a
This is the nerve center of my home, the coffee station. It is where I spend my first conscious moments every day. Above the coffee pot is an original drawing by Jack Davis. Its subject, Alfred E. Newman, and his words are familiar, but this particular rendering has been seen by few. I will tell you its story.
The late Paul Burnett taught journalism at Auburn University. When it came to the basics, he was rock solid. If an aspiring reporter could have but one mentor, there was no one better than Paul Burnett. That was fortunate, because he represented exactly one half of the journalism faculty at Auburn in the early 70s. However, he was stupefyingly wrong about one thing: he liked to tell his students, “All you need to start a newspaper is a typewriter.” My young bride Rheta and I, students of his, bought this clap-trap and departed Auburn for St. Simons Island, Georgia, where we established a weekly newspaper. St. Simons was a young reporter’s dream, an interesting character and an interesting history around every corner. Nobody ever had more fun going broke than we.
One day, someone told us, “Jack Davis is vacationing on Sea Island.” Having derived a significant portion of my education from Mad Magazine, I knew exactly who Jack Davis was. It turned out Jack, a Georgia native, was an annual visitor to nearby Sea Island, the Palm Springs of the deep south. We reached him by telephone, which you could do in those days, and he agreed to let us come out for an interview. We knew nothing about Jack, really, except his work, but we learned firsthand the grace and good nature for which he was famed among colleagues. He sat with us pups on a screened porch, spending over an hour of his vacation entertaining our naïve, earnest probing. After the last note and photograph were taken, and he was home free, he asked, “Would you like me to draw something for your article?” Would we. The next day, a friend of his dropped the above drawing at our office.
It might be my favorite possession. Jack Davis died yesterday at 91. It just now occurs to me, many of you may think you don’t know who Jack Davis is. Google him. You will be amazed.
a
95 responses to “Where My Day Begins”
Great (and intriguing) story Mr. Johnson. I was reading MAD magazine (and the usual gang of idiots) in the ’60s – as were you, apparently.
Wow! JJ, Thanks for a great start for my 78th birthday. I always love to hear stories of people who love Auburn University and remember things from the past just like I do. I remember getting off the train at Auburn 54 years ago and still love The Loveliest Village just like you do. Thanks for a great comic strip that I have enjoyed since the beginning. You made Mr. Davis sound like the gentleman I’m sure he was. May he rest in peace. That’s a great story. Keep up the great work. And, Never forget:
IT’S GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER !!!
God bless us every one.
What a wonderful memory. I beat you guys, I was reading Mad in the 50s. What a great magazine it was back then.
And what a great drawing of Alfred E. Neumann!
Yesterday, looking at photos of Mr. Davis on-line, my immediate impression of him was “That’s someone I would have enjoyed meeting…and who would have probably made me feel he enjoyed meeting me.” Jimmy’s vignette of Mr. Davis convinces me I was correct in that regard.
TIP BlogSpot again. Is that a whip this underdeprived boy is holding, or is it attached to those colorful bottle-like objects? Beats me. Peace,
http://thatispriceless.blogspot.com/
It’s a whip. From bondage. The objects on floor are toys, a harlequin and a ball, apparently painted leather.
I was famous in college for having a subscription to MAD Magazine. I didn’t always have time to run to the drugstore and wanted to make sure I didn’t miss an issue.
Thank you so much for writing Arlo and Janice. One of the best ways to start the day – along with coffee!
Your kindness is apparent in your writing.
I read Mad Magazine also and love your musings.
Heh! You can *start* a newspaper with only a typewriter. But like any other business, to keep it going you have to have a market.
JJ, thank you for sharing your photos and nifty story about your interview with Jack Davis. MAD magazine didn’t have much of a female fanbase, but I had a subscription back in the day. And I guess we shouldn’t be surprised to discover that several of your female correspondents noted they also were fans of the magazine. In reading about Davis, I loved the part about Davis being gratified to see his art hanging in Bob Hope’s office. And now we know his art hangs proudly in your house. Furthermore, YOUR original cartoon art hangs proudly in some of OUR houses. It does at mine. Plug for the Kickstarter fundraiser: BUY JJ’S ARTWORK !
Happy Birthday, Dom.
Yes, Dom, I thought of you yesterday when Jimmy Clanton came on the radio “Just A Dream” and then the editor of Wooden Boat magazine included “Cover of the Rolling Stone” in his letter to me. Made me laugh that Louisiana still gets around.
Yes, happy birthday and 364 more very merry unbirthdays to you.
jack Davis was an icon to me in my youth. I was a regular reader of MAD during my teen years, and Jack and the rest of the Usual Gang of Idiots taught me to question everything and think for oneself in a gentle, humorous ways. Jack’s caricatures were whimsical yet dead on.
Although I mainly remember Davis for his work with MAD, he had a lucrative career as an illustrator. His work was frequently seen in advertisements and movie posters. Few people knew that he was also a Civil War buff and enjoyed re-enactments. He also did highly accurate illustrations of the various uniforms and leaders of the war.
That’s too bad about Jack Davis — I read a lot of MAD in the 60s, and loved his work.
Another great cartoonist, Richard Thompson (“Cul de Sac” and other works), died yesterday as well. Sad.
Parkinsons which was what Rick Thompson had is a terrible disease. I have a number of friends and acquaintances with Parkinsons. Truly sad, it often seems to stoke the talented and gifted.
Jimmy take care of yourself. We love you.
Mark Evanier has a nice write-up on jack Davis:
http://www.newsfromme.com/2016/07/27/jack-davis-r-p/
Jackie: Figured the whip was a bondage thing [chacun à son goût], but totally did not see that as a harlequin, which it clearly is. Thanks,
Considering the age of the painting, the whip might have just been an everday appliance. The modern mind sees it in the other light, because who uses horse-drawn carriages anymore for daily transport?
In fact, the whip seems to be sized for the child, rather than the full-sized ones used by an adult.
A toy whip for a miniature carriage pulled by Shetland ponies? The child certainly appears foppish enough to be from a family that could provide that for him.
Liked your word “underdeprived”, eMb. I suspect a number of us fall into that category.
Today is 54th WA. Since I now have some workable teeth, it’ll be a slab of prime rib tonight! I just finished my Christmas ’15 fruitcake; tomorrow it’ll be my first pizza in 7+ months….
I give thanks.
Was an avid reader of MAD from the mid-’50s or thereabouts; had some enjoyable items in it as well as some not so enjoyable.
Or he could whip the servants or his dog carriage or his horse he rides. Or it could just be a play object.
Didn’t any of you like Lash LaRue and own a whip of your own? I did along with Hopalong Cassidy six shooters, a Roy Roger’s rifle and a complete Cowboy outfit.
My heroes have always been Cowboys. I thought Dale Evans sucked.
Mad – 25 cents – Cheap
My first encounter with Mad was in 1958, the first issue I purchased had Alfred E. Newman on the cover standing alone atop a wedding cake. The back cover had a spoof ad for Salem cigarettes, (Sail em, Don’t inhale em). One of my prize possessions is a CD collection (now out of print) of Mad Magazines containing all issues, books and anthologies through the early 2000’s. I was an avid and proud reader from my ninth grade introduction through my stint in the army 65-67. Somewhere in there I became more interested in Playboy…for the jokes and cartoons. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Now that Playboy has dropped nudes, will it tank? Peace,