Bob Monkhouse cartoonist and comic writer for the Beano!!

[Peter Gray]

Listen at Radio 2
I player..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Monkhouse/

Does anyone have any more info on his cartooning side of him and writer for The Beano..Mickey Mouse weekly?

[Raven]

I don't think he mentions that he wrote or drew for The Beano in his autobiography Crying With Laughter - one of the best, most interesting and entertaining UK showbiz autobiographies I've read - beyond him sending out his single picture cartoons and comic strips to just about *every* comic publisher he could find the address of. He says that Mickey Mouse Weekly, after a dozen tries, published one of the cartoon pictures he sent in (when he was about twelve, I think).

He mainly supplied lots of work to Martin and Reid Ltd. who managed to get hold of stray loads of paper during wartime. "Sometimes they found a consignment made from re-pulped bus tickets or newsprint, so blackened by printer's ink that my drawings had to be painted in white on black background so as to be visible to the readers' perusual ... "

Has he ever said himself that he wrote and drew for The Beano? Barry Cryer says he did in the radio show, but not Monkhouse himself from the bit I've listened to. Is it likely that this is repeated everywhere without anyone checking for authentication?

[Digifiend]

He never drew for The Beano, The History of the Beano would've mentioned that.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

one DCT Editor told me that Bob did contribute some strips to Beano, but possibly these were just fill-ins when the regular artist had too much of a workload.

'Pansy Potter' was one character mentioned, and this character was indeed drawn by a fair few artists.

[Kashgar]

I think the Pansy Potter connection is the correct one. I seem to remember Denis Gifford mentioning Bob supplying a single Pansy Potter strip for the Beano in 1942 or 1943 when they were still at school together.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Ian Gray [ then comic libraries editor] told me that kashgar: he provided loads of info for me [he must have got tired of my questioning, but he knew I was a genuine enthusiast] in those pre-web days, when so much of comics history was shrouded in mystery.

[NP]

Bob Monkhouse once autographed a publicity photo of himself to me and drew a very good Pansy Potter on the reverse, so I guess that must be the strip he once did.

[Digifiend]

Pansy Potter wasn't done by other artists just due to workload, but because she suffered from her artists being called up for military service more than once. It was wartime, after all. History of the Beano does show several strips as a way of comparing different artists styles - one of which was by an unknown artist (it won't be the only one). It would appear even DC Thomson didn't remember that Bob had drawn for them!

[Peter Gray]

Thanks for all the info very interesting..

Must listen to the Peter Sellers one on Iplayer Radio 2.listened to the Tommy Cooper one..

Its great the jokes Bob did..

[DaveWhit.]

Not sure that Bob Monkhouse ever worked for the Beano. I've checked out Denis Gifford's 'British Comic Catalogue 1874-1974' which lists all the comics Bob M worked for, but the Beano isn't one of them. It seems he only worked for the minor, often fly-by-night publishers of the 40s. However, Denis admitted that this book was his 'first attempt' to collate all his comic data, so it is possible i suppose. Bob was a good friend of Denis' so it would seem unlikely.

I've got a few comics which feature Bob Monkhouse art. I've attached a couple of them
1) Smasher Comics # 1 (and only) from 1947, in which he draws four humour strips, signing himself 'R.A.M', and Bob Monkhouse.

2) Oh Boy comics # 5 (late 40s), A five page Tornado strip signed as 'RAMON' .

[DaveWhit.]

Here's the first image

[DaveWhit.]

Here's the second one.
Cheers,
Dave

[DaveWhit.]

Have just read some of the previous comments I missed- and now think that Denis' book may have been incomplete. It does seem that Bob Monkhouse may have drew for the Beano, even if it was only perhaps a single strip. Does anyone have a copy of this Beano? Would love to see the strip.

[stevezodiac]

Bob and Denis Gifford did a couple of radio shows about the history of comics a few years back - I have them on cassette tapes. They were done in a knockabout style with sound affects and silly voices reading from the word balloons but I think there was a bit of information among it all as well.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Many thanks for showing these, Dave...Bob was a pretty good artist, considering he must have been quite young when he drew these.

I would also love to see the Beano work he done: going by the style of the cartoon page, it does look like he could have 'pulled off' Pansy Potter.

I bet that showbiz paid better in the long run, though!