The Belongings

Recovering the Art, Photos,
Songs & Life of Sam Rosen

Black and white photo of a man Sam Rosen in a cardigan against a plain blue background.

Sam Rosen lived a storied life. Born in 1925, he served his country in World War Two. He spent much of his career working in Hollywood, writing cartoons, including MGM’s Phantom Tollbooth film. Arrested by vice squad for the “crime” of being homosexual, he became increasingly consumed by paranoid beliefs that government agents were after him, causing him to be institutionalized against his will sometime in the 1970s.

Over the decades, however, Rosen quietly created a vast collection of impressive work— from songs to optical illusions— that never found an audience beyond his ever-shrinking circle of friends. In his late 70s, he became homeless. He died in 2005 shortly after turning 80, leaving behind a legacy as a gifted but troubled outsider artist.

Songs by Sam

A sampling of the over 120 song demo recordings that I have digitized by Sam. He wrote folk songs, children’s songs and musical theater songs. He frequently performed in the 1960s or 1970s at the Hootenanny Night at The Troubador in West Hollywood, a legendary event that launched the careers of Tom Waits, Hoyt Axton, and more.

A handwritten list o song titles by Sam Rosen with some printed labels, next to a cassette tape. The list is titled 'MY SONGS' and includes titles like 'A LETTER FROM A WITCH' and 'THE LADYBUG SONG,' along with additional notes and checkmarks.

The Ladybug Song
A tale of loneliness. It tells the story of an unnamed doodlebug who falls hopelessly in love with an inanimate object, a tin pin shaped like a ladybug.

La Cucaracha
A wry political song that uses a cockroach as a mean to discuss the virutes of protecting the defenseless.

Love Is All
A song about Sam’s core belief.

I Know What Is So Is So
A haunting, folksy blues ballad about the need for kindness.

Catcher In The Rye
A song about the fear of growing up.

Over Your Shoulder
A song about missing someone and being missed.

With A Whimper Not A Bang
A lyrical reflection on the reality of legacy.

Very Nice To Have Had You
A song about longing for someone who is no longer there. The vocals are likely Carleton Carpenter, who once had a top 10 song in 1951, Abba Dabba Honeymoon. Carpenter mostly wrote the music for the song, Sam wrote the lyrics.

Life And Death Song

A song about getting the most of life in the face of mortality.

People Hate People
Sam’s take on how society treats one another.

Good Sam
Sam shot a Children’s TV show pilot called Good Sam and His Lady. His sidekick being a ladybug. The footage is MIA but a few photos exist. It’s not clear if this song, Good Sam, was in it, but it’s fun to imagine.

The No No People
A kid-friendly song about the importance of ignoring the doubters and naysayers in life.

Upside Down Faces by Sam

Here are some of Sam’s optical illusions. He drew hundreds, if not thousands, of "upside down faces" over the years. He was obsessed with them ever since he was a boy, when he saw a page of optical illusions in the comics section of a newspaper.

A line drawing of a sad person's face with tears, glasses, and a beard, accompanied by the words "You see?" at the top and "This, too, shall pass" at the bottom.
Black and white drawing of a man with a serious expression and an exaggerated, large face. The image is upside down. Text above the drawing says, "C.A. GOUTE PROM THE SHADOW." Below the drawing, text says, "IN THE HEARTS MEN! WHO KNOWS WHAT DARKNESS RESIDES.."
Black-and-white drawing of various Halloween characters and pumpkins, with a banner at the bottom reading 'Halloween '96' and a poem about Halloween above the characters.
Line drawing of Benjamin Franklin's face with glasses, a ruffled collar, and a small thermometer in his mouth, with the text 'MARTHA WASHINGTON' upside down above his head.
A drawn old man's face with a long beard and bald head, looking down. Above him is a scroll with the number 96 written in yellow. At the top, upside down, is text that says "Welcome, Lady Di." At the bottom, text says "Goodbye, Old Man."
A cartoon drawing of a baby with pointy ears, large eyes with spirals, and spiky hair, with text above and below the image. The text reads: "OR IN THIS SHADESPEARE'S ( THE TEMPEST )... AND PROSPERO'S SLAVE, ARIEL..?"
A sketched drawing of a child with glasses reading a book, made with red crayon on textured paper. Drawn by Sam Rosen.
A colored drawing of a happy couple, a woman with blonde curly hair and a man with gray beard, inside an iridescent red heart shape. Text at the top reads '1975: John E. Marsh, Just Married!' and at the bottom says '1995: Just Married for the Children.'
A line drawing of a woman with wild, lightning-shaped hair, her face showing a surprised or intense expression, with lightning bolts around her shoulders. The image has a caption at the bottom that reads "LIGHTNING ANIMATED HER!" and an upside-down text at the top that reads "THE GOD OF LIGHTNING!".
A caricature sketch of Joe McCarthy with exaggerated facial features, colored with watercolors, and the text 'TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY! EVEN JOSEPH MCCARTHY HAD TO SUBMIT..' above and below the drawing.
A hand-drawn illustration of a person with glasses, a beard, and a mohawk hairstyle, with the words "LIFE WHO?" written upside down above their head and the phrase "I CREATE MONSTERS" below.
A drawing of a person with large curly hair, large glasses, and a mustache. The drawing is upside down and has the text 'OLIVER KATZ 2' at the top and 'WHEN I GROW UP, I WANNA BE...' at the bottom.

Below is another optical illusion Sam created. Be warned this is Not Safe for Work.

Short Film by Sam

An impressive, 18 minute sci-fi movie that Sam made, potentially in the early 1970s, as a gift to a family who allowed him to stay as a guest. The production is elaborate, given its budget and era, featuring imaginative props, special effects, and even animation in an era when editing a film required a lot of time and equipment.

