#fritz siebel

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Ballantine Beer Halloween ad - artwork by Fritz Siebel (1953)

[veryslowreader]

A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock

The Crazies (1973)

[karenlacorte]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Stop That Ball!.

[midcenturyblog]

<strong>Siebel58 <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/leifpeng/">by Leif Peng</a></strong>

Publication unknown Illustrated by Fritz Siebel 1949

[onestarpicturebooks]

I can't understand why this book is so highly regarded; it has no redeeming qualities. It isn't enjoyable to read aloud. The sentences are clunky. It has no positive message. It is about a woman who goes to work as a maid for a wealthy couple ("they must be fine folks; look how rich they are!") who are haughty and unlikable. Amelia is stupid, so she screws up all her duties in amusing ways (yes, amusing if you get the jokes. The age group that this is directed toward, though, probably doesn't know what, for example, 'draw the draperies' means, and so needs an explanation of why Amelia's picture of the curtains is amusing). All is OK, though, since the employer woman apparently does anything if you feed her: Amelia makes her a pie and all is forgiven. Oh, I know -- it is just supposed to be simply an amusing book. (Look at how stupid Amelia is! Isn't that funny, sweetie?) But there are how many...millions?...of children's books that are much funnier than this, and have more going on that just some outdated picture of people who don't deserve a child's attention doing stupid things.

John reviews Amelia Bedelia

[danamartist]

Amelia Bedelia

from the Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish

I guess it’s of a piece with 2020 that one of the few fun things we can still do this year — art challenges — also had be tainted. I was caught off guard by the Inktober plagiarism scandal and still don’t know what to make of it. On the one hand, plagiarism goes completely against the spirit of artistry. On the other, I’ve been through stacks of art how-to books and rarely were they distinguishable from each other. There just aren’t that many different techniques, principles, brushstrokes, etc. Since this broke before the suspect book was released to the public and its publication is now on hold, we can’t do our own comparisons either.

I’d already planned to do the challenge earlier this year because my inking skills are getting decidedly rusty (for months now it’s been a heap of floral painting with a side of Christmas, oh the joys of working in the fabric industry) and after thinking it over, I’ve decided I’m not going to miss the chance for this extra practice. I’m skipping all the Inktober prompts, but I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite book characters, many of whom I’ve loved since childhood. First up, Amelia Bedelia.

The premise of each Amelia Bedelia book is simple and perfect: 

She is given a set of common but ambiguously-phrased instructions.

She misinterprets the instructions and chaos ensues.

Just when she’s about to be fired, she soothes her apoplectic employers with a pie so delicious, their eyes roll back in their heads and their wrath is forgotten.

On the surface, the books are about wordplay. Amelia is a natural stand-in for her young audience. When I first read the series, I was a five-year-old who was just as surprised as Amelia that anybody would ask to have their raw chicken dressed (and just as delighted as she was when she found some doll lederhosen that fit the chicken). 

But the character-driven reason for Amelia’s persistent misunderstanding is that she’s in the wrong line of work. She embodies the pathos and energy of somebody bursting with talent but stuck where they don’t belong. Why doesn’t she open a pastry shop and share her astounding pies with the world? Parish never explains, but it’s a fair guess that Amelia doesn’t have the money. The other great tragedy of the books is that each time the other characters discover and fall upon the pie, they never think to offer Amelia a single bite. The greed. The rudeness! This has bothered me for DECADES. So I drew Amelia sitting down after a hard day of wreaking havoc, finally enjoying a secret piece.

p.s. For further Amelia Bedelia love and to see some of Fritz Siebel’s wonderful original illustrations, check out this article the New Yorker did on the series.

[nellynog]

Marius Goring as Leutnant Felix Schuster in ‘The Spy in Black’ (1939). As Stormtroop Leader Fritz Gerte in ‘Pastor Hall’ (1940). As Oberst Günther von Hohensee in ‘So Little Time’ (1952). As Major General Karl Kreipe in ‘Ill Met By Moonlight (1957). As Rudi Siebel in ‘The Treasure of San Teresa’ (1959). As Oberst Elrick Olberg in ‘The Angry Hills’ (1959). As General Harras in ‘The Devil’s General’ (1960). As a German major in ‘Up From the Beach (1965). As Oberst Muller in ‘The 25th Hour’ (1967). And as Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg in ‘Fall of Eagles’ (1974).

