Tex Avery’s daughter, Nancy Avery-Arkely photographed at an animation festival in Begammo. The beer bottle in her hand has been air-brushed out. At The Cineforum in Toronto, Canada we are not ashamed of beer.
Nancy Avery-Arkley has been one of my facebook friends for a long time now.
Two Sundays ago I asked her what her relationship is to Tex Avery. She said, “I am his daughter.”
At once I said, “I must bring you to Toronto.”
In 1979 I brought master animation artist Bob Clampett to Toronto. The experience for Bob and his wife Sody whom I welcomed to come with him was way beyond anything he had experienced before or would experience again.
Through Bob, one of the most innately generous people I have ever met, I was introduced to Tex Avery, Bernard B. Brown, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones and the great Grim Natwick. Through Grim I was introduced to the equally great Shamus Culhane.
Tex Avery passed away Labor Day Weekend 1980.
Bringing his daughter to Toronto will be a great and unexpected pleasure.
As we spoke last week after I announced the event (October 25 & 26 in Toronto at The Cineforum, 463 Bathurst Street (which is my home) I found out that Nancy has been trying to get a documentary made on her father, Tex Avery. This is something which is long overdue.
The problem is that the man who offered to produce it for her has been bullying her.
Heck Allen, Tex Avery’s writer at MGM, became a friend of mine. He told me something strange happens to people who work in the motion picture industry. Thankfully, it does not happen to all of them. It does happen to most of them. It clearly has happened to this man. I know the signs. I have met them far too often.
I told Nancy, “Dump him.”
She did.
I have spoken at many art galleries. colleges, libraries, museums, schools and universities. In the United States speakers get paid $10,000.00 and more to speak for an hour. Most of them have nothing to say.
I told Nancy, “You are Tex Avery’s daughter. You are descended from the legendary Law West of The Pecos, the Hanging Judge, Roy Bean. You have lots to say. All of it is worth hearing. This fellow said you need $100,000.00 to make a documentary? Well, 10 x $10,000.00 IS $100,000.00. You don’t need to borrow the money. You can raise it and not owe anybody a dime. I will help you do it..”
She said, “I never thought of that.”
I said,”Start thinking.”
I also told her, look the event is free. I already promised that. I can’t change it. But people at Comic Cons pay small fortunes for the autographs of faded movie and television stars. Leaving one such convention I heard a kid say, “I can’t believe what my Dad paid for that man’s autograph.”
Frankly, neither could I.
During this visit you can help Nancy make her documentary in more ways than one.
The first is give her a donation of $100 for her autograph. It can be on something you bring. It can be on something we have here. If you want more than one autograph donate $100 for each autograph.
Unfortunately Tex Avery’s films are not available uncensored on this side of the pond. They are available in very limited edition uncensored sets in Europe. They won’t ship them to Canada and/or The United States. A friend of mine in Europe has bought them for me. They are on the way.
All of the people whom I have asked to be part of this event have said they can’t come because they are doing something more important. This is like the King in Jesus’ parable who found his friends too busy to come to his daughter’s wedding. Rather than have his daughter sad by seeing that no one she loved cared for her the king invites strangers in from the street.
So come on strangers. You ARE invited. I ain’t gonna ask no more freaking “friends.”
I am going to film this event in theater quality 3D. I am then going to send this documentary around the world. It will also be part of Nancy’s own documentary.
If you love Tex Avery then you will love meeting his daughter. You can also go on record with your views on Tex. Everyone has heard Leonard Maltin, John K, Jerry Beck, etc., talk on video about these cartoons. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate these guys. But I’d like to see some new faces. So get your ass to Toronto and your face in this documentary.
Perhaps through it we can persuade Warner Brothers to do not only Tex but also Bob and Chuck and Friz and all the rest justice in uncensored Blu-ray Directors Cut Collections of all their films (including the ones they began in-betweening and/or animating on).
When John Kricfalusi came to Toronto his teachers saw a crazy kid. They put him down. I saw talent, originality and a unique vision. I made him welcome. Today, it seems John has gone Hollywood. Too bad. He was a sweet kid.
Now here’s what I need. I need some classic Bugs Bunny poses with a beer instead of a carrot in his hand. I want them WICKED. I want them to be something nobody today at Warner Animation would approve.
Why? Because Nancy was at an animation festival in Europe. In the picture they published she was holding a beer. They air-brushed it out.
I have a BEER STORE across the street. You can bring your own food and drink. I certainly hope you bring beer. We certainly do not intend to air brush beer bottles out of photographs.
I want you to get fucking fall down drunk on Tex Avery’s animation. As this is my home and I am inviting you here as friends and I am NOT CHARGING A FEE I can show you these films EXACTLY as Tex wanted us to see them. If that and the unique pleasure of seeing them WITH his daughter does not excite you, well, I definitely do not want to know you.
I invited Jerry Beck over here when he was in Toronto last year. Jerry could not come. Well, THE LONELY PLANET, the world’s number one travel guide, places my CINEFORUM at the very top of its places to see in Ontario and in Toronto.
Brit painter Peter More calls this place “the most perfect place on earth in which to see a movie.” (Hit the link for Peter on the side. He is an awesome painter.)
The projection here and the sound is without par. The reason I am number one is because I AM NUMBER ONE. But then Jerry said, “They call me New York’s Reg Hartt.” Jerry ain’t me.
If you can’t come for whatever reason you can still help Nancy.
How can you help? First get her autograph by giving a donation. Second, have your art gallery, church, college, school, theater, university get in touch with me about bringing Nancy to your city. The fee is a donation of $10,000.00 towards her documentary film plus expenses.
For once it will be $10,000.00 well spent. –Reg Hartt (rhartt4363 (at) gmail.com).
P.S. I also would like some wicked posters for this event that would make the women at Warner Animation today faint, the men gasp and the lawyers reach for their phones. Every piece of art I use will be signed for free by Nancy and returned to the sender.
Take the carrot out of Bugs’ hand and put in a beer bottle. Thanks.