'''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 ''Jiggs 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's 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.
Film versions
The following three movies, all titled ''Bringing Up Father'', were based on the strip:
★ In
1915, directed by
Larry Semon and starring
Hughie Mack and
Kate Price
★ 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.
★
★ The last produced four sequels:
★
★
★ ''Jiggs and Maggie in Society'' -
1948
★
★
★ ''Jiggs and Maggie in Court'' -
1948
★
★
★ ''Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters'' -
1949
★
★
★ ''Jiggs and Maggie Out West'' -
1950
★ 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''
References
★ Strickler, Dave. ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index.'' Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
External links
★
Toonopedia
★
The Holloway Pages
★
Bringing Up Father pinbacks