R. Crumb: A Sketchbook Page from April 1, 1962

A sketchbook page of yellow lined paper was drawn upon by R. Crumb on April 1, 1962 and sold at Heritage Auctions on November 21, 2003. The unrelated sketches on the right side of the page, as it originally was bound, are undated.

The other side of the page bears the date and a self-portrait of Crumb drawing an interior on the sketchbook page we are looking at. Heritage gave it the title April Fool and called it an "infinity" piece, but I think that's a stretch on both counts. Or is the joke on me?

R. Crumb
Heritage Auctions listing of November 21, 2003

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/sketches/robert-crumb-original-sketches-april-fool-1962-you-ll-feel-foolish-if-you-pass-up-this-cool-infinity-piece-by-crumb-from-april/a/808-5567.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

R. Crumb
Heritage Auctions item description

05236

Ronald Searle: Loquacious Parrot

The full title is Loquacious Parrot Convinced That It is Teaching Man a Basic Vocabulary. Ronald Searle's talkative bird is grand and grotesque, sitting on its perch and pontificating with a wide-open beak. Forum Auctions of London just listed a work of original Searle art, a variant of the original book illustration from The King of Beasts & Other Creatures (Allen Lane, London, 1980) or, for American readers, The Situation is Hopeless (Viking Press, New York, 1981). It shows Searle's characteristic baroque technique complete with controlled ink splotches. The presale estimate was 800 to 1,200 GBP with a starting bid of 550 GBP, fairly low for a fully-realized watercolor drawing by this cartoon master.

Ronald Searle
Forum Auctions—UK listing accessed March 12, 2023
March 30, 2023, Lot 467

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/Searle-Ronald-Variant-study-of-the-Loquacious-467-c-32444D2929?utm_source=alerts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=keywordalerts&utm_content=182505

Ronald Searle
Forum Auctions—UK item description

April Fools!

Oh, for crying out loud! This atrocious copy could never pass for the work of Ronald Searle. Forum Auctions, which should not have listed it, withdrew the work at least a week prior to the sale.

Anyone trying to pass off a Searle forgery faces at least three serious problems. The first is Searle's masterful technique with pen, ink, and watercolor. Good luck copying that. The second is Searle's distinctive left-handed signature. I don't think I've ever seen a good counterfeit of it, especially after it became more horizontal in 1970 or so. The Forum Auctions drawing is copied directly from the book illustration freehand, it would seem. Its deficiencies are pretty obvious when you also have the real deal in front of you:

Loquacious parrot convinced that it is teaching man a basic vocabulary
Ronald Searle
The King of Beasts & Other Creatures, 1980

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192114458300?hash=item2cbae9febc:g:VMAAAOSwSlBYsxRH&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8IxV%2FyGuRuTdnb4dMUxYHpw4tGYoKeKeW1

jBRz9b5eWrQW4zs0ItpdXSwy8bHUrQR%2BWIk8vW7Cq5vlQnJF5nngeWvwpsgJYj71c%2F9PuOSIhoNOcX4YU%2BYRT1J8H6Q3F3XnH%2FR9M4qmVD7sjuL

QELVx0Thl0JYrLe6oV7XxKOwwFBGdgop9BNftFx5KwJTxLWfhx2ehfxe15hAI5Zvrzv28Y%2B38K5mfaSnWVQbIokhIUkD3x8%2BEdr1qxvA%2F

Lcxa5v27Xwo1pUVAOEaBUJ6ZS0728L0JngApvNPtU9ST3s4bqiXei%2FhPPaVKYynLqK2kppMQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8TrvqLnYQ

There is, in fact, a close variant of the original book illustration out there, one created by Searle himself in 1979. Here he set the perch at an angle and used a heavy horizon line. It too would have worked just fine in the book, but Searle preferred the other more basic version.

Ronald Searle
Christie's December 1, 2004

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4413447

Ronald Searle

Christie's item description

The third significant problem for the forger is how to cash in on the high prices Searle's art fetches, particularly in the U.K. Spurious pieces like this one typically end up at smaller British auction houses and booksellers where the Searle name is known but the nuances of his art perhaps are not. Original Searle work often goes to Christie's or to the illustration dealer Chris Beetles. As we have seen, Searle's preliminary or variant art can be surprisingly close to his finishes. Once you're familiar with Searle's work, it's hard to not be repulsed by the work of an amateur copyist.

