Willard Bowsky

Willard Bowsky
Birth nameWillard Gustav Bowsky
BornSeptember 26, 1907[1]
Montclair, New Jersey
DiedNovember 27, 1944(1944-11-27) (aged 37)
near Barr, Bas-Rhin, France
Buried
Allegiance United States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1942–1944
RankSecond lieutenant
Unit94th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 14th Armored Division
Awards Purple Heart
Silver Star
Other workanimator

Willard Gustav Bowsky (September 26, 1907 – November 27, 1944) was an American animator best known for his work at Fleischer Studios in New York City and Miami, Florida, where he worked on cartoons featuring Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor, and Superman, in addition to two feature-length animated films. Fellow Fleischer animator Shamus Culhane described Bowsky as "what one might call a pre-McCarthy, gung ho, all-American Babbitt."[2] He was described as being outspoken with anti-Semitic remarks, but skilled at animating complicated perspective shots and directing many of the jazz-influenced cartoons produced by the studio.[3]

Bowsky was killed in World War II in eastern France, while serving combat duty in the United States Army. He was awarded posthumously the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.[4]

  1. ^ Willard Gustav Bowsky; U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
  2. ^ Culhane, Shamus (1986). Talking animals and other people. Internet Archive. New York : St. Martin's Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-312-78473-7.
  3. ^ Pointer, Ray (June 9, 2017). The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer. McFarland Incorporated Publishers. p. 139. ISBN 9781476627410.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference monument was invoked but never defined (see the help page).