From 'Sweet Mamas' to 'Bodacious' Hillbillies: Billy Debeck's
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Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® History Faculty Publications History 2006 From ‘Sweet Mamas’ to ‘Bodacious’ Hillbillies: Billy DeBeck’s Impact on American Culture Anthony Harkins Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/history_fac_pubs Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Appalachian Studies Commons, Social History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Anthony Harkins, “From ‘Sweet Mamas’ to ‘Bodacious’ Hillbillies: Billy DeBeck’s Impact on American Culture,” Studies in American Humor (New series 3, No. 14, 2006), 55-72. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FromFrom "Sweet "Sweet Mamas" Mamas" toto "Bodacious""Bodacious" Hillbillies: BillyBilly DeBeck's DeBeck's ImpactImpact on AmericanAmerican CultureCulture byby Anthony Anthony Harkins Harkins Who'sWho's the most importantimportant manman thisthis countrycountry ever ever knew? knew? Who'sWho's thethe manman our our Presidents Presidents tell tell all all their their troubles troubles to? to? NoNo itit isn'tisn't MisterMister BryanBryan andand itit isn't isn't Mister Mister Hughes Hughes I'mI'm mightymighty proudproud thatthat I'm I'm allowedallowed a chance toto introduceintroduce BarneyBarney Google Google withwith his his goo-goo-googly goo-goo-googly eyes. eyes. (Rose) (Rose) AsAs thethe creatorcreator ofof the the inspiration inspiration for for the the hit-song hit-song "Barney "Barney Google" Google" ofof 1923 1923 whosewhose refrainrefrain is is still still widely widely known known today, today, Billy Billy (William (William Morgan) Morgan) DeBeck'sDeBeck's prominentprominent placeplace among American cartoonists has long been assured.assured. InIn thethe 1920s1920s and 1930s1930s hehe gainedgained international international recognitionrecognition for hishis strikingstriking drawing drawing style, style, panoramic panoramic layouts,layouts, innovativeinnovative continuities, and numerousnumerous contributionscontributions to to the the American American lexicon lexicon including including phrases phrases such such as as "sweet"sweet marna,"mama," "heebie jeebies,"j eebies," "hotsy "hotsy totsy," totsy," "balls "balls o' 0'fire," fire," and and "times "times a'a' wastin'."wastin'." The NationalNational CartoonistCartoonist SocietySociety prizeprize forfor CartoonistCartoonist ofof thethe YearYear waswas originallyoriginally namednamed thethe "Billy"Billy DeBeckDeBeck Award" Award" (it (it was was renamed renamed the the ReubenReuben AwardAward forfor Rube Rube GoldbergGoldberg in 1954),1954), andand hehe isis among thethe elite twenty cartoonistscartoonists to to be be included included in in the the Postal Postal Service's Service's 1995 1995 "Comic "Comic Strip Strip Classics" Classics" 1 stamp stamp series series celebratingcelebrating AmericanAmerican comic stripsstrips and theirtheir creators.creators.1 Yet Yet DeBeckDeBeck isis importantimportant for moremore thanthan just just his his enormously enormously creative creative use use ofof languagelanguage or his mastery ofof bothboth thethe daily daily gaggag andand thethe suspensefullysuspensefully developed developed story line.line. AlthoughAlthough notnot oneone of thethe pioneerspioneers of thethe comiccomic strip such such asas RichardRichard Outcault, JimmyJimmy Swinnerton,Swinnerton, or WinsorWinsor McCay, hehe waswas a a centralcentral figure figure in in the the medium's medium's rise rise from from an an occasional occasional pleasurepleasure inin aa fewfew bigbig citycity newspapers newspapers toto aa mainstaymainstay ofof AmericanAmerican culturalcultural life.life. InIn thethe nearlynearly 23 23 yearsyears thatthat he he produced produced hishis famousfamous stripstrip Barney Barney GoogleGoogle (later renamed BarneyBarney Google and and Snuffy Snuffy SmithSmith andand finallyfinally just Snuffy Smith)Smith )he he continuously continuously reinvented reinvented his his creation creation to to a adegree degree unmatched unmatched byby any any of of his his contemporaries, contemporaries, adding adding newnew characterscharacters and remaking hishis comiccomic strip strip inin aa wayway that that captured thethe radically radically differentdifferent zeitgeists Zeitgeists of of three three distinct distinct eras eras - the- the "Roaring "Roaring Twenties," Twenties," the the Great Great Depression, Depression, andand thethe WorldWorld WarWar IIII years. Nor is his significancesignificance limited limited only only to to the the funny funny pages. pages. As As the the United United States States became became anan everever moremore commercialized