Sam Gross died this past year, at 89, after a long, successful career as a gag cartoonist. You’ve probably seen his work in the New Yorker Magazine. He signed his gags “S. Gross“. You’ll also recall how hard you laughed after seeing them. He began cartooning in 1962. Basic math suggests he had a career…

Mutt and Jeff were big stars in popular culture during the early decades. The two were the featured characters in a comic strip by creator, Bud Fisher. He started it on November 15, 1907, as a “A. Mutt“, but introduced Jeff on March 27, 1908, changing the title to “Mutt and Jeff“. By the middle…

Just ran across this circulation statement from Woman’s Day Magazine from 1949 (yes, I know I’m a little behind on my reading). Their statement claims 3,600,000 average circulation. The magazine began in 1931, started by A & P, which changed Woman’s Day from a freebie with recipes, to a five cent legitimate periodical in 1937,…

long before Anson Williams and Ron Howard appeared in the surprisingly popular 1970s tv show, “Happy Days”, you may be surprised to know Happy Days had a much earlier incarnation. During the early part of the 20th century, “Happy Days, A Paper For Young and Old” rubbed elbows on the news rack with the multitude…

Wish I could go out to the local candy store on my Schwinn bicycle and buy some of these comics from spring, 1940. But, I can’t. First I have to catch the Lone Ranger on the radio, then go on my newspaper route.