Stoo Hample
Encyclopedia
Stuart E. Hample also known as Stoo Hample, was an American
children's book author, performer, playwright and cartoonist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Joe Marthen and Turner Brown, Jr. He is best known for the books Children's Letters to God
and The Silly Book
, and the comic strip Inside Woody Allen
.
and served for two years in the Submarine Service during World War II. He attended Williams College and graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1950 with a B.A. in English and Drama.
In 1946, while working in advertising, he began performing as a musical cartoonist with symphony orchestras at children’s and pops concerts, drawing in strict rhythm with the music. In 1948 he was the writer and star of the evening comedy show Cartoon Capers on WBEN-TV in Buffalo, NY and also of a children's show called Junior Jamboree on the same station. He was sometimes a guest host on the NBC Children's show Birthday House when the regular host, Paul Tripp
, was unavailable. In the 1950s he appeared regularly on the CBS-TV children’s program Captain Kangaroo
as "Mister Artist".
In 1955-56, he was an assistant to Al Capp
. A subsequent stint in advertising ended when he created the syndicated comic strip, Inside Woody Allen
. Because he simultaneously had another comic strip, Rich and Famous, running with a different syndicate, he briefly employed the pseudonym Joe Marthen, a conglomeration of the names of his Children, Joe, Martha, and Henry. His youngest son, Zack Hample
is the world record holder for balls caught at Major League Baseball Games.
During this period his first play, Alms for the Middle Class, had a simultaneous world premiere at the Pittsburgh Public Theater
and Geva Theater (Rochester, New York) and was produced on Earplay, the dramatic workshop of National Public Radio. After having three short plays produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville, he was commissioned to write a full-length play, The Ark Has a Leak . At the time of his death, he was working on All the Sincerity In Hollywood, a one-character play based on the life of radio comedian Fred Allen
. The play had several readings directed by Austin Pendleton
and starring Dick Cavett
.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
children's book author, performer, playwright and cartoonist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Joe Marthen and Turner Brown, Jr. He is best known for the books Children's Letters to God
Children's Letters to God
Children's Letters to God was a Drama Desk Award nominated Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen.-Summary:...
and The Silly Book
The Silly Book
The Silly Book is a children's book first published in 1961 and reissued in 2004 by Stoo Hample. It includes silly songs, silly names to call people and things, silly recipes, silly poems, silly things to say, and even "silly nothings"...
, and the comic strip Inside Woody Allen
Inside Woody Allen
Inside Woody Allen was a comic strip about the film actor and director Woody Allen. Drawn by Stuart Hample, the strip ran from 1976 to 1984.-Characters and story:...
.
Biography
Hample began drawing before kindergarten. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and served for two years in the Submarine Service during World War II. He attended Williams College and graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1950 with a B.A. in English and Drama.
In 1946, while working in advertising, he began performing as a musical cartoonist with symphony orchestras at children’s and pops concerts, drawing in strict rhythm with the music. In 1948 he was the writer and star of the evening comedy show Cartoon Capers on WBEN-TV in Buffalo, NY and also of a children's show called Junior Jamboree on the same station. He was sometimes a guest host on the NBC Children's show Birthday House when the regular host, Paul Tripp
Paul Tripp
Paul Tripp was a musician, author and television and film actor born in New York City. He was a partner of fellow composer George Kleinsinger. Tripp was the creator of 1945's "Tubby the Tuba", a children's song that has become his best-known work. Early in his career, he was the host of CBS' Mr....
, was unavailable. In the 1950s he appeared regularly on the CBS-TV children’s program Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
as "Mister Artist".
In 1955-56, he was an assistant to Al Capp
Al Capp
Alfred Gerald Caplin , better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam...
. A subsequent stint in advertising ended when he created the syndicated comic strip, Inside Woody Allen
Inside Woody Allen
Inside Woody Allen was a comic strip about the film actor and director Woody Allen. Drawn by Stuart Hample, the strip ran from 1976 to 1984.-Characters and story:...
. Because he simultaneously had another comic strip, Rich and Famous, running with a different syndicate, he briefly employed the pseudonym Joe Marthen, a conglomeration of the names of his Children, Joe, Martha, and Henry. His youngest son, Zack Hample
Zack Hample
Zachary Ben Hample is an American sports writer and Major League baseball collector. He is best known for having caught more than 5,000 baseballs in the stands at Major League stadiums.-Writing:...
is the world record holder for balls caught at Major League Baseball Games.
