Richard and Dorothy Rodgers's Copy of Give Up? by Whitney Darrow, Jr.

A Friend of the Blog writes with photos of Richard and Dorothy Rodgers's personalized copy of the cartoon collection Give Up? Published in 1966, this copy of the book was inscribed by cartoonist Whitney Darrow, Jr., to the composer and his wife in the year of publication. A delightful watercolor sketch on the theme of the title cartoon is included.

Darrow, Whitney Jr. Give Up?:  A New Cartoon Collection. Simon and Schuster, 1966.

Front cover

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Darrow, Whitney Jr. Give Up?:  A New Cartoon Collection. Simon and Schuster, 1966.

Inscribed "For Dorothy and Dick with love

from Whitney

9/18/66"

Photo by A Friend of the Blog

Note:  My thanks to A Friend of the Blog for this wonderful contribution. Attempted Bloggery would like to publish reader submissions of other original drawings by Whitney Darrow, Jr.

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The 1946 Dutch Treat Show

If you were in town on November 9, 1946, you should have been at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom for the annual Dutch Treat Show. Directed by no less a Dutch Treat Club member than George Abbott, the music included "The Dutch Treat Hymn" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In fact, Richard Rodgers played a little piano as well.

The alternate title of the show was "What is Art?" That's always something worth pondering. The show's players were a veritable Who's Who in the world of illustration, publishing, and the performing arts. The performance included a comedy sketch by Rube Goldberg in which a young Wally Cox played someone named Stella—this was obviously classy stuff, and there were no women in the Dutch Treat Club to take the female roles anyway—and Vanity Fair's Frank Crowninshield (of the Algonquin Round Table too) played, naturally, a connoisseur. Harry Staton, manager of the Herald Tribune Syndicate, played a visitor from the newly-created United Nations.

George Abbott played in his own sketch alongside Bennett Cerf. Cartoonist Otto Soglow got to realize his dream of being an actor by cross-dressing as Gilda in a sketch by Deems Taylor. The New Yorker's Rea Irvin was one of many extras.

There was a lot more going on. Just take a look at the program. And please tip your waiter.

John E. Sheridan
The D.T. Presents the 1946 Show

"AND FINALLY—PLEASE TIP YOUR WAITER"

Note:  My thanks again go to Stephen Kroninger for scanning this program which he found inserted in one of his Dutch Treat Club yearbooks.

Memorabilia of the Dutch Treat Club makes a welcome addition to the blog. I'd love to take a look at what odd items readers have on hand.


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02389

Bil Baird's College Humor Covers

The balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade were originally created by puppeteer and illustrator Tony Sarg (1880-1942). The young puppeteer Bil Baird (1904-1987) went to work for him in 1928, constructing the balloons that Sarg designed. Baird can be seen atop a ladder painting the Sultan balloon for the parade in a vintage photograph while Sarg, center, supervises from the ground. 

Five years later, Baird struck off on his own. He formed Baird Marionettes in 1934. He used his puppet modeling skills to produce a series of magazine covers for College Humor in 1937. The magazine referred to them as "sculptures" and the color photographs, seemingly a novelty at the time, were credited to Dudley Lee. The women wear heavy eye makeup in all of these covers. The January cover by Sam Berman, Baird's predecessor, avoids all that heavy winter clothing your mother thinks you're wearing.

Sculpture by Sam Berman
Photograph by Dudley Lee
College Humor, January1937

Image upgraded July 11, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305656047957?...i

Today accusations of sexual harassment against prominent, powerful men are a major subject in the news. For decades, though, sexual harassment has been depicted in male-oriented humor magazines as a nothing more serious than a knowing, sexy joke. Wink wink. Get it?

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1937

Our blonde hero has fallen for a redhead, but she seems to have other ideas.

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol 5, No. 2, June 1937

https://www.terapeak.com/worth/college-humor-magazine-june-1937-cover-art-by-bill-baird-dudley-lee-peter-arno/401053373801/

Our hero understandably wants to get closer to his athletic redhead, but it's important to stay out of the line of fire.

