From the Dick Buchanan Files: Vintage Summer Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1964

I am up and out early to fulfill my daily cartoon class teaching fellowship requirements this month. In my stead, Dick Buchanan has compiled this grand collection of summer gag cartoons about the heat, ice cream, lawn mowing, boating, gardening and other summery events for your pleasure. Thanks and take it away, Dick!

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VINTAGE SUMMER
Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1964


Cool off this summer with a look at summer’s past as illustrated by the cartoonists who witnessed it all from their drawing boards . . .


1. BO BROWN. American Magazine July, 1955.

2. BRAD ANDERSON. Collier’s July 20, 1953.

3. GREGORY d’ALLESSIO. Collier’s September 6, 1947.

 
4. ROBERT DAY. The Saturday Evening Post October 10, 1953.

 
5. CHON DAY. True Magazine July, 1954.

 

6. BOB BARNES. American Legion Magazine August, 1953.

7. WALTER GOLDSTEIN. The Saturday Evening Post June 11, 1955.

8. MORT WALKER. The Saturday Evening Post June 11, 1949.

 

 

9. SIDNEY HARRIS. True Magazine August, 1964.

 

 

10. ROBERT WEBER. Look Magazine September 8, 1964.

 
11. CLYDE LAMB. The Saturday Evening Post July 1, 1950.

12. PETER VATSURES. The Saturday Evening Post April 17, 1954.

 

13. BILL RUBLE. The Saturday Evening Post July 15, 1950.

 

14. DAVE LUCAS American Magazine July, 1950.

 

15. CHARLES STRAUS. The Saturday Evening Post July 10, 1948.

 

16. DANA FRADON. Collier’s August 19, 1955.

 

17. ROBERT KRAUS. This Week Magazine April 27, 1947.

 

18. WESLEY THOMPSON. 1000 Jokes magazine August - October, 1954.

 

19. JOHN GALLAGHER. True Magazine May, 1955.

 

20. BEN THOMPSON. American Legion Magazine July, 1955.

 

The Garden As of Mid-July 2022

 

Here's the garden as of July 15, 2022. It's a busy place. That's a large bed of zinnias and runner beans on the right. 

Behind the Queen Anne's Lace is a box with an assortment of peppers, a tomato and some very happy cucumbers.

A closer angle on the box. Over the weekend I went to a Lion's Club yard sale and got some clippers and clipped that grass.

The box of tomatoes. These are overgrown and look like what they usually look like in August. 

Squash in back (which isn't getting big), some watermelon and, in front, green peppers.

On July 5th, the peppers were eaten by a deer.

But they came back rather nicely and are recovering as you can see in this July 15th photo above.

This box is squash and watermelon. Very slow growing here this year.

One of the big heirloom tomatoes.

 

Some flower photos ...

Cartoon Classes

Some photos of the white board from the three cartooning classes I’m teaching this month. Very enthusiastic elementary school kids! I draw on the board and the kids copy me, step by step, as we go along. Above: a cartoon fight. 

 

A smiling dinosaur, and, below it, a series of questions that the teacher and class presented.

 

One of a series of "what happens next?" drawings where we all draw the first panel, and then the students have five minutes to come up with what happens next. 

 

 

Using different basic shapes can reveal a lot about a character. Here are two triangle shaped heads. 

... And a student's zit-covered rendition.

The cartoon fight is always a popular event to draw. 

 

Above: a student drawing of the fight. Love her “Did you just bite me?” and "My shoe!" word balloons that she added. 

 

Keeping the drawings bold and simple is the rule to getting a lot of drawing done fast.

 

 

Some notes from my sketchbook and a page from the character grid series. See my Cartoon Class: Can You Draw 160 Cartoons? blog entry for more information. 

 

Another sketchbook page of mine. 

Very grateful to the Peterborough, NH school district for this month-long teaching residency. This is so much fun and the kids are fearless drawing machines!

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. 

National Cartoonists Society Virtual Open House July 11

The National Cartoonists Society has a virtual open house tonight -- open to members and nonmembers alike -- at 7pm Eastern Time. From the NCS:

You're invited to join us... and invited to spread the word!
🎉
https://bit.ly/NCSOpenHouseJuly2022
NCS OPEN HOUSE: Monday, July 11th 7pm Eastern
Open to non-members and current NCS members alike!
🎉
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://bit.ly/NCSOpenHouseJuly2022
🎉
Open to both current NCS members and those interested in the NCS, we will share news, do a drawing game together, hear from some of our regional chapters, and have a chance to network in small groups based on geography.  Come hang with fellow cartoonists--we look forward to seeing you there!

R.C. Harvey 1937 - 2022

Cartoonist and comics historian R.C. “Bob” Harvey has passed away. Scant details as of now. Born 1937. Adopted a rabbit as his alter ego due to his deep affection Mary Chase’s “Harvey.” Left a navy career to pursue teaching high school English, and cartoon on the side (mostly for men’s magazines). Received a Master’s from NYU and a PhD from Illinois University. He married wife Linda nee Kubicek in 1971. Four years later they welcomed twin daughters, Julia (Jill) and Katherine (Kit).

A longtime writer of cartoon and comics history. His site (as well as his long-running column for The Comics Journal) was called "rants and Raves." Perhaps best known for his mammoth Milt Caniff biography. Friendly, knowledgeable and opinionated. He was the go-to guy for comics history and will be missed by fan and pro alike. 

The Garden As of July 1, 2022

The container garden, with a couple of bags of mulch -- and my crazy structure for the runner beans to climb. Can you tell it wasn't store-bought? I knew that you could.

 

Here's the box with the runner beans and zinnias. Behind it, on the left, is a bee box which is still unattractive to the bees this year. I will have to lower the rent or something.

 

The small box there in back, has a conglomeration of plants: a tomato, some cucumbers and some Asian peppers. There is a big "mystery plant" (probably a weed) in front of the box.

 

A box of tomatoes. I have never had tomato plants this big and bushy so early in the season. The one in the front on the left is mysteriously dying and I'm hoping that the oncoming rain will revive it. Watering it with the hose has not.

 

This raised bed has, from front to back; peppers, watermelon and some squash.

 

Squash and various weeds that need to be taken out. I think there's an extra watermelon or two in there.

 Flowers ...

The front woods:

There I am!