Paul Terry

Paul Houlton Terry (February 19, 1887 – October 25, 1971) was an American cartoonist, screenwriter, film director and producer. He produced over 1,300 cartoons between 1915 and 1955 including the many Terrytoons cartoons. His studio's most famous character is Mighty Mouse, and also created Heckle and Jeckle, Gandy Goose and Dinky Duck. Early life Born in California to Joseph and Minnie Perron, Terry's parents moved to San Francisco where he spent most of his early life. In 1904 he began working as a news photographer and drawing cartoons for newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Call, and the San Francisco Examiner. He contributed to a weekly comic strip about a dog titled "Alonzo" for the San Francisco Call in 1909, before it was taken over by his brother John a year later. He later transferred to the New York Press in 1910, a newspaper in New York City. In 1914, Terry became interested in animation after seeing Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur. While still working for the newspaper, he made his first film, Little Herman, which he completed in two to six months in his living room and sold to the Thanhouser film company of New Rochelle, New York, in 1915. Later that year, he completed his second film, Down on the Phoney Farm, which is notable for being the first appearance of Farmer Al Falfa.