Harriet Halpern Beck, an entertainment attorney who specialized in children’s programming during her long career, died Friday, Nov. 26 after a long ilnness.
As the VP of business affairs at Ruby Spears Productions in the 1980s, she played a pivotal role in shaping the Saturday morning children’s television universe, helping to build the company into one of the main suppliers of network animated content, including Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr. T, Rambo, Punky Brewster, Dragon’s Lair and Rubik, the Amazing Cube.
Beck began her career in show business in 1975 as a legal secretary for producer Dino DeLaurentis. She enrolled in law school at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, attending at night while working and raising her son as a single mother.
During her time as a legal secretary and student, she worked for various firms that specialized in the music business, handling clients that included Fleetwood Mac. She...
As the VP of business affairs at Ruby Spears Productions in the 1980s, she played a pivotal role in shaping the Saturday morning children’s television universe, helping to build the company into one of the main suppliers of network animated content, including Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr. T, Rambo, Punky Brewster, Dragon’s Lair and Rubik, the Amazing Cube.
Beck began her career in show business in 1975 as a legal secretary for producer Dino DeLaurentis. She enrolled in law school at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, attending at night while working and raising her son as a single mother.
During her time as a legal secretary and student, she worked for various firms that specialized in the music business, handling clients that included Fleetwood Mac. She...
- 12/2/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, FandangoNOW, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero Smallfoot The Equalizer 2 (action-drama; Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Orson Bean, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Scarfe, Sakina Jaffrey, Tamara...
- 12/14/2018
- by Robert B. DeSalvo
- Movies.com
During his decade or so on earth, Stubby the terrier accomplished far more than some people (including me) will achieve in their human-length lifetimes. A Connecticut stray that became the most decorated dog in U.S. history, “Sergeant” Stubby‘s exploits during World War I include locating and rescuing the wounded, capturing a German spy, and warning American and French troops about mustard gas strikes. He endured gas attacks himself, as well as grenade wounds.
For his 18 months of service, he was introduced to three presidents and given a cushy post-military gig as the mascot of the Georgetown Hoyas. Upon his death in 1926, the New York Times memorialized Sergeant Stubby with a half-page obituary, and his body was donated to the Smithsonian. To ask who’s a good boy in his presence would be an insult.
I can’t say that the world needed “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero,” the new animated biopic (doggopic? pupperpic?) about a wordless creature who, despite a few movie-like touches, is more animal than Pixar-ish humanoid. Cartoon Stubby moves, acts and, most importantly, sounds like a real dog.
See Photos: All 7 Aardman Animations Features Ranked, From 'Wallace & Gromit' to 'Chicken Run'
Director and co-writer Richard Lanni (“The Americans in the Bulge”), who penned with Mike Stokey, smartly leans on naturalistic canine charm to tell a story that already feels too incredible to be true. At 75 minutes, the resulting feature is the definition of slight, but just winsome and optimistic enough to justify itself.
A young Army soldier, Robert Conroy (voiced by Logan Lerman), gives Stubby his accidental calling. A fateful encounter on the street — and the surprising leniency of Robert’s superiors — makes the stocky, diminutive canine a fixture on the base, where doughboys are being trained to fight the Germans. The human dramas range from predictable to wholly dispensable. Among Conroy’s buddies, Olsen (Jordan Beck) declares that he hates dogs and Schroeder (Jim Pharr) wants to prove that, despite his Teutonic accent, he belongs in his chosen home, not the one he left behind.
Also Read: Stephen Colbert Says His Cartoon Sarah Huckabee Sanders 'Sounds Just as Happy as She Looks'
In France, Conroy’s mentor becomes Baptiste (Gérard Depardieu), a genial Gaul who enjoys — wait for it — cheese and wine. A quasi-storyline about the gradual erosion of French prejudice against their American allies feels out of place. And the film’s narrator (Helena Bonham Carter), Conroy’s never-seen big sister and the only female “character,” feels like an element the writers shoehorned in to hit a marketing quadrant goal.
No matter. The plot hardly makes a difference, since the movie’s chief asset is its heartwarming but never Pollyanna-ish ambience. Exercising welcome restraint (especially for a children’s movie), Lanni never states the biggest lesson to be learned from Stubby’s story: That when talent, loyalty, and friendship are nurtured, there’s no telling what miracles may arise. Nothing is more dehumanizing than war, and it was crucial for soldiers in the trenches to feel a connection to their own humanity through a dog’s companionship — and wise of Conroy’s higher-ups to permit their troops the comfort that Stubby represented.
Also Read: 'Animaniacs': Hulu, Warner Bros. Partner on '90s Cartoon Reboot
Yes, it’s adorable when Conroy teaches Stubby how to salute, and when the dog dons a cape that the local villagers make for him as a thank-you gift for warning them about impending mustard gas. (The chemical weapon — rendered as a genuinely creepy neon-green smoke that Maleficent might swirl herself around in — is a standout image among otherwise unremarkable CG animation).
We never forget that this is war, and a loss late in the film is accordingly moving. Through it all runs Stubby, blissfully ignorant of human cruelty and unwaveringly stalwart in protecting those he loves.
Read original story ‘Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero’ Film Review: Dog Loves His Doughboys in Animated Wwi True Story At TheWrap...
For his 18 months of service, he was introduced to three presidents and given a cushy post-military gig as the mascot of the Georgetown Hoyas. Upon his death in 1926, the New York Times memorialized Sergeant Stubby with a half-page obituary, and his body was donated to the Smithsonian. To ask who’s a good boy in his presence would be an insult.
I can’t say that the world needed “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero,” the new animated biopic (doggopic? pupperpic?) about a wordless creature who, despite a few movie-like touches, is more animal than Pixar-ish humanoid. Cartoon Stubby moves, acts and, most importantly, sounds like a real dog.
