38) Beetle Bailey…
by Mort Walker 7-4-1956
In celebration of the the 70th Anniversary of Beetle Bailey’s debut, I have posted the above original that used to be in my collection. Mort Walker was an American comic strip artist and writer, best known for creating the comic strip Beetle Bailey.
Addison Morton Walker was born on September 3, 1923, in El Dorado, Kansas, and passed away on January 27, 2018.
Walker showed an early interest in cartooning and began selling his work to magazines at a young age. By the time he was 15, he was the chief editorial designer for Hallmark Cards. He attended the University of Missouri and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. His military experiences greatly influenced his later work.
Walker created several comic strips, including Hi and Lois, Boner’s Ark, and Sam’s Strip. He also founded the Museum of Cartoon Art in Rye Brook, N.Y., the first museum dedicated to the art of cartooning. I used to often make pilgrimages to the museum. Eventually the museum closed, moved to Boca Raton, closed again, and moved its collection to the Billy Ireland Library & Museum, Ohio State University.
Beetle Bailey debuted on September 4, 1950, initially set in a college setting. The character Beetle Bailey was a lazy college student. Within a year, Walker decided to move Beetle into the U.S. Army, where he became a private at Camp Swampy. This change led to the strip’s enduring success.
The strip features a variety of characters, including Sarge (Sergeant Snorkel), General Halftrack, Miss Buxley, and Zero. Each character adds humor and depth to the military life portrayed in the strip.
The humor in Beetle Bailey often revolves around Beetle’s laziness, his conflicts with authority, and the everyday absurdities of military life. The strip’s style is characterized by clean, simple drawings and sharp, witty dialogue.
Beetle Bailey is one of the longest-running comic strips in history and has been published in thousands of newspapers worldwide. It has also been adapted into animated cartoons and merchandise.
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at themythfits@gmail.com.
Idea rough by Mort Walker, circa 1985
