Clifford McBride
Encyclopedia
Clifford McBride was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Napoleon and Uncle Elby
.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, McBride was twice expelled from school because of his drawings in the school paper. His first professional cartoon was published in 1917 in The Los Angeles Times.
When he graduated from Occidental College, he moved to Pasadena, California
, beginning his career in 1923 as a staff artist for The Los Angeles Times. The following year, he illustrated humorous fiction for the Chicago Tribune.
. His Sunday strip
was added in 1933, and the following year, the title was changed to Napoleon and Uncle Elby.
McBride's cartoons appeared in such magazines as Life
and Cosmopolitan, and he profited from hardcover reprints, comic books and the licensing of his character as a spokesdog during the 1940s for Red Heart Dog Food. Merchandising included a stuffed toy of Napoleon.
Napoleon and Uncle Elby was a 1945 hardcover collecting 116 of McBride's strips.
, McBride's own dog was Ace, a 190-pound St. Bernard
. Ace was sometimes used for promotional purposes with McBride, including two short films, Unusual Occupations (1941) and Artist's Antics (1946).
McBride's assistant on the strip was Roger Armstrong (1917–2007). After McBride's 1951 death in Altadena, California
, his second wife, Margot Fischer McBride, wrote the strip, and she hired Armstrong as the illustrator. In 1952, the team switched to the Mirror Enterprises Syndicate in Los Angeles, keeping the strip going for the next eight years.
Napoleon and Uncle Elby
Napoleon and Uncle Elby was a syndicated newspaper comic strip by Clifford McBride.While drawing such features as McBride's Cartoon and Clifford McBride's Pantomime Comic , McBride introduced Elby, a character based on his uncle, Henry Elba Eastman...
.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, McBride was twice expelled from school because of his drawings in the school paper. His first professional cartoon was published in 1917 in The Los Angeles Times.
When he graduated from Occidental College, he moved to Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, beginning his career in 1923 as a staff artist for The Los Angeles Times. The following year, he illustrated humorous fiction for the Chicago Tribune.
Early strips
After drawing such features as Insect Life, McBride's Cartoon (1927) and Clifford McBride's Pantomime Comic (1932), he created Elby, a character based on his uncle, Henry Elba Eastman. He soon began to add situations involving Elby's dog, Napoleon.Dog daze
Drawing for a minor syndicate, McBride began Napoleon as a daily strip on June 6, 1932, reaching a wider audience once he connected with the McNaught SyndicateMcNaught Syndicate
The McNaught Syndicate was an American newspaper syndicate founded in 1922. It was established by Virgil Venice McNitt and Charles V. McAdam. Its best known contents were the columns by Will Rogers and O. O. McIntyre, the Dear Abby letters section and comic strips, including Joe Palooka and...
. His 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...
was added in 1933, and the following year, the title was changed to Napoleon and Uncle Elby.
McBride's cartoons appeared in such magazines as Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
and Cosmopolitan, and he profited from hardcover reprints, comic books and the licensing of his character as a spokesdog during the 1940s for Red Heart Dog Food. Merchandising included a stuffed toy of Napoleon.
Napoleon and Uncle Elby was a 1945 hardcover collecting 116 of McBride's strips.
Films
Although Napoleon was an Irish WolfhoundIrish Wolfhound
The Irish wolfhound is a breed of domestic dog , specifically a sighthound. The name originates from its purpose rather than from its appearance...
, McBride's own dog was Ace, a 190-pound St. Bernard
St. Bernard (dog)
The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.-Appearance:The St. Bernard is a large dog...
. Ace was sometimes used for promotional purposes with McBride, including two short films, Unusual Occupations (1941) and Artist's Antics (1946).
McBride's assistant on the strip was Roger Armstrong (1917–2007). After McBride's 1951 death in Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
, his second wife, Margot Fischer McBride, wrote the strip, and she hired Armstrong as the illustrator. In 1952, the team switched to the Mirror Enterprises Syndicate in Los Angeles, keeping the strip going for the next eight years.
See also
- Cap Stubbs and TippieCap Stubbs and TippieCap Stubbs and Tippie was a syndicated newspaper comic strip created by the cartoonist Edwina Dumm. At times the title changed to Tippie & Cap Stubbs or Tippie....
- Edwina DummEdwina DummFrances Edwina Dumm was a writer-artist who drew the comic strip Cap Stubbs and Tippie for six decades and is also notable as the nation’s first full-time female editorial cartoonist, She used her middle name for the signature on her comic strip, signed simply Edwina.One of the earliest female...
- Howard HugeHoward HugeHoward Huge is a cartoon series written by Bunny Hoest and illustrated by John Reiner. Created by Bill Hoest, the series had 80 million readers, since it ran in the Sunday supplement magazine, Parade from 1980 to 2007, continuing on a website....
- MarmadukeMarmadukeMarmaduke is a newspaper comic strip drawn by Brad Anderson from 1954 to the present day. The strip was created by Anderson, with help from Phil Leeming and later Dorothy Leeming , and Paul Anderson. The strip revolves around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke...