Bill Kresse 1933-2014 "Arrived with a pencil in my hand …."

Cartoonist Bill Kresse died on Tuesday, January 21, 2014. No cause of death was given. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine M. Kresse. There are visiting hours today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday, January 27th, 2014) at the Conway Funeral Home, in Jackson Hts., NY.  A funeral mass will be held Tuesday morning at 10:30.

Bill Kresse was a friend, and a fellow member of the Berndt Toast Gang.



I don't think that when Bill was born that the phrase "multi-tasker"had yet been coined. So, let's call Bill a renaissance man.

He admits that he's had at least five careers. "Maybe six."

"I arrived with a pencil in my hand and scribbled my way through the High School for Art and Design," he recounts in his NCS bio.

Just out of school, he found a job a bit north of the city, in a suburb, New Rochelle.

"I was awarded the princely sum of $25 and a job with Terrytoons."

The teenaged Bill Kresse got hired by none other than Mr. Paul Terry himself. Terrytoons was in high production mode after the war, churning out its cartoons for television consumption, especially Mighty Mouse and Deputy Dawg. This was, he notes, Career No. 1.

While the days he spent at Terrytoons were "great fun," he didn't find the mindless inking of animation cells to be in any way challenging.

So, he embarked on Career No. 2, "a brief stint in the world of design/drafting."

Bob Buethe writes in his Hogan's Alley magazine article Bill Kresse and "Super" Duper that Bill took an NYU cartooning class taught by veteran syndicated and gag cartoonist Dave Breger. They became friends, and Dave took Bill to some National Cartoonists Society get togethers. Dave stood for Bill, sponsoring the young man for membership to the prestigious professional organization.

During this time, Bill was selling gag cartoons at what is now referred to as "Vintage Sleaze" types of magazines, specifically one called Humorama.

He also met and married Lorraine, his wife of now over fifty years, during this time. In his NCS bio, he calls her his "fantastically talented bride," as well as a "super artist … and my severest critic." With her, and later with his beloved schnauzer Willie, they had a loving home life, settling in Jackson Heights, NY.

While Terrytoons did not in any way help him prepare for the drafting job (Career No. 2), he said it did prepare him for Career No. 3: a series of newspaper art department jobs.

It was at the NCS events that Bill, thru networking, had found jobs with the New York Herald Tribune, the Suffolk Sun, and, finally, with the art department at the Daily News.

At the News, Bill met Rolf Ahlsen. Together, they pitched a comic strip about a goofy building superintendent to Sunday editor Worth Gatewood. The News bit, and the comic strip "Super" Duper debuted in 1968. It would run for over five years, exclusively in the News.

By the early 1970s, Bill was appearing occasionally on The Joe Franklin Show, as well as presenting a weekly cartoon lesson on a live-action kids' show hosted by a young Irene Cara, titled "The Everything Show." This was his 4th career, he says.

He also found time to draw the playbills and posters for the local St. Joan of Arc Theater Group in Jackson Heights.

Mary Jane Blaney remembers. She was a young person in the 1960s and, like Bill, active in the St. Joan of Arc Theater Group. Here's her post at Legacy.com about this time:

Was so sorry to hear today that Mr. Bill Kresse has passed away. Mr. Kresse was a most talented man and wonderful person. Mr. Kresse was so supportive of the St. Joan of Arc Theater Group ( 1970's and 1980's) under the direction of Mr. Daniel Tomasselli and the St. Joan of Arc Children's Choir and Folk Group directed by Mr. Tomasselli and then Mr. Dennes Striny . I will never forget while in the folk group; playing the guitar and singing at the 10 30 am Folk Group Mass ..always looking up and seeing him sitting right in front of us and always with a smile on his face every Sunday.  

Each and every St. Joan of Arc Theater Group Production Playbill as well as, Poster for the purpose of marketing the production was designed by Bill Kresse. Thank you Mr. Kresse! You had such a positive effect on myself and all the children, teenagers and young adults you came in touch with at St. Joan of Arc, Jackson Heights through those years. My thoughts and prayers are with your wife and your family. 

