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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
He did military service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, seeing combat with the Air Force Ground Groups and the infantry in France, Luxembourg and Germany.
[Dick Cavalli]
at the Lambiek Comiclopedia
Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ). His son Boris Kousemaker has been the owner since 2007. From 1968 to 2015, it was located in the Ke ...
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
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
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 published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...
'' and ''
Collier's
}
''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...
'',
''
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'', and ''
The Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 ...
.'' 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 und ...
'' 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
Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (w ...
,
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist known 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 re ...
, 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 school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...
, 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 ...
.
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 new ...
'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
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archived
from the original on March 10, 2015. The strip gradually began emphasizing what comics historian
Maurice Horn
Maurice Horn (June 28, 1931 – December 30, 2022) was a French-American comics historian, author, and editor, considered to be one of the first serious academics to study comics. He was the editor of ''The World Encyclopedia of Comics'', ''The ...
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.
[
]
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. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region.
About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...
, 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
Artists from New Canaan, Connecticut