The Ultimate Dennis the Menace Thread 6 6

[Wiseguy-migration]

Jim-

 

<<>>

 

Thank you for your compliments on my fathers work.

I think Bill can be reached at balger@nyc.rr.com

 

 

 

 

<<>>

 

As a fan of DTM, I was very sad to see the change in artists for the DTM books.

No one has recaptured the smoothness of my fathers DTM.

 

<<>

 

My father tried a few times to come up with his own strip, but fate decided different.

 

There are still a lot of details about my fathers work that I don't know myself, so sometimes I learn something new from you all.

 

<<>

 

Early on, there was a studio setup, Hank, Fred, and my father.

My father decided working from home was better, and easier.

Al would wake just before sunrise, draw until around noon, have lunch, take an hour nap, and then work until sundown.

 

My father had a habit of moving the family around a lot. Usually once a year.

I know what the gypsy are like now.

 

 

Jim

[Wiseguy-migration]

Sorry about my posts, give me some time to get familiar with theses buttons and stuff.

 

 

Jim

[Wiseguy-migration]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/995866/littleJimmy.jpg

 

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/995866/LittleJimmyandHanksm.jpg

 

Above are some photos Hank had made when they were considering me for the

DTM role.

I actually had a cowlick in my hair.

 

Sorry about the above reponses, It looked good when I sent it, made sense and everything.

 

 

A special note to all you DTM toy collectors....I am still looking for the DTM rocket toy.

One of my favorites.

 

 

Jim Wiseman

[Gutterflower-migration]

Aww, Jim...you were a little cutie! The first pic shows a definite Dennis-like gleam in your eye! Thanks for sharing the pics and answering questions for us here. And thanks again to Joe the ComicBookGuy for starting it.

[ComicBookGuy]

Aww, Jim...you were a little cutie! The first pic shows a definite Dennis-like gleam in your eye! Thanks for sharing the pics and answering questions for us here. And thanks again to Joe the ComicBookGuy for starting it.

 

You're welcome, Linda. And welcome back!

[ComicBookGuy]

Ketchum, like nearly 100% of all successful newspaper cartoonists, used numerous assistants (or "ghosts") through the years. I know that Lee Holley (who later created "Ponytail") was one of them. Typically, the ghosts' work is supervised or approved by the artist whose name appears on the strip. Attributing anything to Hank Ketchum simply because it has a Ketchum signature would be unadvisable. After all how many pieces of art from the 1930's to the 1960's carried Walt Disney's signature?

 

Welcome back, too, Bill! Your almost-daily Dennis insights have been missed the last several days.

 

I've known that HK had many ghosts, but it's very tough trying to figure out who did what especially in that early period where both HK and AW were transitioning into their own unique styles and interpretations of Dennis art. Here's an except from HK's bio on this topic:

 

"Before a year had passed the syndicate wanted me to produce a Sunday page in color. This, I knew, would require an asistant artist and a secretary to keep me ahead of deadlines...and I moved into a vacant doctor's office in Monterey. I placed Al Wiseman behind a drawing board and Fred Toole at a desk with a writing machine...Just when we were getting used to the pace, Pines Publications...urged us to get into the comic book business...so I ...came up with Bob Paplow...and Lee Holley...Other cartoonists...were George Crenhsaw, Vic Lockman, Homer Provence, and Owen Fitzgerald" (The Merchant of Venice 141-142).

 

So from this quote, it sounds like Fred Toole and Al Wiseman came on board in 1952 and the others a bit later, when they got into the Pines comic run. (It seems that HK made a mistake and meant "Standard" Comics when he said "to get into the comic book business"?). I believe I have heard that Fitzgerald was the artist who did Giants #9, 10, and 11 and who primarily replaced Al Wiseman pretty much when he moved on. This is by no means factual as far as I'm concerned but just what I heard. I have also heard that HK put a little "notch" in the daily panels that he drew. I will be anxious to hear back from Bill Alger. I just sent him a polite email telling him about the thread and expressing an interest in the info he may have gathered thus far. Needless to say, I hope that he will join in the fun here.

 

Joe

[ComicBookGuy]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/995866/littleJimmy.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/995866/LittleJimmyandHanksm.jpg

Above are some photos Hank had made when they were considering me for the

DTM role.

I actually had a cowlick in my hair.

Sorry about the above reponses, It looked good when I sent it, made sense and everything.

A special note to all you DTM toy collectors....I am still looking for the DTM rocket toy.

One of my favorites.

Jim Wiseman

 

The pics look great, Jim! I'll bet you would have made a great Dennis.

 

Your responses are fine to me, but if you aren't happy with them you can always hit the edit button and get them to look just how you want.

 

It sounds like you are a Dennis collector yourself. Do you just collect the toys, or do you collect the comics?

 

Sorry to ask so many questions, but having you here is a great experience, and I appreciate the time you're taking to fill us in. Is there anything you'd like to see posted here or discussed?

 

Joe

[Wiseguy-migration]

 

 

The pics look great, Jim! I'll bet you would have made a great Dennis.

 

Your responses are fine to me, but if you aren't happy with them you can always hit the edit button and get them to look just how you want.

 

It sounds like you are a Dennis collector yourself. Do you just collect the toys, or do you collect the comics?

 

Sorry to ask so many questions, but having you here is a great experience, and I appreciate the time you're taking to fill us in. Is there anything you'd like to see posted here or discussed?

 

Joe

 

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The photos do show a certain amount of cuteness, but I wasn't as much a menace as Hank's son Dennis.

 

I used to go over to play with Dennis Ketchum at their house when he was 6, and I was 4. I remember one time he waited around the corner of the house with the garden hose at the ready. As soon as I came around the corner, he let me have it. Totally soaked me.

 

I only saw Dennis K. one more time in the late 50's. We never had a chance to compare notes. I would like to talk to him at least one more time, just to see what he remembers.

 

 

I was never in a good position to collect my fathers DTM material until about

10 years ago. My wife decided to slowly pick up the comic books on Ebay.

I still have a lot of holes to fill, but I have most of the important ones.

 

I don't collect the toys, but I would like to find the DTM rocket.

I had the most fun with that.

 

Another DTM fact, we were the owners of Ruff the dog.

Ruff 'found' our family when we lived in Los Angeles.

I think that was around '55.

Ruff lived with my father until somewhere around 1966.

Look for a story that shows DTM trying to give Ruff a bath.

That was Ruff and me.

 

 

 

Jim

[ComicBookGuy]

I used to go over to play with Dennis Ketchum at their house when he was 6, and I was 4. I remember one time he waited around the corner of the house with the garden hose at the ready. As soon as I came around the corner, he let me have it. Totally soaked me.

 

I only saw Dennis K. one more time in the late 50's. We never had a chance to compare notes. I would like to talk to him at least one more time, just to see what he remembers.

 

I was never in a good position to collect my fathers DTM material until about

10 years ago. My wife decided to slowly pick up the comic books on Ebay.

I still have a lot of holes to fill, but I have most of the important ones.

 

Another DTM fact, we were the owners of Ruff the dog.

Ruff 'found' our family when we lived in Los Angeles.

I think that was around '55.

Ruff lived with my father until somewhere around 1966.

Look for a story that shows DTM trying to give Ruff a bath.

That was Ruff and me.

 

Jim

 

Fascinating stuff!

 

I would love to hear more about Dennis Ketcham if you feel like sharing. I've

heard bits and pieces about him over the years, but it would be nice to know a bit more about him. Even in Merchant of Dennis HK is very brief in his accounts of his son. Do you have any idea about where he is or what he's up to now? Or even what he has been up to since the point where he and his mother left HK in the late 1950s? My understanding is that he was in the military for a while and don't know much beyond that.

 

The story of the hose and of Ruff are great and do seem very familiar. I believe one of the Dennis comics re-enacts the hose scene on the cover but with Dennis and his father. I will have to dig it out and post it.

 

Joe

[BillyBatson4360]

Jim -

 

Thanks again for sharing your insights and memories with us. Hearing some of your stories makes me feel like I'm that elementary school kid again running into the corner drug store and spending my lunch money on the latest issue of Dennis the Menace. And seeing as I'm about the same age as you are, you know that's saying something.