May you rest in peace.  

- Mary Jane Blaney, Bayside, NY

During these years, Bill served on the board on the National Cartoonists Society and became Vice President. In 1974, he won the NCS Advertising and Illustration Division Award. During these years, he was nominated for other awards as well. Bill was awarded the prestigious NCS Silver T-Square in 1977.

Above: "The House I Live In" a coloring book by Bill Kresse.


Career No. 5: The next decade would see more freelance projects, like coloring books and comics, and AN INTRODUCTION TO CARTOONING, a how-to trade paperback cartoon book, published in 1984. In it, photos of Bill cavort with his drawings. 

In the '90s, he became a designer for Zippo lighters, as well as souvenir pins and fobs. He was VP graphic design director for a lapel pin company, specializing in designs for the Olympics, the Paralympics and their associated sponsors.

From Hogan's Alley:

He created a series of pins for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (including a collection of 12 “I Survived the Blast” pins that were conceived, drawn and rushed to the manufacturer in under four hours).

That was Career No. 6 at the very least!

Above: Bill plays the harmonica at a 2006 Berndt Toast Gang luncheon.

Bill Kresse and Rowdie the schnauzer from a 2009 Queens Courier article. (Willie the schnauzer had passed away, and Rowdie was their new pup.)

Bill was a fellow member of the Berndt Toast Gang, the legendary chapter of the National Cartoonists Society. He always brought his harmonica to the meetings. Sometimes he would play a melody, other times accompany any birthday announcements with the birthday song. Most often, Lorraine would be sitting next her husband, smiling.

The last time I had lunch with Bill, it was a few blocks from the old Daily News building. It was just the two of us. He had come in from Queens and I had taken the subway from Brooklyn. We were at the old watering hole The Overlook Lounge, which used to be called Costello's. It was the place to hang out if you were a cartoonist (along with The Pen and Pencil and The Palm).  We arrived at 2 o'clock. Late for lunch, but your get 2-for-one drink specials! And they really do have great food.

Bill had a stack of new gag cartoons that he had drawn and he hauled them out. He spread them on the table and talked about them. He was drawing some editorial cartoons for the Queens Courier at that time. Bill always spoke to me like an equal, despite me having only been in the cartooning business for a fraction of the time he had been. He was a generous soul.

Enthusiastic, and knowledgable, Bill never stopped drawing and thinking cartoons -- and getting them out to markets. Or, for that fact, loving Lorraine and schnauzers. Like so many of us, cartooning had infused itself in his soul. The scribbling that had begun in high school had never stopped. For a man like that, there is no retirement.

Above: one of the cartoon walls at the Overlook Lounge. Bill's Super Duper drawing is there to the right of Sy Barry's Phantom.

Related:
Vintage Sleaze Bill Kresse Master Cartoonist
Scott Edelman Remembers Bill Kresse
Daily News Annnouncement
Hogan's Alley: Bill Kresse and "Super" Duper
Italian site (translated) AFNews
Bill Kresse, Longtime O'Dwyer's Illustrator, Dies

Sandy Fries Remembers Bill Kresse

Above: a 1972 drawing of Sandy Fries by Bill Kresse.


In 1972, Bill Kresse was interviewed by a teenaged NYC school kid named Sandy Fries. 

In 2014, upon the sad occasion of Bill's passing away at the age of 80, I contacted Sandy.

But … uh … one problem.

I didn't know Sandy. I Googled the name. I never have any luck with this -- but, well, I can't say that any more.

I made a phone call and got voicemail. I identified myself, and told him this was a bit of an odd thing to ask, but are you THE Sandy Fries who interviewed the cartoonist Bill Kresse for Cartoonist PROfiles magazine way back in 1972?

It turned out he was. He got in touch. We chatted on the phone last night. He became a TV writer and is now a professor. Wow!

I asked if he would like to add something to this online remembrance all these years later.

Here's his reply:

Bill Kresse was an extremely kind and generous man. I was about 17 when I met him, just a wannabe cartoonist who wrote and drew cartoons for my high school paper. Mr. Kresse spent time giving me career advice, showing me original comic strip art and introducing me to other cartoonists. Because of Mr. Kresse, I developed confidence that I could write and later went on to do scripts for many TV shows (Star Trek:TNG, Quantum Leap, Hanna-Barbera animation and others). I vividly remember him, being fascinated by his drawing and writing ability and the fact that his work reached so many people. It’s terribly sad that he passed away. I owe him. He was a good hearted man who made millions of people laugh and smile through his work. You can’t do any better than that. 

Sandy Fries on IMDB 

1982 Cartoonist PROfiles: Bill Kresse of the N.Y. Daily News "Draw, Draw, Draw"

Bill and "Dandie" at his home studio.

Below: cartoonist Bill Kresse talks about his profession in a complete article from Cartoonist PROfiles #53, March 1982. Bill was, at this time, on staff at the New York Daily News art department. More about his life here.

This was the second of two Cartoonist PROfiles features on Bill. His 1972 interview by Sandy Fires is here. And here's Sandy Fries remembering Bill Kresse in a short statement from 2014.

OK! Here is Cartoonist PROfiles #53, March 1982: This is Bill Kresse writing directly to young people who want to go into the cartooning field. 

The advice is right on, like:

"Learn your craft as well as you possible can -- Draw, Draw, Draw -- day, and night."

A big thank you to Tom Stemmle for these scans. Thanks, Tom!

1972 Cartoonist PROfiles: Bill Kresse Interview

Bill Kresse (1933-2014) was interviewed twice for Cartoonist PROfiles magazine. Here is the first interview with the Daily News and "Super" Super cartoonist. (The second one, from 1982, is here.)

The interview is from Cartoonist PROfiles #13, March 1972. It was conducted by Sandy Fries, a NYC area high school student. It's a good interview, with Sandy asking a lot of nuts and bolts questions about tools and working habits. Sandy contributes some of his work here, because, you see, he's a cartoonist as well. It's one of the nicest interviews ever, and Bill's sturdy enthusiasm for cartooning really comes through. (UPDATE: Sandy Fries comments on Bill's influence in this statement from 2014.)

My thanks to Tom Stemmle for getting this to me. Thank you very much, Tom!

The interview opens with a special "Super" Duper drawn especially for Cartoonist PROfiles.

Happy Halloween!

Every October, cartoonist Bill Kresse would organize a Berndt Toast Gang spooky drawing event for charity. Fellow cartoonists would bring in an original they drew and some money, and the drawing would be given to someone else randomly, with the money raised to be given to charity. Since Bill passed away in 2014, the event has been renamed the "Bill Kresse Memorial Spooky Drawing" drawing and run by current Berndt Toast Chair Adrian Sinnott. Above is my contribution.

 

 

Related:

One Hour of The Great Pumpkin Waltz from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" by Vince Guaraldi

Berndt Toast Gang Meeting March 29, 2007

It was the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for the Long Island chapter of the NCS to get together for lunch and shop talk. We started the meeting off as we usually do, with a "Berndt Toast."


Jumpin' Joe Giella and Don Orehek

We toasted King Features Editor-in-Chief Jay Kennedy. Joe Giella talked about the time when Jay took him out to lunch and told him he knew that Joe had been doing Batman and was used to drawing superheroes smashing through windows and so on -- but -- maybe -- he'd consider drawing Mary Worth.

Al Scaduto said what a shock it all was. It was Joe who called Al to give him the sad news. Here's Al:

"Many years ago, when I was still working at Bob Dunn's office up at King Features on the 17th floor, Jay Kennedy was assigned the job of Comic Editor. He was always very 'low key' and a true gentlemen, with a tremendous knowledge of comics. I met him several times, either at cartoon conventions or at King Features affairs, as well as at NCS meetings and of course, at Bunny Hoest's Annual Bash. Talking to him on the phone one day, he praised me by saying, 'Al, you do a handsome feature.' I'll truly miss this gentle man."


