Happy 93rd Birthday, Mort Gerberg!

Mort Gerberg wrote this very kind comment on March 9th on my Facebook page.

I have known Mort since the late 1980s when I took a cartooning class from him at the New School for Social Research. Later, I would see him in the now-old New Yorker offices in Times Square on Tuesdays, and a number of us would go out to lunch after showing our roughs to Bob Mankoff.

As you guys know, I had posted about listening to old Fibber McGee and Molly shows. That's what got this reaction. I had also noted that it had been five years since Mort's big career retrospective at the Museum of the City of New-York.

"Fibber McGee and Molly was one of my favorite shows, too, Mike..when listening to all those radio shows formed my earliest education (and least expensive, too) for what was funny ... and what wasn't. Haven't thought about it in years, but just listening, forced us all to create the pictures we imagined inside our own heads. I remember usually mentioning in my classes, things like Jack Benny doing his bit about walking to his vault where he kept his money. Do you remember those classes? Anyhow, Mike, I wanted to thank you, belatedly, for posting those photos and remembrances --- I was also surprised that it's been five years since the opening night ----of my retrospective. But, as the old saying goes --- I couldna' done it without you....Best in class!"

 

 

A few days after he posted this on my Facebook page, Mort celebrated his 93rd birthday by downhill skiing at Beaver Creek Ski Resort in Colorado with his daughter and grandson. Check out his Instagram.

 

Well, I sure remember being a kid and listening to old radio show recordings and trying to figure out why something was funny and why people laughed at certain things. And I sure remember the classes and the amount of work that went into creating a gag cartoon batch. And how relentless you have to be when working and that you have to treat it like work, drawing and writing every day.  

I am blushing, but thanks so much for the very kind words and I am so glad to be part of the cartooning world. You are a dear friend.