Peter Arno's Side-Show for September 1936

It's been a while since I've shared the cartoon feature Peter Arno's "Side-Show" which appeared in the magazine College Humor for maybe a couple of years in the 1930s, mostly 1936 to 1937. Recently, I've obtained four issues with Arno content and another three are on the way. This one is September of 1936. Arno knew how to give the college crowd what it liked, just as he did with the upscale readers at the far tonier New Yorker.

"I'd like a picture of my boy."                                         "Psst, Granville! You've ripped something!"
                                                                                   "I think she's in trouble again."
Peter Arno
College Humor, September 1936, pp. 10-11

The "Side-Show" format gave Arno the freedom to produce three different types of cartoons for the two-page spread. Here we have a man who misunderstands the paparazzi, a sophomoric—if you will—cartoon about hurdling, and a rather sophisticated take on the tribulations of a very small dog. Arno's technique seems effortless; it probably wasn't. You can see why, throughout his career, he was an extremely popular cartoonist.

Note:  And he's still popular on this blog. I'm ready to post examples of obscure Peter Arno cartoons published in off-the-beaten-track publications like College Humor. Just send me images of what you've got and tell me what you know. And, for heaven's sake, don't rip anything.

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E. Simms Campbell: Paparazzi on the French Line

The violation of a young starlet's privacy is the subject of a full-page Esquire magazine color cartoon by E. Simms Campbell that appeared in 1938. A ship's cabin door has been pushed open to reveal three paparazzi outside on the deck, cameras in hand. The discarded luggage tags read CGT or Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, popularly known as the French Line. Like so many of the magazine's cartoons, the gag depends not so much on a clever turn of phrase as on a sexually suggestive situation. The awkward encounter here is one that men are supposed to find appealing, with the caption working up to the implication of nudity. This is but one example of how generations of men were encouraged to laugh at what we now consider sexual harassment.

"—Beg pardon[,] Miss Yvetti, but would you mind posing on the ship's rail—after you slip something on, of course[.]"
E. Simms Campbell
Esquire, 1938

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1938-E-Simms-Campbell-risque-Comic-art-Esquire-shipboard-reporters-print/152997702679?hash=item239f5fac17:g:DekAAOSwHdVa4PDk

Note: You know how it works here. No blog post about a published cartoon is complete without issue and page number. Help me put this one to sleep.

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The Society Pages: Otto Soglow in College Humor, October 1937

Otto Soglow's satirical cartoon from the October 1937 issue of College Humor shows us high society at play. All the "photographed" couples are having an absolutely fabulous time—with one notable exception. And perhaps only in a Soglow cartoon could we have to ask ourselves how many t's are in Butt.

Otto Soglow
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 2, October 1937, page 21

Note:  I found this cartoon in a copy of the October 1937 issue of College Humor, just one wonderful page out of some 5,600 publications housed in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection. It is in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University and the collection is accessible to the general public. Just contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green. She'll make sure you're ready for your closeup.

Help me keep Otto Soglow's art in the public eye here on Attempted Bloggery. I seek high-quality scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Soglow and his contemporaries whose work appeared in magazines like College Humor or The New Yorker. Please send along examples of rare or overlooked published work like this photorealistic cartoon.

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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #578

Make way for my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #578 for July 31, 2017! The drawing is by Tom Cheney.

"More fake news."

I also pursued these two captions:

"The paparazzi are on to Paolo's pepperoni."
"You'll never guess where the Russia story just went."

August 14, 2017 Update:  The Finalists

August 21, 2017 Update:  I voted for the second caption.


August 28, 2017 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  Last week, cartoonist David Borchart introduced the latest home dining experience. My caption wasn't even on the menu. Why not enjoy Contest #577 over a nice dinner for two at home?

Then chase down my old posts about Tom Cheney.

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