Leonard "Lenny" Lipton (born May 18, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York) is an
American author, filmmaker, lyricist and inventor. At age 19, Lipton
wrote the poem that became the basis for the lyrics to the song "Puff
the Magic Dragon". He went on to write books on independent filmmaking
and become a pioneer in the field of projected three-dimensional
imagery. His technology is used to show 3D films on more than 25,000
theater screens worldwide.Lipton majored in physics at Cornell
University after starting out in electrical engineering. A
self-described "mediocre student", he only excelled once he found a
field he loved. Lipton now urges schools to be more "accepting of
eccentric people with a different point of view because we are the
people who make the difference."Lipton was 19 when he wrote the poem
that was adapted into the lyrics for the 1963 song "Puff the Magic
Dragon", performed by Peter Paul and Mary. His inspiration was a 1936
Ogden Nash poem, "The Tale of Custard the Dragon". "Pirates and
dragons, back then, were common interests in stories for boys," Lipton
said. "The Puff story is really just a lot like Peter Pan.†Lipton
has spent years denying that the song was about marijuana and believes
that the myth was created by New York columnist Dorothy Kilgallen.In
the 1960s, Lipton shot several experimental films on 16 mm stock, most
with running times of less than 10 minutes. The best known, Let a
Thousand Parks Bloom, a 27-minute film about Berkeley's People's Park,
played at the Tate Liverpool Museum and the Whitney Museum of American
Art. The following decade, he wrote two books on technologies and
methods for independent filmmakers: The Super 8 Book (1975) and
Independent Film Making (1979). Lipton on Filmmaking, a compendium of
his magazine writings, was also published in 1979.
American author, filmmaker, lyricist and inventor. At age 19, Lipton
wrote the poem that became the basis for the lyrics to the song "Puff
the Magic Dragon". He went on to write books on independent filmmaking
and become a pioneer in the field of projected three-dimensional
imagery. His technology is used to show 3D films on more than 25,000
theater screens worldwide.Lipton majored in physics at Cornell
University after starting out in electrical engineering. A
self-described "mediocre student", he only excelled once he found a
field he loved. Lipton now urges schools to be more "accepting of
eccentric people with a different point of view because we are the
people who make the difference."Lipton was 19 when he wrote the poem
that was adapted into the lyrics for the 1963 song "Puff the Magic
Dragon", performed by Peter Paul and Mary. His inspiration was a 1936
Ogden Nash poem, "The Tale of Custard the Dragon". "Pirates and
dragons, back then, were common interests in stories for boys," Lipton
said. "The Puff story is really just a lot like Peter Pan.†Lipton
has spent years denying that the song was about marijuana and believes
that the myth was created by New York columnist Dorothy Kilgallen.In
the 1960s, Lipton shot several experimental films on 16 mm stock, most
with running times of less than 10 minutes. The best known, Let a
Thousand Parks Bloom, a 27-minute film about Berkeley's People's Park,
played at the Tate Liverpool Museum and the Whitney Museum of American
Art. The following decade, he wrote two books on technologies and
methods for independent filmmakers: The Super 8 Book (1975) and
Independent Film Making (1979). Lipton on Filmmaking, a compendium of
his magazine writings, was also published in 1979.
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