Supermac (cartoon)
Encyclopedia
"Super-Mac" was the subject of a cartoon - "Introducing Super-Mac" - by "Vicky" (Victor Weisz
, 1913-1966) in the Evening Standard
in London
, England
, on 6 November 1958.
With its rather dismissive caption, "How to Try to Continue to be Top Without Actually Having Been There" , this depicted Harold Macmillan
(1894–1986), who was British Prime Minister 1957-63, in the guise of the comic-book hero Superman
(created in 1932 by Jerry Siegel
and Joe Shuster
). The cartoon was signed "Vicky - with apologies to Stephen Potter
", an acknowledgement of the full title of Potter's book of 1958, Supermanship, or, How to Continue to Stay Top without Actually Falling Apart.
coinage, it soon rebounded to Macmillan’s advantage, becoming an integral part of his image . D. R. Thorpe
's biography of Macmillan (2010) was entitled Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan.
In a subsequent cartoon, a cinema named the "Torytz" (after "Tory
") was portrayed with posters proclaiming "Supermac - He's terrific - He's stupendous ... A super-colossal-top-production in true-blue colour". The Conservative Party
Chairman, Quintin Hogg, Viscount Hailsham
, was dressed as a commissionaire
presiding over a "house full", while astonished members of the public, queuing for seats at 12 shillings and sixpence (62½ new pence), marvelled at the image of Supermac .
of the post-Second World War
period and the débâcle of the Suez Crisis
of 1956, Britain was enjoying increasing prosperity and a general upturn in the national mood. This feeling was widely regarded as having been typified by Macmillan’s assertion in July 1957 that "most of our people have never had it so good" (often cited as "you’ve never had it so good"), though some, particularly in retrospect, saw this as a complacent and materialistic observation, maybe unaware that Macmillan had added the warning that "what is beginning to worry some of us is … 'Is it too good to last?'".
Peter Thorneycroft
and two other Treasury Ministers, Nigel Birch and Enoch Powell
, as "little local difficulties" and his mocking promise during the 1959 general election campaign - "I challenge Mr Gaitskell
[Labour opposition leader] to meet this one" - that it would rain on polling day . (It did not, in fact, rain on 9 October, but Macmillan won the election with a majority in the House of Commons
of 100 seats.)
boom of the early 1960s, in which the revue Beyond the Fringe
, the magazine Private Eye
and the BBC
television series That Was the Week That Was
all tended to portray Macmillan as an aristocratic and rather doddery figure of fun (journalist Bernard Levin
dubbed him "the walrus" after the character in Alice in Wonderland ). The "Supermac" image tended to be replaced in the public mind by that of the grouse
-moor: in other words, the sense of many that both Macmillan and the Conservative Party, which had been in power since 1951, were out of touch. As Anthony Sampson
put it, "Macmillan in 1959 seemed to fit in with the mood of the country; Macmillan in 1962 seemed left behind by the tide. The slogan Supermac ... [was] now totally inapposite" . Similarly, although Macmillan told journalist Jocelyn Stevens
in 1963 that he had three shooting suits and "rather like[d] them" , the "grouse-moor" image which had, only a few years earlier, been seen as "enhancing the backdrop of the Prime Minister's unflappability" , now seemed something of a liability.
, with its succession of allegations relating mostly to sex , Macmillan resigned on grounds of ill health. Arguably the best remembered cartoon of that year (which the poet Philip Larkin
famously identified as the one in which "sexual intercourse began" ) was Trog
's in Private Eye showing Macmillan walking away with a ladder and a tin of paint from a wall on which had been emblazoned the words, "We've Never Had It So Often" .
The appointment of the 14th Earl of Home
as Macmillan's successor served to perpetuate the "grouse moor" image although Home responded to jibes about his background by referring to Labour
Opposition leader Harold Wilson
as "the fourteenth Mr Wilson" . In the event, Sir Alec-Douglas Home, as he became after disclaiming his peerage, lost the 1964 general election by a very small margin.
. Macmillan's biographer noted that "the media which had so misprized and lampooned him back in the 1960s ... now positively slobbered over him" .
Victor Weisz
Victor Weisz was a German-British political cartoonist, drawing under the name of Vicky.- Biography :...
, 1913-1966) in the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on 6 November 1958.
With its rather dismissive caption, "How to Try to Continue to be Top Without Actually Having Been There" , this depicted Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
(1894–1986), who was British Prime Minister 1957-63, in the guise of the comic-book hero Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
(created in 1932 by Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
and Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
). The cartoon was signed "Vicky - with apologies to Stephen Potter
Stephen Potter
Stephen Meredith Potter was a British author best known for his mocking self-help books, and film and television derivatives from them....
", an acknowledgement of the full title of Potter's book of 1958, Supermanship, or, How to Continue to Stay Top without Actually Falling Apart.
The Supermac image
The figure quickly became a staple of Vicky’s output and "Supermac" (mostly spelt without a hyphen) was widely and enduringly applied as a nickname for Macmillan. Though initially an ironicIrony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
coinage, it soon rebounded to Macmillan’s advantage, becoming an integral part of his image . D. R. Thorpe
D. R. Thorpe
D. R. Thorpe is an historian and biographer who has written biographies of three British Prime Ministers of the mid 20th century, Sir Anthony Eden, Sir Alec Douglas-Home and Harold Macmillan.-Education and academic career:...
's biography of Macmillan (2010) was entitled Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan.
In a subsequent cartoon, a cinema named the "Torytz" (after "Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
") was portrayed with posters proclaiming "Supermac - He's terrific - He's stupendous ... A super-colossal-top-production in true-blue colour". The Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Chairman, Quintin Hogg, Viscount Hailsham
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone
For the businessman and philanthropist, see Quintin Hogg Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, KG, CH, PC, QC, FRS , formerly 2nd Viscount Hailsham , was a British politician who was known for the longevity of his career, the vigour with which he campaigned for the Conservative...