During this period his first play, Alms for the Middle Class, had a simultaneous world premiere at the Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
and Geva Theater (Rochester, New York) and was produced on Earplay, the dramatic workshop of National Public Radio. After having three short plays produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville, he was commissioned to write a full-length play, The Ark Has a Leak . At the time of his death, he was working on All the Sincerity In Hollywood, a one-character play based on the life of radio comedian Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
. The play had several readings directed by Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
and starring Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
.
Books
- The Silly BookThe Silly BookThe Silly Book is a children's book first published in 1961 and reissued in 2004 by Stoo Hample. It includes silly songs, silly names to call people and things, silly recipes, silly poems, silly things to say, and even "silly nothings"...
(1961) - Mr. Nobody & the Umbrella Bug (1962)
- Doodles the Deer-Horse (1963)
- Children's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to God was a Drama Desk Award nominated Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen.-Summary:...
(1966) (co-edited with Eric Marshall) - More Children's Letters to God (1967) (co-edited with Eric Marshall)
- Blood for Holly Warner (1967)
- My Darling Mao (1968)
- Black Is (1969 - under pseudonym Turner Brown, Jr.)
- God is a Good Friend to Have (1969)
- Stu Hample's Silly Joke Book (1978)
- Non-Being & Somethingness (1978)
- Hugging, Hitting & Other Family Matters (1979)
- Yet Another Big, Fat, Funny Silly Book (1980)
- Children's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to God was a Drama Desk Award nominated Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen.-Summary:...
(1991) (co-edited with Eric Marshall) - Dear Mr. President (1993)
- Grandma, Grandpa & Me (1997)
- Me & My Dad (1999)
- My Mom's the Best Mom (2000)
- All the Sincerity in Hollywood (2001)
- You Stink! I Love You (2003)
- Happy Cat Day (2004)
- I Will Kiss You: Lots & Lots & Lots (2006)
- Stoo Hample's Book of Bad Manners (2006)
- Dread & Superficiality: Woody Allen as Comic Strip (2009)
- The Silly BookThe Silly BookThe Silly Book is a children's book first published in 1961 and reissued in 2004 by Stoo Hample. It includes silly songs, silly names to call people and things, silly recipes, silly poems, silly things to say, and even "silly nothings"...
With CD (2010)
Plays
- Alms for the Middle Class
- The Asshole Murder Case
- Paint the Icebergs
- The Most Trusted Man in America
- All the Sincerity in Hollywood
Musicals
- The Fig Leaves Are Falling (uncredited bookwriter; music by Albert HagueAlbert HagueAlbert Hague was a German-born songwriter, composer, and actor.-Early life:Hague was born as Albert Marcuse to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist and a musical prodigy, and his mother, Mimi , a chess champion...
, lyrics by Allan ShermanAllan ShermanAllan Sherman was an American comedy writer and television producer who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer , became the fastest-selling record album up to that time...
) - The Selling of the President (co-bookwriter with Jack O'Brien; music by Bob James, lyrics by O'Brien)
- Children's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to God was a Drama Desk Award nominated Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen.-Summary:...
(bookwriter; music by David Evans, lyrics by Douglas Cohen)
Television
- Children's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to GodChildren's Letters to God was a Drama Desk Award nominated Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen.-Summary:...
(NBC Special) - The Great Radio Comedians (PBS Special)
- Kate & Allie (CBS)
- That Girl (ABC - animated pilot)
- Snow White (ABC Fairy Tale Theatre - animated)
Magazines
- Weekly humor page in New York Magazine called "The Apple," illustrated by Seymour ChwastSeymour ChwastSeymour Chwast an American graphic designer, illustrator, and type designer.Chwast was born in Bronx, New York, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cooper Union in 1951. With Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Reynold Ruffins, he founded Push Pin Studios in 1954...
, 1968 - Weekly humor page in New Times Magazine called "Fellow Citizens," illustrated by Seymour ChwastSeymour ChwastSeymour Chwast an American graphic designer, illustrator, and type designer.Chwast was born in Bronx, New York, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cooper Union in 1951. With Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Reynold Ruffins, he founded Push Pin Studios in 1954...
, 1969 - Monthly cartoon page in Cat Fancy Magazine called "Tiger's Tales," 2006