[2] He attended DeWitt Clinton High School and New York University, where he drew cartoons for humorous college magazines.

He worked as an in-betweener and inker on the 1939 animated film Gulliver's Travels, and later became a gag writer for the Popeye and Betty Boop cartoon series, among others.

He later wrote a book, The Amazing Camouflage Deceptions of World War II, drawing on his wartime experience.

[5] After the war, Reit did cartoon work for Archie and Little Lulu, and wrote gags for some of the new Casper animated shorts that were being produced.

In 1950 he started working for the publications department of the Bank Street College of Education in New York, and also scripted industrial films and radio shows.