Thomas Jefferson Machamer (1900 – August 15, 1960) was an American cartoonist and illustrator known especially for his drawings of glamorous women. He also wrote and acted in a series of short comedy films in the 1930s.

Career as an illustrator

Machamer was born in Nebraska. After he graduated from the University of Nebraska he became a staff artist for '' The Kansas City Star'' newspaper.Nadel 2006, p. 311. In 1922 he moved to New York City and joined the staff of the humor magazine ''

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

''. From 1928 until 1930 he wrote and drew a comic strip for

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

called ''Petting Patty'', initially as a daily strip and later also as a Sunday color feature. In 1932, his comic strip ''Gags and Gals'' made its debut in the ''New York Mirror''. This strip proved a greater popular success, and ran until 1938. According to Dan Nadel, ''Gags and Gals'' displayed the elements that typified most of Machamer's work: "beautiful dominant women, broad shouldered and impeccably dressed, accompanied by hapless, unattractive men, sometimes short and mustachioed, with just a tuft of hair atop a bald pate—apparently a self portrait." Machamer's style has been compared to that of Russell Patterson, who may have influenced him. In 1946, Machamer published a how-to book for aspiring cartoonists, ''Laugh and Draw with Jefferson Machamer''. Beginning in the 1940s, he also operated a correspondence course from his home. He is mentioned in

John O'Hara John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'Hara: Stories, Charles McGrath, ed., The L ...

's 1935 novel '' BUtterfield 8'': "'I'll be over before you can say Jefferson Machamer.' 'Jefferson Machamer,' she said."

Film work

Between 1936 and 1938, Machamer wrote and acted in a series of short comic films made by Educational Pictures, which included ''Comic Artist's Home Life'', ''Wanna Be a Model?'', and ''Cute Crime''.

Personal life

From 1934 until his death he was married to the actress

Pauline Moore Pauline Moore (born Pauline Joless Love; June 17, 1914 – December 7, 2001) was an American actress known for her roles in Western and B movies during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Moore was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After her fath ...

."Pauline Moore, 87; Acted With Roy Rogers"
December 15, 2001, ''The New York Times''. Retrieved July 26, 2013. Jefferson Machamer died in Santa Monica, California on August 15, 1960.

Notes

References

*Levy, F. D., & Facts on File, Inc. (1979). ''Obituaries on file''. New York: Facts on File. *Nadel, D. (2006). ''Art out of time: Unknown comics visionaries, 1900-1969''. New York: Abrams. *Waugh, C. (1991). ''The comics''. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

External links

*
Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Machamer, Jefferson 1900 births 1960 deaths American comic strip cartoonists American comics artists American comics writers 20th-century American male actors University of Nebraska alumni Artists from Nebraska Male actors from Nebraska 20th-century American screenwriters