Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I Wash My Hands

Wednesday Advertising Day.

Last week, the wonderful Joakim (who has his own blogs, which I visit regularely) informed me that the combined Joys and Glooms/Mr. Caffeine Nerves ad I showed in his opinion was by Paul Fung Sr. After checking a couple of internet sources, I found that he took over Dumb Dora from Chic Young and assisted on Polly and her Pals. He died at an early age in 1944. After that, his son worked as an assistant to Young on Blondie, reportedly taking over the strip in the fifties before being allowed to sign his name to it in the sixties. From what I had seen of Fung's style combined led me to believe that he could not have been the Fung doing those ad strips. I was also looking for evidence that would link Fung Jr. to the Fireball Twigg series of ads in 1947 (after Fung Sr. died). Still, after reading Joakim's post, I realized I had another Fung signed ad strip in my archives. I present it here, with what could possiblu the rest of the run. In july the strip was suddenly replaced by another series, with another artist. This may be the point that Fung Sr. died. I do recall seeing the replacement strip Li'l Ivry somewhere else as well.

March 19 1944:


April 2 1944:


April 16 1944:


April 30 1944:

May 15 1944:


Mar 29 1944:


Jun 11 1944:


June 25 1944:


July 2 1944:

2 comments:

Ger Apeldoorn said...

Roger,

Thanks for the link. An interesting discussion. All sides have good points to mak, but I kept thinking "D.D. usually knows what he's talking about" so that might make me slightly prjudiced. I am surprised noone mention any of the 'asian' letterers that work in the comic strip and book bussiness.

I might add that these ads show, how much of a respected artist Fung had become towards the end of his career. To be given an account of his own and to be able to sign it must be a sign of some respect.

fortunato said...

Wasn't "Li'l Ivry" a work by Charles & Dorothea Fox?