Bob Dunn (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
Bob Dunn was an American cartoonist, entertainer and gagwriter who drew several comic strips.
In addition to his own strips, Dunn was known for his work on Jimmy Hatlo
's Little Iodine
and They'll Do It Every Time
.
King Features
syndicated Dunn's Just the Type from May 5, 1946 to November 24, 1963. It ran in the New York Journal-American and several other newspapers. Comics historian Allan Holtz
commented:
Dunn began his career at King Features. He submitted gags to newspapers and magazines and sold skits to Earl Carroll
for his Vanities on Broadway in 1930-31. In 1936, "he invented the knock-knock joke" (according to The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons) in a book he wrote that sold over two million copies. More successful books followed including I'm Gonna Be a Father, Hospital Happy, One Day in the Army and Magic for All.
:
In 1947, soon after the founding of the National Cartoonists Society
, he and his good friend Rube Goldberg
and a group of leading cartoonists from the NCS went on a three-month tour of the US and helped sell $58 million in US Savings Bonds. Dunn's card tricks and feats of mental magic blended with Goldberg's comic inventions for a show that amused audiences across the country.
(NBC, June 1946 to January 1947). The second and more popular was Quick on the Draw
(DuMont
local show beginning May 1950, and on the DuMont network January to December 1952), a celebrity panel show first hosted by Eloise McElhone and later by Robin Chandler. Dunn drew cartoon charades that celebrities would try to figure out.
He was one of the cartoonists featured in a network television special on NBC, The Fabulous Funnies (1966). He was a long-time member of the famed theatrical Lambs Club to which he contributed drawings, scripts and personal appearances. He also was the Official Toastmaster of the National Cartoonists Society for which he served as President )1965-1967).
.
In addition to his own strips, Dunn was known for his work on Jimmy Hatlo
Jimmy Hatlo
James Cecil Hatlo , better known as Jimmy Hatlo, was an American cartoonist who created in 1929 the long-running comic strip and gag panel They'll Do It Every Time, which he wrote and drew until his death in 1963...
's Little Iodine
Little Iodine
Little Iodine was a popular Sunday comic strip, created by Jimmy Hatlo, which was syndicated by King Features and had a long run from 1943 until 1985...
and They'll Do It Every Time
They'll Do It Every Time
They'll Do It Every Time was a single-panel newspaper comic strip, created by Jimmy Hatlo, which had a long run over eight decades. It first appeared on February 5, 1929 and continued until February 2, 2008. The title of the strip became a popular catchphrase, still used today by many people who...
.
King Features
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
syndicated Dunn's Just the Type from May 5, 1946 to November 24, 1963. It ran in the New York Journal-American and several other newspapers. Comics historian Allan Holtz
Allan Holtz
Allan Holtz is a comic strip historian who researches and writes about newspaper comics for his Stripper's Guide, launched in 2005. His research encompasses some 7,000 American comic strips and newspaper panels...
commented:
- Never a syndication success, King Features may well have let him do the feature just to keep him happy while working on the Hatlo cash cow feature... When Hatlo died in 1963, though, Dunn's workload presumably got that much heavier and Just the Type was dropped. Dunn finally got an official byline on They'll Do It Every Time starting in 1966.
Dunn began his career at King Features. He submitted gags to newspapers and magazines and sold skits to Earl Carroll
Earl Carroll
Earl Carroll was an American theatrical producer, director, songwriter and composer born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
for his Vanities on Broadway in 1930-31. In 1936, "he invented the knock-knock joke" (according to The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons) in a book he wrote that sold over two million copies. More successful books followed including I'm Gonna Be a Father, Hospital Happy, One Day in the Army and Magic for All.
World War II
During World War II, he contributed to the war effort, as noted in the September 19, 1942 issue of Editor & PublisherEditor & Publisher
Editor & Publisher is a monthly magazine covering the North American newspaper industry. It is based in New York City. E&P calls itself "America's Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry" and describes itself on its website as "the authoritative journal covering all aspects of the North...
:
- Another cartoonist doing his bit is Press Alliance artist Bob Dunn, whose Brassband Bixby enlisted in the armed forces shortly after December 7. The hero is in Navy Intelligence. Dunn has made many personal appearances at Army camps and U.S.O. centers making caricatures of the officers and men as well as entertaining them with his amateur magician and card tricks.
In 1947, soon after the founding of the National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
, he and his good friend Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
and a group of leading cartoonists from the NCS went on a three-month tour of the US and helped sell $58 million in US Savings Bonds. Dunn's card tricks and feats of mental magic blended with Goldberg's comic inventions for a show that amused audiences across the country.
Television
He starred in two shows in the early days of television. The first was Face to FaceFace to Face (US TV series)
Face to Face is an early American television game show running 15 minutes. It began broadcasting on the NBC Television network on June 9, 1946 and ran until January 26, 1947 on Sundays at 8:00 pm EST, immediately before Geographically Speaking....
(NBC, June 1946 to January 1947). The second and more popular was Quick on the Draw
Quick on the Draw
Quick on the Draw was an American game show that aired on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network.-Broadcast history:Quick on the Draw featured cartoonist Bob Dunn, was first hosted by Eloise McElhone and then by Robin Chandler, and aired from January 18, 1952 to December 9, 1952. Dunn would draw...
(DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
local show beginning May 1950, and on the DuMont network January to December 1952), a celebrity panel show first hosted by Eloise McElhone and later by Robin Chandler. Dunn drew cartoon charades that celebrities would try to figure out.
He was one of the cartoonists featured in a network television special on NBC, The Fabulous Funnies (1966). He was a long-time member of the famed theatrical Lambs Club to which he contributed drawings, scripts and personal appearances. He also was the Official Toastmaster of the National Cartoonists Society for which he served as President )1965-1967).
Awards
They'll Do It Every Time and Little Iodine brought Dunn several awards. He won the National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for the years 1968 and 1969. He won it again in 1979 with Al Scaduto. Dunn won the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, the Reuben Award, in 1975. He also received their Silver T-Square Award in 1957 and the Elzie Segar Award, named after the creator of PopeyePopeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
.