Grin and Bear It
Encyclopedia
Grin and Bear It is a daily panel
created by George Lichtenstein under the penname George Lichty
. Initially distributed by United Feature Syndicate
, it was syndicated by Field Enterprises
beginning in 1940. Field Enterprises was sold in 1986 to King Features Syndicate
which continues to distribute the feature today.
Lichty created Grin and Bear it in 1932. Frequent subjects included computers, excessive capitalism and Soviet bureaucracy. Situations in his cartoons often took place in the offices of commissars or the showrooms of "Belchfire" dealers with enormous cars in the background. His series "Is Party Line, Comrade!" skewered Soviet bureaucrats, always wearing a five-pointed star medal with the label "Hero."
For his Sunday feature
, George Lichty sometimes grouped four cartoon
s into a layout of two horizontal cartoons between a circular panel and a vertical panel. A similar approach was used by Fred Neher with the layout of gag cartoons on his Sunday Life’s Like That
.
After Lichty, cartoonists who worked on the panel included Fred Wagner, Rick Yager
and Ralph Dunagin. It received the National Cartoonists Society
's Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1956, 1960, 1962 and 1964. It is still published, currently "by Fred Wagner and written by Ralph Dunagin".
(of Penn & Teller
).
In 2008, the phrase "Grin and Bear It" was used as a theme for the fourth episode in the second season of Mad Men, "Three Sundays";
the episode was set in 1962.
Panel (comic strips)
A panel is an individual frame, or single drawing, in the multiple-panel sequence of a comic strip or comic book. A panel consists of a single drawing depicting a frozen moment....
created by George Lichtenstein under the penname George Lichty
George Lichty
George Lichty was an American cartoonist, creator of the daily and Sunday cartoon series Grin and Bear It. His work was signed Lichty and often ran without mention of his first name....
. Initially distributed by United Feature Syndicate
United Media
United Media is a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It syndicates 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core business is the United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association...
, it was syndicated by Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises
Field Enterprises was a private holding company founded on August 31, 1944, by Marshall Field III and others whose main asset was the Chicago Sun. That same year the company acquired the book publishers Simon & Schuster and Pocket Books....
beginning in 1940. Field Enterprises was sold in 1986 to King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
which continues to distribute the feature today.
Lichty created Grin and Bear it in 1932. Frequent subjects included computers, excessive capitalism and Soviet bureaucracy. Situations in his cartoons often took place in the offices of commissars or the showrooms of "Belchfire" dealers with enormous cars in the background. His series "Is Party Line, Comrade!" skewered Soviet bureaucrats, always wearing a five-pointed star medal with the label "Hero."
For his Sunday feature
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
, George Lichty sometimes grouped four cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s into a layout of two horizontal cartoons between a circular panel and a vertical panel. A similar approach was used by Fred Neher with the layout of gag cartoons on his Sunday Life’s Like That
Life’s Like That
Life’s Like That was a gag panel by Fred Neher which found humor in life's foibles. Spanning five decades, the series was initially distributed by the Bell Syndicate and later by Consolidated News Features and the United Features Syndicate....
.
After Lichty, cartoonists who worked on the panel included Fred Wagner, Rick Yager
Rick Yager
Richard Sidney Yager was an American cartoonist most famous for his work on the Buck Rogers comic strip.- Early life :Rick Yager was born in Alton, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River...
and Ralph Dunagin. It received the National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
's Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1956, 1960, 1962 and 1964. It is still published, currently "by Fred Wagner and written by Ralph Dunagin".
Influence
Lichty's cartoon style had a strong influence on the cartoons drawn by Joe Teller, as evidenced in the book, "When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller—A Portrait by His Kid (2000) by TellerTeller (magician)
Teller is an American magician, illusionist, comedian, writer, and the frequently silent half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette. He legally changed his name from "Raymond Joseph Teller" to just "Teller"...
(of Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard during their performance...
).
In 2008, the phrase "Grin and Bear It" was used as a theme for the fourth episode in the second season of Mad Men, "Three Sundays";
the episode was set in 1962.
Books
Lichty's cartoons were collected in three books, Grin and Bear It (McGraw-Hill, 1956), the paperback Grin and Bear It (Pocket Books, 1970) and Is Party Line, Comrade (Public Affairs Press, 1965).Sources
- Strickler, DaveDave StricklerDave Strickler is a reference librarian noted for his compilation of Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index, regarded as a major reference work by researchers and historians of newspaper comic strips....
. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1