commercialized and consumerist-orientedconsumerist-oriented society,society, thethe dramaticdramatic riserise ofof the the scope, scope, influence,influence, andand legitimacylegitimacy ofof the the mass mass media media ledled toto thethe breakdown breakdown ofof formerly formerly unquestioned unquestioned cultural cultural "brow "brow level" level" distinctions. distinctions. DeBeck's DeBeck's personalpersonal 55 55 This content downloaded from 128.239.122.246 on Tue, 28 Jun 2016 16:26:45 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 56 56 ,r /' -.L---- BillyBilly DeDe Beck, sketchsketch ofof Snuffy SmithSmith insideinside backback covercover onon endpaper,endpaper, GeorgeGeorge Washington Harris, Sut LovingoodLovingood Yarns (1867),(1867), DeDe Beck Beck library. library. CourtesyCourtesy JamesJames Branch Branch Cabell Cabell Library,Library, VirginiaVirginia CommonwealthCommonwealth This content downloaded from 128.239.122.246 on Tue, 28 Jun 2016 16:26:45 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 5757 shiftshift from from an an aspiring aspiring "fine "fine arts" arts" painter painter to to a a"debased" "debased" yetyet financially highlyhighly successfulsuccessful cartoonist perfectly reflectedreflected thisthis broaderbroader transformation.transformation. BornBorn inin Chicago Chicago inin 1890,1890, DeBeckDeBeck initiallyinitially dreamed of becomingbecoming aa seriousserious painterpainter andand attendedattended thethe ChicagoChicago Academy ofof FineFine ArtsArts afterafter graduatinggraduating high high school school inin 1908. 1908. YetYet hehe had had always always beenbeen drawndrawn toto cartooning,cartooning, copyingcopying thethe styles styles of of Chicago Chicago Tribune Tribune editorial editorial cartoonist cartoonist John John McCutcheon, McCutcheon, "When"When aa FellerFeller Needs aa Friend"Friend" creator creator ClareClare Briggs, Briggs, and and illustrator illustrator CharlesCharles DanaDana Gibson (Walker (Walker 9).2 9).2 AlthoughAlthough he he later later advised advised students students of of his his correspondencecorrespondence course on cartooning "First learn how to draw-thendraw - then gogo toto aa goodgood art schoolschool andand get get a a firm firm foundationfoundation in in the the arts," arts," his his coursework coursework at atthe the ChicagoChicago AcademyAcademy endedended after after only twotwo yearsyears onceonce hehe sawsaw howhow bigbig anan impactimpact his his caricatures caricatures of of models models hadhad onon hishis fellowfellow artart studentsstudents (Sheridan (Sheridan 36,36, 37).37). DeBeckDeBeck thusthus made the fatefulfateful decision decision toto become become aa newspapernewspaper illustrator andand cartoonist,cartoonist, but but success success camecame only afterafter years years ofof slowly slowly developingdeveloping his craft. HeHe gotgot hishis firstfirst professional professional jobjob as aa staffstaff artist withwith thethe Chicago Chicago ShowShow World World theatrical theatrical weekly,weekly, thenthen aa positionposition with the YoungstownYoungs town (PA)(PA) TelegramTelegram (1910- (1910- 1912) 1912) as a politicalpolitical andand sportssports illustrator,illustrator, and finally aa politicalpolitical cartoonist jobjob withwith thethe Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Gazette-Times Gazette-Times thatthat hehe heldheld untiluntil 1914.1914. Returning toto Chicago,Chicago, hehe beganbegan toto teachteach cartooningcartooning throughthrough a acorrespondence correspondence coursecourse andand atat nights nights at at the the Fine Fine Arts Arts Academy. Academy. In In these these same same years, years, he he produced produced several several short-livedshort-lived cartoon cartoon series series including including Finn Finn an' an Haddie'Haddie forfor the the Adams Adams Syndicate Syndicate andand MarriedMarried LifeLife forfor the the Chicago Chicago HeraldHerald (1915-1918), the the latter latter featuring featuring a themetheme to to which which he he would would repeatedly repeatedly tum:turn: a ahenpecked, henpecked, diminutivediminutive husbandhusband desperatelydesperately tryingtrying to to escape escape thethe clutchesclutches ofof hishis controllingcontrolling wife.wife. DeBeckDeBeck replacedreplaced MarriedMarried Life forfor a shortshort time with a new strip,strip, OOlie lie Moses andand oO 'Mara 'Mara Inc.,Inc., aboutabout clothingclothing salesmen salesmen who who relocate relocate to to glamorous glamorous Hollywood. Hollywood. Finally,Finally, inin 1919,1919, hehe launchedlaunched inin thethe Chicago Herald Herald & Examiner& Examiner the thestrip strip that that wouldwould makemake him him famous famous and and wealthy