My Funko Pop! Vinyl figure!

I have never understood the appeal of the Pop! Vinyl line of figurines. They all look basically the same, and only the clothes, headwear and a few additional details clue you in about what popular character they're trying to resemble. However, their appeal seems irrefutable. The company that manufactures them has made millions of dollars with these toys.  Pictured above is a Pop! figurine of yours truly. It could be anyone else with gray hair and sneakers for all I can tell but anyway, this is sorta fun. Right?

The Celebrity Grim Reaper

Many celebrities have died during the last few months of 2022 which leads me to believe there is a special Grim Reaper whose specialty is doing away with well known names and who works overtime as the year comes to a close. 

Remembering STAN LAUREL

 

Stan Laurel along with his partner Oliver Hardy, were the greatest comedy team ever to grace the silver screen and on this date, I always honor Stan's memory by listening to the music from his films and watching several of his best shorts and long features. I've been repeating this ritual for several years and I never get tired of admiring Stan's artistry and comic genius, over and over again!

Very Sad News: MORT DRUCKER is gone!

Mort Drucker, master of caricature passed away today at 91 years of age.
His work made my days happier and his art was my inspiration. He will certainly be missed, although he had pretty much retired in recent years but his fine legacy will stay forever with us.
I used to buy MAD magazine just to see his masterful artwork and celebrity caricatures which were imitated but never equaled by other Drucker-hopefuls.  His style has an undefined quality that makes his caricatures rise above everybody else's.
I won't go into many details about his work but you can read what I wrote here:
                         https://ferllera.blogspot.com/2019/03/mort-drucker.html

So long, Mort! Someday, we'll all be eventually meeting on that big drawing board up above!

You can read more about Mort Drucker here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mort_Drucker

JERRY LEWIS!

                          Two years ago, on August 20, 2017, we lost Jerry Lewis.
I leave to the critics any comments on the quality of his films. His biographical details have also been amply dissected by his biographers. My memory of Lewis begins and ends with all his better comedies as I've always believed any artist should only be judged by his finest work.

So...Jerry Lewis, I salute you wherever you may be!

 
                                     
                                                      You made our world a happier place!

The classic typewriter bit from "WHO'S MINDING THE STORE?" (1963)

                                                   

DIRTY HARRY'S BIRTHDAY!

Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930.

I must confess I never saw the celebrated TV show RAWHIDE, where Clint Eastwood became well-known; however,  I did read the Dell and Gold Key comics published around 1963, and had heard the fantastic theme song, expertly rendered by Frankie Laine.  But I missed the show's first run and I never could find it in syndication.

But my first encounter with the immortal Clint came with his first spaghetti western: A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and its subsequent sequels, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. The latter's main theme has been imbedded in my brain forever.

And since then, I jumped on the CLINT bandwagon never to get off!
The list of classic Clint Eatwood films is quite long. It's not necessary to repeat them here.
Suffice it to say, Mr. Eastwood has a very special place in movie history and no actor has yet come to replace him.

Long Live Dirty Harry!

Mort Drucker captured him beautifully in his MAD magazine parody of Dirty Harry:

His last film to date was 2018's THE MULE which earned $171.3 million at the box office, proving that no matter how old and ancient Clint may be, he still has a strong hold over his audience!

Today, my plan is to sit down and watch some of my favorite Clint Eastwood films, in honor of this great and everlasting movie icon!

Clint Eastwood: "Make my day!"

DEAD CELEBRITIES SOCIETY

It never fails: every time some celebrity dies, people begin to post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and every other social network, photos of themselves with the deceased.
Okay, I can play that game too! 
Here's my all-purpose, generic photo with the deceased!
 Enjoy!

I can now fill in whatever the recently deceased celebrity's name was and let the world know I once met him/her!

MORT DRUCKER!

Mort Drucker was born March 22,1929 in Brooklyn, New York.
His work and caricatures at MAD Magazine, beginning in 1956, soon became legendary.  Mort's artwork was the first thing that attracted me to Mad Magazine back in the Sixties, and I became an ardent fan of his drawings.  Mort Drucker's on-target depictions of celebrities were my inspiration to become a full time cartoonist.
Of course I never aspired to emulate him and my drawing style differs sharply from his, but he was the reason I kept buying Mad even into the 2000s even though I believed the rest of the magazine was going rapidly downhill.  When Mort ceased to submit his work to the magazine, I stopped buying it.
Anyway, happy 90th birthday to one of my heroes...the one and only MORT DRUCKER!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mort_Drucker

It's FRANK SINATRA's world. We just live in it!

FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA
Born December 12, 1915
Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.

1970s TV CARICATURES

Back in 1970, I did a weekly one page strip about local TV shows for a national television schedule magazine in the TV Guide mold, called TV FARÁNDULA. Sometimes I had the chance to do a piece on American TV series and these are two samples from those articles.