Lawrence Lariar and Syd Hoff in College Humor, July 1942

Lawrence Lariar contributes two wartime gag cartoons to a page in the July 1942 College Humor. Syd Hoff is there on the page as well, with a cartoon about those who seem to be unaffected by the war.

Cartoons by Lawrence Lariar and Syd Hoff

College Humor, Vol. 14, No. 2, July 1942, page 20

Note:  Syd Hoff also contributed "I Married an Angel" to this July 1942 number of College Humor. You can read it here in the archives. There's more there by Lawrence Lariar in the issue too, but for some reason I didn't bother to photograph it. So it goes. This magazine is one of more than 5,600 magazines held in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University in the Butler Library's Rare Book and Manuscript Library and it is the first I tried to photograph. You see, I paid a half-day's visit six years ago and this is the fifty-first post to come out of it. There's still more to come. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green to learn more. 

Attempted Bloggery is eager to receive scans or photographs of original art by Syd Hoff or even Lawrence Lariar, as well as obscure published cartoons, illustrations, and other assorted features. Remember, there are a lot of old humor magazines out there.

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, March 1939

Cartoonist Reamer Keller published two gags in the March 1939 issue of College Humor. The first is set in a classroom and is a joke about the cliche of giving an apple to the teacher. Written on the chalk board is puss and the rhyme schus, a reference to College Humor cartoonist Adolph Schus. On the other side of the dunce cap are the words pin, bin, and linn. Linn must be a name; possibly it is a reference to cartoonist Bandel Linn, but was he on College Humor's cartooning roster at the time?

"Only 23 apples! Who's absent today?"
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 23

The second cartoon shows a sultan playing favorites:

"You're holding a few of my wives for shoplifting—I'd like to bail out the tall blonde."

Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 40

Note:  The March 1939 issue of College Humor referenced above is one of more than 5,600 magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. I photographed these two cartoons and quite a few others in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016. The Butler Library opened in 1934 just five years before this issue of College Humor that it now holds was published. In addition to the Boss collection, the Butler Library houses a couple of million other volumes. It is currently closed until further notice, but when it does reopen Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green can give members of the general public access to the collection if they bring her an apple.

Attempted Bloggery seeks additional published work by Reamer Keller, from College Humor and elsewhere. Today I'm sharing the final College Humor Keller cartoons I was able to photograph at the RBML. Fortunately I still have work by a few other cartoonists to share.

I'd like to have some sort of corroboration regarding Keller's reference to Linn or to hear alternative possibilities.


External Links:

Reamer Keller's Wikipedia Entry

Reamer Keller on Lambiek Comiclopedia

Stripper's Guide:  "Reamer Keller, Portsmouth Gift To The Pen-And-Ink Brigade, Tells How" by Wayne Paulson (Portsmouth Times, October 24, 1937)

Daily Reamer

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

Adolph Schus

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Primary School Index

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, April 1938

Cartoonist Reamer Keller's sole contribution to the April 1938 College Humor is a caveman gag with a prehistoric double entendre. What could have been on the mind of all those college students?

"The last time I scared her she jumped right out of her skin"
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 37

Note:  The April 1938 number of College Humor referenced above is one of more than 5,600 magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. I photographed this cartoon and many others in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016, over the course of some two hours. At the time this cartoonist was unknown to me so it was indeed a learning experience. The Butler Library which houses this collection is now closed until further notice, but when it does reopen Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green will be able to get you some skin in the game.

Attempted Bloggery seeks additional published work by Reamer Keller, from College Humor and elsewhere. Tomorrow I'll share the two final College Humor Keller cartoons I was able to photograph at the RBML. Someday I'll have to go back and check my work.


External Links:

Reamer Keller's Wikipedia Entry

Reamer Keller on Lambiek Comiclopedia

Stripper's Guide:  "Reamer Keller, Portsmouth Gift To The Pen-And-Ink Brigade, Tells How" by Wayne Paulson (Portsmouth Times, October 24, 1937)

Daily Reamer

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Primitive Index

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, February 1938

In the February 1938 issue of College Humor, cartoonist Reamer Keller weighs in with a carnival gag.

"This makes the fifth time today, lady."
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 7, No. 2, February 1938, page 36

Note:  The February 1938 issue of College Humor referenced above is one of more than 5,600 magazines—count 'em!—in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. I took the photograph of this cartoon and many others while embedded in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016. The Butler Library which houses this collection is for the moment closed until further notice, but when it does reopen Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green will be only too pleased to guess your weight.

Don't fear the Reamer. I am in the market for additional fine work by Reamer Keller. Objective: blogging. For the time being I'll continue to share what I've found on my own at the RBML in College Humor because I know how academic my readers are.


External Links:

Reamer Keller's Wikipedia Entry

Reamer Keller on Lambiek Comiclopedia

Stripper's Guide:  "Reamer Keller, Portsmouth Gift To The Pen-And-Ink Brigade, Tells How" by Wayne Paulson (Portsmouth Times, October 24, 1937)

Daily Reamer

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Weighty Index

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, October 1937

Two gags by cartoonist Reamer Keller are in the October 1937 number of College Humor. The setting for the first is a police pullover. As with the September 1937 issue seen in yesterday's post, it is evident that Keller loves to draw jalopies. 

