Cartoonists at the Theatre: Turn to the Right, 1916
We have one more cartoonist-illustrated theater giveaway for April Fools’ Month, advertising the travelling comedic play Turn to the Right, showing at Garrick Theatre in Philadelphia during the Christmas Season. (An internet search shows this play was at that theater during Christmas 1916, so unless it played there in other years on Christmas as well, [...]
April 1st
To open April Fools’ Month, we present two pages from the 1925 collection, Cartoons from Life, in which artist Ellison Hoover uses contemporary comic strip characters to communicate editorial opinions (above), and to “improve” famous paintings (below). Comic strips involved in these parodies include: Polly and Her Pals; Bringing Up Father; Captain and the Kids [...]
Leavin’ Marks # 690
Here’s a look at DC’s licensed Bomba comic book from the sixties, easily my favorite Jack Sparling artwork. http://ripjaggerdojo.blogspot.com/2012/04/b-is-for-bomba.html One of my all-time favorite funny comic books, here’s Fractured Fairy Tales, based on the Jay Ward cartoon. http://www.bigblogcomics.com/2012/04/fractured-fairy-tales-october-1962.html Here’s a lovely gallery of the legendary cartoonist George McManus whose Bringing Up Father outlasted [...]
Bringing Up Father & Katzenjammer Kids Plays
This week in our ongoing Theatrical Cartoons series, a few examples of ads for plays based on popular comic strip series. Above, a flyer for Bringing Up Father in Gay New York, based on the newspaper strip by George McManus. Below, two more Bringing Up Father ads, this time in the form of ink blotters. [...]
Randall Enos: Political Cartoonist!
The news broke on August 26th, in Daryl Cagle’s blog. The headline read, New Syndicated Editorial Cartoonist: Randall Enos! This sleepy journalist, who dozes through nearly every development and deadline, sat up and noticed. Randall Enos, illustrator extraordinaire whose work has been featured by all the old grey ladies (The New Yorker, The Wall Street [...]
Local Vanity Cartoon Books — As We See ‘Em, Part 2
Last Monday, in Part 1, we introduced the As We See ‘Em books, explaining how those appearing in the books, paid to appear in them, caricatured by cartoonists from their city’s local newspaper(s). It was considered good advertising — not only of your business, but of your social status in the community. Below, left-to-right: An eye doctor Bill [...]
This Day in Arf History: Zeke Zekley is Born
On this day in 1915 comic illustrator Zeke Zekley was born in Chicago. After being laid off from Disney he was hired as a worthy, long time, assistant to George McManus on the great Bringing Up Father comic strip.
This Day In Arf History: The Birth of George McManus
Born on this day in 1884, George McManus began his cartooning career at the tender age of 16, as an artist for the St. Louis Republic. Later he joined the New York Journal American, for which he created his hit “Bringing Up Father” strip. It was syndicated internationally by King Features. One of the popular [...]
