Clyde Lamb
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Clyde William Lamb (March 11, 1913 – July 8, 1966) was an American artist and cartoonist whose
gag cartoon A gag cartoon (also panel cartoon, single-panel cartoon, or gag panel) is most often a single-panel cartoon, usually including a caption beneath the drawing. A pantomime cartoon carries no caption. In some cases, dialogue may appear in speech b ...
s were published in leading magazines of the 1940s and 1950s. He also drew a syndicated
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
during the 1950s and 1960s.


Biography

Born in
Sidney, Montana Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States, less than west of the North Dakota border. The population was 6,346 at the 2020 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River and is in proximity to the ...
, Lamb was drawing while he was in the Montana Industrial School for Boys at age 17.


Prison years (1932–1947)

At age 19, in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, in 1932, he was convicted of armed robbery and given a five-year sentence. After escaping 18 months later, he made his way to
Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...
. While working there as a self-taught sign painter, he met and married Gladys Lamb on August 4, 1934. Ten days after his marriage, he was again arrested for armed robbery and sentenced to two 25-year terms in the Indiana State Penitentiary in
Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined sta ...
. On August 31, 1934, when Gladys was living in
Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409. Etymology The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq ...
, she inserted a dozen broken hacksaw blades into pears and traveled to
Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...
, to visit her husband in the Lake County jail. As she passed the pears to her husband, Chief deputy sheriff Carroll Holley became suspicious and intervened. (Carroll Holley was the nephew of Sheriff Lillian Holley, whose car was stolen by
John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...
when he used a wooden gun to escape from that same jail earlier that summer.) In April 1935, Lamb was escorted to Chicago to visit Gladys after their son James William Lamb, born March 26, 1935, had died on April 10, 1935. Clyde escaped from a guard at the train station by running in front of a moving train. Shot by a police officer when he was captured July 1935, he was returned to prison. Gladys Lamb filed for a divorce at Clyde's insistence, which was granted on November 1, 1937. She remarried and after Clyde was released June 24, 1947, Lamb left for
Glendive, Montana Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway when they built the transcontinental railroad across the northern ...
, to visit relatives. Gladys and Clyde Lamb remarried in Glendive, Montana, on October 14, 1947.


Art career

During the 1940s, Lamb began drawing while in prison and he was mentored by the prison crafts director on techniques. At first Clyde Lamb painted oil landscapes of his beloved Montana and a self portrait then he started to draw comics. He was urged to sell his cartoons by the prison arts and crafts Director. While Clyde was in prison he successfully marketed his cartoons to ''
The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'', ''
Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...
'', ''
The American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...
'' and other publications. During the last year while incarcerated he made $11,000. His success and the surrounding publicity led directly to his release. Granted a new trial, he was convicted, but Judge William J. Murray at Crown Point gave him a ten-year suspended sentence. He was still wanted in Tennessee as an escaped convict, but Tennessee Governor
Jim Nance McCord Jim Nance McCord (March 17, 1879 – September 2, 1968) was an American journalist and politician who served as the 40th governor of Tennessee from 1945 to 1949, and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1943 to 1945. He was ...
commuted his sentence and ordered him paroled to Indiana authorities."Pen Mightier Than Hot Rod, Artist Finds". ''Sarasota Herald Tribune'', June 24, 1947.
/ref>"His Pen Mightier Than Gun, Convict Is Sure; He's Free". ''The Milwaukee Journal'', June 24, 1947.
/ref> The couple traveled extensively through California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Washington, Europe, Africa, and Mexico from 1947 until his death. On November 14, 1949, Lamb launched his pantomime newspaper comic strip, ''Herman'', as a
daily Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
, with a
Sunday strip The Sunday comics or Sunday strip is the comic strip section carried in most western newspapers, almost always in color. Many newspaper readers called this section the Sunday funnies, the funny papers or simply the funnies. The first US newspap ...
added November 2, 1952. Distributed by Iowa's
Register and Tribune Syndicate The Register and Tribune Syndicate was a Print syndication, syndication service based in Des Moines, Iowa, that operated from 1922 to 1986, when it was acquired by King Features to become the Cowles Syndicate affiliate. At its peak, the Register a ...
, Lamb's strip was carried during the 1950s in 55 newspapers in the United States, India and Africa, lasting until 1966. (It had no connection to the strip ''
Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...
'' by
Jim Unger Jim Unger (21 January 1937 – 26 May 2012) was a British-born Canadian cartoonist, best known for his syndicated comic strip ''Herman'' which ran for 18 years in 600 newspapers in 25 countries. Early life Unger was born in London, England, to L ...
.) On March 2, 1955, Lamb was surprised on live television to learn that
Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...
had made him the subject of that week's '' This Is Your Life'' episode. The episode is available at the
UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...
. In 1957, Lamb began ''Open Season'', a newspaper gag cartoon panel about hunting and fishing. Lamb also created oil paintings of landscapes mainly oil on canvas of the upper northwest and Montana areas. Clyde also produced a cartoon strip about an elephant named Milicent. Many other cartoons appeared in detective magazines and men's sporting publications. He produced many cartoons for calendars while under contract with Brown & Bigelow. In November 1956, Clyde and Gladys were vacationing in Miami with plans to extend their vacation to Havana. His last address in the United States was 22839 Saticoy Street in
Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...
in Los Angeles.


Death

At the age of 53, he died of pancreatic disease in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, on July 8, 1966, and was cremated at the Belfast Crematorium in Northern Ireland on August 12, 1966. His ashes were scattered by his family in
Makoshika State Park Makoshika State Park ("ma-KO-sh(ih)kuh" from the Lakota ''Maco sica,'' meaning 'bad land' or 'land of bad spirits') is a nature preserve and public recreation area located on the southeast side of Glendive in Dawson County, Montana. The state pa ...
in Montana.


Bibliography

*''Best Cartoons'' Crest Books 114 (1955) *''Best Cartoons'' Crest Books 390 (July 1960) *''Best Cartoons'' Crest Books K714 (May 1964) *''The Best Cartoons from Argosy'' Zenith Books ZB5 (October 1958) *''Cartoon Fun'' Gold Medal 383 (March 1954) *''Cartoon Fun'' Gold Medal 904 (1959) *''Cartoon Fun'' Gold Medal S1209 c (January 1962) *''Cartoon Fun'' Gold Medal S1498 (1964) *''A Cartoon Guide to the Kinsey Report'' Avon Books 559 (1954) *''Cartoon Treasury'' Bantam Books F1558 (January 1957) *''Forever Funny'' Dell First Edition 93 (1956) *''Funny Side Up'' Dell Books 607 (1952) *''How to Improve Your Reading'' by Paul Andrew Witty. Science Research Associates (1963) *''Indiana's Laughmakers: The Story of Over 400 Hoosiers: Actors, Cartoonists, Writers and Others'' by Ray Banta. PennUltimate Press (1990) *''Jokes and More Jokes'' Scholastic Book Services T-32 *''Laughing on the Inside'' Dell Books 754 (1953) *''Nervous in the Service'' Dell First Edition 6298 (December 1962) *''Office Laffs'' Crest Books 159 (February 1957) *''The Other Woman'' Dell First Edition A178 (April 1959) *''The Saturday Evening Post Cartoons'' by John Bailey Dutton (1950) *''Sex Rears Its Lovely Head'' Bantam Books 1523 (October 1956) *''Still Too Funny for Words'' Dell Books 8286 (April 1964) *''Too Funny for Words: A Book For People Who Can’t Read'' Dell First Edition 39 (1954) *''Too Humorous to Mention'' Pocket Books 1200 (October 1958)Stripper's Guide
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Clyde 1966 deaths 1913 births 20th-century American painters American comic strip cartoonists American male painters Escapees from Tennessee detention Escapees from Indiana detention People from Sidney, Montana Artists from Montana Deaths from pancreatic disease American people convicted of robbery Criminals from Montana American escapees 20th-century American male artists