“Dagwood” Doozinberry
Here
Here’s “Now Listen, Mabel” from 9-18 to 9-24-1919. “Mabel” seems to me like a forerunner of “Blondie” in the early 1930s when Blondie and Dagwood were courting. The 9-20 strip is especially close to the writing in “Blondie”, as Mabel seems determined to spend all of Jimmie Doozinberry’s money, even at a tea date for two! Also the 9-24 has a Chic Young situation, as Mabel winds up with “Sammie” at a thank-you dinner she is supposedly throwing for Jimmie. Mabel is not quite the ditz that Blondie was in the early 1930s, however. She seems just a bit craftier, and is more deliberately playing the field. I also like the way Garge depicts office life in 1919, with simple desks all grouped together in a big room, no partitions or cubicles in those days. The big boss was the only guy who got an office with a closable door.
Magnifying these images is still a bit of a chore. But there may be a “built in” magnifier in the blog, just pass your cursor over the images and they “may” enlarge in a small window to the right of the comics. If that doesn’t work, just open them in a new window. You know how, don’t you? Enjoy!
Maximo says:
Hello, Mr. Kausler? I’m Maximo, in case of answering this; i want to ask you about your storyboards on the cancelled remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet. As well, about how many storyboards artists were involved on the project, and if Tony Cervone was involved on the project (like you stated on your It’s the cat page) and if you rememberon who wrote the final draft of the movie? , if you don’t remember it I understand.
I hope you can answer to me sooner.
Thank you
Maximo.
Mark says:
Hi Maximo, I guess it’s been truly said, no bad deed goes unpunished. I worked a long time on many failed projects in the storyboard position, the Betty Boop movie, the original version of the “Pomp and Circumstance” number in “Fantasia Continued”, as it was known in those days, and the remake of “The Incredible Mr. Limpet”. Jim Carrey was to play Mr. Limpet, and he got paid whether the picture was made or not. Phil Tippett was supposed to have done the special effects. I think there were between three and five story artists on Limpet at any one time. I don’t remember all their names now. Yes, Tony Cervone and Spike Brandt were both directors on the project. I can’t remember the writers names on the movie, but it never really got to a FINAL final draft, since it was continually being revised and reshuffled. Tony was forever cracking wise with gallows humor about the film. Our story bunch even went to the acquarium downtown to make sketches of marine life. That was the most fun we had. In retrospect, I have had very few positive experiences storyboarding, the best was “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Some lines that Joe Ranft and myself wrote actually wound up in the screenplay! Big deal? I also storyboarded the original version of “The Warthog Rhapsody” for “The Lion King”. This number was replaced by “Hakuna Matata” and all our gags were redone. Strangely, I still get small checks from the Writers Guild every year for my work on “Lion King”. Thanks for commenting, Mark