Harry Hanan
Encyclopedia
Harry Hanan was a British cartoonist, best known as the creator of the pantomime comic strip Louie which he began in 1947. Louie was a small chap, a loser who was constantly annoyed by life's little vicissitudes and minor moments. Hanan described his mild-mannered character as "the anti-Superman
".
Born in Liverpool
, England
, Hanan went to the Liverpool School of Art and found employment doing layouts and illustrating articles for the Liverpool Evening Express at $16 a week, plus an occasional $2 bonus for drawing a daily cartoon
, eventually writing film reviews and serving as the newspaper's features editor. He also designed posters and stage sets in Liverpool.
, Hanan experienced six years of military service. In post-WWII London, he became an editorial cartoonist with The People
, London's weekly tabloid with a circulation of four million. Meeting his weekly deadline in short order, Hanan created Louie in his spare time, and it was first published in The People in March 1947. When H. R. Wishengrad, head of Press Features, saw Hanan's strip, he decided to syndicate it in the United States. With Hanan drawing both the daily
and the Sunday strip
s, Louie found a large readership in more than 100 American newspapers, initially distributed by the Publishers-Hall Syndicate
and later by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate
. Because Louie had visual gags with no words to translate, it also appeared in more than 100 publications in 23 countries, including Turkey and Japan. Some newspapers ran it on their editorial pages.
. Hanan's suburban lifestyle there was reflected in the strip's settings and characters. Hanan commented, "Even when we're settled, Louie and I tend to be shiftless. People seem to like that."
Observers noted that Louie bore a striking resemblance to Hanan, who retired in 1976 and died six years later.
January 22 to February 22, 1968.
Hanan's paintings were exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and were in the permanent collection at the William Allen White Foundation. Hanan was also a judge at juried art exhibitions.
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
".
Born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Hanan went to the Liverpool School of Art and found employment doing layouts and illustrating articles for the Liverpool Evening Express at $16 a week, plus an occasional $2 bonus for drawing a daily cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
, eventually writing film reviews and serving as the newspaper's features editor. He also designed posters and stage sets in Liverpool.
Louie in London
An infantry commander during 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...
, Hanan experienced six years of military service. In post-WWII London, he became an editorial cartoonist with The People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
, London's weekly tabloid with a circulation of four million. Meeting his weekly deadline in short order, Hanan created Louie in his spare time, and it was first published in The People in March 1947. When H. R. Wishengrad, head of Press Features, saw Hanan's strip, he decided to syndicate it in the United States. With Hanan drawing both the daily
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....
and 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...
s, Louie found a large readership in more than 100 American newspapers, initially distributed by the Publishers-Hall Syndicate
Publishers-Hall Syndicate
Publishers-Hall Syndicate was a newspaper syndicate founded in 1944 by Robert M. Hall, the company's president and general manager.Hall had worked for The Providence Journal during high school, followed by three years at Northeastern Law School and four years at Brown University...
and later by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate
Tribune Media Services
Tribune Media Services is a syndication company owned by the Tribune Company.The company has two divisions, "News and Features" and "Entertainment Products"...
. Because Louie had visual gags with no words to translate, it also appeared in more than 100 publications in 23 countries, including Turkey and Japan. Some newspapers ran it on their editorial pages.
New Jersey lifestyle
With the success of the strip, Hanan and his family left London in November 1948 and relocated to the United States, where they settled in Westfield, New JerseyWestfield, New Jersey
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....
. Hanan's suburban lifestyle there was reflected in the strip's settings and characters. Hanan commented, "Even when we're settled, Louie and I tend to be shiftless. People seem to like that."
Observers noted that Louie bore a striking resemblance to Hanan, who retired in 1976 and died six years later.
Exhibitions
Louie was included in the Renaissance Society's "Comic Strip as Art" exhibit at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
January 22 to February 22, 1968.
Hanan's paintings were exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and were in the permanent collection at the William Allen White Foundation. Hanan was also a judge at juried art exhibitions.