Bringing Up Father
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Bringing Up Father was a comic strip created by George McManus that ran from January 12, 1913 to May 28, 2000. Most readers, however, called it Maggie and Jiggs, after its two main characters.
The strip was about an Irishman named Jiggs living in the United States who comes into wealth but still wants to keep his old pals, eat corned beef and cabbage (sometimes called Jigg's dinner), and hang out at the tavern, much to the consternation of his wife, Maggie, a social climber. McManus's sense of design and smooth lines made the strip stand out on the comics page and were influential on many other artists.
McManus was inspired by The Rising Generation, a musical comedy by William Gill that he had seen as a boy in the Grand Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 19th Century, where his father was manager.
One of McManus' friends, restaurateur James Moore, believed he was the inspiration for the character Dinty Moore, owner of Jiggs' favorite tavern. The real Moore changed his name to Dinty and founded a real-life restaurant chain. The restaurant owner, however, did not begin the successful line of canned goods that still exists today.
McManus died in 1954, and the strip continued under a number of other artists, including Bill Kavanaugh and Frank Fletcher. It was expected that McManus' longtime assistant Zeke Zekley would take over the strip, but instead King Features Syndicate replaced McManus with Vernon Greene. Hal Campagna replaced Greene upon Greene's death in 1965 and Frank Johnson replaced Campagna in 1980. The strip's popularity had waned, however, and Bringing Up Father limped along until its 87-year run came to a close on May 28, 2000.
In 1995, the strip was one of 20 included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative US postage stamps.
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[edit] Radio
Sponsored by Lever Brothers, the Bringing Up Father radio series aired on the Blue Network from July 1 to September 30, 1941, presenting the misadventures of Maggie (Agnes Moorehead), Jiggs (Mark Smith, Neil O'Malley) and their daughter Nora (Helen Shields, Joan Banks). Craig McDonnell portrayed Dinty Moore. The 30-minute program aired on Tuesdays at 9pm.
[edit] Films
The following movies, both titled Bringing Up Father, were based on the strip:
- In 1928, directed by Jack Conway, written by Frances Marion with titles by Ralph Spence, starring J. Farrell MacDonald, Jules Cowles and Polly Moran
- In 1946, directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Cline, Barney Gerard and Jerry Warner, starring Joe Yule, Renie Riano, George McManus (as himself) and Tim Ryan.
- Several silent animated shorts:
- Father Gets Into the Movies
- Just Like a Woman
- A Hot Time In the Gym
- The Great Hansom Cab Mystery
- Music Hath Charms
- He Tries His Hand at Hypnotism
- Second, the Stimulating Mrs. Barton
- Father's Close Shave
- Third, Jiggs and the Social Lion
[edit] Guest appearances of Jiggs
- In his book In the Shadow of No Towers, Art Spiegelman drew himself as Jiggs and his wife as Maggie. He also included a reprint of one of the old Bringing Up Father Sunday comics.
- In the comic strip Arlo and Janis, March 17, 2006, Jiggs is invited to the home of Arlo and Janis for corned beef and cabbage in honor of the day. He enjoys himself immensely, and entertains his hosts with his stories, jokes and witticisms. Everyone has a happy St. Patrick's Day.
[edit] Listen to
[edit] References
- Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
