Richard A. Cavalli (September 28, 1923 – October 16, 1997)
[Richard A. Cavalli]
at the U.S. Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.og. Retrieved on October 15, 2015
Archived
from the original on December 8, 2015. was an American commercial illustrator and cartoonist best known for the comic strips ''
Morty Meekle'' and its successor, ''
Winthrop'', which consecutively were syndicated to newspapers from 1956 to 1994.
Biography
Cavalli was born and educated in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
He did military service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, seeing combat with the Air Force Ground Groups and the infantry in France, Luxembourg and Germany.
[Dick Cavalli]
at the Lambiek Comiclopedia
Archived
from the original on October 13, 2015. On his return to the U.S., he did pen and ink drawing of fossilized specimens for the
American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan,
and studied cartooning at the
Cartoonists & Illustrators School, where he was in the first graduating class.
His gag cartoons in magazines including ''
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 ...
'' and ''
Collier's'',
''
Ms.
Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...
'', ''
Working Woman
Since the industrial revolution, participation of women in the workforce outside the home has increased in industrialized nations, with particularly large growth seen in the 20th century. Largely seen as a boon for industrial society, women in ...
'', and ''
The Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
.'' had achieved such popularity by 1956 that ''
Writer's Digest
''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles.
History
''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 under ...
'' observed he had "risen to the top faster than any other cartoonist in the business."
[Wepman, Dennis, in ] That year he became one of the founding 10 cartoonists, alongside
Al Capp,
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips.
Biography
Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout and a r ...
, and others, to be affiliated with the Famous Artists Cartoon Course
correspondence course
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...
, a spinoff of the
Famous Artists School
Famous Artists School is an art correspondence course institution, in operation since 1948. The school was founded by members of the New York Society of Illustrators, principally Albert Dorne and Norman Rockwell.
History
The Famous Artists S ...
.
On January 9, 1956, Cavalli launched
Newspaper Enterprise Association
The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...
's syndicated comic strip '' Morty Meekle'', featuring the courtship of the title character and his girlfriend, Jill Wortle.
[''Morty Meekle'' (''Winthrop'')]
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on March 10, 2015. The strip gradually began emphasizing what comics historian
Maurice Horn
Maurice Horn (born 1931) is a French-American comics historian, author, and editor, considered to be one of the first serious academics to study comics. He is the editor of ''The World Encyclopedia of Comics'', ''The World Encyclopedia of Cartoon ...
called its "background chorus of snide youngsters with a perceptive take on the human condition."
On February 27, 1966, Cavalli removed the adult characters and renamed the strip ''Winthrop'', after Jill's kid brother, the most prominent of the young social critics.
The strip ended on May 14, 1994.
Additionally, from 1982 to 1983, he was the successor cartoonist on the comic strip ''Norbert'', taking over from creator
George Fett
George Leonard Fett (July 7, 1920 - November 6, 1989) was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strips ''Sniffy'' and ''Norbert''.
Life and career
George Fett was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of Hungarian immigrants Frank ...
.
[
]
Personal life
Cavalli and his wife, Helen, had two daughters, Tory and Cassie.[ Additional .] He was living in New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census.
About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bound ...
, at the time of his death.
Bibliography
*''Winthrop: A Strip Coloring Book'' (Saalfield Publishing
The Saalfield Publishing Company published children's books and other products from 1900 to 1977. It was once one of the largest publishers of children's materials in the world.
The company was founded in 1900 in Akron, Ohio, by Arthur J. Saalfi ...
Company, Book # 2915 : Akron, Ohio, 1968). Reprints daily strips originally published 1966–1968.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavalli, Dick
1923 births
1997 deaths
American comics artists
American comic strip cartoonists
Artists from New York City
People from New Canaan, Connecticut