Cy Hungerford Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Comics Panel Original Art (Post-Gazette, 1941)....

Description

Cy Hungerford Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Comics Panel Original Art (Post-Gazette, 1941). Governor George Earle of Pennsylvania -- the subject of Hungerford's emphatic cartoon -- went from managing Depression-relief projects in his home state to attacking Nazis (literally) as President Franklin Roosevelt's ambassador to Bulgaria. Earle made a habit of harassing German officers in the nightclubs of Sofia, and on February 24, 1941, he responded to a thrown bottle by humiliating his Nazi assailant with a bloody counter-attack. Hungerford depicts Adolf Hitler, fearful to approach a Bulgarian tavern, asking, "Iss dot roughneck Earle oudt [out]?" The song lyric at left refers to an Allied morale-booster tune, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary," which Earle would request in barrooms to irritate any Nazis in attendance. Hungerford, a slapstick cartoonist, spent the 1940s as one of the more ferocious political cartoonists. His exaggerated style made his broadsides all the more bracing. Hungerford titled this piece "Safety First." An editorial note (lower margin) designates the cartoon as a rush job for the following Friday's bulldog edition of the Post-Gazette. The archaic term bulldog once referred to the earliest press run of an issue, back when newspapers were produced with care and timely diligence. Ink over graphite on Bristol board. The texture on the war tank is caused by ink-spattering from the bristles of a toothbrush. Image area, 12.25" x 16". Moderate toning, spot-staining, and handling wear. Very Good condition.


More Information: Earle's barroom brawl in Sofia was an inspiration for a famous scene in the 1942 film Casablanca, where French partisans sing "La Marseillaise" to drown out a chorus of Germanic music.


More information about Cy Hungerford. See also: Hungerford, Cy, Cyrus Cotton Hungerford, Hungerford, Cyrus Artist.