Marc Deckter Challenge Bonus Round

This past weekend, a few more great supporters stepped up to bat to help us buy hard drives to back up the digital treasures we've collected over the past couple of years. The Marc Deckter Challenge is officially over until the next fundraising drive in the Spring, but I cajoled Marc into sharing some more wonderful comic strips from his collection with us to celebrate the support of the following great folks... our new Archive Hero, Barbara Miller, Cameron Bowes, Amir Avni, Keith Fuselier, Michael Bunker, Patrick Sevc, and Lou Copeland. Thanks for your help! It's greatly appreciated.

SALESMAN SAM
By C. D. Small
Created in 1921 by cartoonist George Swanson, Salesman Sam chronicles the life of Sam Howdy, a salesman at the J. Guzzlem General Store. The strip pioneered the screwball school of cartooning that gave birth to Milt Gross' Dave's Delicatessen and Bill Holman's Smokey Stover. Swanson refined the cartoon "take", a device later taken to extremes at MGM by cartoon director Tex Avery. It's likely that Avery was a fan of this strip, because it also includes another favorite Avery comic device, the sign in the background wryly commenting on the action.

In 1927, the popularity of Salesman Sam led King Features Syndicate to hire Swanson away from the Newspaper Enterprise Association. NEA continued the strip after Swanson's departure with magazine cartoonist, C. D. Small. This is one of the rare examples of an artist picking up another artist's creation and actually amplifying and improving it. Archive supporter, Mike Fontanelli speculates that perhaps the reason that this strip isn't as well known is because of comic fans' natural aversion to strips being continued by syndicates without the original creator involved. Thanks to Marc Deckter and the contributors to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, now the true story can be told.










MILT GROSS DAILIES
Around 1931, Milt Gross took an unique approach to his daily newspaper comic strip. Instead of establishing a title and set of characters, he established several titles and several sets of characters. The Meanest Man featured a mysterious little man in black who secretly sabotaged people in everyday situations. I Did It And I'm Glad starred a little milquetoast whose frustrations erupt in violence. Draw Your Own Conclusion set up a comic situation and left the payoff to the reader's imagination. Banana Oil coined a phrase which meant pretty much the same thing as "hogwash" or "hooey". Here's a heaping helping of prime daily Gross...













Thanks again to all of the great folks who supported the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive during the Marc Deckter Challenge. We promise to give you more than your money's worth over the next six months.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Marc Deckter Challenge Day Seven

Many thanks to Alex Vassilev for sponsoring this comic.

A PERSONAL WORD
There's power in numbers. At the beginning of this fundraising drive, I announced that the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog had just logged its two millionth unique visitor. If every one of those readers contributed the token amount of one dollar to the cause, we would be cutting the ribbon on a brick and mortar museum of animation today. But unfortunately, that isn't the way the world works.

There are a precious few individuals in this world who feel strongly about what they believe in- strong enough that they support their cause for everyone's benefit, not just their own. Over two million people have benefitted from the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, but these 14 people are the ones who feel what we are doing here is important enough to turn their appreciation into action during this week's fundraising drive...

Will Finn, Sherm Cohen, Dino's Pizza, Matthew DeCoster, Frank Hutchinson, Paul Higgins, Chappell Ellison, Brian Homan, Max Ward, Dennis Hyer, Brian Horst, Adam Caldwell, Alfredo Guisepp Castelli, and Vipin Sharma

Along with Marc Deckter, who made this challenge possible, and the faithful assistance of the handful of dedicated volunteers and supporters listed in the sidebar, these individuals are enabling us to bring the riches of a century of cartooning to you for FREE.

You've heard people referred to as "one in a million"... The people who support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive truly are that kind of person.

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTOR
Dennis Hyer contributed earlier in the week, and decided to contribute again. Thanks, Dennnis!








IF YOU VALUE THE ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION ARCHIVE, SUPPORT IT
I hope you will keep this in mind in the six months until our next fundraising drive. If you can help us, please do. Many thanks to those who added the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive to the blogroll on their site this week.

Thank you
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
.

Stumble It!

Marc Deckter Challenge Day Six

Many thanks to Vipin Sharma for sponsoring this comic.

THIS IS THE LAST DAY TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE.
DON'T LET US DOWN!
Today marks the sixth day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. We've caught up with our backlog of comic page sponsorships, so it's up to you to support us today for tomorrow's final day of Sunday page treats. There's still one more chance to do your part and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVE

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Archive volunteer and all-around great guy, Max Ward brings you these great Milt Gross pages...




Our good friend, Will Finn started the ball rolling on the Marc Deckter Challenge last week, and today he comes back to sponsor more great comics. Thanks, Will!








Marc Deckter pitched in this early Gross Nize Baby strip just because he's feelin' philanthropic today!


WANT TO SEE MORE?
You've got one more chance to participate in the Marc Deckter challenge. Tomorrow we will be posting the last set of Sunday pages for those who feel strongly enough about this project to support it. If this site has provided something of value to you through the hundreds of articles we've posted over the past couple of years, this is your opportunity to give something back. Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Marc Deckter Challenge Day Five

Here's a special treat brought to you by Joseph "JoJo" Baptista.

Today marks the fifth day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. Two great supporters stepped up to bat today, so there's a lot of exciting things to see- so much in fact, that I'll be rolling over a couple of contributors' comics until tomorrow. There's still time to do your part and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVE

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Today, I have two new Archive Heros to introduce to you. The first is Chappell Ellison, who visited the archive recently to see the Grim Natwick exhibit. Here's a batch of great Otto Messmer Felix the Cat Sunday pages!








Next up is our new Archive Hero, Brian Homan. For Brian, Marc has selected a variety of Sunday pages... potpourri!







WANT TO SEE MORE?
If this site has provided something of value to you through the hundreds of articles we've posted over the past couple of years, this is your opportunity to give something back. Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Marc Deckter Challenge Day Four

This great Milt Gross Sunday page is brought to you by a contribution by our friend in Milan, Italy, Alfredo Guisepp Castelli.

Today marks the fourth day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. We had great response today, so there's a lot of exciting things to see- so much in fact, that I'll be rolling over a couple of contributors' comics until Tuesday. The material Marc Deckter is sharing with us here is truly remarkable, and your contributions are greatly appreciated. There's still time to do your part and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVE

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Today's contributors also happen to be good friends of mine. First is cartoonist Sherm Cohen. For Sherm, Marc has picked a real rarity... Salesman Sam. Dating from 1930, these dailies by C. D. Small are not well remembered. But they sure are great! I'll have more on this pioneering strip in the near future.







The next batch of classic Felix strips is sponsored by our new Archive Hero, Dino's Pizza. Located just a few blocks down Burbank Bl at Hollywood Way, Dino's is my favorite lunchtime hangout. They make the best pizza in town. Thanks, Dinos for your support (and your great salads too!)










Here are two treats from Marc as an extra bonus for these good friends...




WANT TO SEE MORE?
If this site has provided something of value to you through the hundreds of articles we've posted over the past couple of years, this is your opportunity to give something back. Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

I'll be back in the Archive on Tuesday preparing a batch of great vintage comic strip Sunday pages courtesy of our latest Archive Heros, Chappell Ellison and Brian Homan.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Marc Deckter Challenge Day Two

This great Sunday page was sponsored by Adam Caldwell. Three cheers for Adam!

Today marks the second day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. Today, two readers stepped up and contributed to share some great vintage Sunday pages with you. There's still time to join in yourself and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

It's time to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive...

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Frank Hutchinson lives on the other side of the planet from the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, but he still gets a lot out of what we do here. Frank is generously sponsoring these great comics for you to enjoy today...







To thank Adam and Frank for their support, Marc Deckter is kicking in this special treat...



DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE?
There's a LOT more where these came from! Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Marc Deckter Challenge Day One

This great Sunday page was sponsored by Dennis Hyer. Thanks, Dennis!

