User blog:ARTaylor/RIP Jack Mendelsohn

Yesterday, animator and writer Jack Mendelsohn passed away at the age of ninety following a battle with lung cancer. He had a long successful career working in newspaper strips, comic books, animation, and live action.

His father was an agent for several cartoonists and grew up around the industry. After fighting for the Navy in World War II he began making his own illustrations. His first comic book position was for DC's More Fun Comics in 1946. He also worked on popular works like Nancy and Sluggo, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Beetle Bailey, and Felix the Cat as well as MAD Magazine. Perhaps his most famous work is the newspaper strip Jackys Diary that he started in 1959 and became one of the fastest selling strips in newspaper history. He began working in animation for Paramount working for Beetle Bailey and Krazy Kat as writing the theatrical Beatles film Yellow Submarine. He also worked in live action with The Carol Burnett Show, Three's Company, Van Dyke and Company, and The Love Boat. Marvel fans would know him as the writer of the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "The Bride of Dracula". For his works he won three Emmy awards and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Writers Guild of America.