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 Januray 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 Parthc'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.

--



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.

Collier's Magazine Gag Cartoons 1946-47

Ger Apeldoorn shows us many, many gag cartoons from the post-war Collier's Magazine.

THE REAL BOOK OF JOKES Art by Leon Winik

This is one of those joke books for kids, full of of puns and stodgy jokes. The plastic library cover and the book's binding show it was abused and/or well loved by 57 years' of kids.




The saving grace of THE REAL BOOK OF JOKES (by Margaret Gossett, edited by Helen Hoke, published by Garden City Books in Garden City, New York in 1954) is the spot art by Leon Winik.




Some of the gags, like the "little morons" series, making fun of people who are not so full up in the brains department, would be unlikely to be published in this enlightened age.




And some (like the one above) are rather risque for a kiddy joke book!



Is the idea, above, that Mr. Revere "cut and run," offensive? Ah well, this was a different time, eh? It was back when a monkey smoking a cigarette was funny, or just the mention of "Brooklyn" in a movie would elicit some giggles. My favorite old joke of the post-war movies: NASA worker Costello mistaking the "Launch" button in the rocketship for "Lunch;" propelling him and the ship and Mr. Abbott into space.



Leon Winik was a veteran comic book illustrator, working for, among others, Archie and Timely in the 1940s and 50s. He replaced Gill Fox on the strip JEANIE from 1952 to 1953. Ger Apeldoorn posts samples at his blog.




He also was the man behind Winik Art and Film in New York City.


Related: Helen Hoke selected the jokes and Richard Erdoes drew them in JOKES, JOKES, JOKES

-- Edited from a 3/9/11 blog entry.

Mike Lynch Cartoon Books Shelfie

A few of the groaning shelves of books in the studio. Yes, I need to get rid of some of them. Too many!

Why 'Dilbert' Creator Scott Adams Supports Donald Trump

Pulitzer Winning Political Cartoonist Joel Pett Drawing

Indiana University  March 5, 2016:  Pulitzer Prize winning Political Cartoonist Joel Pett of the Lexington Herald-Leader was spoke at the In Light Human Rights Film Festival.

All of the Cartoons from THE SATURDAY EVENING POST February 6, 1960

Cover by artist John Clymer of the summit of Washington state's Snoqualmie Pass.

Here are all of the cartoons, plus some letters reacting to the Best of the Post Cartoons issue last month (links are here: part one, part two, part three and part four). This is copyright 1960 The Curtis Publishing Company.

The letters comment on the cartoons, especially on those favorite cartoonists like Marge and Mort Walker, who were left out of the Post's "Best of" issue.

You can open this another window for a much larger, readable scan.

"Best of The Post: 1946-1960" THE SATURDAY EVENING POST January 2, 1960 Part Four

The Saturday Evening Post ran a special cartoon issue in its January 2, 1960 edition, showcasing its best cartoons by decade. Here are all of the cartoons that were the best post-war Post cartoons. 

Links:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three