Wally Bishop
Encyclopedia
Wallace Bond Bishop better known as Wally Bishop, was an American cartoonist who drew his syndicated Muggs and Skeeter comic strip
for 49 years.
Born in Normal, Illinois
, he grew up in Bloomington, Illinois
, where he spent a summer working as a newspaper copy boy. He studied at the American Academy of Arts in Chicago. Bishop sometimes performed as a drummer. He also emceed charity and benefit shows and gave chalk talks.
creator Sidney Smith (who also lived in Bloomington), Bishop began his comic strip Muggs McGinnis at the age of 22. In 1928, he visited St. Petersburg, Florida
, and he later moved there from New York. He married Louise Carson in Evansville, Indiana
, in 1936, the same year his strip was retitled Muggs and Skeeter.
In 1938, the Bishops bought and restored St. Petersburg developer C. Perry Snell's historic Italianate villa at 375 Brightwaters Boulevard in St. Petersburg. Their nearby neighbor was cartoonist Billy DeBeck, who lived within walking distance at 321 Brightwaters Boulevard on Coffee Pot Bayou.
, Bishop was a Coast Guard piot, and he later transferred to the Navy, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, leaving the service as a lieutenant commander.
Bishop continued to draw Muggs and Skeeter until 1974, when he retired. He died in 1982. Louise Bishop died in August 2005. Their daughter, Mary Joan Mann, grew up in the Brightwaters house, where she and Sam Mann Jr. had their wedding reception in 1948. A distinctive St. Petersburg landmark, the house sold for $5.1 million in 2006.
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....
for 49 years.
Born in Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, he grew up in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, where he spent a summer working as a newspaper copy boy. He studied at the American Academy of Arts in Chicago. Bishop sometimes performed as a drummer. He also emceed charity and benefit shows and gave chalk talks.
Muggs and Skeeter
In 1927, influenced by The GumpsThe Gumps
The Gumps, a popular comic strip about a middle-class family, was created by Sidney Smith in 1917, launching a 42-year run in newspapers from February 12, 1917 until October 17, 1959....
creator Sidney Smith (who also lived in Bloomington), Bishop began his comic strip Muggs McGinnis at the age of 22. In 1928, he visited St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, and he later moved there from New York. He married Louise Carson in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, in 1936, the same year his strip was retitled Muggs and Skeeter.
In 1938, the Bishops bought and restored St. Petersburg developer C. Perry Snell's historic Italianate villa at 375 Brightwaters Boulevard in St. Petersburg. Their nearby neighbor was cartoonist Billy DeBeck, who lived within walking distance at 321 Brightwaters Boulevard on Coffee Pot Bayou.
WWII
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...
, Bishop was a Coast Guard piot, and he later transferred to the Navy, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, leaving the service as a lieutenant commander.
Bishop continued to draw Muggs and Skeeter until 1974, when he retired. He died in 1982. Louise Bishop died in August 2005. Their daughter, Mary Joan Mann, grew up in the Brightwaters house, where she and Sam Mann Jr. had their wedding reception in 1948. A distinctive St. Petersburg landmark, the house sold for $5.1 million in 2006.