From the Dick Buchanan Files: Jaro Fabry Gag Cartoons 1943 - 1952

Today, Dick Buchanan does a deep dive with a selection of gag cartoons from one particular gag cartoonist. Well known in his time, and widely published, Jaro Fabry (1912-1953), passed away at his home at 809 Bronx River Road at the age of thirty eight. His death was described as unexpected, wrote the New York Times. His work, like the glamorous world it depicted, has faded away, but Dick has a lot more examples from his expansive Cartoon Clip File. Thanks, and take it away, Dick!

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JARO FABRY
Gag Cartoons 1943 - 1952

Many of the gag cartoonists whose work appeared in the national weekly magazines during the mid-20th century were full time freelancers. But there were many others for whom gag cartooning was a side gig. One of the most notable of these was Jaro Fabry, the brilliant artist and illustrator who chronicled the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. Beginning in the early 1930s, Fabry illustrated Hollywood nightlife, alluring pinups and good girls for more than two decades. 

Born in 1912, Fabry attended Yale and the Art Students League. Fabry was part of Collier’s great stable of artists, contributing 10 covers and many gag cartoons to the magazine over the years. His drawings also appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Harper’s, Cinema Arts and True Magazine among others.
A wonderful collection of his work, Jaro Fabry: The Art of Fashion, Style, And Hollywood In The 1930s, was published by Hermes Press in 2014.

Here, extracted from the Cartoon Clip File, is a collection of Jaro Fabry’s gag cartoons . . .


1. JARO FABRY. Collier’s October 23, 1943.

2. JARO FABRY. Collier’s November 11, 1945.

 

3. JARO FABRY. Collier’s September 14, 1946.

 

4. JARO FABRY. Collier’s September 21, 1946.

 

5. JARO FABRY. Collier’s November 30, 1946.

 

6. JARO FABRY. Collier’s May 31, 1947.

 

7. JARO FABRY. Collier’s August 2, 1947.

 

8. JARO FABRY. Collier’s September 20, 1947.

 

9. JARO FABRY. Collier’s November 29, 1947.

 

10. JARO FABRY. Collier’s October 30, 1948.

 

11. JARO FABRY. True Magazine November , 1948.

 

12. JARO FABRY. 1000 Jokes Magazine Spring, 1950.

 

13. JARO FABRY. Collier’s May 20, 1950.

 

14. JARO FABRY. Collier’s March 1, 1952.

 

15. JARO FABRY. Collier’s March 22, 1952.

 

Scott Chantler's #Supetember Drawings

 

Eisner-nominated comic book artist Scott Chantler has been redrawing panels from Action Comics #1 in his own style for #Supetember. He's making a month's-worth of these modern redraws of Joe Shuster's original layouts, creating a panel a day on his Instagram page -- along with a photo of the 1938 original panel next to his. It's a lot of fun to see. 

New England College Institute of Art and Design: Post-Pandemic Themed New Yorker Cover Assignment Spring 2022

One of the projects for the undergrad History of Illustration class I teach at New England College is to create a New Yorker cover. The theme: "Life in a Post-Pandemic World." Here are a few of the results shared with permission:

 

Aaryn O'Brien:

Alexandra Buciak:

Caroline Cupples:

Charli Perry:

Isabella Del-Orfano:

Isaiah Legette:

Izzy Usle:

Kay Stanley:

From 2021:

New England College Institute of Art and Design: Post-Pandemic Themed New Yorker Cover Assignment

Virgil "VIP" Partch: 1961 BIG GEORGE Tour Part 2

Here's the second 1961 Seattle Times news story on Virgil "VIP" Partch's Northwest tour promoting his syndicated panel "Big George." Phil Interlandi, as well as their spouses, came along for the trip.

 Part one is here.

Left to right: Mrs. Phil Interlandi, Mrs. Virgil E, Partch, and Mrs. George Mucey. Visiting wives look over schedule for Toastmasters International Convention.

July 27, 1961 -- from a Seattle Times news story written by Walli Zimmerman:

Are the men who draw cartoons just as amusing in everyday life? "We think they're pretty funny," two lovely Seattle visitors chimed in unison. And they should know.

They are the women "behind the drawing boards" of Mr. Virgil F, Partch and Mr. Phil Interlandi, noted freelance cartoonists. (In addition to doing freelance work, Mr. Partch is the originator of the syndicated  "Big George" cartoon series which appear in in The Times.)

The wives, as quick-witted as their cartooning husbands, arrived in Seattle yesterday, accompanying their spouses to the 30th annual convention of Toastmasters International, at the Olympic Hotel today through Saturday. The Interlandis are from Laguna Beach, Calif. He is art director of the Toastmasters. Mr. Partch will be a guest speaker at tomorrow's session.

