Sunday, April 6, 2014

THE FUNNIES

Seventy years ago-in the 1940s- we used to refer to  newspaper comic strips as the “funnies.” I don’t know if that was a family thing or maybe just an Ohio expression. The “funnies” were a standard feature in almost every major American newspaper except the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.  Before television arrived on the scene the funnies were a major source of amusement and everyone had their favorites.


When I was 10, I would wait down by the mailbox for the afternoon’s edition of the Canton Repository.  RED RYDER was the big attraction for me.

I don’t recall what Terry looked like of TERRY AND THE PIRATES but I was fascinated by the Dragon Lady’s outfits.  When I was 12 she was the epitome of chic!

GASOLINE ALLEY, LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE AND POPEYE were “before my time” and they didn’t hold my interest.

The lush illustrations in PRINCE VALIANT caught me as a young adult.  The cartoonist was big on historical details and it made for fascinating reading. The first comic strip I recall reading where people got older.

DAGWOOD has been around since 1933.The guy never ages and seems to entertain generation after generation.


I still like the funnies but read them only occasionally now.  They were a major part of my growing up.  Books are my reading now.

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Next Post, Next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by!


Joan