John Gerald Christopher Ryan(4 March 1921 – 22 July 2009)[1]was a Britishanimatorandcartoonist.He was best known for his characterCaptain Pugwash.
| John Ryan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 4 March 1921 Edinburgh,Scotland |
| Died | 22 July 2009(aged 88) Rye,East Sussex,England |
| Nationality | British |
| Area(s) | Animator Cartoonist |
Notable works | Captain Pugwash Sir Prancelot |
Biography
editRyan was born on 4 March 1921 inEdinburgh,the son of diplomatSir Andrew Ryan.As a young child he had a fascination with pirates, every night looking out at his window wishing for some to appear. After serving as an officer inBurmaduring theSecond World War,Ryan studied at theRegent Street Polytechnic,where he met his future wife Priscilla.[2]
After meetingMarcus Morrisat his wedding, Ryan first createdCaptain Pugwashas a comic strip forThe Eaglein 1950, although the strip was dropped after three months as it was felt to be aimed at younger readers than the target audience. Unperturbed, Ryan createdHarris Tweed, Special AgentforEagle,which ran until 1962. However, in 1957, after seven years, his first Pugwash picture book was published, which then led to a long-runningThe Radio Timesstrip and a television series made usingcutout animation.
He also createdLettice LeefeforGirlmagazine, which ran from 1951 to 1965, crossing over with Harris Tweed,[3]and through his animation studio, John Ryan Studios, he createdMary Mungo & Midgein 1969, which featured his daughter Isabel providing the voice of the titular character, andThe Adventures of Sir Prancelotin 1972. In 1981, Ryan presentedThe Ark StoriesforYorkshire Television,the series being produced byAnne Wood.Each episode saw Ryan present and illustrate a story aboutNoah's Ark,either prior to or during theGreat Flood,each starring a crocodile named Crockle.
Ryan made most of his livelihood visiting schools acrossthe UKgiving talks onCaptain Pugwash,[4]however following claims in theSunday CorrespondentandThe Guardianofdouble entendresin the names of characters in the series,[5]they no longer asked him to visit.[6][7]Thisurban legendled to thePugwashbooks going out of print.[8]Subsequently he successfully sued the two papers.[5]
Ryan, a Catholic (his brother was the theologicanColumba Ryan), provided illustrations and cartoons for Catholic newspapers, including theCatholic Herald,and several collections of these cartoons were published as books, and featured the recurring character of Cardinal Grotti.[9]Towards the end of his life, he was resident inRye, East Sussex.[10]Ryan died in hospital on 22 July 2009 in Rye, East Sussex. He is survived by his wife Priscilla and his three children.[11]Isabel now runs his archive, organising exhibitions and talks.[12]
Family
editHis brother wasRoman Catholic theologianandphilosopherColumba Ryan.His father was diplomatAndrew Ryan.[1]
References
edit- ^abJohn Ryan obituary,Daily Telegraph
- ^"Isabel Ryan at London Animation Club part 2".YouTube.13 December 2017.Retrieved20 June2023.
- ^"Lettice Leefefor Eagle ".Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2017.
- ^"Pugwash Colour TV Series".Captain Pugwash Exhibition.Archived fromthe originalon 15 September 2016.Retrieved19 June2024.
- ^abDavid Mikkelson (11 September 1999)."'Captain Pugwash' Double Meanings ".Snopes.Retrieved3 July2022.
- ^Lewis, Richard (2002).The Encyclopaedia of Cult Children's TV.
- ^Simpson, Paul, ed. (2002).The Rough Guide to Cult TV: The Good, The Bad and The Strangely Compelling.Rough Guides. London, UK:Rough Guides.ISBN978-1-84353-009-1.
- ^Davies, Ben (24 July 2009)."Pugwash author's legacy".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 28 April 2018.Retrieved7 December2012.
- ^News For Old AmplefordiansArchived5 March 2005 at theWayback MachineAmpleforth College NewsletterRetrieved 21 June 2005
- ^2004 Rye Festival of Music and the Arts.Retrieved 21 June 2005
- ^Pugwash creator Ryan dies aged 88
- ^"Captain Pugwash & Friends at The Atkinson".YouTube.9 December 2021.Retrieved14 August2023.
External links
edit- Jedis Children's TVCaptain Pugwash page, contains a 1974 interview with Ryan on the animation ofCaptain Pugwash