He was interviewed by Stars and Stripes in February 1965 while filming ‘Up From the Beach’. The italics in bold are my own.

Marius Goring: A German only in the movies by James Gunter (10 February 1965) Stars and Stripes

MARIUS GORING was a homicidal maniac before World War II. He has been a Nazi officer since the war.

A character actor whose name sounds German but who is as English as afternoon tea, Goring said he once took the part of a mad killer in a London play and was immediately typed.

"From then on, it was homicidal maniacs for me," he said. "Then the war was over and I suddenly found myself a German."

Goring was in France to act the role of a Wehrmacht major in a new film about the Normandy invasion of 1944, "Up From the Beach." It makes about a dozen times that he has performed the role of a German in World War II uniform, starting as a colonel in "So Little Time" with Maria Schell. (Incorrect. He played a German submarine officer in 1939 in ‘The Spy in Black’ and a stormtroop leader in 1940 in ‘Pastor Hall’.)

"I keep going up and down in rank," he said. "Mostly I have played officers."

Actually, Goring thinks he has too much rank in his present film portrayal of a captured major who was occupation commandant of a small French village.

"It's a gross error," he said. "I should have been a sergeant."

Of his German roles, he remembers best the general he played in a picture called "Ill-Met by Moonlight" and the Luftwaffe general he did in a television film, "The Devil's General."

He said most of his own countrymen think he is German because his name is similar to that of Hermann Göering who headed the Luftwaffe in World War II.

"Goring is a completely English name," he said, pointing out such place names in England as Goring on Thames, Goring Gap and Goring on Sea in Sussex, where he came from. (Incorrect. He was born at Newport on the Isle of Wight).

"Göering came to London in 1938 and tried to find a connection with the Goring family for political reasons, but he couldn't," he said.

Adding to Goring's German image is his German wife, Lucie Mannheim, a leading actress in Germany before 1933 and after the war. Also he speaks German so well that he has appeared in Berlin theatrical presentations. (And German films such as ‘Nachts auf den Straßen’ (1952) and German TV productions).

"I was in Munich for more than a year as a student," he said. "During World War II, I talked to prisoners and got to know a certain type of senior officer and the way that they thought.”

During World War II, Goring was an enlisted man in the Queen's Royal Regiment. (He enlisted on 26 July 1940 in the Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment which was the oldest line regiment in the British army, established in 1661. Regimental Service Number: 6099377). Later, he was connected with the British Foreign Office as a political commentator making broadcasts to the German-speaking countries under the pseudonym of Charles Richardson. (His father’s first name was Charles and his maternal grandmother was a Richardson). In 1944-45, he was a member of the intelligence staff of SHAEF.

"I was then a full colonel," he said. "I used to pray, ‘Dear God, let me meet up with my old regiment. They would have had to present arms.”

Goring was trained at the Old Vic dramatic school and played with that company as well as the Royal Shakespeare company in Stratford. He still makes regular appearances in London theatres.

The actor is a big man with blond hair (actually red gold) and blue eyes. In a German uniform, he is a model for soldierly bearing.

"I trained as a dancer in the beginning and I go back to dancing class when I am in London to keep in shape," he said. "It's a form of discipline.”

How long does Goring think he will continue to be a German officer in the movies?

"Well, I hope it goes on, because I understand it," he said. "But, of course, I don't want to do it until I drop.” mariusgoring.com

[satoshi-mochida]

Gust has released new information and screenshots of Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World detailing more residents from the Arland, Dusk, and Mysterious series that will appear, the post-game “Gate of Underworld” challenge, and first-print bonus Season Pass content.

Get the details below.

■ Characters Become Residents

In Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists, characters from the 19 Atelier series titles released thus far will appear en masse. Over 100 of them in fact! Today we can confirm more new characters from the Arland, Dusk, and Mysterious series that will become residents of your town.

