Rudolph "Rudy" Larriva, a cartoon director and animator for such studios as Warner Bros. and UPA for almost six decades, died February 19 in Irvine, California. He was 94.
Besides being involved with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Larriva was the director and animator of the first black and white opening sequence of The Twilight Zone, which consisted of pans, trucks and cross-dissolves.
Larriva worked on King Features' Popeye the Sailor, as well as such early WB cartoons as Elmer's Pet Rabbit and Porky's Cafe. At Disney, he was an animator for Song of the South.
At UPA, he animated Gerald McBoing Boing cartoons. He was also at Format Films and Filmation, and animated such series as Mr. Magoo and Fangface.
Born in El Paso, Texas on February 12, 1916, he had his animation debut with Warner's Dog Gone Modern (1939), directed by Chuck Jones. He was an animator before becoming a director.
Larriva directed such TV series as The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, Thundarr the Barbarian, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Mister T.
In 1987, he received the Golden Award at the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Awards.
His last work was in the 1990 series Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends.
Survivors include a son, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 1 at Eternal Hills Cemetery, Oceanside, California.
Rudy Larriva (back to camera) dances with June Foray at a Format Films Christmas party in the early 1960s.
Re: WB, UPA director-animator Rudy Larriva dead at 94
[In reply to]
Larriva's tv work was for Filmation in the 1970s and Ruby-Spears in the 1980s. I believe he also worked with Bill Melendez on several Charlie Brown specials in the 1960s.
(This post was edited by artytoons on Feb 25, 2010, 11:49 AM)
Re: WB, UPA director-animator Rudy Larriva dead at 94
[In reply to]
As a tyke, I preferred Rudy's Roadrunners to Jones', but only because they were "newer."
True, they were totally inferior, but somehow I did enjoy the complicated "Free Phones" gag in "Tired and Feathered", Coyote hearing the phone ring with no connecting wires.
Re: WB, UPA director-animator Rudy Larriva dead at 94
[In reply to]
I will not miss him for his work on my 1960s films, but I WILL miss him for his work on the other stuff (including both "Alvin and the Chipmunks"-related series)
