Irven Spence

Irven Spence
Born	Irven LeRoy Spence April 24, 1909 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	September 21, 1995 (aged 86) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	American
Occupation	Animator
Years active	1930–1992
Spouse	Darlene Saurette (m. 1933–1979)

Irven LeRoy Spence (April 24, 1909 - September 21, 1995) was an American animator. He is best known for his work on MGM's Tom and Jerry animated shorts. Spence has been incorrectly credited as Irven Spence and Irvin Spence and been correctly credited as Irv Spence.

Metro Goldwyn Mayor

Spence interest in drawing began in his youth, when he provided cartoons for his high school newspaper (along with classmate William Hanna). Spence's earliest animation work was for Charles B. Mintz's Winkler Pictures, and then for Ub Iwerks, where he worked on the "Flip the Frog" series.

Warner. Bros

After Iwerks Studio folded in 1936, Spence worked at Leon Schlesinger Productions (after 1944, known as Warner Bros. Cartoons) as an animator in Tex Avery's animation unit. There, he brought an eccentric drawing/animation style to already irreverent animated films. He later moved to Metro Goldwyn Mayer's cartoon department in 1938.

MGM Cartoons/Tom and Jerry

Starting with the Captain and the Kidscartoons, some of which were directed by Bill Hanna and Friz Freleng. Spence animated for Milt Gross (on the Count Screwloose cartoons), Hugh Harman, and for the Bill Hanna/Joe Barbera unit. Spence also animated Tex Avery's first four cartoons (Blitz Wolf, The Early Bird Dood It!, Dumb-Hounded and Red Hot Riding Hood) following Avery's arrival at the studio in 1942, before moving over to the Hanna/Barbera unit again. Spence's first credit in a Tom and Jerry short was in The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), which received an Academy Award for Best Animated Short; Spence would continue to work on the series, albeit discontinuously, until his final departure from MGM in 1956, with his final credit appearing on 1957's Timid Tabby.

Spence, during his time at MGM, would also directed two live-action spoof films, Rats in Spats in 1941, and Rugged Rangers in 1942. Both films star various staff members who worked in the studio at the time, such as Bill Littlejohn, Pete Burness, Michael Lah, Ray Patterson, Jack Zander, and Ed Barge among others.

Spence would briefly leave the studio in late 1944 to work for John Sutherland Productions, but later returned in '47. He left MGM again in August 1956 for Animation, Inc., a commercial production studio, before joining his former bosses at Hanna-Barbera Productions seven years later. He provided animation for many animated television series, including Jonny Quest (1964), Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles (1966), and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971).

Hanna Barbera

In addition to his work for Hanna-Barbera, Spence also worked for Chuck Jones(the 1970 television adaptation of Horton Hears a Who!), DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (Roland and Ratfink, The Ant and the Aardvark), and Ralph Bakshi(Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, and the 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings). Spence's last animation credit was on Tom and Jerry: The Movie(1992). Spence also conducted a workshop for animators under the auspices of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Local 839. He received the 1986 Winsor McCay Award from the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, for his lifetime contributions to the field of animation.

Style in Tom and Jerry

His Characters are less detailed and often off-model, He also does Very loose and funny poses and expressions With Fast, wild movement and By 1953 when most Animators started to Take Detail away from Characters, He took it too Far. here are some Examples of his Tom and Jerry

Here is Spence's Tom from 1941, the ears are rounded and his eyes are far apart.

From 1942 - 1943, Spence's Tom has eyes that are closer together and his ears have sharper points.

In 1944, Spence's Tom has a slightly wider Head and depicts Tom with more rounded detail. This was around the same time Tom was redesigned to have a more bipedal design.

Fast forward to 1945, his Tom is the same but with a more streamlined look and less wide head.

From 1947-1948, Spence's design for Tom emphasises bigger ears, a taller look(like every other animator around this time) and his eyes would vary by scene. In some scenes his eyes would be bigger, In others they would be normal sized or far apart.

