Dick Moores
Encyclopedia
Richard Arnold Moores was an American cartoonist whose best known work was the comic strip
Gasoline Alley
, which he worked on for nearly three decades.
on December 12, 1909. After graduating from high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana
, he attended Fort Wayne Art School. He also received a year of training at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts before spending five years working for Chester Gould on Dick Tracy
. While working for Gould in Chicago, he met and married Gretchen, a musician.
He mat Frank King while in Chicago, sharing a studio with him while drawing his own strip from 1936 to 1942: initially known as Jim Hardy, it later became Windy and Padles.
That was followed by 14 years working for Disney, drawing [Uncle Remus] and later [Scamp] and a short period in the 1950s at Western Publishing
drawing funny animal comics book stories. The best known of these is the Mickey Mouse
story "The Wonderful Whizzix" (Four Color
#427, Oct. 1952), which some regard as the inspiration years for the Disney movie The Love Bug
.
in 1956 to assist him on the Gasoline Alley dailies. King's former assistant Bill Perry
had taken over doing the Sunday strip
in 1951.
Upon King's death in 1969, Moores assumed writing and drawing duties for the daily strip
. When Perry retired in 1975, Moores added the Sunday strip to his workload.
Moores relocated to near Asheville, North Carolina
, where he spent the rest of his life. In his later years, Moores composed stories, drew faces in pencil, and sketched the action, but then sent the strips to another artist for inking, such as his assistant, Jim Scancarelli
who took over the strip upon his death.
Moores died of liver and kidney failure.
Moores also introduced local events into the comic strip. At the same point that Fort Wayne residents were trying to raise money to save a grand old theatre, the Embassy, from the wrecker's ball, and to restore it, the characters in Gasoline Alley were trying to do the same with their Emboyd Theatre. Even many Fort Wayne residents were unaware that their theatre had been originally called the Emboyd, named after Emma Boyd, daughter of the owner. (For that matter, neither of the Fort Wayne newspapers carried the syndicated Gasoline Alley strip.)
Gasoline Alley also had strong characters that were animals. Joel was always with his mule (Becky) and cat (Kitty), and there was a Doberman Pinscher (Kleine), and a Great Dane (Sieg) comically sharing Slim and Clovia's already too-small apartment. While the Los Angeles Times speculates that this may be due to his Disney experience, Moores did not market as Disney did, even though Frank King licensed a Clovia doll and held a contest to name Clovia.
Moores said that Walt Wallet was his alter ego. "I use Walt to create homey situations and for anybody who's feeling his age to identify with," Moores said, two months before his death. "He's the father figure. He's what keeps them together. He's the one I go to when I want to pull the strip together."
Story Comic Strip Awards for 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1985, and their Reuben Award for 1974 for his work on this 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....
Gasoline Alley
Gasoline Alley
Gasoline Alley is a comic strip created by Frank King and currently distributed by Tribune Media Services. First published November 24, 1918, it is the second longest running comic strip in the US and has received critical accolades for its influential innovations...
, which he worked on for nearly three decades.
Early Life
Moores was born in Lincoln, NebraskaLincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
on December 12, 1909. After graduating from high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, he attended Fort Wayne Art School. He also received a year of training at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts before spending five years working for Chester Gould on Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
. While working for Gould in Chicago, he met and married Gretchen, a musician.
He mat Frank King while in Chicago, sharing a studio with him while drawing his own strip from 1936 to 1942: initially known as Jim Hardy, it later became Windy and Padles.
That was followed by 14 years working for Disney, drawing [Uncle Remus] and later [Scamp] and a short period in the 1950s at Western Publishing
Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
drawing funny animal comics book stories. The best known of these is the Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
story "The Wonderful Whizzix" (Four Color
Four Color
Four Color, also known as Four Color Comics and One Shots, was a long-running American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962...
#427, Oct. 1952), which some regard as the inspiration years for the Disney movie The Love Bug
The Love Bug
The Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
.
Gasoline Alley
Moores moved to Florida when he was hired by Frank KingFrank King
Frank Oscar King was an American cartoonist best known for his popular, long-run comic strip Gasoline Alley...
in 1956 to assist him on the Gasoline Alley dailies. King's former assistant Bill Perry
Bill Perry (comics)
William M. Perry was best known as an assistant on, and later a primary artist for, the Gasoline Alley comic strip. He was born in Chicago....
had taken over doing the 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...
in 1951.
Upon King's death in 1969, Moores assumed writing and drawing duties for the daily strip
Daily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
. When Perry retired in 1975, Moores added the Sunday strip to his workload.
Moores relocated to near Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, where he spent the rest of his life. In his later years, Moores composed stories, drew faces in pencil, and sketched the action, but then sent the strips to another artist for inking, such as his assistant, Jim Scancarelli
Jim Scancarelli
James Scancarelli , known professionally as Jim Scancarelli, is an American cartoonist who has been writing and drawing the syndicated comic strip Gasoline Alley for Tribune Media Services since 1986...
who took over the strip upon his death.
Moores died of liver and kidney failure.
Significance
Although in other strips, children would mature into adults, Gasoline Alley was the first comic strip in which adults aged. Allison "Skeezix" Wallet started out at a foundling left on bachelor Walt's doorstep in 1921, grew up to fight in the Pacific during WWII, married Nina Clock, became a daughter, Clovia, in 1949, who married Slim, a mechanic at Skeezix's Gasoline Alley garage.Moores also introduced local events into the comic strip. At the same point that Fort Wayne residents were trying to raise money to save a grand old theatre, the Embassy, from the wrecker's ball, and to restore it, the characters in Gasoline Alley were trying to do the same with their Emboyd Theatre. Even many Fort Wayne residents were unaware that their theatre had been originally called the Emboyd, named after Emma Boyd, daughter of the owner. (For that matter, neither of the Fort Wayne newspapers carried the syndicated Gasoline Alley strip.)
Gasoline Alley also had strong characters that were animals. Joel was always with his mule (Becky) and cat (Kitty), and there was a Doberman Pinscher (Kleine), and a Great Dane (Sieg) comically sharing Slim and Clovia's already too-small apartment. While the Los Angeles Times speculates that this may be due to his Disney experience, Moores did not market as Disney did, even though Frank King licensed a Clovia doll and held a contest to name Clovia.
Moores said that Walt Wallet was his alter ego. "I use Walt to create homey situations and for anybody who's feeling his age to identify with," Moores said, two months before his death. "He's the father figure. He's what keeps them together. He's the one I go to when I want to pull the strip together."
Awards
Moores received 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...
Story Comic Strip Awards for 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1985, and their Reuben Award for 1974 for his work on this strip.