Frank Braxton, Animation’s first black animator by Floyd Norman (2004)
It was Warner Bros. Animation in the nineteen fifties, and this is the way the story goes. Animator, Benny Washam walked into the office of production manager, Johnny Burton and said, “I hear Warner Bros. has a racist policy and refuses to hire blacks.” A furious Burton wheeled around in his office chair and shouted, “Whoever said that is a liar! It’s not true.” “Well then,” said Washam, “There’s a young black animator outside who’s looking for a job. Guess he’s come to the right place.” And with that, so began the animation career of Frank Braxton.
It generally takes five years or longer to learn animation. The art of bringing drawings to life is no easy task. Yet, in just two years Frank Braxton left Warner Bros. as a journeyman animator. There was still much about the craft he didn’t know, but he had some talents to help him. He was a good actor, and a musician. He also felt compelled to make good. Why? At least one of the reasons was because he was black.
Though some animation old timers insist the “door was always open,” it was difficult for people of color to get into the animation business in those days. Back then there was no such thing as training for animation. You just walked into a studio and hung around until somebody gave you something to do. That’s pretty good for people who could be invisible in the surroundings, but in those days for blacks to get any kind of job of prestige was very rare. Most black artists preferred to go into the broader fields of illustration and painting. The field of animation was highly specialized, and few black artists even knew about it.
I met Frank Braxton in the early sixties. Like all young animation artists I still had pixie dust in my eyes and saw nothing but boundless opportunities. My animation partner, Leo Sullivan and myself, began to hang out with Frank, and he became our mentor. As young guys struggling to find our way in the business, it was great to have the advice of an “old pro.” Over time, we began to learn that Frank had serious issues. He would caution us about our cheery optimism, and made us aware of the “sharks” that inhabited the “tanks” of the Hollywood studios. He was also impatient with the lack of progress besetting people of color in the business. There were no black directors, producers or department heads. Frank was not a bitter man, but it was clear he was growing impatient.
In time, Frank became president of the Los Angeles chapter of ACIFA, an animation organization that continues today. Yet, Frank was growing more impatient. He wanted to direct, and he wanted his own studio. During this time, there was a lot of self- awareness in the black community, and Frank felt there should be a black studio to give young black artists a greater opportunity. He wanted to give these kids a “way out.” Frank was enthusiastic about animation, but worried that he didn’t always have all the answers. Kids were always coming up to him and saying, “How can I get a job?” The Bill Cosby “Fat Albert” special had been on television, and one of the artists gave Frank a box of animation cels to show the kids in his class. The kids had great enthusiasm for animation, and having Frank Braxton as an instructor was a constant reminder that they could make it if they worked hard enough.
Frank preferred freelancing to taking a full time gig in a mainstream studio. He animated on a number of commercials for small production houses around town and worked on the “Peanuts” specials for Bill Melendez, and “Bullwinkle” for Jay Ward. He animated “Mr. Magoo,” Cap’n Crunch,” and a host of other characters. The last time I saw Frank was at Jay Ward’s studio out on Sunset Boulevard. I still remember Frank dressed in his cool sixties garb with his guitar leaning against his drawing table. He always had a theatrical quality about himself. He was a natural performer, which is why his animation was so good.
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