'Donald Duck', 1976.
Frank Smith was an American animator and comic artist. Between 1976 and 1986 he was the third artist to continue the 'Donald Duck' newspaper strip, He was also the original creator of a celebrity comic based on comedian W.C. Fields, which ran between 1982 and 1983.
Early life and career
Charles Francis Smith was born in 1908. According to comic historian Alberto Becattini, he worked for various animation studios from 1935 to 1972, including Harman-Ising, before joining the comics department of the Disney Studios.
Donald Duck
Between 1973 and 1976, Smith drew 'Donald Duck' comic book stories in cooperation with inker Steve Steere, which were produced for the studio's foreign licensees. He took over the 'Donald Duck' newspaper strip from Frank Grundeen in 1976, and continued it until his death in November 1986. During Smith's run, the gags were written by Greg Crosby (1976-1979) and Bob Foster (1980-1986). He was succeeded as the strip's artist by Frank Smith (1976-1986), Jim Franzen (1986), Daan Jippes (1986-1987), Ulrich Schröder (1986), Jørgen Klubien (1986), Tony Strobl (1986-1987), Bill Langley (1987), Pete Alvarado & Larry Mayer (1987-1989) and Larry Knighton (1990-1995).
Cover artwork for Marvel's Hanna-Barbera books (art by Smith, lay-outs by Mark Evanier).
Hanna-Barbera comics
Smith also did art on Hanna-Barbera comic books like 'Laff-a-Lympics', 'The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera' and 'TV Stars' for Marvel Comics in 1978-1979.
W.C. Fields
On 31 October 1982 writer Jim Smart launched a newspaper strip, 'W.C. Fields', based on classic film comedian W.C. Fields (1880-1946) for the L.A. Times Syndicate, drawn by Smith. While the actor was known for his misanthropic nature, heavy drinking and many other bad habits, the comics version was a rather toned-down version. The initiative was additionally remarkable since Fields had been dead for over 35 years and was largely gone from the public's attention. By June 1983, Smith and Smart were removed from the project. Fred Fredericks became the new artist, while W.C. Fields' grandson Ronald J. Fields took care of the gags. However, the strip presumably ended somewhere in August 1983.
Homonym confusion
This Frank Smith should not be confused with Frank A. Smith (1911-1975), who was an animator on 'Mr. Magoo' and 'Gerald McBoing-Boing' for UPA and for several TV specials based on Charles M. Schulz' 'Peanuts' for Lee Mendelsohn in the 1950s and 1960s.
'W.C. Fields', 1983.