Belvedere (comic strip)
| Belvedere | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | George Webster Crenshaw |
| Current status/schedule | Concluded gag panel |
| Launch date | June 18, 1962 |
| End date | 1995 |
| Syndicate(s) | Johansen International Features |
| Publisher(s) | Tor Books |
| Genre(s) | Humor, Dogs |
Belvedere is a single panel comic strip created by George Webster Crenshaw which ran from June 18, 1962 to 1995.[1] The star of the strip is a white dog with black spots. As of at least 2009, reprints of the strip were distributed by Johansen International Features.[2]
Characters and story
[edit]Belvedere is one of three pets who belong to a married couple, Orville and Emma. The others are Jezebel, a cat, and Chi-Chi, a talking bird. Belvedere never talks, but he is very intelligent and somehow makes his thoughts and desires known.[3] He is spoiled and causes many problems for his family, the dogcatcher, and the butcher. Belvedere also makes trouble for the local museum (which displays dinosaur bones), and the veterinarian.
Al Wiseman, who co-wrote the Dennis the Menace comic book based on the daily comic strip (on which Crenshaw worked at one time), also contributed to the Belvedere strip.[4]
Books
[edit]Crenshaw's books include Belvedere & Friend (1982), All Dogs Must Be on Leash (1982), The Odds Are (1982), Now Just One Minute! (1983) Don't Push Your Luck (1984), Purpose of Loan: One Carload of Crunchie-Munchies, Hot Dog! (1987), Flapjacks (1990), Beware ... Obedience School Dropout (1991), How Was That for a Karate Chop? (1991), I Said I'm Not Ready to Get Up Yet (1991), Next Time I'll Pack the Food (1991) and Bone Pie (1992).[5][6][7]
Crenshaw used the pseudonym Nat Greenwood on some books, including Belvedere (1965) and Belvedere: A Pooch Full of Tricks (1975).
George Crenshaw
[edit]George Crenshaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Webster Crenshaw October 23, 1913 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 6, 2007 (aged 89) Sequim, Washington, U.S. |
| Resting place | Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington |
| Other names | Nat Greenwood George Crandall |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, Cartoonist |
| Notable work | The Muffins (1957-1959) Gumdrop (1977-1978) |
| Spouses | Eleanor Louise Arge (div. 1968)Betty Jean Sedam
(m. 1980; died 1992) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Charles Robert Lafayette Crenshaw and Alpha A. Allen |
George Webster Crenshaw went to UCLA and Harvard. He was an animator for Walt Disney, having worked on Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Donald Duck cartoons, as well as MGM Tom and Jerry shorts and Speaking of Animals for Paramount. He created the comic strips The Muffins (1957-1959), Nubbin (1958–1972), McGirk's Works (1959), Simpkins aka Nerdly (1971-1974) and Gumdrop (1977-1978) in addition to Belvedere.[8]
His work appeared in such publications as The National Enquirer, The New Yorker, Woman's World and Reader's Digest. As a comic book artist, he drew Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny and Disney characters.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 68. ISBN 9780472117567.
- ^ "Comics Strips Starting with the Letter "B"". Stus.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Al Wiseman". Lambiek.net. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Belvedere Comic Strip Books Gallery". Tonystrading.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ For most of these titles, dates given are the dates of Crenshaw's involvement, as seen in Allan Holtz's 2012 American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Full run dates for the following strips are: The Muffins (Nov 11, 1957 - May 9, 1959), Nubbin (March 24, 1958 - June 20, 1987), Simpkins (1971-1984), and Gumdrop (Aug 1, 1977 - July 25, 1988). McGirk's Works and Nerdly are not listed in Holtz's guide. McGirk's Works is listed on Lambiek's Comiclopedia's George Crenshaw entry as 1959. The "About" page on the Belvedere Cartoon Magazine Site says that Nerdly is another name for Simpkins.
- ^ "Cartoonist George Crenshaw - an Artist with an Impressive Background". Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-04-30.