which Sievey later did himself as a solo artist with his 45 RPM single "Camouflage" (which included
7373-404: The series' acts so far. Frank starred in his own exhibition of drawings, animation and cardboard at London's Chelsea Space Gallery next to Tate Britain between 4 July and 4 August 2007. He also appeared at "Late" at Tate Britain on 3 August 2007. He appeared in the Series 3 Christmas special of BBC Scotland 's VideoGaiden , performing "Christmas is Really Fantastic", and later appeared on
7474-424: The show also included lectures. Contrasting with the alternative comedians of the time, Frank Sidebottom's comedy was family-friendly, if a little bizarre for some. This family friendly nature led to Frank getting his own comic strip in the children's weekly comic Oink! , which launched 1986. His backing band, dubbed ' The Oh Blimey Band ' consisted of Mike Doherty on drums, Rick Sarko on guitar (both formerly of
7575-454: The start of the sound era. Alfred Weiss, owner of Artcraft Pictures, approached Fleischer with a contract to produce cartoons for Paramount. Due to legal complications of the bankruptcy, the Out of the Inkwell series was renamed The Inkwell Imps and ran from 1927 to 1929. This was the start of Fleischer's relationship with the huge Paramount organization, which lasted for the next 15 years. After
7676-432: The studio into maturity and relevance for the 1940s. The early returns on Gulliver prompted Paramount president Barney Balaban to order a second feature for their 1941 Christmas release. This second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town , was unique, having a contemporary setting. Most importantly, it was technically and artistically superior to Gulliver's Travels . Paramount had high hopes for its Christmas 1941 release, which
7777-558: The theatrical comedy films, Fleischer produced technical and educational films including That Little Big Fellow and Now You're Talking for A.T.&T. In 1923, he made two 20-minute features explaining Albert Einstein 's Theory of Relativity and Charles Darwin 's Evolution using animated special effects and live action. In 1924, Fleischer partnered with Edwin Miles Fadiman, Hugo Riesenfeld and Lee de Forest to form Red Seal Pictures Corporation, which owned 36 theaters on
7878-467: The time, the girl who was the subject of the song was frequently asked by fans to autograph copies of the single. The single's success prompted Richard Branson to undertake a search for the former checkout girl in question in 2006, wishing to invite her to the opening of the new Virgin Megastore in Manchester, in recognition of the role she played in the history of the original store. Sievey pre-dated
7979-443: The time-consuming and tedious process of cel inking. While ahead of his time, that same year Fleischer and Paramount experienced lost revenues owing to the failure of the new series Gabby , Animated Antics , and Stone Age , all launched under the leadership of Dave. After Republic Studios allegedly failed to develop Superman as a live-action serial, Max acquired the license that fall and initiated development. The cost for
8080-489: The timing a reference to one of the character's catchphrases. Sievey was diagnosed with cancer in May 2010, and died at Wythenshawe Hospital on 21 June 2010 at the age of 54 after collapsing at his home in Hale, Greater Manchester . Sievey left a daughter, Asher, and two sons: Stirling and Harry (1992–2017). After it was reported that Sievey had died virtually penniless and was facing a pauper's funeral provided by state grants,
8181-532: The very beginning, Fleischer's business relationship with Paramount was a joint financial and distribution arrangement, making his studio a service company supplying products for the company's theaters. During the Great Depression , Paramount went through four bankruptcy reorganizations, which affected their operational expenses. As a founding member of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers , Fleischer
8282-692: Was Chris Evans . Immediately after creating the character, Sievey would record an in-character cover ' Material Boy ', and send it to several major labels with the note '' I'm thinking of getting into showbiz. Do you have any pamphlets? " EMI were interested and offered him an interview. Chris appeared in character as Frank, and was signed to their sub-label Regal Zonophone . Zonophone released his third EP ' Frank's Sidebottom's Firm Favorites ' in August of 1985. He'd previously self released two EPs as Frank in 1985, titled ' Frank's Summer Special ' as well as an early version of 'Firm Favorites'. The EP reached 97 in
8383-520: Was a Polish-American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków , Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios , which he co-founded with his younger brother Dave . He brought such comic characters as Koko the Clown , Betty Boop , Popeye , and Superman to the movie screen, and
8484-449: Was affected by a five-month strike , resulting in a boycott that kept the studio's releases off theater screens until November. Having a paternal attitude towards his employees, Max took it personally, as if he had been betrayed, and thus developed an ulcer. Following the strike, Max and Dave Fleischer decided to move the studio for more space and to escape further labor agitation. In March 1938, Paramount approved Max's proposal to produce
8585-480: Was announced in April 2019 that GCHQ had cracked the hidden codes and messages that Sievey had left around the borders of his Frank Sidebottom books and recordings. The 2014 film Frank was largely inspired by the Frank Sidebottom character, telling the story of a young wannabe musician who joins a group led by the enigmatic Frank ( Michael Fassbender ). The film was written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan , and
8686-567: Was apparently unaware of her son's popularity. Frank sometimes had a sidekick in the form of "Little Frank", a hand puppet who was otherwise a perfect copy of Frank. Comedy character Mrs Merton started out as Frank's sidekick on his radio show Radio Timperley , and the similarity of the characters is evident, exuding a sense of great ambition which belies a domestic lifestyle in the North of England . Sidebottom's former Oh Blimey Big Band members include Mark Radcliffe and Jon Ronson , and his driver
8787-427: Was asked for his resignation. Dave had resigned following the completion of Post-production on Mr. Bug in late November 1941. Paramount finished out the remaining five months of the 1941 Fleischer contract with the absence of both Max and Dave Fleischer, and the name change to Famous Studios became official on May 27, 1942. Paramount installed new management, among them Max's son-in-law, Seymour Kneitel . Unable to form
8888-689: Was at the Salutation pub, Higher Chatham Street, Manchester on 11 June 2010 when he launched his World Cup single, "Three Shirts on the Line". Following Sievey's death in June 2010, a social networking campaign was launched to gain Frank his first UK hit. "Guess Who's Been on Match of the Day" entered the charts at No. 66. Sievey's earliest television appearance was on the children's television show TX , with an in-character interview as Frank Sidebottom, shortly after
8989-524: Was aware of the technical advancements of the industry, particularly in the development of color cinematography. Due to Paramount's financial restructuring, he was unable to acquire the three-color Technicolor process from the start. This created the opportunity for Walt Disney , who was then a small fledgling producer, to acquire a four-year exclusivity. With this, he created a new market for color cartoons beginning with Flowers and Trees (1932). In 1934 Paramount approved color production for Fleischer, but he
9090-468: Was based on Ronson's experiences playing in Sievey's Oh Blimey Big Band. Although drawing from Ronson's memoir, the story is set in contemporary Ireland and America, and the Frank character combines elements of Sievey with Daniel Johnston and Captain Beefheart . In 2014, a feature-length documentary about the life and art of Chris Sievey, entitled Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story was announced and
9191-532: Was directing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Walt Disney . This brought about the honorary luncheon that united Max with his former competitor and reunited him with several former Fleischer animators who were then employed by Disney. This meeting of the former rivals seemed cordial, and Max remarked that he was very happy making educational films at this point in his career. However, in his collection of memoirs entitled Just Tell Me When to Cry , Richard relates how, at
9292-581: Was founded by singer-songwriter and comedian Chris Sievey , whose best-known creation – comedy character Frank Sidebottom – originated as a mascot for the group. Over a four-year period between their formation and break-up in 1982, the Freshies released several singles, as well as three studio albums. Since Sievey's death in 2010, the Freshies reformed for sporadic appearances at tribute events to their founder; these occasionally included his son Harry Sievey on lead vocals and guitar, until his passing in 2017. Original members Barry Spencer and Rick Sarko reformed
9393-636: Was left with the limited two-color processes of Cinecolor (red and cyan) and Two-Color Technicolor (red and cyan) for the first year of his Color Classics . The first entry, Poor Cinderella (1934) was made in the two-emulsion/two-color Cinecolor Process and starred Betty Boop in her only color appearance. By 1936, Disney's exclusivity had expired, and Fleischer had the benefit of the three-color Technicolor Process beginning with Somewhere in Dreamland . These color cartoons were often augmented with Fleischer's patented three-dimensional effects promoted as
9494-576: Was not until the New York opening at Radio City of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (February 1938) that Paramount executives realized the value of animated features and ordered one for a 1939 Christmas release. The popularity of the Popeye cartoons created a demand for more. To meet Paramount's demands, the studio was challenged with rapid expansion, production speed-ups, and crowded working conditions. Finally, in May 1937, Fleischer Studios
9595-518: Was offered a full time place in the band, which he accepted. This same year Frank was included on the charity album Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father , which featured other acts like Michelle Shocked , the Christians , Sonic Youth , Billy Bragg , Hue and Cry , the Fall and Wet Wet Wet . He later recorded " Flying " for another Beatles tribute album, Revolution No. 9 . In 1989, Sievey re-arranged
9696-457: Was penalized $ 350,000 for going over budget, and the contract did not allow Max and Fleischer Studios participation in the foreign earnings. This was the beginning of the financial difficulties of Fleischer Studios with reduced royalties due to this debt to Paramount. In 1940, Max was relegated to business affairs and continued technical development. His efforts resulted in a reflex camera viewfinder and research into line transfer methods to replace
9797-540: Was released in March 2019. It is directed by Steve Sullivan, and was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. The film documents Sievey's entire life, including his band The Freshies and his creation of the Frank Sidebottom character, and features interviews with many of Chris Sievey's family and colleagues with exclusive access to Sievey' own personal archive of home movies, diaries, notebooks, props and costumes. The Freshies The Freshies are an English punk rock band, formed in Manchester in 1978. The band
9898-442: Was released on vinyl by In Tape a year later. This album introduced the character Mrs Merton , portrayed by Caroline Aherne . Aherne continued to use the character as a comic persona, leading to her own TV show , launching the comedians TV career. Chris and the band, whilst disgruntled by the success of a character created for Frank now detached from Frank, did not resent it, with drummer Mike Doherty saying that while she had taken
9999-470: Was responsible for several technological innovations, including the rotoscope , the " follow the bouncing ball " technique pioneered in the Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes films, and the " stereoptical process ". Film director Richard Fleischer was his son. Majer Fleischer was born July 19, 1883, to a Jewish family in Kraków , (then part of Austria-Hungary : Austrian Partition ). He was
10100-494: Was unable to make it to a gig at The Cricketers pub at Kennington Oval, London SE11. Ronson was social secretary at the Polytechnic of Central London and knew Mike Doherty as an agent. During the band introductions at the end of the show, Ronson noted a negative reaction to his presence, but found that his microphone had been almost completely muted, leaving him completely unheard by the audience. Despite this, one year later, he
10201-429: Was well received by critics during its December 5 preview. However, the exhibitors rejected it, fearing that it would not do business because it was not a Disney animated Fairy Tale. And with the bombing of Pearl Harbor two days after the preview, the original Christmas release due in three weeks was cancelled. With the cancellation of Mr. Bug Goes to Town , Max was called to a meeting with Balaban in New York, where he
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