04276

Bernhardt Wall: Clandestine Prankery

Postcards from a 1909 series illustrated by Bernhardt Wall celebrated April Fools' Day. Wall was known as the "Postcard King." Couldn't you could just kick yourself?

Bernhardt Wall
eBay listing retrieved March 31, 2021

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Signed-Bernhardt-Wall-c-1910-April-Fools-Day-Kick-Me-on-Men-Series-156/162874729830?hash=item25ec172566:g:1QEAAOSwnHZYjgxX

Bernhardt Wall
eBay item description

Bernhardt Wall
eBay listing ended February 28, 2021

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/April-Fool-First-1st-Old-PC-of-I-Am-A-Fool-Sign-Pinned-on-Gentleman-Wall-Artist-/373000437935?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

Bernhardt Wall
eBay item description

Hey, here's another, for those who can't have too much of a good thing:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/ANTIQUE-POSTCARD-APRIL-FOOL... 





03583

George Petty: Bum Check

The conventions of the pin-up don't necessarily work well within the context of a gag cartoon. In its early decades, Esquire resorted time and again to a formula of pairing provocatively underdressed women with suggestive gag lines in combinations that were meant to be both sexy and funny but more often than not came up short in both areas. In the April 1937 issue of Esquire, for example, George Petty presents us with his privileged view of a kept woman for the appreciative gaze of the magazine's male readership. Petty's choice of vantage point makes no pretense of this being a character study; indeed we get to see more of the bounced check than of the woman's face.

"I suppose this bum check is your idea of an April Fool's joke[.]"
George Petty
Esquire, April 1937, page 41

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1937-ESQUIRE-MAGAZINE-Comic-Page-You-mean-I-can-claim-an-exemption-if-I/163028012270?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40971%26meid%3D428523e367fe4e02b4fb9cbcdf0fc65a%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D163023293146%26itm%3D163028012270&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

Note:  This marks the first appearance of George Petty on Attempted Bloggery. He is the creator of the popular "Petty Girl."

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Pin-Ups

Esquire Cartoons

April Fools Day

Attempted Bloggery's Bouncing Index

03214

Irving Phillips: The Old Switcheroo

An April 1937 Esquire cartoon is set in a maternity ward, but don't expect any sentiment on that score. The gag by Irving Phillips is wrong on so many levels. For openers it is racist, it is misogynistic, and it is simply not funny.

"We're going to April Fool our husbands[.]"

Irving Phillips

Esquire, April 1937, page 55

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1937-ESQUIRE-MAGAZINE-Comic-Art-Page-Were-going-to-April-Fool-our-husbands/372282051337?_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170221122447%26meid%3Dbe0ac97cf2594c42959a0f1580d22547%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D372282051357%26itm%3D372282051337&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

https://classic.esquire.com/index.php/article/1937/4/1/were-going-to-april-fool-our-husbands

Note:  This is the first appearance of Irving Phillips on Attempted Bloggery. His Wikipedia page notes, "He eventually became head of the humor staff for Esquire in the late 1930s." Hard to believe.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Maternity Wards

Esquire Cartoons

National Doctors' Day (March 30)

Attempted Bloggery's Off-Color Index

03212

Claude Smith: Are You an April Fool Victim?

A 1942 magazine advertisement illustrated by cartoonist Claude Smith cautions against being an April Fool victim every day of the year. Sponsored by America's Independent Electric Light and Power Companies (names available "on request from this magazine"), it warns that federal subsidies of electrical power are being paid for by you the consumer. That's like being tricked by an exploding cigar every day of the year. Gosh!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223464898924

Note:  Readers who know when in 1942 and more to the point where this ad was published should come forward and divulge their information. Maybe then we can finally find out from the magazine just what utilities make up America's Independent Electric Light and Power Companies.

