Charles Addams for "Anniversary Waltz"

"Anniversary Waltz," a comedy by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields, opened on Broadway in 1954. It starred Macdonald Carey and Kitty Carlisle, and was directed by Carlisle's husband Moss Hart. Reviewers criticized the play for its crude content, but it was a hit. The New Yorker's lukewarm capsule review some seven months into the show's two-year run suggests there may have been better things to see. 

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1954-11-13/flipbook/002/

Why seven months? It was in the "7th hilarious month" that the show's producers began to promote the play with a Charles Addams drawing:

"They laughed their heads off!"
Charles Addams
Promotional art for "Anniversary Waltz" (1954)

The original art shown here was in the collection of the actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. It was sold at auction by Doyle New York earlier this month.

Addams worked on Whatman Water Color Board which must have taken his washes well. Affixed to the back of this board is a closely-trimmed, printed clipping of the advertisement showing how the marquee signage had been at some point reworked.

Verso

The printed caption and Charles Addams's signature

The sale took place on November 5. The estimate was $8,000 to $12,000. The art sold for $23,040 including the buyer's premium.

Charles Addams
Doyle New York listing of November 5, 2025

https://www.doyle.com/auction/lot/lot-21---a-charles-addams-theater-advertisement-they-laughed-their-heads-off/?lot=1449814&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=9114&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1

When the play traveled to Chicago with a different cast, the Addams art was still in use. The writing on the marquee had been further modified.

Peter Arno and Charles Addams theater art

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166881861066

Note:  For Christmas of 1982, Charles Addams personalized a copy of his collection Creature Comforts (1981) to Mary Lee and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. It's in the archives in a post called "Charles Addams: The Flashing Festers." What could such a title portend?

05124

Richard Taylor and Robert Day for the United States Playing Card Compnay

"How long since you've bought new cards?" asked the United States Playing Card Company back in 1941. Each of their six brands could provide players "with fresh, clean cards" according to their print advertising. Cartoonists Richard Taylor and Robert Day set the scenes. But why are there no women at the card tables?

"It's the only way George can shuffle
those old, limp cards of his."
Richard Taylor

"Fred isn't sure, but he thinks
they're all hearts."
Robert Day

The source for these ads is eBay. Here are the sales details on the Taylor:

Richard Taylor
eBay listing ended April 13, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/316520030353?_skw=%22Richard+Taylor%22&itmmeta=01JYZ7YMESDQD5F1EYA6271DWM&hash=item49b2106091:g:JEgAAOSwLPVj8lDX&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fmde%2B3OLxHR9JKFuRGuUujc%2F2b4CS3ad%2BrbfzJSKkJUWGCw1q0DhE%2F9cAZbXRG6%2FktgLgbpQAIdvUzUlGvCCk8ECGjR6wg4HEs0jkJyROy%2FxyBG7scHOGB3c7tsOdXWOebLIyChEjLK%2BDhv11jXZmNlFIgzD6uzwkJhm5GPd4zJBmE%2Bkaf6YNQSchmOcN6UbjTbgVadrzaYHSmCoInmpdc1RyaMmnAK00stH3QM7mzCNSD7r66QZimkjcYHhhrlpk%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8LH-uf3ZQ

Richard Taylor
eBay item description

And the same for the Day, as yet unsold:

Robert Day
eBay listing accessed June 6, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/306362328650?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160811114145%26meid%3D0a3061dfe1a24b8886daee44fa09b650%26pid%3D100667%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D187261465167%26itm%3D306362328650%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2351460&_trksid=p2351460.c100667.m2042

Robert Day
eBay item description

04994

Peter Arno's Triple Threat

When an advertising piece for Atlantic White Flash Motor Oil Lubrication illustrated by Peter Arno showed up on eBay recently, it was new to me. "The triple threat to motoring worries" is illustrated with three top-hatted football players sporting handlebar mustaches. The three hats are labeled with the name of the product. They sit on or lean against a wood fence.

