Film-Maker Wilbur J. Streech of Fullerton Dies in New York

Film-maker and Fullerton native Wilbur J. Streech, who helped produce “Bambi,” “Fantasia,” “Pinocchio” and Brylcreem’s “A little dab will do you” television commercial, has died in a New York hospital after a long illness.

A graduate of Fullerton High School, Streech was recently selected for the school’s “Wall of Fame,” a campus display. The induction will take place posthumously in ceremonies scheduled for Oct. 17, according to Helen S. Clucas of Orange, Streech’s sister.

A 1937 graduate of UCLA, Streech worked as a character development supervisor and film artist for Walt Disney. He animated U.S. Army training films during World War II and held the rank of captain.

After the war, Streech and some friends formed Triangle Films, later Wilbur Streech Productions, which specialized in television commercials, among them promotional clips featuring Carl Reiner and Imogene Coca for their program “Show of Shows.”

He also produced an abstract art film, “Moving Visuals,” which won first prize at the San Francisco and Atlanta international film festivals.

Streech retired in 1967 but then studied printmaking with David Finkbeimer at the Pratt Graphic Center and produced highly regarded serigraphs, some of which are being shown in a Nyack, N.Y., art gallery.

His last print currently appears on the cover of the Original Print Collectors Group Ltd. catalogue.

In addition to his sister, Streech is survived by his wife, Marion, and daughter, Karen, both of Palisades, N.Y., and his brother, Avery Streech of Orange.