Apartment 3-G
Encyclopedia
Apartment 3-G is an American
newspaper comic strip
about a trio of career
women who share Apartment 3-G in Manhattan
. Created by Nicholas P. Dallis
with art by Alex Kotzky
, the strip began May 8, 1961, initially distributed by the short-lived Publishers Syndicate, which soon merged with King Features Syndicate
.
strip Mary Worth and Rona Jaffe
's bestselling 1958 novel The Best of Everything
. The three main characters are Margo Magee, a brunette secretary, actors' agent
, publicist
and event planner
; Abigail "Tommie" Thompson, a redheaded nurse; and Lu Ann Powers née Wright, a blonde art teacher and widow
of a U.S. Air Force pilot
. Kindly neighbor Professor
Aristotle Papagoras serves as a father figure. Lu Ann, originally single, met her husband and married in the 1960s, after which she moved out of the apartment to be replaced by another blonde, Beth. Lu Ann's husband was killed in Vietnam
, and she eventually moved back into the apartment.
The depictions of the three main characters are loosely based on real actors. Tommie is based on Lucille Ball
, Margo on Joan Collins
and Lu Ann on Tuesday Weld
.
Alex Kotzky, who drew and inked in a tight and crisp realistic style, was the artist of Apartment 3-G for more than 30 years. When Dallis died in 1991, Kotzky began writing the strip. With Kotzky's death in 1996, his son, Brian Kotzky, took over as the Apartment 3-G artist, and Lisa Trusiani became the scripter. In 2000, Frank Bolle
stepped in as the illustrator when Brian Kotzky left to become a teacher. Writer Margaret Shulock
later succeeded Trusiani.
Dallis, formerly a psychiatrist, also created the soap opera comic strips Rex Morgan, M.D.
and Judge Parker
.
's Story Comic Strip Award for his work on Apartment 3-G.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper comic strip
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....
about a trio of career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
women who share Apartment 3-G in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Created by Nicholas P. Dallis
Nicholas P. Dallis
Nicholas Peter Dallis , known as Nick Dallis, was an American psychiatrist turned comic strip writer, creator of the soap opera-style strips Rex Morgan, M.D., Judge Parker and Apartment 3-G...
with art by Alex Kotzky
Alex Kotzky
Alex Kotzky was a cartoonist best known for his three decades of work on the comic strip Apartment 3-G, distributed by Publishers-Hall Syndicate....
, the strip began May 8, 1961, initially distributed by the short-lived Publishers Syndicate, which soon merged with King Features Syndicate
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...
.
Characters and story
The strip's situations and characters were influenced by the pioneering soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
strip Mary Worth and Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe was a popular American novelist, publishing numerous works from 1958-2003. She may have been best known for her controversial novel, Mazes and Monsters...
's bestselling 1958 novel The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything is the first novel by Rona Jaffe. It is the story of five young employees of a New York publishing company.-Adaptions:...
. The three main characters are Margo Magee, a brunette secretary, actors' agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
, publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
and event planner
Event planning
Event planning is the process of planning a festival, ceremony, competition, party, or convention. Event planning includes budgeting, establishing dates and alternate dates, selecting and reserving the event site, acquiring permits, and coordinating transportation and parking...
; Abigail "Tommie" Thompson, a redheaded nurse; and Lu Ann Powers née Wright, a blonde art teacher and widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
of a U.S. Air Force pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. Kindly neighbor Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Aristotle Papagoras serves as a father figure. Lu Ann, originally single, met her husband and married in the 1960s, after which she moved out of the apartment to be replaced by another blonde, Beth. Lu Ann's husband was killed in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and she eventually moved back into the apartment.
The depictions of the three main characters are loosely based on real actors. Tommie is based on Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Margo on Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
and Lu Ann on Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
.
Creative team
Frank Bolle
Frank Bolle is an American comic strip artist, comic book artist and illustrator.-Career:-Children's books:...
stepped in as the illustrator when Brian Kotzky left to become a teacher. Writer Margaret Shulock
Margaret Shulock
Margaret Shulock is an American cartoonist who works as a writer-artist on several features.Born in Canastota, New York, she lived in Franklinville, New York and Buffalo, New York. She currently resides in Friendship, New York. She began sending weekly, hand-drawn postcards to her parents, often in...
later succeeded Trusiani.
Dallis, formerly a psychiatrist, also created the soap opera comic strips Rex Morgan, M.D.
Rex Morgan, M.D.
Rex Morgan, M.D. is an American soap-opera comic strip, created in 1948 by psychiatrist Dr. Nicholas P. Dallis under the pseudonym Dal Curtis. It maintained a readership well over a half-century, and in 2006 it was published in more than 300 U.S. newspapers and 14 foreign countries, according to...
and Judge Parker
Judge Parker
Judge Parker is a soap opera-style comic strip created by Nicholas P. Dallis that first appeared on November 24, 1952. The strip's look and content were influenced by the work of Allen Saunders and Ken Ernst on Mary Worth.-Characters and story:...
.
Awards
Alex Kotzky received the 1968 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 Story Comic Strip Award for his work on Apartment 3-G.
External links
- The Lovely Ladies of Apartment 3-G
- Comics Curmudgeon: Apartment 3-G
- King Features Syndicate: Apartment 3-G
- Apartment 3-G at Don Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...
- National Cartoonists Society Awards