Between the 1947-1948 and 1951-1952 designs, we have this one from 1949-1950. This design is just a more polished version of the last design and The eyes are more consistent and close apart.

Spence's Tom from 1951, notice the lack of detail.

Irv Spence's last Tom design from 1953 - 1957 takes away a lot of detail.

In 1941 - 1943, Irv Spence's Jerry has a perfectly circular Head and chubbier cheeks. His Jerry kind of resembles Bill Littlejohn’s Jerry in a way.

Spence's Jerry from 1944 - 1946. His Jerry design has A slightly taller Head and Less chubby cheeks.

Spences Jerry from 1947-1952 has a bigger head and a more polished Design.

Spence's last Jerry design from 1953 - 1957 loses a lot of detail.

Shorts

1941

• The Midnight Snack (uncredited)
• The Night Before Christmas (uncredited)

1942

• Fraidy Cat (uncredited)
• Dog Trouble (uncredited)
• Puss 'n' Toots (uncredited)
• The Bowling Alley-Cat (uncredited)

1943

• Sufferin' Cats! (uncredited)
• The Lonesome Mouse (uncredited)
• The Yankee Doodle Mouse
• Baby Puss

1944

• The Zoot Cat
• The Million Dollar Cat
• The Bodyguard
• Puttin' on the Dog
• Mouse Trouble

1945

• The Mouse Comes to Dinner
• Mouse in Manhattan
• Tee for Two
• Flirty Birdy
• Quiet Please!

1946

• Springtime for Thomas (uncredited)
• The Milky Waif (uncredited)

1947

• The Cat Concerto
• The Invisible Mouse

1948

• Kitty Foiled
• The Truce Hurts
• Old Rockin' Chair Tom
• Professor Tom
• Mouse Cleaning

1949

• Polka-Dot Puss
• The Little Orphan
• Hatch Up Your Troubles
• Heavenly Puss
• The Cat and the Mermouse
• Love That Pup
• Tennis Chumps

1950

• Little Quacker
• Saturday Evening Puss
• Texas Tom
• Jerry and the Lion
• Safety Second
• The Hollywood Bowl
• The Framed Cat
• Cue Ball Cat

1951

• Casanova Cat
• Jerry and the Goldfish
• Jerry's Cousin
• Sleepy-Time Tom
• His Mouse Friday
• Slicked-up Pup
• Nit-Witty Kitty
• Cat Napping

1952

• The Flying Cat
• The Duck Doctor
• The Two Mouseketeers
• Triplet Trouble
• Little Runaway
• Fit to Be Tied
• Push-Button Kitty
• Cruise Cat
• The Dog House

1953

• The Missing Mouse
• Jerry and Jumbo
• Johann Mouse
• That's My Pup!
• Just Ducky
• Two Little Indians
• Life with Tom

1954

• Puppy Tale
• Posse Cat
• Hic-cup Pup
• Little School Mouse
• Baby Butch
• Mice Follies
• Neapolitan Mouse
• Downhearted Duckling
• Pet Peeve
• Touché, Pussy Cat!

1955

• Southbound Duckling
• Pup on a Picnic
• Mouse for Sale
• Designs on Jerry
• Tom and Chérie
• Smarty Cat
• Pecos Pest
• That's My Mommy

1956

• The Flying Sorceress
• The Egg and Jerry (archival animation from Hatch Up Your Troubles)
• Busy Buddies
• Muscle Beach Tom
• Down Beat Bear
• Blue Cat Blues
• Barbecue Brawl

1957

• Tops with Pops (archival animation from Love That Pup)
• Timid Tabby
• Feedin' the Kiddie (archival animation from The Little Orphan)

Gallery

Irven Spence and child actress Margaret O'Brien

Trivia

• He is only the original animator of the Tom and Jerry series to be worked on Tom and Jerry: The Movie in 1992. He became the last surviving animator of the original Tom and Jerry series since 1941.