Today was the first day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. Several readers stepped up and contributed to share some great vintage Sunday pages with you. There's still time to join in yourself and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

It's time to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive...

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
We can all thank Matthew DeCoster, our latest Archive Hero for this mother lode of great Milt Gross and Otto Messmer pages...









To thank Matthew for his extra generous support, Marc Deckter is kicking in this special treat...


Next up is Archive supporter, Paul Higgins contributing to bring you these great Dave's Delicatessen strips...







And here's a special thank you to Brian Horst...



NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Another Milestone: Time For The Marc Deckter Challenge!

OVER 2,000,000 SERVED!

Every day, web surfers from all over the world take advantage of the amazing resources we present here. Great things are being accomplished. The word is getting out thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and contributors, as well as the hard work of our volunteers. Over the weekend, our hit counter clicked over the two million mark on unique visitors. That's a remarkable achievement that we can all feel proud about.

However, right now, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is facing a challenge. We've filled up all of our available hard drives and we desperately need more to continue with this important project. We need six 1.5 TB hard drives to house the material we will be digitizing over the next six months.

Twice a year, I take time out from my regular posting schedule to ask you, the readers of this blog, to support our efforts. Two million people, each contributing a small amount, can move mountains. Unfortunately, not everyone on the internet is willing to give back for the riches they receive. The precious few who will step up to the plate to support the causes they believe in are the ones who make a difference for everyone. For the next week or so, I'm calling on those of you who feel strongly about what we are doing here to reach into your pocket and contribute to help us purchase the hard drive space that makes all of this possible.



THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

It's time to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive...

OUR FIRST CONTRIBUTOR
Will Finn is one of this project's most faithful supporters. Just as he did last year, Will is the first to kick in to get the ball rolling. Thanks, Will!







NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
Every day for the next week or two, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Comics: JoJo Shares His Treasures

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.


Every year at Comic-Con, Assistant Archivist JoJo Baptista busts his bankroll on old moldy newsprint. He's generously offered to share his treasures with all of us. Thanks, JoJo!


As I always say... if you're one of those folks who don't click on the images because you don't think it's worth the time it takes to read... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!

First off, here are some of the backsides of his Comic-Con hoarde...







And here's the GOOD STUFF... choice Cliff Sterrett Polly and her Pals Sundays...



There's an easter egg in this one... do a google image search for the name hidden in this comic and see what Sterrett was looking at when he created this strip!

And here's some prime Milt Gross...





GREAT NEWS! Marc Deckter just stopped by with a huge pile of Milt Gross and Cliff Sterrett Sunday pages and rare daily strips. Hooray for Marc and JoJo!

For more Milt Gross cartoon goodness, see... The Milt Gross Challenge, Milt Gross Sunday Pages and Dailies Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven. Also see... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour Of New York

Check these out as well... Chic Young's Blondie, Rube Goldberg's Side Show; George Lichty's Grin and Bear It, Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

2007 Review: 10 Milt Gross

As the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive completes its second year in operation, it's time to review the accomplishments of the past year. Here's a countdown of the ten most important subjects we've covered in 2007. See if your list matches mine. (View the complete list.) Click on the pictures to see lots more on this topic.


From "Milt Gross Sunday Pages Part Four" May 18th, 2007
NUMBER 10: MILT GROSS

Thanks to Archive supporters Mark Kausler, Marc Deckter, Kent Butterworth and Marc Crisafulli, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has a fantastic collection of comics by Milt Gross.


From "Fulfilling The Milt Gross Challenge" October 17th, 2007

Milt Gross is one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived, but most of his work has been out of print for many years. He was a master of both words and images. His books Nize Baby, Dunt Esk De Night In De Front From Chreesmas are classics of ethnic New York dialect humor. His masterpiece, He Done Her Wrong, which Gross described as "The great American novel- and not a word in it- no music too", tells a story entirely in funny pictures.