Mrs. Partch, tall and stately, broke into a smile describing "packing problems" for the trip to Seattle from their home in Capistrano Beach, Calif. "It was no problem for Virgil," she said. "He just puts his paper and pencils in a suitcase and announces, 'Well, I'm packed!'"

-- From an original blog entry of 9/23/13.

Virgil "VIP" Partch: 1961 BIG GEORGE Tour Part 1

Some rare photos of the cartoonist Virgil VIP Partch, along with a 1961 Seattle Times article on his syndicated BIG GEORGE panel..

Below: a BIG GEORGE Sundaty page from January 22, 1961 via Ger Apeldoorn.

July 26, 1961:

Big George has come to Seattle.

It probably doesn't need to be said, but Big George is the bombastic, needle-nosed character who appears daily in the pages of the Seattle Times.

BIG GEORGE is the "man" most men would like to be -- including his creator Virgil (Vip) Partch, who is in Seattle too.

Partch and Big George plan to prowl through Seattle checking on Seafair, hydroplanes, the Century 21 Exposition, totem poles and ferryboats.

Big George's reactions to it all will be shown to Times readers in several special cartoons.

Partch was invited to Seattle to address a luncheon of the 30th Annual International Toastmasters Convention Friday. The cartoonist arrived at the Tacoma-Seattle Airport yesterday, accompanied by his wife, Helen. He spoke at a luncheon of the Seattle Rotary Club today.

With the Partches were Mr. and Mrs. Phil Interlandi. Interlandi is a free-lance cartoonist and art director for the Toastmasters.

BIG GEORGE flew into Seattle too, bottled up in Partch's pen, nimble fingers and his humor-seeking eyes. Who, what and why is Big George?

"He has given the American male a shot in the arm," Partch said. "In American humor the male is the fall guy, a goof. We wanted to develop a fellow who occasionally will not end up with the short end of the stick.

"He's a wonderful release. I'd like to be like this guy. I want to have the nerve to tell the waiter to take the steak back, but ...

"He's part of my belief that this is not a matriarchal society, that life is a 50-50 deal."

Bog George was not an overnight inspiration. Something had been tickling Partch's mind for year. That something was Big George.

Big George came to life in a studio built over a garage at Partch's home in Capistrano, California.

A former Seattle cartoonist, Dick Shaw, helps Partch.

Although he has been away since 1922, Partch, 44, feels closer to Seattle than any other city because it is the original home of some well known cartoonists, including Dick Shaw, Irwin Caplan and Hank Ketcham.  Caplan still lives here.

Seattle was familiar to the young Partch, who was reared in Alaska. He was born on St. Paul island, Alaska, where his father was stationed as a Navy radioman.

The cartoonist has been selling his work to national magazines for many years. He became a hero of servicemen during the Second World War for his pen and ink jousting with the military.

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Related:

MAN THE BEAST Parts one, two, three
Rare illustrations for BY THE NUMBERS
VIP's ARMED FARCES
Color TRUE magazine Illustrations
Partch's table gnawing frenzy




-- From an original blog entry of 7/19/12.

SUMMER DAZE Cartoons

Quick! Before it's officially Autumn ... !

Here are some scans of the cartoons in the Scholastic Paperback SUMMER DAZE, which came out in 1961. It was edited by Ann McGovern and is copyright 1961 by Scholastic Magazines, Inc.

It's a collection of corny riddles and jokes, coupled with a bunch of cartoons. The perfect thing to read on the bus ride to summer camp. Matter of fact, the back cover (reproduced below) advises the young reader that "you'll need jokes in your baggage."

Some of the cartoons are credited to "The Ben Roth Agency." Ben Roth was one of four cartoonist brothers. My cartoonist friend Eli Stein has more about them here. Ben was a busy gag cartoonist who started his own agency, selling cartoons to other markets and abroad. I believe the uncredited page below came from his agency:

The Ben Roth Agency

Joseph Kiernan

Orlando Busino, whose work I love:

Harry Mace, the prolific:

Al Kaufman, who seems to be using a dry brush or a dry-ish pen technique:

Al Kaufman

Maybe my favorite cartoon in the collection, also by Al Kaufman:

Joseph Kiernan

Al Kaufman

Vahan Shirvanian with one that made me smile:

Herb Green

Peter Porges

R.M. Markey with a fun gag, beautifully executed. One of these gag cartoonists that I have not heard of before now! 

My great friend, Don Orehek:

Reg Hider

The Scholastic pitch to form a Book Club!

Al Kaufman provides the back page silent three panel gag: