Mark Kausler’s CatBlog

Animating again!

Well, thanks to a good friend, I’ve come out of a three year retirement to try animating another scene. The scene is only six feet long, but fairly involved with two characters, plus effects. I’m still doing it with pencils and paper, I’ll tell you if it’s worth bragging about after I shoot a test. I was really scared to try animating again, I admit it, but getting back on the horse was the hardest part. I’m trotting along again, and I’m enjoying drawing for animation.

Felix is from 2-3 to 2-9-1936 this time. Felix and Danny continue to explore Phooey tu Yu’s eerie Chinatown diggings. Keep an eye on that diamond on top of the cobra’s head in the 2-8, it’s going to be very important to Danny. In the Sunday, Felix continues to assist the Professor, but gets blamed for the Prof’s bad luck after a sharpster robs him of his radio. Felix never earns lasting respect from anybody!

Krazy is from 7-22 to 7-27-1940 this time. We continue the story of Mimi’s little red schoolhouse, as a strong streak of vaudeville takes over the strip. I am intrigued with the names of the games in the 7-22, what is “prisoner’s base” and “dug on a rock”? I could look them up, but I prefer to be educated by my readers, anyone know?

Patrick is from 4-25 to 4-30-1966, and is usual the mean little kid is beating up Suzy, Godfrey and his Mom, in that order. What does Suzy see in a brat like Patrick?

Perhaps Jim Tyer drew this picket sign in 1947, the last of our series of Terry picket signs from the strike. Thanks to Charlie Judkins for supplying some of the history behind the strike. I’m chagrined to say I’ve never read all of Tom Sito’s history of trade unionism in animation, “Drawing The Line”. I looked at Jerry Beck’s copy, and there is a whole chapter devoted to the strike, with great photos of Jim Tyer and Eddie Rehberg painting picket signs as only cartoonists can paint them. Jim was not only one of the three greatest animators of all time, in my opinion, but he cared about his fellow artists enough to paint signs and march! Very few Union members today would do that. So many studios, big and small, promise their employees Utopia, pension and health plans that evaporate as soon as the job is over, unpaid overtime, and promises of continued employment that never materialize. Unions are all we really have to help each other, make them better, people! Don’t work overtime (or straight time) for free!!!

Knight, Yoe, Terry, Whew!

Hi Everyone! That beautiful background painting you see up there below Felix is by Milton Knight, one of the last of the rugged American independent Cartoonists! Please go to: http://kck.st/cLaFYo to see Milton’s Kickstarter presentation of his new cartoon: Caprice, Teen of Tomorrow! Milton created Hugo and Midnight the Skunk for independent comic books, and was a key director on the “Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat” TV show some years ago. If you can, give a dollar or two to the production fund for Caprice. The little samples of finished animation are tantalizing and have an unusual take on animated motion that is uniquely Milton’s. He isn’t afraid to exaggerate body parts such as necks, legs and arms to follow through an action. Sometimes the effect is unsettling, but I like it! Milton is cleaning up and inking the action on paper, and then it is put over his backgrounds by aftereffects, I believe. The result is a lot more like his print comics in motion, than traditional cel animation, which looks terrific. Head on over there right now! Give if you can!

My fan and friend, Craig Yoe, who reads this here blog has come out with a beautiful new book on FELIX! The front cover and a sample image (trade ad for the 1927 Felix Daily Strip!) are displayed upstairs. Go to  http://yoebooks.com and order up a copy for yourself. It contains beautifully reproduced selections from Felix’s comic BOOK career, drawn by our own Otto Messmer and Joe Oriolo. These range from the Dells, Tobys to the Harvey comics. Of course, I have a special love for the comic STRIP Felix, but I like the comic books too. It’s FABULOUS FELIX FRIDAY! Head on over there and take a look.

The Terry Picket Sign this time reflects what Paul Terry actually did during the strike, hired outside workers to replace his striking staffers. Can you imagine anybody in the industry today caring  if an animator has experience or not? Now it’s PRICE that determines everything! No seniority, no union, no nothing can protect the American animator from the relentless march of NAFTA, GATT and Outsourcing! And that goes for traditional AND digital! I love the use of barnyard animals and cute cartoon images on these picket signs, with their eye-catching layouts. It’s a “big-city” concept, illustrated by “hick” images. The last in the series next post.

Felix is from 1-27 to 2-2-1936 this time. Danny Dooit and Felix invade the Chinese gang’s headquarters in search of the diamond and encounter a cobra! In the Sunday, Felix continues to interact with a nutty professor who can broadcast weather in the form of heat and cold. Beautiful Messmer UFA shadows in the 1/29.

Krazy this time is from 7-15 to 7-21-1940. The action mostly centers around Mimi’s classroom and the connection between her school bell and Ignatz’s brick tossing. The 7-15 is not as clear a scan as the rest of the strips, it came from a different source, so please excuse. I love that odd gag in the 7/18, as Mimi grows “Devil Horns” as she keeps her errant pupils after class.

Patrick is from 4/18 to 4/23/1966 this time. Suzy and Elsa do a pretty good exchange in the 4/20, and I love Patricks impassioned plea in the 4/23. Mommy saw through it, however. Enjoy your FELIX FRIDAY everyone, heck try Felix ANY day!

Oral Dorothy One More Time

Continued from last time, the parade of Terrytoons picket signs from the early 1940s. I don’t know who drew this one, but it’s a one-off, original design that looks better than most of the Terry one-sheet posters of the period. Beautifully lettered. By the way, the sign reads: : “A Standard Contract will Put Him On His Feet”, there is a light flare on the original that interferes with the lettering.

In the Felix strips from 1-20 to 1-26-1936, Punk Chow lives up to his name by trying to serve Felix poisoned food. Danny Dooit comes back into the action in the 1-24 and in the 1-25, whistles up a great collection of Messmer dog and cat characters. Look at all the variant cats from the last panel of the 1-25. Otto could draw cartoon cats many different ways. In the Sunday, Otto seems to be making a sly comment on the humor content of the “funnies”.

Krazy this time was originally published 7-8 through 7-13-1940. Ignatz is handled like a disobedient school boy by Mimi and Offissa Pupp, much to the disgust of Molly, Ig’s wife.

Patrick, originally published 4-11 to 4-16-1966 co-stars Godfrey Snodgrass. In trying to convince Patrick that the world is round, Godfrey gets the “Patrick Sock” for his trouble. Patrick sounds like the Global Warming deniers as he declares that he is a firm believer in “Might is Right”.

Last on the programme for this outing is Dorothy Parker’s story from the 1920s: “Here We Are”. This is another of her “bickering couples” yarns, featuring a couple of newlyweds out for a honeymoon trip to New York. It’s another example of her gift at revealing character through dialog.  Can anyone supply me a list of her screenwriting credits? Did she receive credit for her Hollywood labors? Just click on the link below to visit archives.org land and listen to your storyteller reading “Here We Are”. (About 14 minutes)

www.archive.org/details/HereWeAre_677

I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you think I should continue reading stories, there are many others I like. Until the next time.

The Great Paul Terry Strike!

Ah, ’twas ever thus. Paul Terry’s artists struck him in the early 1940s, and eventually got an IATSE contract. I have reproduced an image of one of the striking worker’s picket signs. There is nothing more beautifully designed than a cartoonist’s picket sign. That strike was a difficult one for the Terry animators, the boss had built up a backlog of films to release in the interim, and he hired scab workers off the street to replace the strikers. Terry got his final revenge in 1955 when he sold all the rights to his cartoons and his studio to CBS for $3,500,000. He didn’t share a penny of it with his loyal employees. I like the poster of “By The Sea” from 1931, with the great animator Frank Moser’s name above Terry’s. At one point Moser was a business partner of Paul Terry’s (Terry, Moser and Coffman), but his interest was bought out in 1936. Moser’s drawing style was the Terry signature design from the Aesop Fables of the 1920s, right through the early 1930s. I love his very rough, loose, animation style, especially good in the 1920s in cartoons like “Barnyard Lodge #1” and “Do Women Pay?” This is the first of a mini-series of Terry picket signs, more next time.

Felix, from 1-13 to 1-19-1936, follows Felix into Fooy Tu Yu’s house. He is hot on the trail of the diamond, but Punk Chow’s wise. I don’t think I would eat any of “Punk Chow”‘s cooking. In the Sunday, Felix blows a hole out of the mine with a piece of radium placed under the drill bit. Instead of black gold, the miners strike black cat! What a contrast between Felix at the beginning of 1936 and at the end. There is a lot of continued adventure fantasy here that devolves into situation comedy with continuity of little or no importance, like the out-of-work football team in the December strips. Felix is quite a brave little adventurer here, I like him that way.

Krazy, from 7-1 to 7-6-1940 takes place in Mimi’s classroom. Does anyone understand Offissa Pupp’s jargon in the 7-2, where he refers to Krazy as “so Navy”? I like Ignatz’s jealous wife Molly in the 7-4. It’s amazing what a tall poodle with a French accent can do to the citizens of Coconino. They all seem to love her. Except Molly.

Patrick introduces a new character this time, Suzy. In the strips from 4-4 to 4-9-1966, Suzy falls in love with the little brat and gets socked for her trouble. Patrick’s got problems this time, Suzy actually likes getting socked! Don’t give that brat any Easter candy, Bunny! He’s undeserving.

Come back next post for another Dorothy Parker story, the last in the series. Read aloud by your faithful blogger.

Real Quick!

In a rush to do things today, so here’s Felix from 1-6 to 1-12-1936, Krazy from 6-24 to 6-29-1940 and Patrick from 3-28 to 4-2-1966. Enjoy and I hope to be with you all again very soon!

Time Trifles With Felix

At this point, we conclude Felix the Cat for Dec., 1936 with the episodes for 12-28 through 12-31. They continue, but do not conclude the off-season adventures of a football team. Felix does not appear in the 12-28 strip, and doesn’t have another speaking part until 12-31. Obviously this story is too easily sans cat. Now, rather than go into 1937, I’ve decided to stick with 1936 and go back to the first five months of the year that I haven’t reprinted yet. So here is Jan. 1st through the 5th of 1936. You will note that Danny Dooit and family are once again with us, and the story is in progress. Felix is trying to hide a rare diamond from two Mandarin Chinese, Fooey Tu Yu and Punk Chow, which he acquired on the “mystery island” in the 1935 strips. It is really impossible to avoid stereotypes in reprinting old comics, so the first story of 1936 has Chinese men heavily influenced by the Sax Rohmer type of Oriental menace, such as Fu Manchu, a wise but evil Mandarin who was featured in thirteen of Sax Rohmer’s novels, many radio programs, motion pictures and comic strips! Messmer was doing his own comic take on that kind of character and the menacing atmosphere of San Francisco Chinatown. So if this type of tale bothers you, don’t read Felix for awhile. The goal for now is to complete reprinting the Felix strip for 1936.

Krazy is from 6-17 to 6-22-1940 this time. Mimi the Poodle is back in the strip as a schoolteacher. All the Coconino citizens want to be in her classroom, because they all love tall lady poodles. Almost the entire week’s strips hinge on the similarities between the English word “we”, and the French word, “oui”. I like the use of black in the 6-22, as Offissa Pupp sits on the dunce’s chair in the foreground.

Godfrey is almost the star of the “Patrick” strip this week, appearing in half the episodes from 3-21 to 3-26-1966. Elsa is still very star struck in the 3-21 from which Patrick is completely absent. You will note that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has added dialog balloons to Hancock’s strip, in order to make it easier to isolate the speech from the color backgrounds. Mal wasn’t really thinking about how his strip would look in color, and usually just lettered his dialog without the balloons. The Post-Dispatch was about the only newspaper to print it’s dailies in color in the 1950s and 60s. The Post doctored their other daily strips many times to make them more legible in color; I wonder how the cartoonists and syndicates felt about that?

Don’t forget: DON’T BUY BP! Kindly remember the ongoing needs of my good friend Greg Ford in New York City, who recently lost almost every material possession from the last 35 years in a devestating fire. Any donations to his apartment fire fund, no matter how small are gratefully accepted via Paypal at kausler@att.net. Or, you can write Greg directly at: Greg Ford, 115 West 30th St., Suite 1204, New York, N.Y. 10001. 

Thanks for visiting Milt Gray’s new Viagri Ampleten website! He has received about 12 visitors from this blog and is happy to have the readers. His strip is building many new episodes so just click on the link “Milt Gray” to the right of this column. Don’t forget to leave feedback for him, he wants to get reaction to his project.

Greg Writes a Thank-You Note

To: AMAZING ANONYMOUS WELL-WISHERS

From: GREG FORD

Just digging out of the ashes after our apartment fire, Ronnie and I were traipsing around in zombie-like survivalist mode. Despite welcome assistance from people like musician Virg Dzurinko (who gifted us with temporary headquarters) and my background painter Kim Miskoe (who provided me and Ronnie with a semi-permanent place to stay – we’re still there, in fact!), our reactions following the unpleasant incident tended toward suspicion. That’s because our plight brought out the very worst instincts in the many bureaucrats and public officials we were suddenly forced to deal with.

Speaking for myself, at least, my self/others barometer fell way out of whack, and my expectations of sympathy from fellow-humans were practically nil.

Given my murky mood, imagine my shocked delight when my old friend Mark Kausler surprised us by mailing in a bunch of checks from anonymous donors, the fruits of an impromptu internet campaign covertly engineered by Mark (that must’ve been in late-May, early-June I suspect). Well, I was completely bowled over. I DIDN’T KNOW YOU CARED (to coin a phrase). Mysterious acts of kindness were definitely off my radar at the time, and I was truly touched by the personal messages either attached or verbally conveyed by Mark (the guy who evoked my old-time “Cartoonal Knowledge” animation programs at the Thalia struck a deeply emotional chord ‘cause those shows took place eons ago, for heavens sakes!).

What more can I say? Your generous care package not only helped us get over that week’s financial hump but, much more significantly, gave us a huge spiritual/psychological reboot! PUSS GETS THE REBOOT!

Now I can safely report that Mark’s THERE MUST BE SOME OTHER CAT is gonna be truly spectacular (hopefully in the same organic, patently unpretentious way as Mark’s animation), and that there’ll be lots of other surprises cooked up as well.

Again, thanks so very much to all concerned.

Greg Ford

        Thanks again from me, too for helping Greg and Ronnie. If you haven’t contributed yet, or want to contribute again, just Paypal any amount to me at kausler@att.net. Or, you can write to Greg at: Greg Ford, 115 West 30th St., Suite 1204, New York, N.Y. 10001.  I have few readers, but what there is is chersh!

Felix this time, from 12-21 to 12-27-1936, has the off-season football players tackling and kicking hungry Felix around. Felix is permitted in the house for Christmas, but is completely missing from his strip in the 12-26. The Sunday page for 12-27 is Messmer in fine form with an inflatable fish gag.

Krazy this time is from 6-10 to 6-16-1936. Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk is completely puzzled as usual by the Krazy-Ignatz relationship. I like the Kat langwidge in the 6-12 as Krazy tries to get a fan to dance, “Impottabil”, he says in syllables.

Patrick is from 3-14 to 3-19-1966 this time. Patrick’s dad makes his first appearance in the strip on 3-16. It seems Patrick is equally adept at bending both his parents to his will. He also continues to beat up Godfrey and Elsa in the 3-18 and 3-19. I wonder how they can all remain friends?

If you click the link labelled “Milt Gray” to the right of this post, you will see that he has kept his promise, and provided another episode of his “Viagri Ampleten” comic strip. It will be updated again on Friday, July 30th as well. Head over there and enjoy the color and the cleavage! Make sure you send comments to Milt while you’re there, he is getting feedback on his story and characters for a future animated project.

Comic-Con Special!!

Hi Readers, I hope those of you who can attend are enjoying this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International. Cathy and I are showing our paintings at the Glendale Artist’s Studio Tour, which is going on July 24th, so we can’t be there this year. We miss the camaraderie we used to have with friends and fellow cartoonists at Comic-Cons past. The event has grown so huge, so corporate, that you can wander in the dealer’s room for days and not see anyone you know. What started as a few tables and about 100 people trading and selling back issues has now become a repellent mess. The big corporations make fun of the “geeks” they are trying to market their wares to in the Los Angeles Times and the Hollywood Reporter, but they couldn’t hope to make the billions in profits from Batman 20 or Spider-Man 42 without them. It wasn’t so long ago a fan could hang out at the El Cortez hotel swimming pool with Gene Colan or Hap Kliban, watch an impromptu puppet show given by Daws Butler, or snag an autograph on the fly from Charles Schulz. I miss my old pal Vincent Davis very much at this time of year especially, we used to hang out together on the dealer’s room floor, irritating all the dealers and fans as only Vince could. Bob Foster, Marc Schirmeister, Bob Sidebottom, the list goes on and on of friends I miss seeing. The old Comic-Con is gone forever, sorry you missed it. Have fun (if you can breathe) at the new Comic-Con International!

Felix this time is from 12-14 to 12-20-1936. Felix finds employment for the out-of-season football team as they run interference for a woman shopping at a department store and block for her husband as he dodges the bill collectors. The Sunday page has Messmer back on the art as Felix goes fishing with a kite, sort of like wind surfing.

Remember to click on the small strips to see them at reading size!

Krazy is from 6-3 to 6-8-1940 this time. Ignatz has trouble getting a loaf of bread past Offissa Pupp, Pupp thinks it’s a brick in disguise, you see. I love Krazy’s song lyrics in the 6-7 strip as he sings of the birds and the katnip bush. The 6-8 is classic Garge as Ignatz’s teapot literally has a “tempisk” inside of it.

Patrick continues to torture his mommy, Godfrey and Elsa in the strips from 3-7 to 3-12-1966. Elsa is quite the movie fan, she is crazy over Richard Burton (2 strips), Frankie Avalon, Troy Donahue and George Montgomery (?) or Maharis (?). For their bios, just consult Wikipedia or the IMDB.

As always, don’t buy BP or Arco! Take the train down to San Diego and use public trans to get around. They have wonderful trolleys and sedan chairs there. If you want to give to my dear friend Greg Ford’s fire fund: just Paypal to kausler@att.net, or to contact Greg directly, just write him at: Greg Ford, 115 West 30th St., Suite 1204, New York, N.Y. 10001. Please tell him I sent you. Just imagine how YOU would feel if all your comic books that you are paying hundreds of dollars for right NOW on that dealer’s room floor were destroyed right in your own home by a FIRE!! Put yourself in Greg’s place and send him just a few dollars from your comics budget, he’ll really appreciate your kindness. Until the next time, say hi to Shelter and Harbor Islands for me.

The Oral Tradition Finds It’s Tongue

Felix this time is from 12-7 to 12-13-1936, Felix finally parts company from Detective Tanglefoot after being threatened by the tough counterfeiters. Felix actually disappears from his own strip for two days in this week, 12-8 and 12-9. Starting on 12-12, a new daily story begins, as Felix tries to assist an off-season football team. The Sunday page this time really looks like something out of the Van Beuren color Felix cartoons. The bull looks like he escaped from a Molly Moo Cow cartoon. Nice drawing on the bull as he charges up and down hills. This could be Jack Bogle again, but maybe it’s Tom Palmer who worked on the Van Beuren Felix cartoons. Let’s hear from “the room” on this!

Krazy is from 5-27 to 6-1-1940 this time. Adventures of “The Brick” are featured in this week’s batch. I like Ignatz speaking Spanish (“Pobrecito Chulo”) in the 5-31, as Offissa Pupp grinds his beloved brick to clay dust. Ignatz also lays out a bit of Spanish in the 5-29 strip.

Elsa is the only kid on the block who can outrun the monster Patrick in this week’s strips from 2-28 to 3-5-1966. Elsa and Godfrey seem to be the only other kids in Patrick’s neighborhood. Mal keeps the focus squarely on Patrick most of the time. It’s nice to see the Post-Dispatch vary the colors a bit, to blue from the usual golden yellow. You’ll never get these colors from microfilm!

In an effort to keep the oral tradition of storytelling alive, I have another story from Dorothy Parker, “The Sexes”, originally published in The New Republic, July 13, 1927. It’s a woman/man dialog.  Ms. Parker’s writing style really had an influence on movie dialog and radio writing (Jack Benny, Easy Aces, The Bickersons) in the early 1930s. Dorothy also wrote directly for the screen on more than one occasion.  Note how she slyly introduces the concept of jealousy into the story just by the tone of voice that’s implied in the writing. The man really has to struggle with the situation to get to what’s really bothering the woman. Dorothy’s women usually don’t like to say anything too strongly or directly, but in feline fashion, dryly and acidly comment until the heart of the matter is revealed. This story only runs 7.5 minutes, so won’t take as much of your time as “Mrs. Hofstader”, which I presented last month. I got almost no reaction to that story, 17 minutes worth. Here’s the link:

http://www.archive.org/details/TheSexesReadByMarkKausler

Remember as always, DON’T BUY BP!! OR ARCO, NEITHER!! Please help my friend and producer of “It’s ‘The Cat'”, Greg Ford, recover from his devestating loss. His apartment in New York City burned almost completely in a recent fire, (see “Greg’s Fire” in my archives). Any contribution of any size would be very much appreciated. You may contribute through my Paypal address: kausler@att.net , or write to Greg at: Greg Ford, 115 West 30th St., Suite 1204, New York, N.Y. 10001. Many thanks to you, kind readers. I’m sorry I haven’t posted very often lately, a lot of activity in the painting arena has kept me away. I’m involved a bit with comics as well, can’t say too much about that.  C U next time!

Blogs are for Old People

Howdy readers. Yup, Blogs are already on the path to oblivion. I don’t Face the Book, nor Tweet the Twitters, but I’m still bloggin’ like the Ol’ Timers do. First on the page this time is Felix from 11-30 to 12-6-1936. Felix is hot on the trail of the counterfeiters that he started after last time. In the 12-5 strip, he is going to send a message to the police by carrier pigeon about the crooks’s whereabouts. I love Otto’s use of silhouettes in the 12-2. I am still very much under the Messmer spell after looking at Felix practically all my life! The Sunday this time looks to be another Jack Bogle page. I love the uncharacteristic violence as Felix gives a four-color punch to his doctor to get some “peace and quiet”.

Krazy this time is from 5-20 to 5-25-1940. Mimi the “Poodle” continues her census taking, nearly revealing Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk’s age in the 5-21. I love the 5-25, as Ignatz unwittingly insults Mimi and gets the ho-hokus beat out of him. More comic violence!

Speaking of comic violence, here’s Patrick from 2-21 to 2-26-1966 by Mal Hancock. Who was Perry Como (in the 2-23) you ask? He had a television show from 1948 to 1963 nearly every week and sometimes several times a week, and did specials from 1963 to 1967. He was a very smooth vocalist who started in 1936 with Ted Weems’s band and had a radio show in 1943. His theme song was ‘Dream along with me, I’m on my way to a star..’ The ‘We get letters’ tag comes from his show, he had a segment with the theme song: “Letters, we get letters, we get stacks and stacks of letters!” I used to enjoy his annual Christmas shows, he was good at caroling, usually singing “Ave Maria” as a finale. I can’t forget two RCA records he made, “Catch a Falling Star” and “Hot Diggety Dog Diggety” from 1956. The gag in Patrick is that Perry Como would never sing such a raucus and self-serving ditty as the Anthem of the Patrick Club! Perry’s style was of the Crosby-Columbo school, very smooth and easy to listen to. Perry Como also was a very successful barber from the age of 14, he made more money from haircuts than singing in his early years.

I love how mad Patrick gets at Elsa in the 2-26 when she presents him with a book on Etiquette! Remember as always, DON’T BUY BP! Please continue to give to the Greg Ford Fire Fund at kausler@att.net for Paypal donations (any amount, no matter how small will be appreciated), or you can write to him at:  Greg Ford, 115 West 30th St., Suite 1204, New York, N.Y. 10001, that’s his business address.  Good to hear from you, thanks for reading! Oh, and if Mike Barrier is reading this, a very happy belated 70th birthday to you!

Post-Haste!

It’s going to be a little short this week, dear readers. Felix is from 11/23 to 11/29/1936 and this time he is still working for Tanglefoot the detective, but is underfed. That doesn’t stop him from getting on the trail of some counterfeiters, however. In the Sunday, the art may be by Jack Bogle, who drew the Felix daily strip in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It features Kitty and Bob Cat from the 11/8 strip, pursuing winter sports.

Krazy this time is from 5/13 to 5/18/1940, Mimi the Poodle is now a census taker. She has quite a struggle getting Ignatz’s stats out of him.

Patrick this time is from 2/14 to 2/19/1966. In the 2/14, Patrick’s mother makes a rare appearance. Mal, like Charles Schulz in the formative years of Peanuts, hadn’t yet made any hard and fast rules about full size humans in Patrick’s world, but outside of the Psychiatrist and this one appearance of Mom, they became more scarce as time went on.

Don’t forget to boycott Arco/BP. Their CEO wasn’t much help in the congressional hearings was he? BP just doesn’t know enough about oil drilling and safe deep water drilling to remain in business. If you stop buying their products, that day will come much sooner. President Obama can’t do it alone, let’s stop BP from doing this again!

Remember, if you want to donate to Greg Ford’s Fire Fund, just Paypal any amount you can afford to kausler@att.net. We have almost $300.00 collected so far, thanks to you wonderful readers. Remember, any amount, no matter how small, will help. Greg and his girlfriend Ronnie lost every possession they had in the fire, so put yourselves in their place, and help them if you can! Felix thanks you, Krazy thanks you, Patrick would probably punch you, and most of all, I thank you. Until the next time…

“Persevere” said Charles Morgan

Charles Morgan was a news commentator on radio station KPFK here in Los Angeles, back in the 1960s and 70s.  He usually ended his broadcasts with “‘Persevere’, this is Charles Morgan”. I used to really enjoy his ultra-left wing views on everything, both foreign and domestic, usually a message about the working man or woman crept in to his commentaries, along with a pro-Union diatribe. I miss his tough stance, as tough as any Republican commentator today, and better educated. Anyway “Persevere” is a good motto. Please continue to “Persevere” on behalf of my friends, Greg Ford and Ronnie Scheib, whose apartment in New York City was nearly completely destroyed by fire last month. If you can give anything, no matter how small, please Paypal me at kausler@att.net, and I will forward it to Greg. Also, PLEASE continue to boycott Arco/BP here in Los Angeles and wherever you may be reading this. Think of all the Brown Pelicans, Dolphins and Sea Turtles who are dead or dying because of this heartless, greedy and reckless corporation’s wasteful drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Think of gasoline pumped out of BP’s tanks as stained red with the blood of innocent wildlife and the future LIFEBLOOD of the region’s fishermen! This week’s Felix strips wind up the Clutching Hand mystery. (11-16 to 11-22-1936) As in the cartoon “Sure-Locked Homes”, the hand is really easily explained, see the 11-20 strip. Messmer leaves the mystery somewhat intact in the 11-21, however. In the Sunday, Felix makes another enemy, this time a musician.

In Krazy this time (5-6 to 5-11-1940), the Coconinians continue to try to impress Mimi the Poodle with their top hats and canes, until she falls for “Antoine” in the 5-11 strip with his “Apache” hat. The little peddler in the last panel is reminiscent of city street hawkers of the early twentieth century, walking around selling used clothing and crying “I Cash Clothes!” They were the mobile Goodwill stores of their day, along with the “Junkman”, who paid a small sum for household refuse, such as old egg beaters. What service! Somebody came to your house, paid you for your recyclable goods and then resold them later. Now, most of us get little or nothing for our “junk”, let’s hope we are at least saving the planet!

Patrick is the full week’s worth of strips this time (2-7 to 2-12-1966). Charles Brubaker commented last time that the Psychiatrist is the only adult actually shown in the strip so far, and I think he is right. The Shrink does an encore in the 2-8. I like the results of Patrick’s “Good Neighbor Policy” in the 2-12.

Thank You for Your Empathy!

Gosh, thanks, readers, six of you especially, for helping my friend Greg Ford and his continuing problems with the horrible fire that burned out his and Ronnie Scheib’s apartment in New York. They say that the computer, with it’s instant communication, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc., social networking sites in general, has a tendency to mute the sense of empathy with our fellow human beings. At least here, my readers have proven that even though you read and interact with computers, you have not lost empathy or compassion for folks in need, like Greg and Ronnie. You may continue to donate, as this problem will be ongoing for quite some time. My paypal address is kausler@att.net, and you may contact Greg directly at: Greg Ford, 115 West 30th St., Suite 1204, New York, N.Y. 10001. Thanks again, everyone.

Felix this week (11-9 to 11-15-1936) has the little round cat trying to find out what makes the disembodied “Clutching Hand” move about the old house. In the 11-14, Tanglefoot the detective and all the cops leave Felix to face the Hand alone! In the Sunday, we get a beautiful Messmer chicken joke, Felix picks up another enemy, trying to secure the chicken coop for the winter.

Krazy, from 4-29 to 5-4-1940, takes up the ongoing saga of Mimi the French Poodle’s impact on Coconino. This week, everybody wants to wear a top hat and a cane to impress Mimi, even Krazy. When Krazy gets involved from 5-2 on, Offissa Pupp won’t interfere with his romantic designs on Mimi. Ignatz just won’t take Krazy seriously, jamming his top hat down over his head in the 5-4.

 

In Patrick, from 1/31 to 2/4/1966, Patrick seems to be pre-figuring Donald Trump, seldom smiling, taking pleasure from greed. I like the psychiatrist’s couch and Patrick’s extremely conditional love for his Mother, expressed in the 2/4.