"Why, officer, you must have been eating onions."
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 6, No. 2, October 1937, page 35

Remember the caption "Hello, Mrs. Kent? We're sending out your Bill now?" That gag appeared in the issue of July 1937. Clearly Keller likes to pun on names. He does so here again in the second cartoon, set in a harem. Brace yourself.

"—And as a token of our esteem, we present this gold watch and jane."
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 6, No. 2, October 1937, page 61

Note:  The October 1937 issue of College Humor referenced here is one of more than 5,600 magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. I took photographs of select pages in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016. The Butler Library which houses this collection is at present closed until further notice, but when it does reopen Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green will be the one to contact for a much needed humor-fest.

By the way, I would love to receive additional fine work by Reamer Keller. For the time being I'll continue to share what I've found on my own in College Humor.


External Links:

Reamer Keller's Wikipedia Entry

Stripper's Guide:  "Reamer Keller, Portsmouth Gift To The Pen-And-Ink Brigade, Tells How" by Wayne Paulson (Portsmouth Times, October 24, 1937)

Daily Reamer

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Minty Fresh Index

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, September 1937

Cartoonist Reamer Keller had but one gag in the September 1937 issue of College Humor. It's good to know when it's okay to break the rules.

"Don't pay any attention to that—my husband's a traffic cop."
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 1, September 1937, page 40

Note:  This is the 45th post to arise from my storied visit to Columbia University on March 10, 2016. The 1937 College Humor issue referenced here is one of more than 5,600 magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at the Butler Library. I photographed it in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, doing a little something I call research. The Butler Library is at present closed until further notice, but when it does reopen, Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green can direct interested parties to exactly where all the good stuff is kept.

By the way, more College Humor work by Reamer Keller would be welcome in my inbox. In the meantime, I'll share what I've found on my own.


External Links:

Stripper's Guide:  "Reamer Keller, Portsmouth Gift To The Pen-And-Ink Brigade, Tells How" by Wayne Paulson (Portsmouth Times, October 24, 1937)

Daily Reamer

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Index Includes Free Parking

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, July 1937

Maybe it isn't the cleverest pun ever coined, but maybe this cartoon set in a fancy restaurant is still good enough for those undemanding College Humor readers back in 1937. Reamer Keller serves up a single hard-drinking gag for the July 1937 issue.

"Hello, Mrs. Kent? We're sending out your Bill now!"
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 1937, page 38

Note:  Not only is it not a great pun, it's not a great photograph of a not-great pun. That's entirely on me and entirely unrelated to any effects of alcohol. The July 1937 number of College Humor briefly peeked at here is one of more than 5,600 magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection housed at Columbia University's Butler Library. I photographed it, while clean and sober, in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016. The Butler Library remains closed until further notice, but when it does reopen, Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green will once again be able to direct pilgrims, maybe including some named Bill, to the Boss collection.

Attempted Bloggery would like to see work by Reamer Keller from those issues of College Humor I did not see in the Boss collection.

Anyone as prolific as Keller deserves a blog of his own, right? On Daily Reamer, Brian P. Katz posted 48 works of Keller's back in 2018. That blog run represents less than a typical week's output for this cartoonist. See it all here.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

College Humor

Alcohol

Attempted Bloggery's Twelve-Step Index

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, May 1937

What sort of gags did cartoonist Reamer Keller create for the bright young crowd who perused the College Humor issue of May 1937? Why, hillbilly cartoons, of course, one of Keller's specialties. Sophisticated readers could look down on the lowbrow antics of the hillbillies and distance themselves from the exaggerated misogyny on display while still perhaps enjoying it just a little bit.

"Step on it, maw! It's gettin' around time fer you to be fixin' my supper!"
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1937, page 25

"I wish you'd stop fallin' into the well, Elmira—you're beginning to give the water a funny taste!"
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1937, page 61

Note:  The May 1937 College Humor issue referenced here sits among more than 5,600 other magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University's Butler Library. I photographed it in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016 having gained access with a username and password I've long since forgotten. The Butler Library is at present closed until further notice, but when it does reopen, Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green will, I trust, be able to reset all the lost passwords.

This is the first appearance of cartoonist Reamer Keller on the blog. Ready or not, more of his College Humor work will follow.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Hillbillies

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Unliberated Index

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Richard Taylor in College Humor, March 1938

Cartoonist Richard Taylor's New Yorker work will be familiar to many readers here. To date I have found only one cartoon of his in the pages of College Humor. If he published further work in that magazine, as he very likely did, I think it's safe to surmise on the basis of the single cartoon from the March 1938 issue that it was a degree or two less sophisticated than his work for the New Yorker.

