FRITZ THE CAT 227
During the mid-1970s, Frazetta started to off er prints of his work. Merchandise
such as calendars and books became huge sellers. Original commissions were selling for
between $1,000 and $10,000. In 1980 Frazetta moved to Hollywood to help oversee
the production of the animated fi lm Fire & Ice based on his original works. It was not
a success and he returned to Pennsylvania to open the Frazetta Art Museum. Frazetta
was an extremely fast painter with a photographic memory. Unfortunately he developed
a debilitating thyroid problem which was not properly diagnosed and treated for eight
years. Recovered, he continued to sell new works, the prices of which reached new heights.
After suff ering the fi rst of a series of strokes Frazetta would lose the ability to draw with
his right hand. However, through extensive rehabilitation he was able to change over to
the left side and the art still contains the same powerful mastery as with his right.
Jeff McLaughlin
FRITZ THE CAT. Fritz the Cat was one of legendary underground cartoonist Rob-
ert Crumb’s most famous early characters, a hip, anthropomorphized feline featured
in a series of loosely linked stories that appeared in a range of publications between
1965 and 1972. Some of the strips were adapted into Fritz the Cat (1972), a con-
troversial, successful feature fi lm (advertised with the tagline “He’s X-rated and ani-
mated!”) directed by Ralph Bakshi; an ostensible sequel, Th e Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat
A scene from the 1972 film Fritz the Cat , directed by Ralph Bakshi. Cinemation Industries/
Photofest