In keeping with the oral tradition I’ve started, here is another humorous short story from Dorothy Parker, “Mrs. Hofstadter on Josephine Street”, featuring a manservant named “Horace”. This story flirts with Black stereotypes, 1934 style, but Horace is a fascinating character, entirely revealed by his own continuous monologues about himself. This story was a lot of fun to read, especially the brief scenes between the Colonel and Horace. The New Yorker originally published it, on August 4, 1934. It runs about 17 minutes, so load up and enjoy, I’m using Archive.org now, and there are no annoying ads like over on ZShare. Go here: http://www.archive.org/details/Mrs.HofstadterOnJosephineStreet2

Remember to boycott BP oil, Arco here in the Southland, as they continue to kill the Gulf and fiddle clumsily with their various containment gadgets while the fishermen burn. Let me know what you think, my empathetic readers!

Greg’s Fire

This is an additional post, which I’m doing separately to call attention to my producer and partner Greg Ford’s horrible apartment fire which happened on Tuesday, May 4th. He and his girlfriend and writing partner Ronnie Scheib lost about 90% of their belongings in an electrical fire at their Crosby Street apartment in New York City. The building dates to 1864, and may have the original “Edison wiring” in it. Be that as it may, most of their manuscripts, both published and un-published were destroyed (they write film criticism for Daily Variety and many other publications), all their clothes, books and most of their live-action film collection. They have lived in Crosby street over 35 years, so you can imagine all the precious family mementos and treasures that are now gone. They are living in temporary quarters at our art director Kim Miskoe’s apartment now. I’m asking for my readers to donate a little money to help them get back on their feet. You may send it to my Paypal account, C/O kausler@att.net, and I’ll get the funds to Greg and Ronnie. Of course I’ll be donating, too. I should have a new mailing address for Greg soon, for those who would wish to write to him directly. It’s very fortunate that Greg and Ronnie were not injured in the fire, and managed to escape with the few clothes on their backs. Evidently this fire happened close to bedtime. Ronnie’s purse and Greg’s passport were recovered from the gutted apartment, and they are going to go through the wreckage to salvage what they can. Ronnie’s computer hard disc may be salvageable, they’re going to try.

     Greg wouldn’t want me to ask you readers for help, he’s a pretty independent guy. But without Greg, this blog wouldn’t exist, and my short “It’s ‘The Cat'” wouldn’t be a reality. So if you can donate, even a few dollars, I would appreciate it very much on mine and Greg’s behalf.

     By the way, for those who care, the artwork to the next Cat short, “There Must Be Some Other Cat”, was undamaged and is at Greg’s office, awaiting photography. It may be a long time before Greg can once again turn attention to such trifling matters as cartoons. Again, if you can, please help. Greg is a friend of very long and honored standing. Thank You.

Another Pesty Post

This time, Felix meets the Clutching Hand of old time mystery fame. In strips from 11-2 to 11-8-1936, Felix is locked in a haunted house with the Hand. These are fine examples of Otto Messmer’s adept depictions of the mysterious and hauntingly ethereal ectoplasmic denizens of the subconscious, in other words, good spook stuff. In the Sunday, you will notice that the art is NOT by Otto, but quite possibly Tom Palmer or Joe Oriolo. The designs of the supporting characters in particular look like something out of a color Van Beuren cartoon, like a Molly Moo Cow or Toonerville Trolley short. 1936 was the year that the Van Beuren closed shop, and some of his last releases were Felix the Cat color cartoons. So maybe Otto let some unemployed Van Beuren staffer handle a few Sundays for him?

Krazy this time is from 4-22 to 4-27-1940, and Mimi the French Poodle (?) wanders back into Coconino (in the 4-24) to eventually teach school again. Offissa Pupp is too fat for Mimi, and there is a rather subtle gag in the 4-27 concerning Krazy’s gender confusion. Mimi has mistaken him for a tomcat, (this time). Mimi, along with her male predecessor, Kiskidi Kuku, are some of the strangest characters that Garge ever designed, they don’t look so much like dogs as giant rats. They speak in French accents, so the Coconino denizens instantly accept these creatures as their superiors. Mimi looks very attractive to almost all the guys, Krazy only feels love for Mimi intermittently, when his “male” side is dominant. More of this creepiness to follow.

 

Patrick is from 1-24 to 1-28-1966 this time. The 1/25 is iconographic, Patrick only likes Godfrey on allowance day. This one little strip really touches on an essential truth about friendship, does anybody truly like another human being just for himself or herself, or for what we can GET from that human being? Patrick is an unrepentant hedonist. Next time, y’all. And remember, DON’T BUY BP!!!