 

Can you tell us a little about yourself? What do you do for a living, what section of the country you live in, etc. Also, maybe (if you care to - I don't want to pry) some things about your mom, what kind of temparment you dad had (was he a joker or serious), etc.

 

Also, did your dad ever realize that he had fans out here in comic book land? People who loved and remembered his work?

 

For Joe - I've been swamped with work and with helping my daughter start her very first "real" job, so free time is at a premium. I may be able to haul out my box of Dennis comics this weekend and start scanning again.

 

Question for any and all - who gives the "star" ratings to the threads on this board? I really think this one deserves at least one more star!

[Wiseguy-migration]

Jim -

 

Thanks again for sharing your insights and memories with us. Hearing some of your stories makes me feel like I'm that elementary school kid again running into the corner drug store and spending my lunch money on the latest issue of Dennis the Menace. And seeing as I'm about the same age as you are, you know that's saying something.

 

Can you tell us a little about yourself? What do you do for a living, what section of the country you live in, etc. Also, maybe (if you care to - I don't want to pry) some things about your mom, what kind of temparment you dad had (was he a joker or serious), etc.

 

Also, did your dad ever realize that he had fans out here in comic book land? People who loved and remembered his work?

 

For Joe - I've been swamped with work and with helping my daughter start her very first "real" job, so free time is at a premium. I may be able to haul out my box of Dennis comics this weekend and start scanning again.

 

Question for any and all - who gives the "star" ratings to the threads on this board? I really think this one deserves at least one more star!

 

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Lucky for me, that I didn't have to go to the store for my copies of DTM

 

My wife Teresa and I live in Carmel, Ca.

Since the majority of my life has been spent around the Monterey, I have a hard time finding a place as beautiful as this area.

I am a musician (guitar mostly). I spent a lot of years in retail music sales.

My father was responsible for me taking up guitar when I was 15. He had visited the bar which was next door to the music store. Couple of highballs and I was the new owner of a classical guitar and lessons.

Thanks Dad.

 

Before I mention my mom, I better let you know my father was married 4 times that I know.

 

My Mother, Vadis Wiseman, was as wonderful as a mother could be. She liked music a lot, so that is where I get my appreciation.

My mother and father were divorced when I was around 11 or 12.

My father re-married a few years later.

I went back and forth between parents. Not a good way to grow up for a kid.

 

I tried artwork, but never could get a handle on it. Plus if you notice the quality of my fathers work, that made it harder for me to produce something good.

 

I have two sisters, one did receive the "art" talent from our father. She is very good, but reclusive.

 

Dads temperment? well, he was no saint, he drank, he smoked, he laughed and joked.

He loved trout fishing and camping. He liked to entertain socially now and then.

 

** When my parents got back from Hawaii, I was fascinated by the fact that they had ridden on a JET airliner. I asked my dad what it was like? He replied 'it was like listening to your mother vacum the house ALL DAY!'

 

I am pretty sure my dad knew he had fans who were kids, but I think he still wanted a little more recognition from his peers.

HK made a fortune from DTM, a lot of it was due to my fathers (and Fred Toole) work.

Too bad my father couldn't copyright HIS work back then.

 

I used to watch my father give 'chalk talks'. He would be invited to some luncheon or diner, and would draw charcoal on white newprint paper. He would draw things other than DTM, but eventually would wow them with the DTM characters,

Somewhere out there, should be a few of those drawings.

 

Ok, more later.

 

 

Jim

[BillyBatson4360]

(It seems that HK made a mistake and meant "Standard" Comics when he said "to get into the comic book business")

 

I don't know if it was a real mistake, Joe. Both Standard Comics and Pines Comics were outfits owned by Ned Pines. I don't know the exact reason why he changed the name from Standard to Pines (could be to escape creditors or maybe he changed minor partners, I really don't know) but they were in essence the same company. It's kind of like Timely evolving into Atlas evolving into Marvel Comics. Different names but the same company.

 

Jim -

 

I guess what I meant by my question was did Al know that many of his kids fans grew into mature (?) adults that still appeciated, respected and collected his work?

[Wiseguy-migration]

 

 

Jim -

 

I guess what I meant by my question was did Al know that many of his kids fans grew into mature (?) adults that still appeciated, respected and collected his work?

 

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To tell the truth, I don't know for sure.

He always enjoyed seeing children smile when he drew DTM for them.

 

I know my father would be DELIGHTED to know that you all show this much apprciation.

I really feel my father hated being a ghost, but that is what fate decided.

Dad was a little bitter about HK.

 

I lost contact with my father around 1973.

We never spoke much after that.

I am only now just finding out what he was up to until the time of his death.

 

I am still his #1 fan though.

 

 

Jim

[Wiseguy-migration]

Aww, Jim...you were a little cutie! The first pic shows a definite Dennis-like gleam in your eye! Thanks for sharing the pics and answering questions for us here. And thanks again to Joe the ComicBookGuy for starting it.

 

***********************************************8

 

Thanks for the compliment.

Those were my regular clothes too.

 

In some ways I am glad I did not get the tv role as DTM.

It was the road not taken, but such is life.

 

Sometime soon I will post my tatoo.

 

 

Jim

[ComicBookGuy]

In some ways I am glad I did not get the tv role as DTM.

It was the road not taken, but such is life.

Jim

 

A good attitude to have!

 

As it turns out for Jay North, it was not a fun ride. He was under a lot of pressure and was verbally and physically abused by his aunt who used him as a cash cow. He was bitter about it for years, although I'm glad he seems to be much happier now. Child stars have a very tough time of it. The stars now know the lessons of the past which were learned at the expense of kids like Jay North. He has talked for years about publishing his autobiography, and I hope he does publish it at some point.

 

Joe

[ComicBookGuy]

He always enjoyed seeing children smile when he drew DTM for them.

 

I lost contact with my father around 1973.

We never spoke much after that.

I am only now just finding out what he was up to until the time of his death.

 

I am still his #1 fan though.

 

Jim

 

Your dad sounds like a great guy! I could always sense that from his work: his love of the characters, his workmanship, his attention to detail, and his sense of humor.

 

Before you said that your dad stopped doing Dennis comics in the mid-1960s. Do you know what he did after that? I think you said he worked in advertising, but did he do any other comic work? There was speculation on another website that he worked on a series of Dennis comics in the late 1970s called Dennis the Menace and the Bible Kids. I have looked at those comics and don't think they are your dad's work at all. Did he still do any comics at that point in time?

 

I'm sorry you lost track of your dad for a while. If you ever wish to share any more biographical information about him, such as his birth, life story, etc., I know we'd all love to hear it, but I can also appreciate that your family history is a private matter as well.

 

Overall, as a fan of Dennis the Menace, I find lots of info is available about Hank Ketcham since he wrote a biography, and Jay North has always been a celebrity in and out of the news. But the two figures I have always wanted to know more about and can never seem to find information about are your dad (The Good Artist) and Ketcham's son Dennis, the inspiration for the strip. ANY information you ever have to share about either topic I will ALWAYS be interested in hearing about.

 

Jim, thanks again for taking the time to chat with us, and I hope you continue to stay here as a permanent participant and encourage any other Dennis fans to join us.

 

Joe

[ComicBookGuy]

For Joe - I've been swamped with work and with helping my daughter start her very first "real" job, so free time is at a premium. I may be able to haul out my box of Dennis comics this weekend and start scanning again.

 

Question for any and all - who gives the "star" ratings to the threads on this board? I really think this one deserves at least one more star!

 

Bill, I can't wait to see more of your posts. I was just looking back at all those posts where you located the first Joey and Gina strips and appreciate the time and work it must have taken to locate those. Your list of off-shoot characters from the Dennis books is an amazing bit of research as well. And thanks for clarifying the Standard / Pines issue!

 

If you happen to be unsure about what to scan next, it would be cool if one of us could find that Ruff story that is based on Jim's dog-washing event. I know I've seen it but can't remember which issue it's in. Even if I locate it, I believe I have expressed how skittish I am about scanning high grade comics into my scanner.

 

As for those star ratings, if you scroll down to the bottom of any page in this thread, there is a place where you can rate the thread. Five stars is the highest rating, and I think one is the lowest, and you can rate only once. Hopefully we'll get some fans to raise our rating!

 

Joe

[Wiseguy-migration]

 

 

Your dad sounds like a great guy! I could always sense that from his work: his love of the characters, his workmanship, his attention to detail, and his sense of humor.

 

Before you said that your dad stopped doing Dennis comics in the mid-1960s. Do you know what he did after that? I think you said he worked in advertising, but did he do any other comic work? There was speculation on another website that he worked on a series of Dennis comics in the late 1970s called Dennis the Menace and the Bible Kids. I have looked at those comics and don't think they are your dad's work at all. Did he still do any comics at that point in time?

 

I'm sorry you lost track of your dad for a while. If you ever wish to share any more biographical information about him, such as his birth, life story, etc., I know we'd all love to hear it, but I can also appreciate that your family history is a private matter as well.

 

Overall, as a fan of Dennis the Menace, I find lots of info is available about Hank Ketcham since he wrote a biography, and Jay North has always been a celebrity in and out of the news. But the two figures I have always wanted to know more about and can never seem to find information about are your dad (The Good Artist) and Ketcham's son Dennis, the inspiration for the strip. ANY information you ever have to share about either topic I will ALWAYS be interested in hearing about.

 

Jim, thanks again for taking the time to chat with us, and I hope you continue to stay here as a permanent participant and encourage any other Dennis fans to join us.

 

Joe

 

 

******************************************************************88

 

The Dennis Bible Kids was not my dads.

Anyone with an eye for detail can see it.

 

I don't think he ever did any more comicbook material, after '66.

He did some very cool drawings for Boeing Aircraft when they were touting the 747.

I have to round up what items I have, and ask my wife to help me scan them.

 

My oldest sister had some things of our fathers, and she sent them to me a long time ago. I will try and locate them.

 

As much as I'd like to, I really can't tell you anything more about Dennis K.

Except he drank a LOT of coca cola.

 

 

I find it funny that if I read the DTM books, I can jog my memory by reading names my father had placed in the story.

Someone earlier in this thread made note of that fact also.

I found out later that my father would include the names of various people he met, some who belonged to charitable orginizations (ie Lions, Rotary) were 'fined' for that offence.

Money always went to a good cause.

 

A very big benefit to being the artists son was that most anything you saw DTM play with, I also played with.

There is a story where DTM trys to build a plastic model of a ship.

My father and I built that ship, The Cutty Sark, and I played with it a lot until some younger friends came over one holiday and shipwrecked me.

I can almost smell the airplane glue...sniff.

 

My father liked to drive fast, and at various times had a few sports cars in the late 50's

He took me out to the Laguna Seca racetrack for a car race.

During intermission (lunch break) dad decided he was gonna drive on the track with his Triumph TR-3. He took advantage of the fact that the pedestrian walkways were open across the track, and hooked a hard left.

He managed to get halfway around the track, when the marshalls stopped him.

He put the car in reverse, and drove backwards around the track close to where I was.

The marshalls stoped him there, and were about to arrest him when he pointed to me

and said something to them. They looked at me, I put on my best sad face, and they let the old man go with a stearn warning.

 

 

DTM-Mexico

When my father and I went to Mexico, he was a real celebrity there.

We got special treatment in quite a few places.

I took time off from school to go. bwahahahaha.

He had hired a guide who escorted us all the time we were there until we reached

Acapulco.

What an adventure for sure!

It is extra special to be able to relive that one.

Recently, my fathers 2nd wife (1st step-mother) gave me a large tin mask we bought on that trip. It is big and gaudy, but I like it.

 

I'm rambling again, sorry.

 

We met Shirley Jones the actress in Acapulco.

I was in love.

Cantinflas was there also.

 

We were in Guadaljara, I was sick and had to stay in my hotel room.

Tea and toast brought me back to life.

Dad was feeling sorry for me, so he went downstairs, and across the street where there

was a marimba band. He paid the band to move down the street a little and play so I could see and hear them.

.

 

Sorry Joe, what was the question?...

 

Jim

 

PS Punky and Sreamy Mimi were aslo my favorite non DTM characters that got publication.

[BillyBatson4360]

First of all, I - for one - would absolutely love to see any other artwork done by Al Wiseman.

 

Jim, you were right when you said no other artist ever came anywhere close to the version your father drew. His work was so head and shoulders above the rest that it was instantly recognizable to me even as a kid.

