Film Short: FAMOUS CARTOONISTS (1950)

From the SCREEN SNAPSHOTS series of films, here is FAMOUS CARTOONISTS, a six-minute short subject all about our "funny papers habit." Narrated by Jack Benny's own Don Wilson, and with the cooperation of the National Cartoonists Society and the U.S. Savings Bonds Division of the Treasury Department, we get to see, in order of appearance, these 44 cartoonists:

          Gus Edson

Rick Yeager

Clifford McBride 

Milton Caniff 

Walt Disney

Ham Fisher

Tony DiPreta

Jimmy Swinnerton

J.P. McEvoy

Al Vermeer

Jay Irving

George McManus

Elmer Mesner

Roy Justice

Cecil Jensen

Elmer Woggon

Lank Leonard

Fred Neher

Scott Fisher (editorial cartoonist Minneapolis Tribune)

Joe Long (editorial cartoonist Chicago Sun-Times)

Frank Willard

Raymond Van Buren

Alfred Andriola

Mel Casson

Merrill Blosser

Bruce Russell 

George Baker

William de la Torre

Chic Young

Allen Saunders

Reg Manning

Milt Gross

Gus Arriola

John Pierotti

Ray McGill

Henry F----- (not a dirty word - I just didn't catch it; created "Joe Jinx" comic strip)

Ving Fuller

Charles Biro

Meyer Mayo (unsure of name; a Hollywood Citizen News editorial cartoonist)

Don Trachte

Bill Holman

Howard Sparber

Al Posen

Ferd Johnson

The clip runs about four minutes shy of its reported 10 minute length. Regardless, this is a terrific chance to see all these fellows, all in suit and tie, eating and drinking while Mr. Wilson reels off their cartoon stats.

Who's missing? NCS President Rube Goldberg. This was shot in California, so maybe Mr. Goldberg stayed home in New York.

What's different now? Obviously, what's changed is that cartooning is no longer an exclusive white boys club. The cartooning field is no longer so formally attired, either.

EDIT: My thanks to Larry Rippee for citing the "Henry F-----" person. He writes: "That's probably Henry Formhals. He didn't create Joe Jinks but he drew the Sundays for many years." Thanks, Larry!

 

 This is an edited version of an original blog entry from February 3, 2014.