Life’s Like That
Encyclopedia
Life’s Like That was a gag panel by Fred Neher
which found humor in life's foibles. Spanning five decades, the series was initially distributed by the Bell Syndicate and later by Consolidated News Features and the United Features Syndicate
.
Neher had drawn a comic strip, Goofey Movies, for five years, plus sales of gag cartoons to 42 magazines, including Collier's
and The New Yorker
, when the Bell Syndicate signed him on in 1934. Life's Like That was launched October 1, 1934 and ran until 1941 but disappeared from newspapers during World War II
. After the war, it returned for a run from 1945 to 1977, when Neher retired. He stopped doing the Sunday half-page in October 1972.
At its peak, Life's Like That was published in 500 newspapers. The Sunday format gave several cartoons a free-floating grouping, with variations, including one arrangement similar to George Lichty
's Grin and Bear It
, displaying several square-shaped panels with one in a circle.
Doug Sweet, of The Montreal Gazette, recalled that his newspaper ran Life's Like That when it carried no other syndicated gag panels or comic strips:
When Neher died at age 98 in Boulder, Colorado in 2001, Owen S. Good wrote in the Rocky Mountain News:
Fred Neher
Fred Neher was an American cartoonist best known for his syndicated gag panel, Life’s Like That, which offered a humorous look at human nature, with a focus on American society and family life, for more than five decades....
which found humor in life's foibles. Spanning five decades, the series was initially distributed by the Bell Syndicate and later by Consolidated News Features and the United Features Syndicate
United Media
United Media is a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It syndicates 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core business is the United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association...
.
Neher had drawn a comic strip, Goofey Movies, for five years, plus sales of gag cartoons to 42 magazines, including Collier's
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
and The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, when the Bell Syndicate signed him on in 1934. Life's Like That was launched October 1, 1934 and ran until 1941 but disappeared from newspapers during World War II
World 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...
. After the war, it returned for a run from 1945 to 1977, when Neher retired. He stopped doing the Sunday half-page in October 1972.
At its peak, Life's Like That was published in 500 newspapers. The Sunday format gave several cartoons a free-floating grouping, with variations, including one arrangement similar to George Lichty
George Lichty
George Lichty was an American cartoonist, creator of the daily and Sunday cartoon series Grin and Bear It. His work was signed Lichty and often ran without mention of his first name....
's Grin and Bear It
Grin and Bear It
Grin and Bear It is a daily panel created by George Lichtenstein under the penname George Lichty. Initially distributed by United Feature Syndicate, it was syndicated by Field Enterprises beginning in 1940. Field Enterprises was sold in 1986 to King Features Syndicate which continues to distribute...
, displaying several square-shaped panels with one in a circle.
Doug Sweet, of The Montreal Gazette, recalled that his newspaper ran Life's Like That when it carried no other syndicated gag panels or comic strips:
- Our comics have come a long way from December 15, 1937, when–to the best of our recollection–The Gazette began publishing its first regular cartoon. Life's Like That, drawn by Fred Neher (1903-2001), was a weekly, single-panel cartoon that sat at the bottom of the front page of the second section on Wednesdays. Soon after we added other strips, like Mickey Mouse. This newspaper was late getting into the comics business.
When Neher died at age 98 in Boulder, Colorado in 2001, Owen S. Good wrote in the Rocky Mountain News:
- He is survived by pot-bellied businessmen, henpecked husbands, worldly-wise goldfish and babies with thin curlicues of hair, all actors in the everyday comedies he staged on the funny pages.