 

There was time from the mid-50's through the very early 60's when your father's style and the sydicated strip were very closely matched (no coincidence that period is my favorite for the daily panel strip). Then the daily strip got a little looser while the comic books looked like somebody drew them in a rush on their lunch hour.

 

I'm curious about a couple of things. Initially, Al Wiseman was cranking out all the Dennis books - 12 monthly issues, 2 seasonal annuals (Christmas & Vacation Specials), and a number of one-shots (Dennis & Joey, etc.). When he left the monthly, he was still doing the specials. Was Dennis still his only job at that time, or did he start accepting other free-lance assignments?

 

Also, your father seemed very fond of straight lines in his illustrations. The furniture and cars always seemed to have very straight, sharp angles to them. I think that's why he excelled at illustrating buildings. Did you notice this?

 

Regarding some of his amazing backgrounds (like you find in the Vacation travels specials). Did he work from photographs? Did he create sketches while on location? Did he use a lightbox with a photograph projected onto his drawing board to create his illustration over?

 

I have long noticed the trend for the names of real people to pop into the strip. I never knew if that was a Fred Toole device, something your father liked to do, or a combination of the two. I have always felt your father must have drawn some real people he knew into the strip because the faces of the people in his crowd scenes were always so distinctive.

 

Finally, how close or exaggerated are the self-portraits your dad drew of himself in various Dennis stories?

[Wiseguy-migration]

 

 

There was time from the mid-50's through the very early 60's when your father's style and the sydicated strip were very closely matched (no coincidence that period is my favorite for the daily panel strip). Then the daily strip got a little looser while the comic books looked like somebody drew them in a rush on their lunch hour.

 

***

I think HK had some good folks help him on the early Sundays & dailys.

But after a while they got slopy. I don't even look at it nowdays.

 

 

 

 

I'm curious about a couple of things. Initially, Al Wiseman was cranking out all the Dennis books - 12 monthly issues, 2 seasonal annuals (Christmas & Vacation Specials), and a number of one-shots (Dennis & Joey, etc.). When he left the monthly, he was still doing the specials. Was Dennis still his only job at that time, or did he start accepting other free-lance assignments?

 

***

Yes, DTM books were his major work.

I don't recall any free-lance work at that time.

 

 

 

Also, your father seemed very fond of straight lines in his illustrations. The furniture and cars always seemed to have very straight, sharp angles to them. I think that's why he excelled at illustrating buildings. Did you notice this?

 

***

He worked as a draftsman when he left the navy.

Sometimes, he was too smooth.

There is a Christmas special, I think the '57, where DTM draws his own xmas cards.

My father had me draw some cards, and then sorta traced them, to look like a 4 year olds.

 

 

 

Regarding some of his amazing backgrounds (like you find in the Vacation travels specials). Did he work from photographs? Did he create sketches while on location? Did he use a lightbox with a photograph projected onto his drawing board to create his illustration over?

 

***

He used a lot of photos, postcards and such to help him. I don't recall ever seeing him sketch on assaignment.

He did use a lightbox for all his DTM work. (that box belongs to Eldon Dedini's neice)

One time, for the Wash.D.C. book, he bought a large photographic bellows that had a lightboard attachement.

Most of the inspiration comes from his memory.

The DTM stories began as a blank sheet of paper usually divided into 6 panels. Al would draw tracings in blue and red pencil, then using the lightboard he would india ink the strathmore pages.

 

 

 

I have long noticed the trend for the names of real people to pop into the strip. I never knew if that was a Fred Toole device, something your father liked to do, or a combination of the two. I have always felt your father must have drawn some real people he knew into the strip because the faces of the people in his crowd scenes were always so distinctive.

 

***

Lots of real people in my fathers drawings. Fred Toole would put some names in, but my dad put his friends faces in all the time.

Someday we will scan in all 3 wives.

 

 

 

Finally, how close or exaggerated are the self-portraits your dad drew of himself in various Dennis stories?

 

 

***

The self-portraits were sorta close. If you look at the inside cover to Hawaii and Mexico,

you can see what he looked like.

He had a crew cut, Buddy Holly glasses, smoked Chesterfields. Wore those short-sleeved shirts.

 

 

 

Jim

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