From "Banana Oil!" August 21st, 2007
Milt Gross began his career as an animator in New York, and his comics reflect the same sort of baggy pants humor and keenly observed exaggeration that one might find in a Fleischer cartoon. His style appears loose and free on first glance. Every frame bursts with new and interesting ideas. But behind the energy and fun are carefully thought out compositions and expressive posing. Like Chaplin and Keaton, Gross was a master at making hard work and concentration look easy and natural. Students of animation can learn a lot from studying these techniques.


From "Dave's Delicatessen" July 24th, 2007
Currently, the only book by Gross that remains in print is He Done Her Wrong. This is a shame, because as great as this book is, there's a lot more to Milt Gross. The humor in Gross' comics is timeless. Thanks to Mark, Marc, Marc and Kent, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has become one of the best places to study his work. Stop by and view the Sunday pages and daily strips in our archive database sometime soon.

Go To Number 9 on the list of Top Ten Subjects of 2007

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Comics: Fulfilling The Milt Gross Challenge

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.


Here's the conclusion of the Marc Deckter Challenge Sunday pages. This gluttonous orgy of Milt Gross goodness comes to you courtesy of Amir Avni, Dragan Kovacevic, Michael Webb, Anonymous, Charlie Judkins, Alexander McCarron, James Middleton, Enrique May, J. Todd Constantine, and Greg Checketts. These folks stepped up to the plate and supported the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive so we can continue bringing great material like this to you for the rest of the year. We all owe them our thanks. The Archive is only as good as you make it. We appreciate your support.

And as I always say... if you're one of those folks who don't click on the images because you don't think it's worth the time it takes to read... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!

Count Screwloose & Babbling Brooks Sunday Pages (1930-31)














And Two More Dave's Delicatessens...



For more Milt Gross cartoon goodness, see... Milt Gross Sunday Pages and Dailies Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven. Also see... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour Of New York Part One, Part Two and Part Three; Chic Young's Blondie, Rube Goldberg's Side Show; George Lichty's Grin and Bear It, Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Many thanks to Marc Deckter for sharing this wonderful stuff with us.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Comics: Milt Gross Courtesy of Will And Marc

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.


Today's post is brought to you through the courtesy of Marc Deckter and Will Finn. These two great guys dug deep into their collections and pockets to ensure that the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is able to continue to bring you the great inspiration you have come to expect. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their generosity.


The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive isn't one of those stuffy institutions financed by huge corporate endowments. It's a grassroots resource that is supported by the artists and animation fans that directly benefit from it. That means you. Every penny that comes in gets rolled right back into making the Archive even better. But if the people who benefit from it don't support it with their donations, it will cease to exist. What would you do if you woke up one morning and found that animationarchive.org came up as "Server Not Found"? Please contribute using the PayPal links at the top of each post.


And as I always say... if you're one of those folks who don't click on the images because you don't think it's worth the time it takes to read... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!

Banana Oil Dailies (1925)






Count Screwloose & Babbling Brooks Sunday Pages (1930)







For more Milt Gross cartoon goodness, see... Milt Gross Sunday Pages and Dailies Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five and Part Six. Also see... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour Of New York Part One, Part Two and Part Three; Chic Young's Blondie, Rube Goldberg's Side Show; George Lichty's Grin and Bear It, Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Many thanks to Marc Deckter for sharing this wonderful stuff with us, and to Will Finn for stepping up to the challenge.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Milt Gross: Banana Oil!

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.


The hoi-polloi are out in droves tonight to celebrate this great day!

It's Marc Deckter Appreciation Day!


All of Marc's fans and admirers are jumping on the bandwagon, writing appreciative blog postings. Here's John K's.

For the past couple of weeks, we've been working on digitizing a batch of nearly 200 Milt Gross Sunday pages and dalies that Marc generously loaned to us. That adds up to over a million laughs!


Three cheers for Marc Deckter!


And as I always say... if you're one of those folks who don't click on the images because you don't think it's worth the time it takes to read... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!

