Now here’s a strip that just has to make you wonder, “What were they thinking?” As you can see, the star of this strip is none other than famed movie director Alfred Hitchcock. However, the strip isn’t about a movie director; the titular Alfred here is portrayed as a mute nebbish living in the ‘burbs. Why? I dunno. Did Hitchcock know of the existence of the strip? Did he approve of it? I dunno. What I do know is that the strip debuted on October 17, 1949 and lasted until sometime in 1954. The creator, uncredited on the strip itself but listed in E&P, was Carl Ryman, of whom I know nothing. Can anyone help unravel the mysteries of Alfred?
PS: blog reader Alan Gardner asks if anyone can supply information on a magazine gag cartoonist of the 50s-70s named Don Gilbert. I have no information in my files. Can anyone help Alan?
PPS: I have been called out of town again, much sooner than expected, and we will have another strip reprint interlude beginning tomorrow. The tepid response to Jack Daw’s Adventures has resulted in his retirement, so we’ll be doing a different strip this time.
As a correction, the gag cartoonist I’m searching for is Don Gilbert, not Don Gardner. Thanks.
Sorry, Alan. I’ve corrected it on the post.
Alfred was a cartoo series by artist Foster Humfreville in Collier's. I am posting some on my blog today. It started as a Navy cartoon, possibly for some sort of Navy paper. The style here is the same as the cartoon's so either Humpfreville is Carl Ryman or there is some sort of connection. I think the character was based on Hitchcock before he became superfamous. The cartoons end in 1949, so that fits.
I thought of Hugh Herbert first rather than Hitchcock when I saw this cartoon character.
http://immortalephemera.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/1938-aug-hollywood-magazine-illustration-by-mcgowan-miller.jpg
http://immortalephemera.com/44629/hugh-herbert-biography/