Friday, April 24, 2015

WALT KELLY and POGO

Cartoons; funny papers, Sunday funnies!
          It doesn’t matter what you call those panels of humor, but we all remember reading them. For me, it was flat out on the floor on Sunday mornings with the four-page color comic section: Dick Tracy, Blondie, Mark Trail (who must be 105 years old by now) and...

...Walt Kelly’s Pogo!
         
Syndicated in 1949, when I was only three years old, the Pogo strip was a social,, political—even international sensation. He was a possum who lived in Okefenoke swamp with a crowd of totally ridiculous animals.
          When I was small, my father, armed with a six-pack and a box of charcoals and pastels, drew the Pogo characters on my bedroom wall. The biggest was Albert the Alligator, and the others trailed along the wall beside my bed!
          By the time I was ten, I knew most of the characters, including an owl, a turtle and a trio of scruffy-looking bats named Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. I remember making the connection to Frank Sinatra’s version of that wonderful song!



At some point, my parents bought an LP, “Songs of the Pogo,” which contained twenty-odd completely zany songs written by Kelly and his crew. Inside the jacket was a sheet of lyrics (good thing, for we never would have figured out some of them by listening):

         





Like this:

The Keen and the Quing were quirling at quoits,
          In the meadow behind the mere.
          Tho’ mainly the meadow was middled with mow
          And heretical hitherto here.

          The Prince and the Princess were plaiting the plates
          And prating quite primly the peer,
          And that’s why the Duchess stuck ducks on the Duke
          For no one was over to seer.

Or this one, delivered by a sexy babe with a smoky voice:

          Oh, I may be your cup of tea,
          But baby, don’t you “Sugar” me!
          Don’t stir me boy, nor try to spoon,
          Don’t “sugar” me, ‘cause us is throon!

Last winter, while poking around on the internet, I stumbled upon a CD of Walt Kelly’s re-issued “Songs of the Pogo.” I bought it, gave it to my brother for Christmas.
          He opened it, grinned, slipped it into his CD player...
          ...fifty year later, he and I knew nearly ALL the words!


Note: These Pogo shots are of an original Walt Kelly panel that belonged to my aunt; it was signed and framed, and it shows the pencil work beneath the inking. There’s Albert and the three bats...

20 comments:

  1. I had never heard of Pogo. I always loved Jeff Hook. Although the theme would be a satirical dig at events of the day, it was looking for the "hidden hook" that I enjoyed most!

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    1. I don't know Jeff Hook -- I'll have to Google him!

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    2. Oh! A FISH hook! Wonderful...just looked him up!

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  2. "us is throon!" - now there's some poetic license!

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    1. It became a household expression, Wendy! And you should read the lyrics from other songs -- absolutely fabulous!

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  3. I never was aware of Pogo when I was young. In fact, I didn't like the funnies. I became scared of one my mother thought I would like, and I also had unpleasant associations with Sundays.

    BTW, you can read a whole Hartman Furniture catalog online.

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    1. I went online and found the Hartman -- what fun that is! Those prices are unreal...think of the differences in new cost back then and, now that they're all antiques, the "new" cost right now!

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  4. My favorite comic strip when I was young (around 10 or so) was "The Phantom". Loved that muscular hero in purple tights! Another favorite was "Li'l Abner". He was a hunk too. Hmm? I was, er, 'growing up', I guess?

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    1. I remember Li'l Abner as being a skinny guy -- with a girlfriend in a polka-dotted dress (Sparkle?). Right?

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  5. Oh, the things they got away with in cartoons back then, a lot of them had double meanings!

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    1. One of Kelly's characters (I forget which one) was supposed to be Winston Churchill! The whole political thing was pretty wonderful...

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  6. Pogo's unfamiliar to me too. Blondie, on the other hand, is one that I grew up with.

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    1. I think EVERYBODY grew up with Blondie, Brett! It's funny how certain cartoons jump continents -- we have Fred Basset over here, which I think is British!

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  7. I don’t know Pogo at all, but I do love the words from that first song - Tho’ mainly the meadow was middled with mow - is just wonderful!
    The first cartoon I remember while growing up is Andy Capp the working class kind of bloke – who never actually worked. He wore a cloth cap (just like my dad) and usually had a pint of beer in his hands (completely opposite to my dad who very rarely drank anything stronger than tea)

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    1. Oh, I remember Andy Capp! And Terry and the Pirates, too! If you want more lyrics, google "Songs of the Pogo," and you'll get it. There might be a site that plays the songs, too!

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  8. I've never heard of the Pogo cartoons either, but before you explained I immediately thought of a character jumping about on a pogo stick.

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    1. Perfectly logical assumption. And, FYI, I HAD a pogo stick, but I can't say I was much good at it!

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  9. I remember Andy Capp, just as Barbara does, but I’m struggling to recall any others. The Pogo ones are completely unknown to me but I can see the appeal.

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    1. I confess -- my favorites were/are the bats, so getting this drawing from my aunt was perfect!

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  10. Deb, a blast from the past. However, for me it was Prince Valiant's dashing escapades that captured my heart. Still lurking around the edges of those olden times -- but the real life reading never matches my childhood images. Great post.

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