, was dressed as a commissionaire
Commissionaire
In mainland Europe, a commissionaire is an attendant, messenger or subordinate employed in hotels, whose chief duty is to attend at railway stations, secure customers, take charge of their luggage, carry out the necessary formalities with respect to it and have it sent on to the hotel...
presiding over a "house full", while astonished members of the public, queuing for seats at 12 shillings and sixpence (62½ new pence), marvelled at the image of Supermac .
Heyday of Supermac: late 1950s
The creation of "Supermac" reflected an age in which, following the austerityAusterity
In economics, austerity is a policy of deficit-cutting, lower spending, and a reduction in the amount of benefits and public services provided. Austerity policies are often used by governments to reduce their deficit spending while sometimes coupled with increases in taxes to pay back creditors to...
of the post-Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period and the débâcle of the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
of 1956, Britain was enjoying increasing prosperity and a general upturn in the national mood. This feeling was widely regarded as having been typified by Macmillan’s assertion in July 1957 that "most of our people have never had it so good" (often cited as "you’ve never had it so good"), though some, particularly in retrospect, saw this as a complacent and materialistic observation, maybe unaware that Macmillan had added the warning that "what is beginning to worry some of us is … 'Is it too good to last?'".
Unflappability
Other examples of Macmillan’s apparent air of confidence and "unflappability" (a characteristic frequently attributed to him during this period , despite his apparent nervousness on big Parliamentary occasions ) included his reference in 1958 to the resignation of Chancellor of the ExchequerChancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Peter Thorneycroft
Peter Thorneycroft
George Edward Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft CH, PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1957 and 1958.-Biography:...
and two other Treasury Ministers, Nigel Birch and Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
, as "little local difficulties" and his mocking promise during the 1959 general election campaign - "I challenge Mr Gaitskell
Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell CBE was a British Labour politician, who held Cabinet office in Clement Attlee's governments, and was the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1955, until his death in 1963.-Early life:He was born in Kensington, London, the third and youngest...
[Labour opposition leader] to meet this one" - that it would rain on polling day . (It did not, in fact, rain on 9 October, but Macmillan won the election with a majority in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of 100 seats.)
The changing image of the 1960s
The final years of Macmillan’s premiership were difficult ones, coinciding with the satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
boom of the early 1960s, in which the revue Beyond the Fringe
Beyond the Fringe
Beyond the Fringe was a British comedy stage revue written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, and Jonathan Miller. It played in London's West End and then on New York's Broadway in the early 1960s, and is widely regarded as seminal to the rise of satire in 1960s Britain.-The...
, the magazine Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series That Was the Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme that was shown on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost...
all tended to portray Macmillan as an aristocratic and rather doddery figure of fun (journalist Bernard Levin
Bernard Levin
Henry Bernard Levin CBE was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by The Times as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship to the independent school Christ's Hospital and went on to the London School of Economics,...
dubbed him "the walrus" after the character in Alice in Wonderland ). The "Supermac" image tended to be replaced in the public mind by that of the grouse
Grouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
-moor: in other words, the sense of many that both Macmillan and the Conservative Party, which had been in power since 1951, were out of touch. As Anthony Sampson
Anthony Sampson
Anthony Terrell Seward Sampson was a British writer and journalist. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford and served with the Royal Navy from 1944-47. During the 1950s he edited the magazine Drum in Johannesburg, South Africa...
put it, "Macmillan in 1959 seemed to fit in with the mood of the country; Macmillan in 1962 seemed left behind by the tide. The slogan Supermac ... [was] now totally inapposite" . Similarly, although Macmillan told journalist Jocelyn Stevens
Jocelyn Stevens
Sir Jocelyn Stevens, CVO is the former publisher of Queen Magazine; a financier of the first British pirate radio station Radio Caroline; newspaper editor for major London dailies and former chairman of English Heritage.-Career:...
in 1963 that he had three shooting suits and "rather like[d] them" , the "grouse-moor" image which had, only a few years earlier, been seen as "enhancing the backdrop of the Prime Minister's unflappability" , now seemed something of a liability.
"We've never had it so often"
In 1963, after the Government had withstood the Profumo AffairProfumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
, with its succession of allegations relating mostly to sex , Macmillan resigned on grounds of ill health. Arguably the best remembered cartoon of that year (which the poet Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
famously identified as the one in which "sexual intercourse began" ) was Trog
Wally Fawkes
Wally Fawkes Wally Fawkes Wally Fawkes (born 1924 in Vancouver, Canada (left in 1931 for England) is a British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and, until recently, a satirical cartoonist...
's in Private Eye showing Macmillan walking away with a ladder and a tin of paint from a wall on which had been emblazoned the words, "We've Never Had It So Often" .
The appointment of the 14th Earl of Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
as Macmillan's successor served to perpetuate the "grouse moor" image although Home responded to jibes about his background by referring to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Opposition leader Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
as "the fourteenth Mr Wilson" . In the event, Sir Alec-Douglas Home, as he became after disclaiming his peerage, lost the 1964 general election by a very small margin.
Renaissance of the 1980s: "Earl Supermac"
Macmillan lived for another 23 years. The "Supermac" image was more fondly recalled in the years immediately before his death in 1986 as, having accepted an earldom on his 90th birthday in 1984 ("Earl Supermac!" according to a headline in the Daily Mail), he enjoyed something of a public renaissance as a member of the newly televised House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Macmillan's biographer noted that "the media which had so misprized and lampooned him back in the 1960s ... now positively slobbered over him" .