Advertising art by Claude Smith, who signs his name Claude, is fairly uncommon in my experience. Advertisers often prefer the big names. Still, I often conjecture, if there's one such ad there certainly could be many. Connoisseurs of humorous advertising and other paper hoarders are asked to send scans of vintage Claude ads for inclusion in future blog posts. Original Claude art and obscure published cartoons would be welcome here as well. Please do not send exploding cigars through the mail.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Claude Smith

Advertising

April Fools!

Attempted Bloggery's Smoking Index

02880

E. Simms Campbell: Unravished Foolery

An Esquire magazine 1938 color cartoon by E. Simms Campbell seems unusual in how tightly-cropped the image is. We are in a young woman's bedroom, evidently, as she is upright in an adjustable bed wearing—what else?—a sheer nightgown. Yet her hair is still perfect, her makeup is still on, and an expensive bracelet still adorns her wrist. Correction: we are inhabiting a male fantasy version of a young woman's bedroom. That's the point here, really. This isn't just a lewd gag about not committing rape ("fool that I am"); like many an Esquire cartoon, it's also an acknowledgement of how susceptible we men, the intended readers, are to overtly sexualized images of women, even without any sign of plausibility or female consent.

"All I want is your jewelry, lady—fool that I am[.]"
E. Simms Campbell
Esquire, October 1938

https://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Illustration-art-Cartoon-Magazine/dp/B016OZXS5S/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1521681016&sr=8-29&keywords=simms+campbell+esquire

Image added March 30, 2020
https://classic.esquire.com/index.php/article/1938/10/1/all-i-want-is-your-jewelry-lady-fool-that-i-am

Note:  Fool that I am, Attempted Bloggery has been surveying the work of cartoonist E. Simms Campbell (1906-1971). Readers with access to original Campbell art can assist in this important endeavor by submitting high-resolution scans or photos.

At press time, this cartoon is available for purchase on Amazon.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives

E. Simms Campbell

Esquire

Foolish Things

Attempted Bloggery's Untarnished Index

Attempted Bloggery supports bringing back the freshman beanie.

02503

Resplendent Subtlety

Welcome to the world's most popular cultural blog! Please, there's no need to thank me.

You know, if there's one complaint I get more than any other—and I get plenty, believe me—it's that I have a tendency here on the old blog to overindulge in what might be called gross-out humor. Too often, my numerous critics tell me, I emphasize only the obvious, the offensive, the scatological, eschewing the nuanced and the refined—qualities wrongly thought not to be in my wheelhouse—in favor of the tasteless, the crass, or the frankly disgusting. In short, I am accused of pandering to the lowbrow tastes of my audience for the mere sake of maintaining what I concede is an already wildly-lucrative blog. While I am not totally blameless in all this, I have to admit I'm a little hurt by the constant criticism of my crudeness. Well, friends, that ends today.

Why today? Because, having duly checked my calendar, I see that today is the first day of the 2017 MoCCA Arts Festival, a two-day comics extravaganza held on the West Side of New York City not too far from the Intrepid. Last year I attended the 2016 Festival, if only for a couple of hours, and photographed a rather refined piece of original illustration art by the great Rick Meyerowitz, "O Tempore! O Sophomore!"—a classy Latin title if ever there was one. Now, one full year later, I am finally posting this bounteously-overflowing work to help promote the new 2017 MoCCA Arts Fest and to usher in a new, more genteel phase of my blogging. Can you scent the change? At last I can indulge my true predilection—too often suppressed in the past—for the subtle, for the serene, for the sublime. No longer will anyone be able to say that urbane sophistication and refinement are simply not to be found in my Milhouse.

Rick Meyerowitz
"O Tempore! O Sophomore!"
Original art
National Lampoon, August 1972

I don't know if I'm going to make it over to MoCCA Fest this year—I'm trying to keep a low profile in the face of so much public opprobrium—but if I do manage it on Sunday, the day they let in the riff-raff, please say hello and do try to be a little forgiving. I'll be the one not wearing a white carnation.

Becky Cloonan, MoCCA Fest 2017

April 2, 2017 Update: Well, I never made it over there, but if you said hi to me anyway, thanks.


Note:  Rick Meyerowitz has never appeared on this blog before, but, as I've said, I'm turning over a new leaf as of today.

