229) Harold Teen…

Original Harold Teen by Carl Ed 12-14-1933

There are many comic strips that were popular in their time that have faded into obscurity. Harold Teen is one such feature.

It premiered in 1919, inspired by Booth Tarkington’s novel Seventeen. Written and drawn by Carl Ed, Harold Teen was a forerunner of strips that chronicled the adventures of an  adolescent protagonist. Ponytail, Emmy Lou and Archie are just a few of the strips that owe a nod of acknowledgment to Carl Ed’s creation.

The main characters of the strip were Harold, his girlfriend Lillums Lovewell, his sidekick Alec “Shadow” Smart, and Pop Jenks, who ran the soda shop where the teens hung out.

The strip was a popular reflection of its time and fostered books, a radio show, comic books, toys and a slew of other merchandising. Two Harold Teen movies were produced. The first was a 1928 silent film starring Arthur Lake (who went on to star as Dagwood Bumstead in the popular Blondie series of movies). The second film was a musical produced in 1934, starring Hal Le Roy.

By 1959, when Carl Ed died, the strip had become dated and irrelevant, so the syndicate let the feature die with its creator. But a forty year run is quite an accomplishment for a now forgotten strip.

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