Sandy Kossin, Al Scaduto, Chuck Goll, Sy Barry

I got the shocking news by phone. I'd just gone out to the store, and missed a couple of calls. Bunny Hoest had left the message and I called her back. Even though it's been a couple of weeks since Jay's death, it's all, still, just hard to believe.

Like a lot of cartoonists, I first met Jay at a cartooning get together; in this case, a NYC Reubens convention back in 2000. The first thing I said embarrasses me to this day. I blurted out something like, "I'm Mike Lynch and you rejected my strip."

Gee whiz. Not really the nicest thing to say to the guy. But I caught myself and said it was OK. It was a "good rejection," I quickly added. He'd written some notes on the standard form rejection letter. These were specific comments about the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. I told him I appreciated the notes. I hoped he didn't think I was being insincere. He told me that he usually didn't write notes on rejection letters, and he asked my name. And he never forgot it.

Bill Kresse played us out, with a rendition of Amazing Grace on the harmonica.

A card for a friend of Sy's that we all signed.

We wished a happy birthday to our March birthday boys: Sy Barry, Dan Danglo, and Mort Drucker.

Joe Bennett and Emelio Squeglio. This is Joe's second visit this year. Joe, an SVA student, is going to do a documentary about the Gang.

Joe Giella and Bunny Hoest

Greg Fox, Helen Murdock Prep, Al Scaduto

Al favored us with a song. It was great to welcome him back (and Claire too!!!!) and hear him sing again.

Beauty, Beast, Beauty; Jeanine Manheim, Mike Lynch, Helen Murdock Prep

We put envelopes on the table to collect the lunch money. I doodled the diner, and someone else (my suspects are Dan Danglo or Bill Kresse) took the lump of food I'd drawn and transformed it into a face, complete with a word balloon. Instead of signing the envelope, Bill drew himself and Lorraine. See? You try to give a cartoonist a little structure and he rebels!

And so another lunch ends: the lovely restaurant hostess takes our money, and we are shown the door.

Berndt Toast Gang Meeting October 26, 2006

(Illustrations by Sandy Kossin, part of the Halloween Cartoon Trade.)

Our October lunch featured the Annual Halloween Cartoon Trade. We brought in original spooky drawings and, handed over a dollar bill with our name written on it. The money to be donated to the Milt Gross Fund. We had a table full of illustrations and paintings and gag cartoons. This event is usually handled by Bill Kresse, but Bill was unable to attend at the last minute. So Mike Lynch, along with able associate Tony Cerezo, tried to manage in his absence.

Tony held up a random cartoon to the assembled as I read names off of the dollar bills. Here are a few of the cartoons ....


Joe Giella draws Batman and ... aw, heck, I don't need to tell YOU who THOSE guys are, do I?


A single panel cartoon by Mike Lynch from the Barnes & Noble 2006 Dog Cartoon calendar. Gag line: "Do you have anything bigger than 'King?'" OK, maybe not a 'spooky' drawing, but it would be scary to me to have this many dogs sleeping in my bed, OK? OK!


Captain Marvel, bordered by some "Cheesed"-off pumpkins, by a guy who worked with C.C. Beck: Emilio Squeglio.


Sy Barry shows THE PHANTOM, posing heroically between a horrible apparition and the viewer.


Bill Goshgarian and Joe Edwards. Bill and Joe used to work together and lost track of each other many decades ago. They reconnected just in the past couple of weeks, through a fluke. The story:

Joe and his wife Eda were talking to a pharmacist, and Joe's cartooning profession came up. The pharmacist said he had a relative that had worked on the Popeye cartoons for Paramount as a freelancer, among other gigs. Within minutes, Joe heard the name "Goshgarian," the name of a guy he hadn't seen in 50 years. They reconnected, and Bill came to lunch. Bill and Joe got a warm round of applause. What a small cartoony world.


Sandy Kossin and John Reiner.


Sy Barry, Joe Edwards and Joe Giella. Or, if listed by their work on iconic characters: THE PHANTOM, LI'L JINX and BATMAN/MARY WORTH.


Simmy Barry, Helen Murdock-Prep, and Stan & Pauline Goldberg. Stan is always surrounding himself with beautiful women.