Banana Oil Dailies (1924)







Count Screwloose & Dave's Delicatessen Sunday Pages (1930-1933)






For more Milt Gross cartoon goodness, see... Milt Gross Sunday Pages and Dailies Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five. Also see... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour Of New York Part One, Part Two and Part Three; Chic Young's Blondie, Rube Goldberg's Side Show; George Lichty's Grin and Bear It, Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Many thanks to Marc Deckter for sharing this wonderful stuff with us!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Comics: Milt Gross' Dave's Delicatessen

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.


Archive supporter, Marc Deckter stopped by today with a pile of deteriorating Milt Gross Dave's Delicatessen dalies. The newsprint had become brittle and brown and the strips were fragmenting into chips. I put them carefully on the scanner and digitized them before they had a chance to turn to dust.


Milt Gross is one of the underappreciated cartoonists that the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is dedicated to documenting. Between these wonderful early examples courtesy of Marc Deckter, the Sunday pages lent to us by Mark Kausler and the great book A Cartoon Tour of New York from Kent Butterworth, our collection of Gross is second to none. If you haven't seen any of our previous articles on Gross, check out the links at the end of this post.

And as I always say... if you're one of those folks who don't click on the images because you don't think it's worth the time it takes to read... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!



























Read John K's comments on this post...

For more Milt Gross Sunday pages, see... Milt Gross Sunday Pages Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four. Also see... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour Of New York Part One, Part Two and Part Three; Chic Young's Blondie, Rube Goldberg's Side Show; George Lichty's Grin and Bear It, Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Many thanks to Marc Deckter for sharing this wonderful stuff with us!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Stumble It!

Media: Milt Gross Sunday Pages Part Four

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.



Do you love Milt Gross yet?



If you've been following this blog
for a while, you know how great he is!



Here's another batch of prime Gross...






If you're one of those folks who don't click on the images because you don't think it's worth the time it takes to read the whole page... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING!

For more Milt Gross Sunday pages, see... Milt Gross Sunday Pages Part One, Part Two and Part Three. Also see... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour Of New York Part One, Part Two and Part Three; Rube Goldberg's Side Show; Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Many thanks to Marc Crisafulli for sharing this amazing stuff with us!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

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Media: Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour of New York

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 2 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about print cartoonists.


It's especially gratifying when an animation professional stumbles across this blog and immediately grasps what it is we're doing and how important it is to the art of animation. A while back, animation director, Kent Butterworth (www.attilatheham.com) was doing a web search for Ralph Bakshi and found our post on Ralph's Phone Doodles. Kent was excited by what he saw and bounced around the site, discovering that the archive is located less than a mile from his home. It was a Tuesday afternoon, so he jumped in the car and came right over to see what we were doing. I gave him the tour and explained how the database we are building is intended to work, and he was behind the concept 100 percent. On Thursday he was back, with a stack of books and comics to allow us to digitize.

Kent's collection is amazing, and the scope is huge. He brought a hard drive full of scans of vintage comic books by dozens of great artists, 40s Colliers magazines with Virgil Partch cartoons, original Sunday pages by Cliff Sterrett, and a book I've never seen before... Milt Gross' Cartoon Tour of New York.

Milt Gross is one of the greatest comic artists who ever lived. His books Nize Baby, He Done Her Wrong and Dunt Esk are classics of ethnic New York humor. His drawing style is direct and funny with absolutely flawless staging, composition and expression. Gross's Cartoon Tour of New York was published as a program guide for tourists visiting the 1939 New York World's Fair, and it's an amazing time capsule into life in the "big apple" in its golden age. If Weegee's Naked City depicts the front page view of this marvellous time and place, Gross' Cartoon Tour tells the Funny Pages version.

A lot of this book appears to have been drawn by Milt Gross' assistant, but there's still plenty of joy in ever panel. Here are scans of the entire book. Enjoy!










































Many thanks to Kent Butterworth for sharing this great book with us!

For more Milt Gross cartoon goodness, see... Milt Gross Sunday Pages and Dailies Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven. Also see... Chic Young's Blondie, Rube Goldberg's Side Show; George Lichty's Grin and Bear It, Cliff Sterrett's Polly & Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three; and Harrison Cady's Birds' Eye Views

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

6.28.08
.

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