Richard M. Nixon was the 37th President of the United States. Respect.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Richard M. Nixon

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Other Posts of the Season

Jack Ziegler (1942-2017)

Attempted Bloggery's Unplumbed Index

02142

Assault & Butlery: Rowland B. Wilson's Whodunnit

Welcome to America's most popular blog.

In 1981, cartoonist Rowland B. Wilson reported on the Fraternal Order of Butlers Annual Dinner. The results are not pretty...

Rowland B. Wilson, "This case is going to be a tough nut to crack!"
Playboy (?). 1981, page 161

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-Rowland-Wilson-Cartoon-Order-Of-Butlers-Case-Is-Going-To-Be-A-Tough-Nut/331697631515?rt=nc&_soffid=5&_soffType=PromotionalShipping&_trksid=p5731.m3795

Note:  At long last, this is the first appearance of Rowland B. Wilson's work here on the blog. It's also the first serious mention of butlers. 'Bout time.

By all means, read previous foolish posts at your own risk.

01822

My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for January/February 2015

Well, now I've done it. Having used this very public platform to endorse New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff for President--admittedly a long shot but nevertheless an excellent choice--the Federal Election Commission prohibits me from entering any more of his caption contests. It's something about a conflict of interest. Here then are my final entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for January/February 2015. Multiple entries are permitted in this contest. The cartoon, as always, is by New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff.

"I give up. Where is the air nozzle?"
"Bring me something heavy."
"This is Diplomacy.  Strong-Arm Tactics is down the hall."

"It's time for my annual physical. Would you mind being me?"

"Two questions:  How did you get past security and how did you get through my doorway?"

"And what brings you here? Use small words."

"That reminds me--have you seen my iPad?"

"And I can make an actuary out of you in just seven days."

"That's odd.  I didn't request a bouncer."

"Just this once, act like a mensch."

"Fetch me the Board of Directors."

"Make the Cartoon Caption Contest judge
an offer he can't refuse."

My favorite of these is the Diplomacy caption. Now let's see if Mr. Mankoff thinks any of these are worthy. Announcing the finalists:

Moment Cartoon Caption Contest Finalists for January/February 2015

Well, I think this may be the first time he and I agreed on my best caption. That's a sure sign he's getting better at this game and needs to move on to new challenges. For those keeping tabs at home, I now have made it to finalist status in eight of ten Moment contests I entered, but in only one of the nine completed contests was I voted a winner. That was supposed to earn me a free gift subscription to Moment, but we'll let that pass. The more serious issue is that I've reached finalist status in seven completed contests and won only one of these. By the law of averages, I should be winning one in three. The take-home message is don't take me with you to Las Vegas.


May 9, 2015 Update:  Winning Caption

Moment Cartoon Caption Contest Winning Caption for January/February 2015

My second win! Now my town can hold its head up high.

Note:  The previous Moment contest was the usual Greek tragedy. I had a promising caption make it to finalist status, but no farther. See the sorry outcome of the November/December contest.

Now it's your turn to change the course of caption history. You may vote for your favorite caption in the January/February contest until on or about April 10. After that, who knows what happens? Why not enter the March/April contest yourself. I'm grounded till at least the 2016 election, and at least four years beyond that if Bob Mankoff wins. Of course, he's been a bit coy about whether he's running...

By now my legion of readers must be familiar with how Bob Mankoff erred in inscribing my personal copy of his bestselling memoir. Yet his mistake is 25% less serious than it was initially. Will time heal all boo-boos?

Cartoon caption contests have been the lifeblood of this blog for going on two years. All that is at an end now, but we can still wallow in the archives.

As cartoon editor of the New Yorker, Bob Mankoff's name comes up a good deal here on the blog. Now he's been endorsed by me for the American Presidency. Isn't it time we had a cartoonist in the nation's highest office? Don't all shout at once.

01480

Proustian Olfactory Recollection and Its Influence on a Legendary American Filmmaker

In the past, college film courses have had to get by without referring students to this blog. This resulted in film school graduates who were book-smart yet vaguely aware that their expensive education was still lacking in some essential, unifying component. Now that should be a thing of the past.