And here's Playboy's Don Orehek and Trade Loeffler.

Berndt Toast Gang Meeting May 31, 2007

Above: a gag cartoon on display at the Long Island Museum's Levittown exhibit: "The O'Banions are attending classes. Whom shall I say called?" No name or publication date that I could make out. When I was first born, my folks rented an old barracks, long since torn down, so this cartoon caught my eye!

I started the day driving out to Stonybrook. Stan Goldberg, Bunny Hoest & myself will be giving a talk about cartooning on Sunday, June 10th at 2pm at the Long Island Museum. After awful traffic on the LIE and only getting lost twice, I got to the museum and saw the room we're using. It'll be fine. I poked around the museum. There are three ZIPPY comic strips and an original Hirschfeld that are part of the "Living the America Dream: Levittown and the Suburban Dream" exhibit. And there's eve n a mock up of a typical Levittown suburban living room where you can sit, watch a nicely remastered I LOVE LUCY episode and page through old magazines. The first thing I turned to in a 1951 issue of Better Homes and Gardens was an ad for Kleenex with Little Lulu and Alvin by Marge.

Above: 3 ZIPPY originals (cartoonist Bill Griffiths was raised in Levittown and has brought it up from time to time in the strip), detail from a magazine ad for Levittown, a Hirschfeld original of William Levitt, the man behind Levittown. Next to the signature, there's a "2 + 1." Mr. Hirschfeld hid Mr. Levitt's wife's name twice in the drawing, and there is one Nina.

Steve Duquette, Don Orehek. Did you notice that in this month's Playboy there are not one but two Don Orehek cartoons? (Photo by John Pennisi)

After a quick coffee, I arrived at the restaurant fully expecting a handful of cartoonists to show up for this month's Berndt Toast Gang get together. After all, it's Memorial Day week and a lot of people are traveling. Well, I was wrong. Maybe people are traveling, but cartoonists aren't! We had over 30 cartoonists, loved ones and friends show up for lunch on this sunny, hot last day in May.

We began with a traditional "Berndt Toast" to a cartoonist. This May, we toasted Bill Woggon, who was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1911. After a stint as a art director for a department store, he joined his older brother Elmer Woggon, assisting on the lettering and other chores for Elmer's BIG CHIEF WAHOO strip. Bill's work caught the eye of an MLJ editor and was asked to create one pager fillers for the ARCHIE comics. In the 1940s, Bill Woggon created KATY KEENE. KATY became so popular, she received her own title in 1949. KK was known for its reader participation. Fashion-obsessed fans could mail in clothing designs, and Woggon would incorporate their designs into the KK comic book stories, complete with a credit to the fan designer.

He passed away on March 2, 2003, at the age of 92.


Adrian Sinnott with his daughter Dottie.

It's rare that NCS Book Illustration Award nominee Adrian can make it to the lunch since he's one of the busiest illustrators I know.


Al Scaduto, Claire Adelman (Photo by John Pennisi)

Bill Crouch has written a great profile of Al, and like a fool I did not make note of where it appeared. If anyone sees it on the Web, let me know.


California-based Disney character designer Stephen Silver's book was passed around. Stephen was kind enough to autograph a copy of this, shown on his Web page. I brought it along for show and tell, and it elicited a lot of oohs and aahs.

Emilio Squeglio, Joe Giella, Al Scaduto

Bill Kresse played the harmonica and we all sang Happy Birthday to Simmy Barry, Rhoda Danglo and Emilio Squeglio.


Art Cumings, Joe Giella

I can see Art's cartoons in Playboy, and Joe's in my Daily News every day, drawing MARY WORTH.


Adrian Sinnott, Al Scaduto, Mike Lynch

The stuff in the background makes it look like we're on a Star Trek set or something!

It was great to see Ernie Colon, once again joining us for lunch. We also welcomed guests Phil Bubbeo and Dan Perico to the festivities. Thank you to John Pennisi for sharing some of his photos!

Next month: the annual Bunny Hoest party!