Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Wally Wood and the Cartoonist


Over at HOORAY FOR WALLY WOOD today we've posted the picture seen here (courtesy of Thom Buchanan) which is a jam-packed Wood drawing of a National Cartoonist Society meeting in 1959 from the cover of their in-house mag, THE CARTOONIST. The problem is...who ARE all of these folks? Dozens of no doubt on the mark caricatures of (mostly newspaper) cartoonists include the instantly recognizable Al Capp as well as an amusing look at Walt Kelly, Charles Schulz and Ernie Bushmiller as versions of their own characters.. That's Milton Caniff next to SMOKEY STOVER's Bill Holman in the fireman hat (note the trademark "foo" on his collar). I THINK the guy with glasses at the bar is Mort Walker. Presumably Floyd Gotfredson with the mouska-ears. Hank Ketcham looked nothing like Dennis the Menaces's dad but the blackhaired guy on the right does and is probably supposed to be him. That's Rube Goldberg top right with the award named after him, the Rueben, taking a drink...next to a shmoo. The grungy looking bearded guy is PROBABLY Bill Mauldin. One of the two women is probably supposed to be Dale Messick. Looks like a self-portrait toward the back on the left--guy with cigarette hanging off his lips. Anybody name any more? Answer here or there in the comments or send emails. We want to know who these people are supposed to be!

5 comments:

  1. I think the guy in the shiny top hat is Vernon Greene, the artist of Jiggs and Maggie at the time.

    The young dark haired girl at the bottom may be Hilda Terry, standing next to her mustachioed husband Gregory D'Alessio.

    The blonde lady near them could be Toni Mendez, but I don't recall her being blonde; though she always seemed to being wearing a hat of some kind.

    Lastly the freckled woman is likely Marge Devine. Officially the secretary of the NCS, actually she ran the place. See the Mort Walker drawing of her at the NCS site and notice the freckles.
    http://www.reuben.org/ncs/members/memorium/duffydevine.jpg

    Actually all the above can be viewed on their mini-bios at
    http://www.reuben.org/members.html

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  2. This could keep a guy busy for a long time. Anyway...
    The short guy walking to the bar in the middle of the picture has got to be Otto Soglow with that nose.
    Your Bill Mauldin guess is my Irwin Hasen guess, again the height being a clue.
    To the right of Hasen/Mauldin (our left)has got to be Willard (Brooklyn Bums) Mullins dressed appropriately.
    In that circle of cartoonist it seems that that pipe smoking bald guy should be easy to recognize.
    Wally left clues for a lot of them if we can just figure them out.

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  3. Yes, definitely about Marge Devine. And I really think that's Bill Mauldin as Willie or Joe. And Dave Bregar as Mr. Breger (used to be Private Breger)way in the back with the goggly glasses. It seems like we ought to recognize the guy next to Ernie Bushmiller in the soldier cap. It still looks two self caricatures of Woody. I'm gonna keep working on this.

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  4. That bald guy smoking a pipe is John Pierotti.
    Mike Lynch just posted an issue from 1953 that may help id some of these guys.
    http://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2009/03/cartoonist-fall-1953.html

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  5. Possibly the interior of the magazine had a visual identification guide of outlines and number key?

    I remember Marge Devine from years ago. She was quite helpful when I was doing some research.

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