Arland Series

Lionela Heinze

Iksel Jahnn

Tiffani Hildebrand

Esty Airhart

Melvia Siebel

Marc McBrine

Cecilia “Ceci” Helmold

Gerhard Kohev

Chim (Male)

Chim (Female)

Rufus Falken

Filly Airhart

Dusk Series

Juris Gruden

Odelia

Marietta Muir

Ernie Lytleton

Nanaca Gruden

Awin Sidelet

Reyfer Luckberry

Katla Larchica

Jurie Crotze

Rosemia

Mysterious Series

Monika Ellmenreich

Fritz Weissberg

Leon

Tess Heitzmann

Liane Mistlud

Drossel Weissberg

Revy Berger

Angriff Dahlmann

■ Fight Off Never-ending Hordes of Monsters!

A new challenge after you clear the game!

By loading up your save data after clearing the game, a new route called the “Gate of Underworld” will appear on the field. The Gate of Underworld is a post-game element where you can take on never-ending hordes of monsters to challenge how many you can defeat. The types of monsters that appear are random, and the more you defeat, the stronger they become. Enjoy Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists in the post-game by earning experience points and seeing how far you can go.

—Hordes of monsters have appeared at the Gate of Underworld, which has suddenly appeared. Nelke and the others set out to investigate the crisis endangering their town.

—The number of battles Nelke and company face at the Gate of Underworld will be recorded. Prepare your party and items, and take on the challenge as many times as you want to get the highest record.

—Strong enemies will also appear. Starting at Battle 5, even boss-class monsters will show up.

■ First-Print Bonus Season Pass and Limited Editions Bonus Content

First-print copies of the game include a Season Pass for five pieces of downloadable content. The Season Pass includes the following:

“Gust 25th Anniversary Background Music Pack 1” (120 songs)

“Gust 25th Anniversary Background Music Pack 2” (110 songs)

“Atelier 20th Anniversary Celebration House”

“Gust-chan” as a resident for your town

“Statue of the Alchemist of the Mysterious Book”

The limited edition includes the following additional bonus content:

“Wilbell Transformation Costume” for Nelke

◆ First-Print Season Pass Content

(1) Gust 25th Anniversary Background Music Pack 1 (due out on January 31)

A background music pack that lets you change the in-game background music. It includes 120 songs from Ciel nosurge: Ushinawareta Hoshi he Sasagu Uta and Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star.

(2) Gust 25th Anniversary Background Music Pack 2 (due out on February 7)

A background music pack that lets you change the in-game background music. It includes 110 songs from Nights of Azure, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon, and Blue Reflection.

(3) Gust-chan (due out on February 14)

Gust-chan becomes a resident of your town and will lend a hand in town-building. Gust-chan will also have her own dedicated events.

(4) Atelier 20th Anniversary Celebration House (due out on February 21)

A familiar barrel-shaped house featuring Punipuni and the 20th anniversary logo.

(5) Statue of the Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (due out on February 28)

Sophie, who won the “Thank You for 20 Years of Atelier Character Poll,” in statue form.

All Season Pass content will be released individually at a later date.

◆ Premium Box and 20th Anniversary Box Editions Bonus Content

(1) Willbell Transformation Costume for Nelke

This costume will appear in both 3D models on the field, in battle, and the like, as well as in illustrations. It will be available early for buys of the limited editions, but will be released for for free for everyone else at a later date.

Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Atelier of the New World is due out for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PS Vita on January 31 in Japan, and for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC on March 26 in North America and March 29 in Europe.

View the screenshots at the gallery.

[kreativproject]

Nostalgic Illustration for Procreate

Nostalgic Illustration for Procreate

This pack is based loosely on the illustration style of one of my ALL TIME FAV childhood books, A hover Went By, which was beautifully illustrated by Fritz Siebel in a gloriously textural loose and gestural way. I’ve tried to capture the subtle, gritty effect-making, soft watercolour and graphic graininess in this pack. 

This pack contains 36 modern Unique Brushes (and 2 bonus brushes from…

[childrenslitumn]

Pages from Fritz Siebel's original dummy for Amelia Bedelia, written by Peggy Parish, with editorial notes (including the comment that the dressed chicken shouldn't be "too goulish")

[illustratediem]

"Put the lights out when you finish the living room."

Fritz Siebel for Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

[rogerwilkerson]

PJ Dreams, art by Fritz Siebel... such an fantastic surreal illustration for textron pajamas that cost $1.25 in 1947.