Frank O'Neal
Encyclopedia
Frank O'Neal is an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip
Short Ribs which he drew from 1958 to 1973.
Born in Springfield, Missouri
, O'Neal was kept on the move by his traveling father, and the youth grew up in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. He graduated from high school at the age of 15, but his parents decided he was too young for college or art school. Employed as an advertising collector for a Washington newspaper when Pearl Harbor was attacked, he enlisted within 30 days.
, he worked in the flour and feed business. In 1948, he began studying in Santa Monica, California
at the Jefferson Machamer School of Art, working such odd jobs as a janitor, bellhop and busboy during his three years at the art school. While a student, he began to do advertising art and sell to magazines. In 1950, he sold his first cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post
. After working as a freelance artist from 1950 to 1956, he spent a year-and-a-half doing television storyboards. His feature "How to Bring Up Parents" ran in Redbook
for three years.
and an old house with four baths, trees, a river and four-and-a-half acres—not to mention a mortgage." He viewed Carmel as a creative environment and began to develop comic strip concepts to submit to syndicates.
's 1964 Humor Comic Strip Award for Short Ribs.
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....
Short Ribs which he drew from 1958 to 1973.
Born in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, O'Neal was kept on the move by his traveling father, and the youth grew up in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. He graduated from high school at the age of 15, but his parents decided he was too young for college or art school. Employed as an advertising collector for a Washington newspaper when Pearl Harbor was attacked, he enlisted within 30 days.
Post WWII
Following 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...
, he worked in the flour and feed business. In 1948, he began studying in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
at the Jefferson Machamer School of Art, working such odd jobs as a janitor, bellhop and busboy during his three years at the art school. While a student, he began to do advertising art and sell to magazines. In 1950, he sold his first cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
. After working as a freelance artist from 1950 to 1956, he spent a year-and-a-half doing television storyboards. His feature "How to Bring Up Parents" ran in Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
for three years.
Comics from Carmel
When O'Neal decided he didn't want to bring up his children in Los Angeles, he began to look elsewhere in California: "Bettie, my wife; Johnny, my son, and my daughter Mollie and I scoured half of California and finally found Carmel ValleyCarmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
and an old house with four baths, trees, a river and four-and-a-half acres—not to mention a mortgage." He viewed Carmel as a creative environment and began to develop comic strip concepts to submit to syndicates.
Short Ribs
He submitted Short Ribs to NEA, and in November 1958, the syndicate offered Short Ribs as a daily strip, with the Sunday strip launched eight months later in June 1959. The Sunday and daily were soon carried in 400 newspapers. Success meant deadlines, but O'Neal still found time for his hobbies, cars and sailing.Awards
He won the National Cartoonists SocietyNational 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...
's 1964 Humor Comic Strip Award for Short Ribs.