Al
Bohl is producing a documentary about the 1918
Tarzan of the Apes
film that was partially made in his home state of Louisiana.
He attended the 2009
Dum-Dum where he interviewed many of the dedicated ERB fans and scholars
for the documentary. Accompanied Al was his daughter Allison, who is an
accomplished film producer.
To date he has been on the Tarzan swamp tour where
they shot the 1918 film and has interviewed people in Morgan City with
knowledge of the filming process. He has heard from many people who
are fans of the film. Unfortunately the city archive is very small but
they do have a spear that the natives carried. He has also been contacted
by a man who owns a boat used in the movie. It was exhibited at the '84
World's Fair and is now in a boat museum in South Louisiana. He is still
hoping to meet someone who was in the film over 90 years ago.
Before arriving at the Dayton convention he and
Allison spent a day at the Ekstrom Library in the University of Louisville
where they got invaluable interview footage with George McWhorter and a
full tour of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Memorial Collection.
A highlight of the Dayton Dum-Dum was Al's presentation
in which he showcased an overview of the project and shared some of the
raw footage. He also took away new footage which showed the dedication
of ERB fans in a convention setting.
Following the Dum-Dum Al moved on to California
where he visited ERB, Inc. in Tarzana and also interviewed many Hollywood
notables, including Elmo Lincoln's daughter Marci'a Lincoln.
Al may be contacted at: al@albohl.com
Phone: 1.318.426.8530
AL
BOHL: A MAN OF MANY TALENTS
Animator and Author
In addition to Al's talents as a documentarian he
is also a respected animator and author.
Bossier City artist is 'Way Out There!'
Shreveport
Times ~ July 22, 2009
Bossier City artist Al Bohl has always had a love of the arts and a
sense of humor to match.
That love has led to a deal that may strike gold. Bohl recently finalized
a development deal for his cartoon series "Way Out There!"
"I'd been working about a year and a half when I got the call from Canada,"
Bohl said.
Toronto-based animation and distribution company 9 Story Entertainment
bought the concept and is making a pilot about a boy who attends a boarding
school on the Planet Nu-B-On. The fish-out-of-water story has the boy as
an intergalactic foreign exchange student whose best friend is in a city
in a glass jar, whose bully is a jock and whose teacher goes by "Blah Blah."
The deal is even sweeter because for the last 10 years, Bohl has been
the art director at Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center in Shreveport.
During the summers, Bohl teaches cartooning and animation classes for all
ages through the Continuing Education Department of LSUS.
For years, Bohl had been developing "Way Out There!" and pitching the
concept at festivals and animators workshops. At the Ottawa International
Animation Festival, Bohl was approached by 9 Story. The story is meant
to appeal to young boys who can identify with the main character.
"We were thrilled to be introduced to such a fresh and highly creative
property," said Liliana Vogt, vice president of development for Story 9,
in a release. "Al's designs and concept for the series instantly resonated
with our sensibilities, our brand and our objective, which is to find unique,
character-driven comedy material with solid international appeal."
Bohl has been freelancing his cartoon ideas since earning his bachelor
of arts degree in liberal and fine arts in 1984 from LSUS. All told, he
has designed covers for and written or illustrated nearly 50 books, including
his futuristic superhero, Zaanan.
He is married to Doris Gibson who has worked as a surgical nurse for
the past 20 years. They have three grown children. Capt. Aaron Bohl is
a Cobra Attack Helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marines. Allison Bohl is a
filmmaker who mostly produces documentaries. Allison and her co-producer,
Connie Castille, were selected as the Louisiana Filmmakers of the Year
in 2007 for their film "I Always Do My Collars First." Al and Doris' youngest
son, Alex Bohl, a recent La. Tech graduate and works at CenturyLink in
Monroe.
Al Bohl is always willing to talk to others about cartooning and the
arts. He can be reached by e-mail at al@albohl.com
Allison and Al
Songwriter and Recording
Artist
Listen to a sample of Al's songwriting and vocals on the following recordings:
Oh My Famous Last Words
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/av/famouslastwords.mp3
"I wrote this for my father. He will always
be my hero. He was a strong, former Marine, who taught me to be a
good person and father. I finished recording this song before he
died and he asked me to play it during his funeral. I always envisioned
Johnny Cash recording it but he died before I could get it to him."
Someone To Love
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/av/someonetolove.mp3
"I wrote this one for Allison when she began to take boys more serious.
I always tried to teach her to "guard her heart." Naturally, she
was dating a guitar player at the time."
You Moved Me
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/av/youmovedme.mp3
"I wrote and recorded this for my wife for an anniversary a couple
of years ago. This past August we celebrated 34 years together."