This was part of a Christmas promotion, year unknown.

Who wouldn't trust this trio to recommend the best motor oil?

Peter Arno
eBay listing accessed May 28, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/177158853650?_skw=Peter+Arno+atlantic&itmmeta=01JXKGM7MYMW8P1XHHFW2CS2H7&hash=item293f7d9412:g:c9oAAOSwaUpnpNJ5&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eDh8ifvtWEnuza3YX5U1AA%2Fbo4MG17JwOC14HKaZ%2Fzmpx1eWfGXKb5DwvH0DtYcjq%2BibRHo2hlhqK8h%2FcnwtShsfdluS7rg2MfvlV4ATxTiODBVuVRcRoO8Ex72v8tuPLiZbkO%2FDhHKk06jEhVyTDhGIOfDxiWRvAVHrmWQcIJBdhjiyICAl0gqZGi4iC6dzUnW7jbuny4rPB2XQlrfyHO6%2F2uxBNW58NB5QGf9kGHadPoPhD5hewYsaUcEdiOzjfowvEJ7uXM7dIkuMgn0yQMidhln8g97BLcCilzoLskqw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMzvrQ8Oxl

Peter Arno
eBay item description
"This piece is perfect for adding a touch of retro charm to your garage, workshop, or man cave."

I received an offer from eBay on May 30:

04970

Ronald McRae for Clio et Claire

Ronald McRae created one and only one New Yorker cover for the issue of May 15, 1926. The cover is a bit tantalizing in that it does not show us any faces. 

McRae was active in the Toronto theater scene providing stage and costume design. An advertisement by McRae for Clio et Claire perfume was published the same year as the New Yorker cover. The illustration is a circular art deco design and we do get to see a face. The ad is currently on offer on eBay.

Ronald McRae
eBay listing accessed May 28, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275058574965?_skw=1926+Clio+et+Claire+Perfume&itmmeta=01JWD0BDYXT1HKVRDMEC2AAZKJ&hash=item400ac4c675:g:qmMAAOSwsoNhslne&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAABAFkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cYojS6X9soLGibxfSylLKLdUIn%2BIOjfC2o08ptxVOsoQc%2FmdYnXVULv05SGwgFreRnn2H7EfVbQ%2BYRUr17%2F9A6iSVNU6yUKomCE2WvLfVKRWRnnD

YQK8I8d%2BY%2FS4RXewdR9QKAmKeI5iDVolKjhO2%2F%2BmzI054Romrvv5cLFdSeFXROVJ9uiwtdYsomxcMXIQYIHSU%2Fnm4S6%2B7%2FMyLL9tAxxA3hsnh0yYQjrKMSvPEctTpzVgx%2FKqdgiucSwQ1AsZ5z%2Fn7A40CzZLfXJHaAUVs%2Faa%2B5lS5TPtS6Mh%2BqJOcDxICiDmp0WUsq5UhVq74hqSg%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8zfraDjZQ

Ronald McRae
eBay item description

Note:  Collectors who wish to share images of original Ronald McRae art can contact me for blog support.

McRae's New Yorker cover and its original art were previously discussed here.

04965

Charles Saxon: Losing His Cool

Today our friend David from Manhattan writes of an animated advertising campaign designed by New Yorker cartoonist Charles Saxon (1920-1988):

Charles Saxon, best known for his New Yorker cartoons and covers, displayed a bold, distinctive hand when writing out captions on finished drawings, or adding an inscription to one of his books. But on rare occasions this became a sly sans-serif style that added to the humor of his advertising artwork. Television commercials for the Los Angeles radio station KOST 103.5 FM feature a woman seated by her radio, assaulted by alarmist voices. 

In 2014 Heritage Auctions offered preliminary artwork and hand-painted production cels from this ad project. There were also drawings of a male radio listener, most notably a hand-colored, signed work with an interesting blast of r&b sounds: "Mama Love Ya... Yeah Mama...Hey Hey," etc., and was probably intended to run concurrently with his lady listener. 

An example of a production cel makes a similar point, though it seems far less effective. In addition, a group of 12 drawings and proofs of the same lady listener turned up later that year on eBay and sold for a reasonable $125. In conte crayon on tracing paper, they show the artist trying out various comic expressions.

 

But two drawings, both signed, display before & after reactions to the radio's voices, and like his r&b listener, are in stark contrast to Saxon's usual affluent men and women of the upper middle class who value calm and financial security, or as Edward Sorel put it when he eulogized Saxon in his 1997 essay for American Heritage, "It Was Nice": "His cool, carefully composed drawings never suggest outrage." 

There's also a proof of additional air quotes with an intriguing note by the artist: "'Newsed Out' Billboard," which suggest KOST may have had plans beyond TV ads and might explain an attractive hand-colored drawing from the Heritage offerings, with Saxon's woman no longer "newsed out"—perfect eye-candy for a billboard. 

"Newsed Out"

Described by the auction house as created in the late 70s or early 80s, do these television spots still exist somewhere? Were there ever any billboard displays?

Postscript:  In addition to his work for KOST, Saxon went all out with a full-page ad Christie's Auctions ran years ago in art journals and The New Yorker; I don't know if anyone at Christie's provided ideas, though a line about someone's great-grandfather being outbid by the Duke of Wellington and never forgiving him, would not have been out of place in a Saxon cartoon. But as the page is presented, we get a tour de force of overheard party chatter, mostly revolving around Christie's, with eleven upscale men and women, unaware they were being sketched and recorded by a master.

Christie's advertisement
Charles Saxon
The New Yorker

Note:  I for one could use a billboard to show my appreciation to David from Manhattan for sharing his insights into Charles Saxon with us here. This is, impressively, his sixty-eighth contribution to Attempted Bloggery and I am so grateful for the day off. 

Natually, I would hope to hear from anyone in possession of the Saxon video or print advertising campaign for KOST. Photos of billboards welcome.

04955

J. B. Handelsman: Gone Fishing

An original New Yorker cartoon by J. B. Handelsman (1922-2007) was sold ealier this month in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The tranquility of the setting is undercut by the caption with not one but two exclamation points. 

"Three days without so much as a nibble! By God, Charlie,
I may switch my account to another agency!"
J. B. Handelsman
Framed original art
The New Yorker, July 29, 1967, p. 38

The drawing revels in cynicism about the dealings of the business world with its revelation of an unsatisfactory quid pro quo. It was probably a fairly cutting-edge example of humor in its day, although by current standards it seems fairly tame. In 1967, when this cartoon was published, Handelsman was living in England and contributing regularly to Punch, yet maintaining a strong presence in the American market.

"Three days without so much as a nibble! By God, Charlie,
I may switch my account to another agency!"
J. B. Handelsman
Original art
The New Yorker, July 29, 1967, p. 38

After fifty-eight years, much of probably spent hanging on a wall, the original art has acquired significant toning. 

Caption

J. B. Handelsman's signature

J. B. Handelsman
Tremont Auctions listing ended May 4, 2025

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/204094415_jb-bud-handelsman-original-illustration-for-the-new-yorker-watercolor-and-ink-on-paper-signed

J. B. Handelsman
Tremont Auctions item description

[End of auction listing]

The artwork was quite striking on the printed page:

"Three days without so much as a nibble! By God, Charlie, I may switch my account to another agency!"
J. B. Handelsman
The New Yorker, July 29, 1967, p. 38

"Three days without so much as a nibble! By God, Charlie, I may switch my account to another agency!"
J. B. Handelsman
Original art
The New Yorker, July 29, 1967, p. 38

With a cartoon by J. B. Handelsman and an ad for Germaine Monteil

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1967-07-29/flipbook/038/

Note:  There's room on this blog for more original art by J. B. Handelsman. As the anglers say, drop me a line.

04941