A man dressed in a tuxedo sitting at a kitchen table, holding a glass of drink.

Photos of Sam

A black-and-white portrait of a young man in a military uniform, smiling.
A person sitting at a cluttered desk using a vintage typewriter in a room decorated with a Mickey Mouse plush, a Mickey Mouse poster, a large yellow banner with red letters that says 'PARTY', and various framed pictures. The room also features a patterned wall hanging, a table lamp, and various office supplies.
A man with a shaved head and mustache sticking out his tongue, looking at a pumpkin decorated as a face with googly eyes and a tongue, on a shelf next to picture frames.
A man holding a carved pumpkin with a face, tongue sticking out, and a bowtie, with a small sign reading 'Halloween 2' in the background.
A vintage photograph from a 1966 birthday party at Betty Norton's shows a man and a woman sitting at a dinner table. The man is looking at the camera with a humorous expression, wearing a paper bib with a drawing of a kangaroo. The woman is in profile, resting her chin on her hands, wearing a white blouse and a bracelet. There are drinks and a plate of food on the table. A colorful painting or poster is hanging on the wall in the background.
Black and white photo of a man sitting, resting his head on his right hand, with a calm and slightly amused expression, dressed in a dark sweater over collared shirt with a patterned tie, in an indoor setting.
Photograph of an elderly man with glasses, a pink knit cap, and a cigarette in his mouth, standing in Times Square, New York City at night. He is wearing a jacket, a t-shirt with handwritten text 'Groucho in New York 2004', and a yellow scarf. The photo has doodles drawn on the man, including glasses, a mustache, a pipe, and a beard.
Two black-and-white photographs of the same man, one close-up portrait and one full-body shot outdoors, with trees and a fence in the background.
Two women looking at a decorated chocolate cake with a doily around it, on a dark wooden table.

Sam at Work

Sets for Sam's adaptation of Heidi at Warner Playhouse

Epic sets from Heidi at the Warner Playhouse, written and directed by Sam.

Black and white photo of four people sitting in an office, with a man playing a guitar, three others listening, and papers on a table in front of them.

Sam in a meeting at MGM, likely during the production of The Phantom Tollbooth.

During pre-production of The Phantom Tollbooth, a colleague drew Sam in a scene.

Black and white photos of a theatrical rehearsal or performance in a wood-paneled room with framed paintings, chairs, and a grand piano. The top photo shows four actors on stage, and the bottom shows actors in a scene with seated audience members.
Two men posing in front of a large angel statue with wings, one standing with hand in pocket and the other sitting, both looking upward. The setting appears to be indoors with a dark, decorated background.

Production stills from the 1967 pilot of a kid’s show that Sam hosted and filmed.

A black-and-white collage featuring a man sitting on a stool playing an acoustic guitar, with a large artistic drawing of a woman's face in the background and the text "Good Sam and his Lady."
Two black-and-white photos of a stage setup with a painted background of a large tree, hills, and a sun. The top photo shows artwork only, with a chalk drawing of a person, a bird, and faces indicating different emotions. The bottom photo shows a man playing a guitar, sitting on a barrel, acting as if he is performing, with musical instruments and a guitar case on the ground in front of him.

Sam & Public Figures

A sketch of a tall man with a big nose kneeling and giving a small child a fist bump; the child is saying 'Thanks' and is wearing a striped shirt.

A gift from comic strip pioneer Walt Kelly, who drew his signature character Pogo thanking Sam for writing something, presumably uncredited.

Black-and-white photograph of a woman with curly hair, appearing to be in thought, resting her chin on her hands near her face, with a background of exterior wall siding.

Sam’s friend, actress Elsa Lanchester, best known as the Bride of Frankenstein.

A hand-drawn Halloween scene featuring pumpkin characters with faces and limbs, a witch, bats, and a full moon with a yellow glow. The moon has the text "SAM!" and "Happy Halloween 1967!" written on it. The scene is created on lined notebook paper with various colored markers.

A Halloween greeting from the family of Ray Bradbury, drawn by his daughter.

A woman is sitting on a small wagon holding a pumpkin with a face drawn on it, dressed in a black dress with pearl jewelry. A man wearing a white suit is standing nearby. They are on a stage with a large film camera in the background, and Halloween pumpkins are on the wagon.

While filming The Trouble with Girls, actress Marlyn Mason shows Elvis Presley an Elvis pumpkin that Sam had carved.

Two carved pumpkins transformed into human-like faces with features, one with a small blue flag on top and the other with spiky hair, displayed on a surface against a plain background.

Sam-o-lanterns. On the left, Sam’s rendition of Ray Bradbury’s Illustrated Man. On the right, Sam’s depiction of Elvis.

Three young adults standing outdoors in front of bushes, one holding a watermelon on his head, during daytime.

Sam with cabaret singer and Bride of Frankenstein star Elsa Lanchester and her pianist Ray Henderson.

Black-and-white photo of two men standing indoors during Christmas in 1968, with other people in the background. The man on the left is dressed in a suit, holding a drink, and has his eyes closed. The man on the right is wearing a cardigan and has his hands in his pockets, looking to the left.

Sam with animation legend, Chuck Jones during the making of MGM’s animated film, The Phantom Tollbooth.

Sam & Ladybugs

Sam was obsessed with ladybugs. He not only wore a ladybug pin everywhere he went, but he drew numerous cartoons about the lives of ladybugs.

A simple drawing of two ladybugs, one blue and one red, with a speech bubble above them saying, 'It must have been something I ate.'

Sam’s colleagues in the animation world lovingly poked fun at his obsession with wearing a ladybug pin. They drew a series of cartoons lampooning his quirky fixation.