Stan MacGovern
Encyclopedia
Stan MacGovern was a cartoonist best known for his comic strip
Silly Milly which ran in the New York Post from the 1930s into the 1950s.
Born in New York, MacGovern was the son of George M. Cohan
's publicist. His mother performed in light operas. Graduating from high school in 1921, MacGovern began at the New York Sun Herald as a copy boy in the art department. After a period working as a jazz musician, he returned to commercial art with a position at the New York Post
where he was employed for years, eventually heading up the newspaper's art department.
McGovern also drew editorial cartoons for the Post.
On April 1, 1948, he participated in the Newspaper Comics Council Comic Strip Ball at the Hotel Plaza. Contributing cartoonists for that United Nations Appeal for Children promotional event included MacGovern, Al Capp
, Bill Holman, Ernie Bushmiller
, Bob Brinkerhoff, Rube Goldberg
and Milton Caniff
. Original drawings were auctioned with proceeds going to the United Nations Appeal for Children Overseas Aid.
His work was an influence on cartoonist Jack Mendelsohn
, the creator of Jackys Diary, and animation director Will Finn
.
Silly Milly, which had limited syndication by the Post to other newspapers, came to an end in 1951. MacGovern, who lived in Malverne, New York
, left the newspaper field to run a gift shop on Long Island. It was an unsuccessful business, and he later worked at a Long Island furniture store. At the age of 72, he committed suicide in 1975.
, A. W. MacKenzie and Charles Werner.
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....
Silly Milly which ran in the New York Post from the 1930s into the 1950s.
Born in New York, MacGovern was the son of George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
's publicist. His mother performed in light operas. Graduating from high school in 1921, MacGovern began at the New York Sun Herald as a copy boy in the art department. After a period working as a jazz musician, he returned to commercial art with a position at the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
where he was employed for years, eventually heading up the newspaper's art department.
Comic strips and editorial cartoons
MacGovern was 18 when he sold his first comic strip, Dumbell Dan (1922-23). In June 1938, he began a cartoon feature, Extra Extra with satirical commentary on minor news events. Distributed by American Feature Syndicate, it was soon retitled Swing with the News. After the character Silly Milly became the strip's central character, the title was finally changed to Silly Milly. MacGovern continued to focus on human interest news items, and he sometimes incorporated reviews of Broadway shows into the strip. MacGovern's Silly Milly is unrelated to characters with the same name in the British publication Twinkle, the children's book by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and the Silly Milly doll (originally named Milly Magpie) distributed by Portable Playhouse to children in hospitals.McGovern also drew editorial cartoons for the Post.
On April 1, 1948, he participated in the Newspaper Comics Council Comic Strip Ball at the Hotel Plaza. Contributing cartoonists for that United Nations Appeal for Children promotional event included MacGovern, Al Capp
Al Capp
Alfred Gerald Caplin , better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam...
, Bill Holman, Ernie Bushmiller
Ernie Bushmiller
Ernest Paul Bushmiller, Jr. was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the long-running daily comic strip Nancy....
, Bob Brinkerhoff, 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 Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
. Original drawings were auctioned with proceeds going to the United Nations Appeal for Children Overseas Aid.
His work was an influence on cartoonist Jack Mendelsohn
Jack Mendelsohn
Jack Mendelsohn is a writer-artist who has worked in animation, comic strips and comic books. An Emmy-nominated television comedy writer and story editor, he has numerous credits as a TV scripter, including Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Three's Company, The Carol Burnett Show and Teenage Mutant Ninja...
, the creator of Jackys Diary, and animation director Will Finn
Will Finn
Will Finn is an American animator, voice actor, and director. His work in animation includes characters from Disney and Don Bluth films such as The Secret of NIMH, Oliver & Company, and Pocahontas. His characters include Laverne , Iago , and Cogsworth...
.
Silly Milly, which had limited syndication by the Post to other newspapers, came to an end in 1951. MacGovern, who lived in Malverne, New York
Malverne, New York
Malverne is a village in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 8,514 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...
, left the newspaper field to run a gift shop on Long Island. It was an unsuccessful business, and he later worked at a Long Island furniture store. At the age of 72, he committed suicide in 1975.
Exhibitions
His editorial cartoons were included in a 2004 exhibit, "Cartoonists Against the Holocaust: Art in the Service of Humanity," sponsored by the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which also included the work of editorial cartoonists Eric Godal, Arthur SzykArthur Szyk
Arthur Szyk was a graphic artist, book illustrator, stage designer and caricaturist. Arthur Szyk was born into a Jewish family in Łódź, in the part of Poland which was under Russian rule in the 19th century. He always regarded himself both as a Pole and a Jew...
, A. W. MacKenzie and Charles Werner.