See Photos: All 7 Aardman Animations Features Ranked, From 'Wallace & Gromit' to 'Chicken Run'
Director and co-writer Richard Lanni (“The Americans in the Bulge”), who penned with Mike Stokey, smartly leans on naturalistic canine charm to tell a story that already feels too incredible to be true. At 75 minutes, the resulting feature is the definition of slight, but just winsome and optimistic enough to justify itself.
A young Army soldier, Robert Conroy (voiced by Logan Lerman), gives Stubby his accidental calling. A fateful encounter on the street — and the surprising leniency of Robert’s superiors — makes the stocky, diminutive canine a fixture on the base, where doughboys are being trained to fight the Germans. The human dramas range from predictable to wholly dispensable. Among Conroy’s buddies, Olsen (Jordan Beck) declares that he hates dogs and Schroeder (Jim Pharr) wants to prove that, despite his Teutonic accent, he belongs in his chosen home, not the one he left behind.
Also Read: Stephen Colbert Says His Cartoon Sarah Huckabee Sanders 'Sounds Just as Happy as She Looks'
In France, Conroy’s mentor becomes Baptiste (Gérard Depardieu), a genial Gaul who enjoys — wait for it — cheese and wine. A quasi-storyline about the gradual erosion of French prejudice against their American allies feels out of place. And the film’s narrator (Helena Bonham Carter), Conroy’s never-seen big sister and the only female “character,” feels like an element the writers shoehorned in to hit a marketing quadrant goal.
No matter. The plot hardly makes a difference, since the movie’s chief asset is its heartwarming but never Pollyanna-ish ambience. Exercising welcome restraint (especially for a children’s movie), Lanni never states the biggest lesson to be learned from Stubby’s story: That when talent, loyalty, and friendship are nurtured, there’s no telling what miracles may arise. Nothing is more dehumanizing than war, and it was crucial for soldiers in the trenches to feel a connection to their own humanity through a dog’s companionship — and wise of Conroy’s higher-ups to permit their troops the comfort that Stubby represented.
Also Read: 'Animaniacs': Hulu, Warner Bros. Partner on '90s Cartoon Reboot
Yes, it’s adorable when Conroy teaches Stubby how to salute, and when the dog dons a cape that the local villagers make for him as a thank-you gift for warning them about impending mustard gas. (The chemical weapon — rendered as a genuinely creepy neon-green smoke that Maleficent might swirl herself around in — is a standout image among otherwise unremarkable CG animation).
We never forget that this is war, and a loss late in the film is accordingly moving. Through it all runs Stubby, blissfully ignorant of human cruelty and unwaveringly stalwart in protecting those he loves.
Read original story ‘Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero’ Film Review: Dog Loves His Doughboys in Animated Wwi True Story At TheWrap...
- 4/13/2018
- by Inkoo Kang
- The Wrap
Fun Academy Motion Pictures’ first animated feature film centres on storied American military dog.
Fun Academy Motion Pictures has announced Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, the first animated motion picture to come out of the newly developed Columbus, Georgia-based studios.
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero tells the true story of Stubby, a stray dog, who after being rescued off the streets by an American soldier became a hero of the First World War. Sgt. Stubby is still recognised today as the first dog promoted through combat and the most decorated canine in American history.
Richard Lanni directs the film that features the voice talents of Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter and Gérard Depardieu.
Lanni also serves as executive producer on the film that will feature an original score from composer Patrick Doyle.
Fun Academy Media Group, Ltd. is producing the film with animation by Technicolor company Mikros Image, the company behind Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, from...
Fun Academy Motion Pictures has announced Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, the first animated motion picture to come out of the newly developed Columbus, Georgia-based studios.
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero tells the true story of Stubby, a stray dog, who after being rescued off the streets by an American soldier became a hero of the First World War. Sgt. Stubby is still recognised today as the first dog promoted through combat and the most decorated canine in American history.
Richard Lanni directs the film that features the voice talents of Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter and Gérard Depardieu.
Lanni also serves as executive producer on the film that will feature an original score from composer Patrick Doyle.
Fun Academy Media Group, Ltd. is producing the film with animation by Technicolor company Mikros Image, the company behind Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, from...
- 6/14/2017
- ScreenDaily
Fun Academy Motion Pictures’ first animated feature film centres on storied American military dog.
Fun Academy Motion Pictures has announced Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, the first animated motion picture to come out of the newly developed Columbus, Georgia-based studios.
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero tells the true story of Stubby, a stray dog, who after being rescued off the streets by an American soldier became a hero of the First World War. Sgt. Stubby is still recognised today as the first dog promoted through combat and the most decorated canine in American history.
Richard Lanni directs the film that features the voice talents of Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter and Gérard Depardieu.
Lanni also serves as executive producer on the film that will feature an original score from composer Patrick Doyle.
Fun Academy Media Group, Ltd. is producing the film with animation by Technicolor company Mikros Image, the company behind Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, from...
Fun Academy Motion Pictures has announced Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, the first animated motion picture to come out of the newly developed Columbus, Georgia-based studios.
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero tells the true story of Stubby, a stray dog, who after being rescued off the streets by an American soldier became a hero of the First World War. Sgt. Stubby is still recognised today as the first dog promoted through combat and the most decorated canine in American history.
Richard Lanni directs the film that features the voice talents of Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter and Gérard Depardieu.
Lanni also serves as executive producer on the film that will feature an original score from composer Patrick Doyle.
Fun Academy Media Group, Ltd. is producing the film with animation by Technicolor company Mikros Image, the company behind Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, from...
- 6/14/2017
- ScreenDaily
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