Joseph Patrick McEvoy (December 21, 1894 – August 8, 1958), also sometimes credited as John P. McEvoy or Joseph P. McEvoy, was an

American writer American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

whose stories were published during the 1920s and 1930s in popular magazines such as ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'', ''

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 ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

''.

Career

An orphan, McEvoy told the ''Rockford Morning Star'' later in life that he didn’t “remember where he was born—but he has been told that it was New York City and that the year was 1894.” Newspaper comic historian Alex Jay, who records that remark, gives a number of possible birthdates ranging from 1894 to 1897, but McEvoy’s birth certificate reads 21 December 1894. He worked as an editor for the P. F. Volland Company in 1919 and publicly commented on the death of the firm's founder, Paul Frederick Volland. In 1920 the P.F. Volland Company published a children's fairy story written by McEvoy, which was illustrated by

Johnny Gruelle John Barton Gruelle (December 24, 1880 – January 9, 1938) was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book and comics author, illustrator, and storyteller. He is best known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls and ...

, creator of

Raggedy Ann Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose. Gruelle r ...

. In the story a lazy little girl, named Dorothy Mary, interacts with, and is taught by the Fairy Queen and a bevy of tiny fairies by means of the "Bam Bam Clock". She learns how to pay attention to schedules, and thus not be late for meals, bed-time, and the such. The story was illustrated in color with drawings by Gruelle. Raggedy Ann is mentioned a few times in the story, and within the pictures are five depictions of Raggedy Ann. This is one of the earliest mentions of Raggedy Ann in a story outside of the "Raggedy Ann" series. The book was later picked up by Algonquin Publishing Co. (circa 1936). Many of his stories were adapted to movies during this period, including ''

It's a Gift ''It's a Gift'' is a 1934 American comedy film starring W.C. Fields. It was Fields's 16th sound film, and his fifth in 1934 alone. It was directed by Norman McLeod, who had directed Fields in his cameo as Humpty Dumpty in ''Alice in Wonderlan ...

'' (1934) starring

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former ...

. Introduction by Arthur Knight McEvoy also had a hit play, ''The Potters'' (1923), contributed to the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

'' and wrote a number of novels, including ''Show Girl'' (1928) and ''Hollywood Girl'' (1929). McEvoy's experiences working for the P. F. Volland Company are reflected in the ''Show Girl'' character of Denny Kerrigan, who was working for the Gleason Greeting Card Company. ''Show Girl'' and ''Hollywood Girl'' were adapted into the movies ''Show Girl'' (1928) and ''

Show Girl in Hollywood ''Showgirl in Hollywood'' is a 1930 American pre-Code all-talking musical film with Technicolor sequences, produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The film stars Alice White, Jack Mulhall and Blanche ...

'' (1930), both starring Alice White. He also wrote the books and lyrics for the musical revue, ''

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

'' which opened on Broadway in 1926 and was revived in 1928 and 1932. McEvoy is perhaps best known as the creator and writer of the popular newspaper comic strip ''

Dixie Dugan ''Dixie Dugan'' is best known as a long-running syndicated newspaper comic strip published from October 21, 1929 to October 8, 1966. The title character was originally modeled after 1920s film actress Louise Brooks and early stories followed Dix ...

'', based on ''Show Girl'', which had been serialized in a national magazine with illustrations by

John H. Striebel John H. Striebel (September 14, 1891 - May 22, 1962) was an American illustrator and comic strip artist who was best known for the newspaper strip '' Dixie Dugan'', which was scripted by J. P. McEvoy. The two met when they were college freshme ...

, who continued on as the illustrator of the comic strip. With the title character resembling actress

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

, the strip was distributed by the McNaught Syndicate and had a long run from 1929 to 1966. McEvoy had previously written a syndicated feature called "Slams of Life"; a collection of these columns was published under the same title in 1919, with the promise "with malice for all and charity toward none." In 2003, James Curtis described the writer's outlook and approach: "In McEvoy's world, nothing ever worked the way it was supposed to and the poor working schlepp always took it in the shorts." McEvoy was the originator of the quote often attributed to Mark Twain: "Whenever the impulse to exercise comes over me, I lie down until it passes away". He also is credited as the originator of the phrase, "Cut to the chase", in 1928. During the 1940s and 1950s, he was a regular contributor to the ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

''. McEvoy had four children: Dorothy and Dennis with his first wife, and Patricia and Margaret with his third wife, New York journalist Margaret Santry.

References

Bibliography

Full text of J.P. McEvoy's "Pretty Damn Seldom"
*

External links

J. P. McEvoy Papers

* *

"Dixie Dugan's Fathers", ''Modern Mechanix'', April 1934.

* Steven Moore
“The Avant-Pop Novels of J. P. McEvoy”
{{DEFAULTSORT:McEvoy, J. P. 1897 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American novelists American comics writers American male novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights American editors 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers