Classic Wodehouse Illustrations 17: Mostly Mack
What ho again, Indeed Sirrers! I am back with more illustrations from the Boston Globe, plus a bonus feature from the LA Times. Most of these are stories we've already seen in earlier posts in this series, treated by other illustrators.
In the 1920s, most of the Jeeves stories published in the Boston Daily Globe were handled by Gene Mack, a resident cartoonist at the Globe. Gene Mack is best known for his sports cartoons, so these illustrations were a bit outside of his usual oeuvre.
Mack, presumably knowing the Globe's appalling tendency not to credit its illustrators, signed his work in a big, legible hand. That's the only reason I know who did these. Let's have a look at his work.
This is from "No Wedding Bells for Bingo," Sept. 20, 1925:
This is, of course, the story where Bertie has to pretend to be Rosie M. Banks. Here he is, shaking hands with Bingo's Uncle Mortimer. I like it! He's no A. W. Mills, but Mack's work is pleasantly simple and has a glimmer of personality to it that fits the tone of the stories. Bertie looks sweet, about the right age, and facial-hair free. I don't see any sign of a monocle, either!
For "Pearls Mean Tears," published a week later on Sept. 27, we get a different illustrator: Norbert R[something-or-other]. You gotta sign your work more clearly, man, these guys don't do credit lines! :(
Alas, our mysterious Norbert R. decided to illustrate about the most boring possible moment in this awesome story. Here is Aline Hemmingway in the process of conning poor Bertie, and she's got a bad case of Skidmoritis. Come on, illustrators! Stop making Aline so glam! There's a paragraph pretty much right under this illustration that goes on about how not glam she is!
Anyway, that didn't last long. Gene Mack would soon return with "The Pride of the Woosters is Wounded" (Oct. 4, 1925).
Aww, poor Bertie. I must say, I'm glad Gene Mack came back for this one. He chose a great scene to illustrate, and his Honoria is sufficiently Honoria-like.
Here's "Introducing Claude and Eustace," from Oct. 11, 1925:
This scene seems to have been catnip for illustrators. Mills and Skidmore did it, too, and all three illustrators handled it in a fairly similar fashion. Who could resist Sir Roderick,with his gigantic dome and eyebrows that just won't quit, dancing around while brandishing an umbrella?
Here's "A Letter of Introduction" (Oct. 25, 1925), which we have already seen in an earlier incarnation illustrated by Alfred Leete (as "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril"):
I like how both Cyril and his police escort are sporting bruises. Apparently this is the guy Cyril biffed. Nice attention to detail! In case you were wondering, Bertie's companion on the bench is George Caffyn, not Jeeves. Come to think of it, where is Jeeves? We haven't seen him once in this batch!
Next up is "Comrade Bingo" (Nov. 8, 1925), which also happens to be the subject of the very first post I made in this series!
Oh, I like this one quite a bit. I don't know what it is about this story, but it really seems to have brought out the best in all its illustrators. Lord Bittlesham looks like a clean-shaven Mr. Monopoly, which is perfect. The drawing of Bertie is simple but charmingly elegant, much like his counterpart in Mills' illustration of the same scene. And I still don't see any monocles!
My last illustration by Gene Mack is from "The Great Sermon Handicap" (Nov. 15, 1925), and I suppose Mr. Mack must have been pleased to have an opportunity to draw something sports-related:
Oh, that is a very good Steggles. Bertie looks great, too, although I do not think Jeeves -- wherever he is -- would approve of those socks.
Finally, here's an odd entry from an entirely different newspaper. "Bertie Changes His Mind" -- the one narrated by Jeeves -- appeared in the LA Times on January 15, 1928. Unlike the cads at the Boston Globe, the editors of the Times saw fit to include a credit line for the illustrator, Jefferson Machamer. Which is good, because I never would have been able to decipher his signature. Also, Machamer got to do not one, but two whole illustrations! Let's see how he did:
Augh, noooo! It's another mustachioed Bertie! And another elderly bumblebee cosplayer Jeeves! Egad, this Jeeves looks like someone out of a Universal Monster film. Also, although I'm no expert on period costume, I'm thinking the striped waistcoats some of these illustrators keep shoving him into would be more appropriate for a footman in a big old estate. I can't imagine Jeeves wearing full livery about the flat.
And here's poor Bertie freaking out in front of his audience of Little Girls, accompanied by a fairly scary-looking Miss Tomlinson. I do like the way he's anxiously fiddling with his coat. But I'm wondering if Jeeves decided to inflict this on him not so much because of the whole adopting a daughter thing, but because of that incredible mustache and necktie combo. You should really know better by now, Bertie.
Next time, a few early miscellanies from the Saturday Evening Post.
Previous entries:
"Bingo and the Little Woman" and "The Metropolitan Touch"
"Comrade Bingo"
"Bertie Changes His Mind"
"Leave It to Jeeves"
Right Ho, Jeeves
"The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace"
"Aunt Agatha Takes the Count"
"Jeeves in the Springtime"
"Scoring Off Jeeves" and "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch"
"Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest"
"The Great Sermon Handicap"
"The Purity of the Turf"
"Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg"
"Jeeves and the Chump Cyril" and "Extricating Young Gussie"
Joy in the Morning
Boston Globe Mystery Illustrator (Various Stories, 1929-1932)
In the 1920s, most of the Jeeves stories published in the Boston Daily Globe were handled by Gene Mack, a resident cartoonist at the Globe. Gene Mack is best known for his sports cartoons, so these illustrations were a bit outside of his usual oeuvre.
Mack, presumably knowing the Globe's appalling tendency not to credit its illustrators, signed his work in a big, legible hand. That's the only reason I know who did these. Let's have a look at his work.
This is from "No Wedding Bells for Bingo," Sept. 20, 1925:
This is, of course, the story where Bertie has to pretend to be Rosie M. Banks. Here he is, shaking hands with Bingo's Uncle Mortimer. I like it! He's no A. W. Mills, but Mack's work is pleasantly simple and has a glimmer of personality to it that fits the tone of the stories. Bertie looks sweet, about the right age, and facial-hair free. I don't see any sign of a monocle, either!
For "Pearls Mean Tears," published a week later on Sept. 27, we get a different illustrator: Norbert R[something-or-other]. You gotta sign your work more clearly, man, these guys don't do credit lines! :(
Alas, our mysterious Norbert R. decided to illustrate about the most boring possible moment in this awesome story. Here is Aline Hemmingway in the process of conning poor Bertie, and she's got a bad case of Skidmoritis. Come on, illustrators! Stop making Aline so glam! There's a paragraph pretty much right under this illustration that goes on about how not glam she is!
Anyway, that didn't last long. Gene Mack would soon return with "The Pride of the Woosters is Wounded" (Oct. 4, 1925).
Aww, poor Bertie. I must say, I'm glad Gene Mack came back for this one. He chose a great scene to illustrate, and his Honoria is sufficiently Honoria-like.
Here's "Introducing Claude and Eustace," from Oct. 11, 1925:
This scene seems to have been catnip for illustrators. Mills and Skidmore did it, too, and all three illustrators handled it in a fairly similar fashion. Who could resist Sir Roderick,with his gigantic dome and eyebrows that just won't quit, dancing around while brandishing an umbrella?
Here's "A Letter of Introduction" (Oct. 25, 1925), which we have already seen in an earlier incarnation illustrated by Alfred Leete (as "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril"):
I like how both Cyril and his police escort are sporting bruises. Apparently this is the guy Cyril biffed. Nice attention to detail! In case you were wondering, Bertie's companion on the bench is George Caffyn, not Jeeves. Come to think of it, where is Jeeves? We haven't seen him once in this batch!
Next up is "Comrade Bingo" (Nov. 8, 1925), which also happens to be the subject of the very first post I made in this series!
Oh, I like this one quite a bit. I don't know what it is about this story, but it really seems to have brought out the best in all its illustrators. Lord Bittlesham looks like a clean-shaven Mr. Monopoly, which is perfect. The drawing of Bertie is simple but charmingly elegant, much like his counterpart in Mills' illustration of the same scene. And I still don't see any monocles!
My last illustration by Gene Mack is from "The Great Sermon Handicap" (Nov. 15, 1925), and I suppose Mr. Mack must have been pleased to have an opportunity to draw something sports-related:
Oh, that is a very good Steggles. Bertie looks great, too, although I do not think Jeeves -- wherever he is -- would approve of those socks.
Finally, here's an odd entry from an entirely different newspaper. "Bertie Changes His Mind" -- the one narrated by Jeeves -- appeared in the LA Times on January 15, 1928. Unlike the cads at the Boston Globe, the editors of the Times saw fit to include a credit line for the illustrator, Jefferson Machamer. Which is good, because I never would have been able to decipher his signature. Also, Machamer got to do not one, but two whole illustrations! Let's see how he did:
Augh, noooo! It's another mustachioed Bertie! And another elderly bumblebee cosplayer Jeeves! Egad, this Jeeves looks like someone out of a Universal Monster film. Also, although I'm no expert on period costume, I'm thinking the striped waistcoats some of these illustrators keep shoving him into would be more appropriate for a footman in a big old estate. I can't imagine Jeeves wearing full livery about the flat.
And here's poor Bertie freaking out in front of his audience of Little Girls, accompanied by a fairly scary-looking Miss Tomlinson. I do like the way he's anxiously fiddling with his coat. But I'm wondering if Jeeves decided to inflict this on him not so much because of the whole adopting a daughter thing, but because of that incredible mustache and necktie combo. You should really know better by now, Bertie.
Next time, a few early miscellanies from the Saturday Evening Post.
Previous entries:
"Bingo and the Little Woman" and "The Metropolitan Touch"
"Comrade Bingo"
"Bertie Changes His Mind"
"Leave It to Jeeves"
Right Ho, Jeeves
"The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace"
"Aunt Agatha Takes the Count"
"Jeeves in the Springtime"
"Scoring Off Jeeves" and "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch"
"Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest"
"The Great Sermon Handicap"
"The Purity of the Turf"
"Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg"
"Jeeves and the Chump Cyril" and "Extricating Young Gussie"
Joy in the Morning
Boston Globe Mystery Illustrator (Various Stories, 1929-1932)