"Well, Miss Wilson, this is a pleasant surprise!"
Richard Taylor
College Humor, Vol. 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 9

Note:  The March 1939 number of College Humor is one of more than 5,600 magazines at last count residing in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. I accessed a very small part of the full collection at the Butler Library's Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016 and I've been going to town with it ever since. Back then the Butler Library was open to the general public during certain hours but for the time being, of course, it is closed altogether. When it does reopen, Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green will be the person who can get you in.

In the meantime, Attempted Bloggery is eager to receive scans or photographs of original art by Richard Taylor as well as obscure published cartoons, illustrations, and the like. More of his work from College Humor would be especially welcome.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Richard Taylor

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Revealing Index

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Syd Hoff in College Humor, July 1942

In the July 1942 issue of College Humor, cartoonist Syd Hoff published the single-page feature I Married an Angel. You see, "Jeanette is a steno in a Budapest bank, but no one—including her boss—ever looks at her!" Budapest? Seriously?

I Married an Angel
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 14, No. 2, July 1942, page 26

Note:  The July 1942 number of College Humor seen here is one of more than 5,600 magazines held in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. The full collection is housed in many boxes in the Butler Library's Rare Book and Manuscript Library and is accessible by the general public during banker's hours. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green to get all the heavenly details. 

Attempted Bloggery is eager to receive scans or photographs of original art by Syd Hoff as well as obscure published cartoons, illustrations, and other assorted features.


External Links:

Syd Hoff, Cartoonist & Author

Syd Hoff's Wikipedia Entry

Syd Hoff on Ink Spill

Syd Hoff in Christopher Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Gallery 

Syd Hoff in the collection of Syracuse University

Syd Hoff on Hairy Green Eyeball

Syd Hoff's proposed cover designs for Danny and the Dinosaur

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Syd Hoff

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Angelic Index

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

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Syd Hoff in College Humor, March 1939

Syd Hoff's three gag cartoons in the March 1939 issue of College Humor have one thing in common: strong-willed characters. In the first, our heroine gamely refuses to deviate from her long-held code of conduct, even at gunpoint. Don't attempt this behavior in the field.

"I'm sorry. I never talk to strangers."
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 25

In the second, a pushy beggar demonstrates what Hoff might have termed chutzpah.

"My friend wants one also, but he's too proud to ask."
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 34

In the third and final cartoon, Louis the butler tries to fend off a very assertive suitor. The hallway may be curved, apparently, but Hoff has taken care to align the three heads nearly horizontally. Could this be accidental? Just take a look at the drawing above.

"The gentleman says it's important, Miss."
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 42

Note:  The March 1939 issue of College Humor from which these photos were taken is one of some 5,600 periodicals to be found in the one-of-a-kind Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. The full collection can be accessed by the general public in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library within the Butler Library. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green for details. Don't be too proud to ask.

Attempted Bloggery is eager to receive readers' scans or photos of all manner of original art by Syd Hoff as well as rare published cartoons, illustrations, and other assorted features.


External Links:

Syd Hoff, Cartoonist & Author

Syd Hoff's Wikipedia Entry

Syd Hoff on Ink Spill

Syd Hoff in Christopher Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Gallery 

Syd Hoff in the collection of Syracuse University

Syd Hoff on Hairy Green Eyeball

Syd Hoff's proposed cover designs for Danny and the Dinosaur

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Syd Hoff

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Pushy Index

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

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Syd Hoff in College Humor, April 1938

Four full-page cartoons by Syd Hoff appeared in the April 1938 College Humor. If there's a theme here, it has got to be uncomfortable social situations. The first gag presents a scenario few would wish to come home to.

"Something wrong?"
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 17

It's unusual to see Hoff completely omit the background in a College Humor cartoon. Perhaps this allows him to place more emphasis on his characters' personalities. Even against a blank backdrop, Hoff still manages to get in a variety of tones and interesting patterns.

"I'd like to marry your daughter—what the hell are you going to do about it?"
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 32

If it's uncomfortable to think about having surgery today, imagine what it must have been like in 1938.

"I guess I'm all right all of a sudden!"
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 42

Now here's a novel negotiating tactic.

"My partner wants a raise or he won't go on!"
Syd Hoff
College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 47

Note:  The April 1938 issue of College Humor is just one of over 5,600 periodicals to be found in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. The collection is located in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library within the Butler Library and is accessible by the general public. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green for details. I promise it will not be an uncomfortable social situation.

Careful readers may have surmised that cartoonist Syd Hoff is the current focus of Attempted Bloggery. I continue to seek scans or photos of original art by Syd Hoff art and of obscure published illustrations, gag cartoons, and other features. What the hell are you going to do about it?


External Links:

Syd Hoff, Cartoonist & Author It so happens that scans of two of today's cartoons from College Humor appear on the Syd Hoff website here. There's also a shadow boxing cartoon probably from a 1936 issue of the magazine that I haven't been lucky enough to find myself.

Syd Hoff's Wikipedia Entry

Syd Hoff on Ink Spill

Syd Hoff in Christopher Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Gallery 

Syd Hoff in the collection of Syracuse University

Syd Hoff on Hairy Green Eyeball

Syd Hoff's proposed cover designs for Danny and the Dinosaur

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Syd Hoff

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Law-Abiding Index

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

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