Your Comics Page 5-28-2013
Here are the last two Felix dailies from 1935, 12-30 and 12-31. Go to https://itsthecat.com/blog/?p=2175Â to see the post of 8-8-2010 (“Time Trifles With Felix”) to read the rest of the story into 1936. Messmer could do suspense pretty well.
Before we take Felix back to 1934, we’ll jump FORWARD in time to 3-14-1949 for a week of Felix dailies. By this time, the Felix the Cat strip was in a shrinking number of papers. Most of the action in the strip was Felix Vs. Moocher Mouse (Not Skiddoo), as they tried to chisel each other out of various fortunes and advantages. I like the Owl lawyer and the Pig judge. Messmer could still design an appealing cartoon character in 1949. The strip Felix and the Dell comic book Felix looked alike by this time, although Moocher Mouse was pretty well confined to the strip. We’ll have several weeks of the ’49 continuity scanned from original tearsheets coming up!
 In Myrtle (8-4 to 8-9-1947) Snoggons returns Myrtle’s braid VIA Felix the Dog! Sampson’s antics take up the rest of the week. I like the timing on the 8-9, as Sampson first glad-hands Freddie, then (after a pause) remembers that he doesn’t like Myrtle’s dad at all! Eventually we will rejoin a clipped run of the strip, but in the meantime Newspaper Archive fills the gaps.
 Our favorite Herriman Kat (11/10 to 11/15/1941) entertains us with his “Kat Langwidtch”, especially in the 11/10, as he talks about “Wita Min B” versus a Bumble Bee, and in the 11-15 as Bees re-enter the dialog, Shakespeare fashion. The 11/13 is an early 1940s gag, as two Waltzing Mice have a “Jiving” child. The 11/14 gag about the Owl (“Hoot, Barn or Ground?” “Stuffed.”) might have been influenced by the Bob Hope radio show and his exchanges with Jerry Colonna (“Hank, Planked or Cranked?” “Yanked.”)
 The Yogi Bear Sundays from June, 1963, all feature the wonderful art of Harvey Eisenberg, who drew the early Hanna-Barbera characters as well or better than anyone. I especially like the 6-25, as Yogi can’t remember which dog is Augie or Doggy Daddy. Yogi uncharacteristically loses his cool with Doggy Daddy as they drill for oil inside his cave (in a 1960s National Park? Of course now it’s OK to Frack in a National Park, right?). The little boy who is an expert at toothpaste squeezing in the 6/16, looks like a Gene Hazelton design. Yowp will no doubt have the half-page versions of these comics coming soon over at his blog. Watch for them there.
Thanks for the comments on “There Must Be Some Other Cat” and it’s ASIFA-EAST honor. If there’s any more news, you’ll hear it here or over at Itza Cat’s Facebook page.
Charles Brubaker says:
Never seen those 1940s Felix strips before. Should be interesting to read! Thanks for posting.
Roberto Severino says:
Loved the Felix strip! Seems like Messmer was trying to combine 1930s rubber hose with the standard 1940s look of animated cartoons of the time. I think he combined the two styles very well unlike a lot of people who have tried to do the same thing (Animaniacs, cough cough).
David Gerstein says:
Okay, this is something!
Moocher Mouse, a name I didn’t know before, officially became Skiddoo sometime between 1949 and about 1960—when he was trademarked under the latter name (can’t find my documentation at the moment, but I noticed this several months ago).
Can we nail down when the change took place? I would have imagined in the Felix TV series; but as far as I can figure out, he never appears in it. (There is an episode called THE MOUSE AND FELIX, but it’s very definitely not Moocher/Skiddoo…)
Mark says:
Thanks for your comment, David! Before I got these Felix strips, I hadn’t heard of Moocher Mouse either. Thanks for updating us about the transition in name to Skiddoo Mouse. I’ll be posting more of these 1949 Felix dailies very soon.