Saturday, May 24, 2014

 

Herriman Saturday


Friday, July 10 1908 -- I. J. Dunn's nominating speech, as we discussed in an earlier post, was a real barn-burner, giving him a momentary bit of national celebrity.

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Friday, May 23, 2014

 

Sci-Friday starring Connie

Connie, December 6 1936, courtesy of Cole Johnson. Follow the Connie story every Friday here on Stripper's Guide.

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My god.This is amazing. This is my first exposure to Godwin. It's like if Charles Dana Gibson did comics. His suceeding strip, "Rusty Riley" definitely looks like Gibson. Thanks so much for psoting this. I think it's possibly superior to Raymond.
David Miller-lad
 
Loving the Connie episodes. But I'm puzzled by this Wet Blanket strip. Exactly *why* is the guy fishing in a flower pot?
 
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Walter Kaharl


Walter Earl Kaharl was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on December 4, 1894, according to his World War I and II draft cards. In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, he was the second of three children born to Walter and Alice. His father was in advertising. They lived in Saugus, Massachusetts at 33 Whitney Street. His writing and drawing abilities were recognized in the Boston Herald’s Sunday Junior page. On May 26, 1907, he received honorable mention; his listing was: “Walter E. Kaharl, 69 Lowden avenue, Somerville.” In the July 14, 1907 edition, he received another honorable mention and his 168-word story, about catching a frost fish, was published without the illustration.

In 1910, his widow mother was the head of the household. They resided in Exeter, New Hampshire at 4 Salem Street. Kaharl was a shoemaker. He signed his World War I draft card on June 5, 1917. He lived at 75 Main in Haverhill, and was a wood heeler at the Moore Heel Company. His description was tall and slender with brown eyes and dark hair.

The 1920 census recorded him, his wife, Pauline, and seven-month-old daughter in Haverhill at 17 11th Avenue. His father-in-law, William Archibald, a plumber, was head of the household. Kaharl was an edge-setter at a heel shop. When the other shoe dropped, he was working as a cartoonist. According to American Newspaper Comics (2012), his panel, Do You Know, began December 13, 1926 and ended in 1929. McClure was the syndicate; Western Newspaper Union distributed the McClure material from 1930 to the mid-1930s.

Kaharl has not been found in the 1930 census. The Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 1, Group 2, Pamphlets, Etc., 1931, New Series, Volume 28, Number 3, had this entry:

Kaharl (Walter) Do you know. 1931. 9193-9195
That a girl in Massachusetts, etc. © Mar. 28; 2 с and aff. Mar. 31; AA 66014.
That according to Mrs. A. etc. © Mar. 28; 2 c. and aff. Mar. 31; AA 66015.
That you can cook with real gas etc. Sheet. © Mar. 28; 2 c. and aft. Mar. 31; AA 66013.
© Carbide & carbon chemicals corp., New York.
The date of his move to Philadelphia is not known. According to the 1940 census, he was there in 1935 at 1957 Ashley. His occupation was newspaper artist and highest level of education was two years of high school.

On April 27, 1942, he signed his World War II draft card. He lived at 1621 W. Diamond Street in Philadelphia, where he worked for the Evening Bulletin. His wife was back at their old residence in Haverhill.

At some point he rejoined her. The 1961 Haverhill Directory listed his residence at 85 School and occupation as artist.


Kaharl passed away in August 1969, according to the Social Security Death Index. He was buried at Maplewood Cemetery in Haverhill. HIs wife passed away in 1977.

—Alex Jay

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Monday, May 19, 2014

 

Obscurity of the Day: Do You Know


An early entry in the 'oddball facts' genre was Do You Know by Walter Kaharl. It was originally syndicated by McClure, and the earliest I've been able to find it starting is on December 13 1926. Since Ripley's Believe It or Not, the king of the oddball fact, did not really catch on as an international phenomenon until 1929, Mr. Kaharl may have actually approached his panel not as a me-too but thinking he was actually doing something original.

Where Kaharl's panel couldn't measure up to the soon-to-be Ripley blockbuster is that former's panels, in addition to only serving up a single odd fact, are wordy and ... dare I say it ... too informative. Whereas Ripley is pithy and dramatic, Kaharl is plodding. I'd love to find Ripley's treatment of candle fish as a comparison, because I'm sure his version is delightfully grotesque, probably featuring a lurid sketch of a burning fish face.

Kaharl's panel never caught on with McClure, but it did continue until 1929 through their auspices. In 1930, the backstock of the feature was apparently sold to Western Newspaper Union, which redistributed the old panels to their weekly newspaper clients until at least 1935, and perhaps later.

Alex Jay has done some research on Kaharl and found evidence that he may have adapted his panel feature into an advertising piece -- more tomorrow with Alex Jay's Ink-Slinger Profile.

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Sunday, May 18, 2014

 

Jim Ivey's Sunday Comics


(Drawn before Jim moved back to the suburban sprawl of Orlando, obviously)

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