Good Time Guy

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Good Time Guy was a humorous syndicated Comic Strip that ran from 1927 to 1929, and was distributed by Metropolitan Newspaper Service.

It was begun by notable Hollywood screenwriter Bill Conselman under the pen name of Frank Smiley, and well-established artist Mel Cummin. [1] Cummin was succeeded the following year by Dick Huemer (1928-29), who was in turn followed by Fred Fox (1929).

1927 Mel Cummin art, an excerpt from the very first installment of Good Time Guy.
1927 Mel Cummin art, an excerpt from the very first installment of Good Time Guy.

Ron Goulart wrote of Good Time Guy in his book The Funnies: "This one was about a hefty, freckle-faced small town young man, a 'well-meaning bumpkin,' with 'a heart as big as a pumpkin, only softer.' Guy had two big ambitions: 'To see everyone has a good time and to give uke lessons in Hawaii.' Guy Green lived with his widowed mother in Cornhay City and was too shy to pursue pretty, blond, Mary Laffer, even though 'she has eyes only for Guy-- and what eyes!'" [2]

Cummin's art here exhibited a strong art deco influence, and Conselman's script was dense with "puns and complicated word-play". [3] There was a strong element of serendipity in the strip, with Guy Green's naive missteps leading unexpectedly into good fortune.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Comic creator: Mel Cummin
  2. ^ Ron Goulart The Funnies: 100 Years of American Comic Strips pg. 63 Adams Publishing 1995 ISBN 1-55850-539-3
  3. ^ #810 HCA New York Comic and Comic Art By Ivy Press, James L. Halperin (Editor), Published 2004 Heritage Capital Corporation, ISBN 0965104184 http://books.google.com/books?id=xCy3qeH67vIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=mel+cummin+guy&source=web&ots=rn62oDpNgu&sig=V95WWtdqsrTDubqP2UJBGbBeJqc&output=html