Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:32:44 -0500
From: Steve Abrams <sapuppets-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Myerberg Hansel & Gretel 1954


Since the Hansel and Gretel film seemed to be a landmark puppet film of the
50=92s I wondered =96who was Michael Myerberg?  I assumed (incorrectly) that he
was deeply involved in stop action animation, and that he had lots of
Hollywood credits. The internet movie database lists him as Michael Myerberg
born Baltimore 1906- died Baltimore 1974 with  2 film credits.

I kept looking.

He atteneded John=92s Hopkins in 1924-1926.

>From a 1956 New Yorker article: =94 Brief rundown of Mr. Myerberg's career,
which has included organizing jazz bands, producing vaudeville acts, serving
as casting director for Ziegfeld, and Shubert, and managing Leopold
Stokowski=94

At the age of 26 Myerberg produced a Broadway version of Candide featuring
modern dance pioneer Jose Limon in the cast.

In 1934 or 35 Myerberg produced or attempted to present the Yale Puppeteers
in NY at Lyceum Theatre and Forman Brown in =93Small Wonder=94 is very critical
of his association with Myerberg

As Leopold Stokowski=92s business agent, Michael Myerberg  persuaded =93Stoki=94
to participate in Walt Disney=92s =93Fantatsia=94 released in 1940. His
involvement in Fantasia lead to his interest in stop action animation.

In 1942 Myerberg was the Broadway producer of Thornton Wilder=92s  =93Skin of
Our Teeth=94 with puppets  and masks  by Remo Bufano.

1n 1945 Myerberg became the owner of a Broadway theatre.

In 1947 he produced, wrote, and directed  =93Dear Judas.=94 (his only credit as
bdwy director or author)

In 1948 he produced the first Broadway revival of the great cause celebre
WPA 1938  musical =93The Cradle Will Rock.=94 This revival provided work for
several actors who would soon be blacklisted

>From 1950-55 he rented his theatre to CBS while he was working on Hansel and
Gretel

In 1956 he boldly steps up to be the first USA producer to present =93Waiting
for Godot=94



Are you keeping track? We have Fantasia and 3 very important Broadway
titles.

I skipped over =93Lute Song=94 1946 staring Mary Martin, with sometimes
puppeteer Max Leavitt in the cast.



1957 he is the producer of =93Compulsion.=94 Compulsion is by Meyer Levin who
did puppets in Chicago in 1929 and inspired Lou Bunin to become a puppeteer.
Levin=92s book Compulsion becomes a play and then a film.



More research on google lead to a strange connection to Andy Warhol, which
has nothing to do with puppets.

Warhol=92s associate-film director Paul Morrissey wrote that in 1965 Michael
Myerberg invited Andy Warhol and Morrissey to Sardis to make a deal.
Myerberg had optioned an old airplane hanger in Queens and he wanted to open
a discotheque. Myerberg was willing to pay Warhol to hang out at the new
disco. The disco never opened but it gave Morrissey the idea that Warhol
should be the producer of a rock band. In Dec of 65 they found their
band-Velvet Underground with Lou Reed.

On Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 5:49 PM, Alan Cook <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com> wrote:

> The puppeteer's access to the puppets for some scenes was from the back of
> the miniature set. The woods were dimensional in the front, and the back
> wall was painted with trees. The back panels were moveable for puppet
> access, so if you look closely you may see minute movements of the trees
> (left & right) because the panels did not always return to the EXACT spot
> for each click of the camera.
>
>
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