West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
animation production studio most famous for its wide usage of the Syncro-Vox technique of animation developed by Edwin Gillette, who was a co-partner in the studio.
Owned by Clark S. Haas, Jr. from 1957 until 1965, the studio produced ''
Clutch Cargo
''Clutch Cargo'' is an American animated television series created by cartoonist Clark Haas and produced by Cambria Productions, and syndicated beginning on March 9, 1959. The series was notable for its limited animation yet imaginative stories ...
The New 3 Stooges
''The New 3 Stooges'' is an American animated television series that ran during the 1965–66 television season starring the Three Stooges. The show follows the trio's antics both in live-action and animated segments. The cast consisted of Moe H ...
'' (1965-1966). A test film for another series, '' Doc Potts'' or ''Doc Potts and Weselly'', was prepared in 1960, though the series was apparently never produced. Two sample episodes of a proposed
Moon Mullins
''Moon Mullins'' is an American comic strip which had a run as both a daily and Sunday feature from June 19, 1923 to June 2, 1991. Syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate, the strip depicts the lives of diverse lowbrow characte ...
series were produced along with a sales film to promote it to local television stations, but it didn't clear enough markets to go into production.
Despite operating on a shoestring budget, the studio was able to produce series which are fondly remembered for their imaginative and entertaining storylines, and for their inventive ways of compensating for budgetary limitations.
Among the artists and entertainers who found employment at Cambria Studios were musician/composer Paul Horn,
Margaret Kerry
Margaret Kerry (née Lynch; born May 11, 1929) is an American screen actress, dancer, voice artist, camera double, radio producer, director and host and media personality, best known for her work as a model for Walt Disney Pictures, where she ser ...
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...
Doug Wildey
Douglas S. Wildey He recalled his professional start as freelancing for the magazine and comic book company Street & Smith in 1947. Because comic-book writer and artist credits were not routinely given during this era, the earliest confirmed Wilde ...
. Wildey's and Toth's artistic styles (both were established in the comic book industry) were evident throughout Cambria's existence. Wildey carried much of it over to
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
when he joined that studio in 1962; he created ''
Jonny Quest
''Jonny Quest'' is a science fiction-adventure media franchise that revolves around the titular boy named Jonny Quest, who accompanies his scientist father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964–1965 television serie ...
Amazing Heroes
''Amazing Heroes'' was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, ''The Comics Journal'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analyt ...
'' #95 (), May 15, 1986, p. 3 WebCitation archive /ref> Toth also joined Hanna-Barbera after leaving Cambria, where he created several of Hanna-Barbera's action series of the late 1960s.
References
* "Don't believe your eyes! How 'Clutch Cargo' cuts corners as a television comic strip." ''TV Guide'' December 24, 1960, p. 28-29.