Sculpture by Bil Baird

Photo by Dudley Lee

College Humor, Vol 5, No. 3, July 1937

It's summertime, and three's a crowd!

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 4, August 1937

Scan by Dick Buchanan

Well, well. The new academic year brings success! Even the carousel horses know what's going on!

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 1, September 1937

From "Working with the Photo-Puppets" by Gray Strider
Popular Photography, April 1938, page 23
https://books.google.com/books?id=RVwzAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Bil+Baird+College+Humor&source=bl&ots=kUL_EA_XDR&sig=1-xlT19a4esin98feFWXPxyICjc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPqMzZzNTXAhVryoMKHTWACs0Q6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=Bil%20Baird%20College%20Humor&f=false

Our hero has gained new confidence! Yet he is wearing a freshman beanie. That detail doesn't seem right. Didn't his sweater on the July cover put him in the Class of '40? That would make him a sophomore. Still, he seems to be doing better with his romantic interest. There must be hope for all of us!

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 2, October 1937

I'm not sure of the date of this one:

From "Working with the Photo-Puppets" by Gray Strider
Popular Photography, April 1938, page 22
https://books.google.com/books?id=RVwzAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Bil+Baird+College+Humor&source=bl&ots=kUL_EA_XDR&sig=1-xlT19a4esin98feFWXPxyICjc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPqMzZzNTXAhVryoMKHTWACs0Q6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=Bil%20Baird%20College%20Humor&f=false

In the 1965 film version of "The Sound of Music," Bil Baird and his marionettes are at the top of their game in "The Lonely Goatherd."

"The Lonely Goatherd"
Maria—Julie Andrews
Marionettes by Bil Baird
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
"The Sound of Music" (1965 film)

Note: The July, September, and October 1937 covers of College Humor photographed here are from the Steven Boss humor magazine collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green for information on the collection.

Thanks to Dick Buchanan for scanning the August cover. Dick is a regular contributor to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a post entitled, "Dick Buchanan's Cartoon Files: More Cops and Robbers Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1968."

Two of the smaller cover scans are from eBay. I would love to receive higher-resolution scans of these. I'd also like to hear from anyone with other covers from the series or, better still, the original puppets or photographs.

There are lovely scans of three of these covers on Illostribute.

Happy Thanksgiving! I will not personally be taking any pictures of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons this year, but I probably could be persuaded to accept photographs submitted by readers of the balloon inflation or of the parade. Try me.


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02376

It Might as Well be Spring

Never mind the calendar. The garden is convinced it's spring.

"It Might as Well be Spring"
Sung by Louanne Hogan dubbing for actress Jeanne Craig
 Rodgers & Hammerstein's "State Fair" (1945 film version)

Note:  I do like the indoors but occasionally I venture into the garden.

01796

Whitney Darrow, Jr.: "Annie Get Your Gun"

Back in 2003, when three drawings came up together at auction, you were lucky to get a picture of even one of them. Such is the case with the sale of three illustrations by Whitney Darrow, Jr. created for a Rodgers and Hammerstein theatre library catalogue. The musical "Annie Get Your Gun" (Irving Berlin and Dorothy Fields with Herbert Fields) is illustrated here. Drawings for "Showboat" (Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) and "Oklahoma!" (Rodgers & Hammerstein) are not shown.

Whitney Darrow, Jr. "Annie Get Your Gun"

Swann Auction Galleries, November 13, 2003
Sale 1985, Lot 237
Hammer Price $2,400

http://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=1985+++++237+&refno=++533352&saletype=

Note:  "Annie Get Your Gun" doesn't take a comma. What's with that?

Perhaps the buyer of this lot would like to come forward with scans or photos of the two other drawings. It's worth a shot.

Is any reader familiar with the catalogue in which these drawings were published? One at a time, please.

It's a closely-guarded secret, but this blogger has been humming Broadway show tunes for years. Come and hum along with me.

You might think that the music of Irving Berlin never comes up here, but you would be wrong.

By now you probably think you're familiar with my posts about Whitney Darrow, Jr. But are you really?

Today on Ink Spill, Michael Maslin writes about his tipping point as a cartoonist, and Whitney Darrow is part of the tale.

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