Barnaby
Encyclopedia
Barnaby was a comic strip
which began April 20, 1942 in the newspaper PM
and was later syndicated
in 64 American newspapers (for a combined circulation of more than 5,500,000).
Created by Crockett Johnson
, who is best known today for his children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon
, the strip featured a cherubic-looking five-year-old and his far-from-cherubic fairy godfather, Jackeen J. O'Malley
, a short, cigar-smoking man with four tiny wings. With a distinctive appearance because of its use of typography, the strip had numerous reprints and was adapted into a 1940s stage production. The usually caustic Dorothy Parker
had nothing but praise: "I think, and I'm trying to talk calmly, that Barnaby and his friends and oppressors are the most important additions to American Arts and Letters in Lord knows how many years."
.
Barnaby's parents denied that Mr. O'Malley was real and took Barnaby to a number of child psychologists. They continued this denial even when O'Malley was seen flying past their picture window, when he walked into their living room, and even after O'Malley was elected their representative to Congress
.
The strip ended when Barnaby finally reached his sixth birthday, the magical point beyond which he could no longer have a fairy godfather. With much regret, O'Malley left, and so (after a short-lived attempt in the 1960s to revive the strip by redoing the original stories) did Johnson, to pursue other interests.
which began 20 April 1942 and later had a short-lived Sunday strip
. Instead of hand-lettering, Barnaby used typography in the balloons. The typeface is Italic Futura Medium, which was designed by the German typographer Paul Renner in the 1920s.
In 1946-47, when Johnson began to concentrate on his children's books, the strip was drawn by Johnson's Connecticut neighbor, artist Jack Morley, who had previously drawn editorial cartoons for the New York Journal American
. For a year, Morley collaborated on the writing of the strip with Ted Ferro, who teamed with his wife for nine years on their scripts for the daytime comedy-drama radio serial, Lorenzo Jones
.
In September 1947, Johnson began scripting again, with Morley doing the art. Johnson assisted Morley by giving him specific layouts for each panel, and the credit "Jack Morley and CJ" was then used on the strip. The final story reached a conclusion on 2 February 1952.
references, for a run from September 1960 to 14 April 1962. These strips were redrawn in Johnson's style by Warren Sattler
.
Barnaby received much critical praise when it first appeared, and it has been reprinted in Barnaby Quarterly (three issues, 1940s), by Henry Holt and Company
(two hardcover books, with strips redrawn), Dover
books (reprinting the first hardcover, 1960s), Ballantine Books
(six paperbacks, 1980s) and in Comics Revue
magazine. These reprints still command high prices from used book dealers.
Fantagraphics Books
plans to publish a series of collections reprinting the entire run of the strip beginning in 2012. Daniel Clowes
will design the books.
wrote a 1944 stage adaptation, Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley, produced by Barney Josephson. It ran in several East Coast cities, drawing attention with a scene in which O'Malley (J. M. Kerrigan
) flew over the audience tossing out leaflets urging support for his run for Congress. Barnaby was portrayed by Thomas Wm. Hamilton, who later had the minor planet
4897 Tomhamilton
named after him. Iris Mann played Jane, and Royal Dano
had the role of the leprechaun Launcelot McSnoyd.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
which began April 20, 1942 in the newspaper PM
PM (newspaper)
PM was a leftist New York City daily newspaper published by Ralph Ingersoll from June 1940 to June 1948 and bankrolled by the eccentric Chicago millionaire Marshall Field III....
and was later syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
in 64 American newspapers (for a combined circulation of more than 5,500,000).
Created by Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson was the pen name of cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk...
, who is best known today for his children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. Johnson's most popular book, it led to a series of books, and inspired many adaptations.-Plot:...
, the strip featured a cherubic-looking five-year-old and his far-from-cherubic fairy godfather, Jackeen J. O'Malley
Mr. O'Malley
Mr. O'Malley was a character in the ground-breaking, intellectual comic strip Barnaby, by cartoonist Crockett Johnson. He was the fairy godfather of five-year old Barnaby....
, a short, cigar-smoking man with four tiny wings. With a distinctive appearance because of its use of typography, the strip had numerous reprints and was adapted into a 1940s stage production. The usually caustic Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
had nothing but praise: "I think, and I'm trying to talk calmly, that Barnaby and his friends and oppressors are the most important additions to American Arts and Letters in Lord knows how many years."
Characters and story
Barnaby Baxter got into a fair number of scrapes. However, most of them were either of Mr. O'Malley's making or resulted in embarrassment of some sort for the rather clumsy fairy godfather, a member of the Elves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men's Chowder & Marching SocietyElves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men's Chowder & Marching Society
The Elves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men's Chowder & Marching Society was the fraternal organization frequented by Mr. O’Malley, the fairy godfather in Crockett Johnson’s daily comic strip Barnaby...
.
Barnaby's parents denied that Mr. O'Malley was real and took Barnaby to a number of child psychologists. They continued this denial even when O'Malley was seen flying past their picture window, when he walked into their living room, and even after O'Malley was elected their representative to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
The strip ended when Barnaby finally reached his sixth birthday, the magical point beyond which he could no longer have a fairy godfather. With much regret, O'Malley left, and so (after a short-lived attempt in the 1960s to revive the strip by redoing the original stories) did Johnson, to pursue other interests.
Past, present and Futura
Barnaby was primarily a daily stripDaily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
which began 20 April 1942 and later had a short-lived Sunday strip
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
. Instead of hand-lettering, Barnaby used typography in the balloons. The typeface is Italic Futura Medium, which was designed by the German typographer Paul Renner in the 1920s.
In 1946-47, when Johnson began to concentrate on his children's books, the strip was drawn by Johnson's Connecticut neighbor, artist Jack Morley, who had previously drawn editorial cartoons for the New York Journal American
New York Journal American
The New York Journal American was a newspaper published from 1937 to 1966. The Journal American was the product of a merger between two New York newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst: The New York American , a morning paper, and the New York Evening Journal, an afternoon paper...
. For a year, Morley collaborated on the writing of the strip with Ted Ferro, who teamed with his wife for nine years on their scripts for the daytime comedy-drama radio serial, Lorenzo Jones
Lorenzo Jones
Lorenzo Jones was a daytime radio series which aired on NBC in different timeslots over an 18-year span.Produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, the series could be classified with its own unique category of "comedy soap opera," highlighted by organist Rosa Rio's rollicking rendition of the opening...
.
In September 1947, Johnson began scripting again, with Morley doing the art. Johnson assisted Morley by giving him specific layouts for each panel, and the credit "Jack Morley and CJ" was then used on the strip. The final story reached a conclusion on 2 February 1952.
Revival and reprints
The strip was briefly revived, with adaptations of the early stories minus their World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
references, for a run from September 1960 to 14 April 1962. These strips were redrawn in Johnson's style by Warren Sattler
Warren Sattler
Warren Sattler is an American artist and cartoonist, who contributed work to many popular publications from the early 1960s through the 1990s....
.
Barnaby received much critical praise when it first appeared, and it has been reprinted in Barnaby Quarterly (three issues, 1940s), by Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company is an American book publishing company. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt...
(two hardcover books, with strips redrawn), Dover
Dover Publications
Dover Publications is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward Cirker and his wife, Blanche. It publishes primarily reissues, books no longer published by their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books in the public domain. The original published editions may be...
books (reprinting the first hardcover, 1960s), Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
(six paperbacks, 1980s) and in Comics Revue
Comics Revue
Comics Revue is a bi-monthly small press comic book published by Manuscript Press and edited by Rick Norwood. Don Markstein edited the publication from 1984 to 1987 and 1992 to 1996....
magazine. These reprints still command high prices from used book dealers.
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
plans to publish a series of collections reprinting the entire run of the strip beginning in 2012. Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes is an American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books....
will design the books.
Theater
Jerome ChodorovJerome Chodorov
Jerome Chodorov was an American playwright and librettist.-Biography:He was born in New York City, and entered journalism in the 1930s. He is best known for his 1940 play My Sister Eileen, its 1942 screen adaptation, and the musical Wonderful Town, which based on his play. Joseph A. Fields was...
wrote a 1944 stage adaptation, Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley, produced by Barney Josephson. It ran in several East Coast cities, drawing attention with a scene in which O'Malley (J. M. Kerrigan
J. M. Kerrigan
Joseph Michael Kerrigan , better known as J. M. Kerrigan, born in Dublin, Ireland, was an Irish character actor.-Life:Kerrigan worked as a newspaper reporter until 1907 when he joined the famous Abbey Players...
) flew over the audience tossing out leaflets urging support for his run for Congress. Barnaby was portrayed by Thomas Wm. Hamilton, who later had the minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
4897 Tomhamilton
4897 Tomhamilton
4897 Tomhamilton is a Main Belt minor planet. It was discovered by Eleanor F. Helin at the Palomar Observatory on August 22, 1987. Research shows that it was previously recorded on photographs taken as early as 1950, and was even logged as 1971QV1.It is named after Thomas Wm...
named after him. Iris Mann played Jane, and Royal Dano
Royal Dano
Royal Edward Dano was an American film and television character actor.-Early life:Dano was born in New York City to Mary Josephine , an Irish immigrant, and Caleb Edward Dano, a printer for newspapers. He reportedly left home at the age of twelve and at various intervals, lived in Florida, Texas...
had the role of the leprechaun Launcelot McSnoyd.
1942
- 1. Mr. O'Malley, Q1, B1, BB1, S, 60, CR
- 2. Blackout, BB1
- 3. Spies, BB1
- 4. Ogre, Q1, BB1
- 5. Psychologist, Q1, B1, BB1, 60, CR
- 6. Air Raid Warden, B1, BB1
- 7. McSnoyd, Q2, B1, BB1
- 8. Scrap Drive, Q2, B1, BB1
- 9. Jane, Q2, B1, BB2, 60, CR
- 10. Gorgon, Q2, B1, BB2, S, 61, CR
1943
- 11. Gus, Q3, B1, BB2, S, 61, CR
- 12. The Hot Coffee Ring, Q3, B1, BB2, 61, CR
- 13. Quartet, Q3, B2, BB2
- 14. Garden, B2, BB2, 61, CR
- 15. Lion, B2, BB2, 61, CR
- 16. Giant, B2, BB2, 61, CR
- 17. Gorgon's Father, B2, BB2, 61, CR
- 18. Kiddie Camp, BB2
- 19. O'Malley for Congress, B2, BB3
- 20. Investigating Santa, BB3
1944
- 21. In Training, BB3
- 22. Washington, BB3
- 23. Book on Pixies, BB3, 61, CR
- 24. Pop's Business, BB4, 61, CR
- 25. Pirate Treasure, BB4
- 26. Election 1944, BB4
- 27. Thanksgiving, BB4
- 28. Ermine Hunters, BB4
1945
- 29. Soap Salesman, BB5
- 30. Wizard of Wall Street, BB5, 62, CR
- 31. Witch, BB5
- 32. Aunt Minerva, BB5
- 33. Thanksgiving Dinner, BB6
- 34. Movie, BB6
-
-
- Crockett Johnson leaves the strip
-
- 35. (Lectures), BB6
- 36. (Refrigerator Thief), BB6
- 37. (Baseball), BB6
-
-
- Miscellaneous stories, not by Johnson, none reprinted, 1945 - 1951.
-
External links
- Philip NelPhilip NelPhilip Nel is an American scholar of children's literature and Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is best known for his work on Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter, which have led to his being a guest on such media programs as CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Morning Edition and Talk of the...
, Crockett Johnson Homepage: Cartoon Books (Barnaby and Barkis)