BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story

Subject: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST,Paul Slade
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 04:41 AM

Anyone interested in the newspaper strip Andy Capp? Because if so, you might enjoy the essay I've just posted about him on PlanetSlade:

Andy Capp: The Full Story
Reg Smythe's Andy Capp was the greatest British newspaper strip of the 20th Century, but few people realise how much of his own troubled childhood Smythe poured into Andy and Flo's lives. Andy was essentially a portrait of Smythe's wastrel father, Flo a version of his formidable mother, and their town a depiction of the pre-war Hartlepool where Smythe grew up.
        
PlanetSlade's latest essay traces Smythe's own biography, explores its parallels in Andy's world, and considers the strip's very early wife-beating jokes. There's also a look at how the balance of power has shifted between Andy and Flo down the years, a discussion of the live-action sitcom starring James Bolam as Andy and my own analysis of just what made Smythe such an accomplished and stylish cartoonist. I've also conducted new interviews with the three cartoonists continuing Andy's exploits in The Mirror today.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: gnu
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 05:24 AM

Interesting! One of my fav strips when I was a lad.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Bainbo
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 05:48 AM

Paul - I've only skimmed through it, but I'll look forward to returning. It's well researched, enlightening and interesting. I particularly like the analysis of the structure of the gags.

One minor correction, though. I know the rest of the country won't care, but it's of major significance in this tribal corner of North East England. James Bolam, although he seems to go to great lengths not to acknowledge it, is from Sunderland and therefore a Wearsider - not a Tynesider.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 06:06 AM

Most interesting Paul! My mum used to read the strip to me each morning, trying to put on the correct accent (but she was Irish!) I was about two, but loved it just the same.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 06:17 AM

Fascinating.

I have often quoted from Reg Smythe's wonderful one liners in the cartoon strip when speaking on social issues. Andy Capp not only reflected an only slightly exaggerated depiction of life in many areas, but taught us not to be sanctimonious too.

I especially remember Andy telling the vicar that one half of the world is trying to have fun and the other half are trying to stop them. Classic!

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 09:11 AM

I remember the moment of clarity when I realized that Andy Capp could be code for 'andicap ...

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 09:41 AM

Charmion -- that had never occurred to me. Very clever!

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 09:46 AM

Bainbo: This part of the country [i.e. me] cares greatly re the important distinction you made.

Absolutely right about James Bolam actually being a Wearsider; but in public perception probably best remembered for The Likely Lads, set in Newcastle in which he ∴ played a Tynesider. So a sort of honorary Geordie, perhaps?

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 12:18 PM

Andy Capp is carried in the Comics section of The Washington Post.

http://comics.washingtonpost.com/11_comics_andy-capp.html

The Washington Post seems to be the only newspaper carrying the great comics daily.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST, Paul Slade
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 12:42 PM

Thanks for the kind words, folks. I've been wanting to write a substantial piece about Andy Capp and Reg Smythe for well over ten years now, and I'm glad I finally got it out of my system. It's been very well-received so far, both by Andy's fans and by professional cartoonists and comics journalists.

I can only apologise for the Wearside/Tyneside error, Bainbo, and plead my background as a life-long Southerner in mitigation. If you'd like to drop PlanetSlade a line correcting my mistake, I'd be delighted to run your letter on the site's Correspondence pages. Feel free to be as rude about my ignorance as you wish!

You'll find an e-mail link here: http://www.planetslade.com/contact.html.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 12:44 PM

James Bolam is leaving the series "New Tricks", the BBC series that has a large following in North America.
An enjoyable series, I watch it on NPR.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 01:14 PM

Re story on p9 & note 71. I distinctly recall, tho could not possibly try to date, the cup-handle incident used in a strip in the Mirror.

Flo brings Andy breakfast in bed on a tray.

Think-bubble ~ "That flippin' woman. If it isn't one thing it's another."

Shouts ~~ "Flo!" [she enters, worried]. "Me cup handle's the wrong way round."

Flo gives the reader one of those so magnificently drawn "Well what can anyone do?" looks.

As I say, I remember this one distinctly. Does anyone else?

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 01:18 PM

BTW ~~ I remember one of the US syndications ~~ I think if might have been in 'The Republic' of Columbus Indiana, where I stayed for a month in 1971, which headed the strip "Andy Capp In England".

Anyone else come across this in any other US paper?

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 03:19 PM

We used to read it in our local paper. Loved it, though as young as I was, I'm not sure if I got all of the references. I know my dad and mom enjoyed it.

I will read your essay with great interest later this evening. Thanks for telling us about it.

kat in Colorado

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 03:45 PM

Oh, Andy Capp was in our local paper in Wash DC for many years. Many of the situations were quite clever & fuuuny, but I always had a 'feeling' about the sort of flawed character Andy represented. It's interesting to hear that it stems from the author's own experiences.
   Sometimes the best way to expose a bad attitude is thru humor.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 04:36 PM

I more or less grew up with Andy & Flo; byt the time ey came along -- 1957 -- I was just able to read the Mirror (although Sooty was more to my taste at the time!)

I remember the Mirror had a sort of potted biography of Andy once. Just about all I can recall of it was a drawing of a demobbed Andy in an army greatcoat ... and cap.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Rapparee
Date: 25 Jul 12 - 05:09 PM

More years back than I'd like to admit I had a paperback collection of Smythe's "Andy Capp" cartoons. In the forward he explained about his childhood (not in the terms we'd use now) and about the pun on his hero's name. Lost the book somewhere in one of my many moves since then.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Jul 12 - 03:06 AM

In my cartoon collection I have a number of Andy Capp strips cut from the paper of the day. I think I also have a book or 2.

my 2 favourites -

Flo's tall & broad friend says she "tips the scales at 12 stone" Andy mutters "Tip? she must bribe 'em!"

Andy gives his paper to young woman in the pub, Chalkie reminds him Flo wanted to clip out a recipe. Andy replies with the universal truth "No woman lives long enough to make all the recipes she clips from the paper"

I look forward to the article

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST, Paul Slade
Date: 26 Jul 12 - 03:45 AM

The "handle" gag which MtheGM mentions is a good example of an idea Reg Smythe recycled through a couple of different situations. "A good joke is always worth telling twice, particularly if you dress it up a little," he says in the Les Lilley book. "Most people won't recognise an old joke if you relocate it and give it a new suit."

I wish I'd seen the Flo & Andy version before writing my piece, because it's a much more precise parallel with the real-life incident I wanted to compare it to. I can't help in dating it though, I'm afraid, as it's one of the many strips that never made it into any Andy collection. So many of Smythe's Andy Capp strips were lost in this way.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Jul 12 - 05:24 AM

Paul ~~ It is in a book. I have just found it in The Andy Capp Spring Collection, A Daily Mirror Book, pb, no date, p31.

The book, priced 2/6, has a green cover with a white stripe about ¾ down in which appear the words Spring Collection in uneven red block caps, with Andy with a flower in his mouth vaulting over them. The back cover revesrses the colours, so that Flo, dressed in formal hat & coat & carrying handbag, looks out to the reader from a green stripe in a white surround, with head & shoulders extending upward from the stripe.

If you would like to borrow the book, please email me your steam-mail address to

[e-mail]

and I will happily send it to you on indefinite loan.

Best regards

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST, Paul Slade
Date: 26 Jul 12 - 07:17 AM

Sorry. I got a little over-excited there, and managed to post a blank form.

You're dead right, Michael, and I'm wrong. I've just dug out my own copy of The Andy Capp Spring Collection (published in 1960 according to the Tony's Trading site) and there it is! That cartoon slipped my mind when I came across the Reg & Vera story Ken Layson tells, and so I relied on using the much later strip instead for my comparison.

If you'd like to turn your posts above into a letter for PlanetSlade, using the e-mail link below, I'd be delighted to run it there next time I update the Correspondence pages. That'd give me a chance both to cite your own, much better, example of the joke in action and credit you with spotting it when I hadn't.

http://www.planetslade.com/contact.html

Thanks very much for pointing this out. Embarrassing as it sometimes is when people catch me in an error, it does at least show that people are reading the stuff and that more than makes up for it.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Jul 12 - 07:54 AM

Thanks, Paul. Shall copy/paste my posts to e-addy above, & leave you if you wish to edit into a coherent letter.

Subject: RE: BS: Andy Capp:The Full Story
From: GUEST,Paul Slade
Date: 15 Aug 12 - 12:19 PM

I've just added a Single Page View of the entire feature to PlanetSlade. Some people seem to find this a preferable format for long articles, and I'm told it will also make it possible to send the article to your Kindle. The new version is here:

http://www.planetslade.com/andy-capp-reg-smythe-v3.html