Goodbye, Curious George's Writer - Alan Shalleck

Alan J. Shalleck

November 14, 1929 - February 6, 2006

Justice was served on 19 October, 2007. One of Shalleck's killer, Rex Ditto, 31 has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and robbery with weapon. His accomplice and gay lover, Vincent Puglisi, 56 is scheduled for trial early next year.

Bananation pays tribute to Alan J. Shalleck, co-writer of the cartoon, Curious George, the mischievious monkey who had animated the kids' world since the 1980s. With his success of the televlsion series (about 100 short episodes) on Disney Channel, he and Curious George's creator, Margret Rey, colloborated on a series of book squeals. In Singapore, Curious George was not a known cartoon character in the 1980s.

Born in Westchester County, NY, Shalleck's career in children's entertainment dated back to 1950 when he joined CBS and worked in its mailroom. A drama major from Syracuse University, he rose to become an associate producer for 'Winky Dink and You', a morning kid show which ran from 1953 to 1957. After producing numerous children's films, he formed his company and the rest are history. However, he closed down his New York production company and worked as a children story teller at the Boynton Beach Borders bookstore, Florida in the early 1990s. He formed a new company, Reading By GRAMPS, and appeared publicly at book stores and local events. He also tutored, mentored and conducted workshops on improving reading skills for kids. A man with a goal to excite children in reading, his death is a loss to the future of our kids.

Shalleck, 76 was brutally stabbed 80 times at the abodmen, neck and groin. His body was found under a pile of trash in the front yard of his impeccably landscaped mobile home at Boynton Beach. Neighbors had seen his murderers, Ditto and Vincent visiting, and police claimed that their acquaintance was through a sex club. However, Ditto claimed that Shalleck engaged his carpet cleaning service from a newspaper advertisment. Now, who's telling the truth about how they met?


Ditto's side of his story began like this: His attorny advised him to plead guilty (although he calimed that he didn't do it) and take a life sentence without the chance of parole. He intended to fire his attorney and defend himself but the judge advised against the idea in view of his mental incompetency. Ditto (inset: left) struggled with mental illness since the age of 18. He met Vincent (inset: right) in January; the relationship was short yet dramatic. Vincent initiated the breakup but returned with a pair of sneakers and a watch to win Ditto's heart. Apparently, both items became the evidences that police used against Ditto. He alleged that he was framed because Vincent knew he had a criminal record. Currently locked up in prison, Ditto passed his time studying his case. He sold his lunch to fellow inmate to buy a stamped envelope to mail a letter to the judge requesting for permission to defend himself. Maybe mental experts can save me the time of googling and enlighten me if the ability to think rationally remains in the subconscious mind of the insane?

So far, there isn't any wacko-jacko alike accusation towards Shalleck for his association with children. The divorced man maybe living a secret gay life, but he had brought 50 years of joy to generation and generation of children. I am not sure if our local papers reported this case. If they do and parents learned that shalleck was gay, I hope they would not boycott Curious George at Borders or worst, throw away what titles their kids already have. Like the late writer, the stories are innocent: let our kids continue to be curious with George.
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Curious George's official site

Curious George's movie trailer

Curious George's soundtrack - performed by Jack Johnson

A comphrensive report from PalmBeachPost.com - including detailed story of Ditto.

Is Peter Pan written for Kids?

When people talk about Peter Pan, what have you got to say? How much do you know about Peter Pan beside the flying boy who wore a green hat? Wanting to find out more about the flying Pan, I picked up the book by J. M. Barrie last week at Borders. By the first three chapters, I was already shocked at how different the book I thought it to be - a children's storybook.


Peter Pan was more than a boy who refused to grow up. He was also a sly boy who knew how to convince the innocent's hearts to have his way. He lived at Neverland with the Lost Boys, and they need a mother. So he sneaked into the Darling's family and smooth-talked his way into their little girl, Wendy's heart. He lured her and her brothers, Michael and John to Neverland (inset above). The fairy, Tinkerbell (inset above) did not welcome Peter Pan's idea because she was jealous of Wendy and she would never want Wendy to be close to Peter Pan. And Tinkerbell's help was needed for the children to get to Neverland; without the fairy's golden dust, they couldn't fly. Tinkerbell obliged out of her feeling for Peter Pan.

When I read the sentence where it explained why there weren't any girls on Neverland, I laughed. The author wrote that Lost Boys were boys who fell out of their perambulators and girls were too smart for that folly. In modern context, can this be considered as a sexist remark? Hmm...Anyway, Mr Darling's conduct was also inappropriate for kids. He fed the medicine that he hated to eat to their dog, Nana. The SPCA* would probably condemn such act as abuse to animals.

Honestly, I enjoy the book very much. Fairy tales are beyond imagination and some of the silliness in Peter Pan's story do make me laugh. As an adult, I can take whatever theme in fairy tales with a pinch of salt. But I am concerned for the kids' consumption. Tinkerbell was a damsel that kids should be discerning (which they can't at their tender age) to understand her misguided emotion beyond her cuteness. As I read further, there was a weirdness between Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbell. Somehow, it conjured up an image of a love triangle. As the tension unfolded along with their adventures, Tinkerbell decieved the Lost Boys that Wendy was a white bird and urged them to shoot her down while she was flying over Neverland. Wendy was shot but not dead. She was protected by the chain given to her by Peter Pan. Does this sound like a gift of love?


Maybe, Peter Pan was not written for children but written by an adult about children for adult readers. Its theme aside, the English in this book is not easy to understand. Am I making a fool of myself by kicking such a fuss a over a children story with a sinister's theme? Haven't we all read it in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Rapunzel and Cinderalla? Moreover, the copy of the Peter Pan that I bought was an original version used for study guide. The children's version is unlikely to be the same in depth, I guess?

The classic is an eye-opening children story for me. The last chapter can keep me pondering for ages. Peter Pan is still as young as he was in 1904; but I will grow older and older till I fade away from the earth.

* SPCA - Society to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - a Singapore's organization
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Listen to Peter Pan's song 'I can fly! I can fly! I can fly!"