Well Oiled Backgrounds

It’s been a while since we looked at some of Fred Brunish’s backgrounds for the Walter Lantz studio, so let’s check out some from “Well Oiled” (1947). They’re not as sharply detailed as you’d find in, say, Paul Julian’s work at Warners, but they’re certainly effective enough for the Lantz cartoons.



Every once in a while, Brunish threw in something for the boss. Here, he’s advertising Lantz’s comic books.




The backgrounds are part of the gag, as Officer Wally Walrus (voiced by Jack Mather) screams after gas-thief Woody Woodpecker (voiced by Bugs Hardaway). Their cars do a loop-de-loop, then screech off the side of a cliff.



Time for one of Hardaway’s sign puns. “Tukar Garage.” If Hardaway were writing cartoons today, he’d use it for the name of a rapper.



Brunish has light reflecting of the hood of Wally’s car.




Parts of a longer background. Brunish has part of the fence closer to the foreground; it’s in pastel shades of pink and white.



Some of the Lantz artwork is stashed away at UCLA and it’s too bad it’s not scanned and put on line. Then you’d be able to see Brunish’s backgrounds unobstructed. There are several paintings of various buildings on the service station lot that are quite enjoyable. Here’s part of one with Woody in the foreground.

The Lantz studio closed down temporary at the end of the 1948. Brunish was back when it re-opened in 1950 but not for long. He died of cirrhosis of the liver on June 25, 1952, age 49.