Today, blog titles utilizing impressive academic jargon will make it preposterously obvious to even the most entrenched professors that they can save themselves hours of course preparation time by referring motivated students here. For example, the above title is designed to foster meaningful academic discussion regarding Marcel Proust and his narrative use of olfactory sensations which apparently had a profound influence on American filmmaker Mel Brooks.

Madeleine, anyone?

From "Blazing Saddles" (1974)
Mel Brooks, Director

For those tenure track film professors who may not yet be sufficiently familiar with Proust's literary masterpiece to incorporate it into the coursework, here's a quick reference, cleverly disguised as a competition to summarize all seven novels. Any questions?

Monty Python's Flying Circus

"The All-England Summarize

Proust Competition"

(1972, Episode 31)

0676

A Post-Freudian Subtextual Analysis of "Afternoon Delight"

Once again, the rigorous academic jargon presented in the post title above is being used to demonstrate to college professors the utility of this blog in promoting shared higher educational goals. This is designed to assist overworked instructors in dealing with some of the vexing cultural questions that come up every day in the classroom such as, for example, "What is the true meaning of the lyrics 'Skyrockets in flight / Afternoon delight?'" Such thorny interpretive problems are best approached with the scrupulous use of an academic lexicon, allowing for a nuanced, scholarly explication of even the most obtuse and difficult song lyrics to emerge from an increasingly complex cultural landscape.

Starland Vocal Band
"Afternoon Delight" (1976)

0675

From Hegel to Harvey: A Dialectical Materialist Critique of Richie Rich

It is painfully obvious that this blog isn't being used as a resource in the ivy-covered halls of academia. In fact, there isn't a single college course anywhere that regularly assigns readings from here despite Attempted Bloggery's veritable trove of vital information. The result, if no corrective action is taken, will be a nation of college graduates woefully ill-informed on just about all the critical subjects covered herein.

The problem is largely one of language. College professors require a certain degree of academic jargon to reassure themselves that the material at hand has sufficient scholarly merit. Anything written with a folksy lilt or jocular tone is automatically suspect, whatever the content. So please note that today's remaining posts have been carefully provided with serious academic titles so that our dedicated college and university instructors will finally feel comfortable assigning lengthy portions of this blog to the eager young minds they're charged with educating. For example, this post's title should appeal to those many academics with Marxist leanings, prompting them to assign extensive readings from this blog to their students. These students, in turn, will receive a more informative education here than they ever would in the classroom having the workers' paradise continually rammed down their throats. Better they should stay in their dorms reading this blog and Richie Rich.

http://webheadcomics.com/images/rr_millions_78.jpg

http://www.newkadia.com/?Richie_Rich_Comic-Book-Covers=3041|11

0674

Augmented Boobery

Silicone breast augmentation was first introduced in 1962 and within a short time many women chose to have their figures surgically enhanced. Not coincidentally, it also allowed filmmaker Russ Meyer to make a name for himself, directing top-heavy exploitation movies such as "SuperVixens" (1975). Meyer signed this eye-popping film poster with the inscription "Deep Cleavage, Russ Meyer," which pretty much sums up his thinking on the subject.

Movie Poster from Russ Meyer's "SuperVixens" (1975)

I haven't seen this movie, although I did once have to sit through the milder "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965) for my college Mythology class, and this more or less ended any lingering desire I might have had to see Meyer's other movies regardless of the assets featured on the promotional posters. (Here's the Mythology college course angle: the three hostile go-go dancers in "Pussycat" were supposedly the Furies.) The "SuperVixens" trailer looks disturbingly violent and far less welcoming than the film poster itself. In fact, the movie might be all but unwatchable. If you manage to sit through it, you can let me know.

So there you have it. The only Russ Meyer movie I've seen was for a college course. This blog is going to continue to discuss erudite subjects like this one suitable for both undergraduate and even graduate study. Tell all your friends on campus. Let the higher education begin!

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/posters-signage-advertising/supervixens-5555169-details.aspx?from=searchresults&pos=10&intObjectID=5555169&sid=40330074-bb05-4112-a432-c26616c5c001&pag

"SuperVixens" (1975) Trailer

Directed by Russ Meyer

0673