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Show THE INSIDE ON MUTT AND JEFF Tho Los Angeles Graphic has an inside yarn regarding the long vacation of Mutt and Jeff. It hangs the tale on an announcement made by the Times of that city that Mutt and Jeff are coming back to town, an announcement similar to that published by the Tribune here recently. The Graphic says: The Times' Mutt and Jeff are not likely to be the only ones to return to long desolate Los Angeles An-geles August 11. It may be expected that they will put in an appearance at their old home across the top of one of the Examiner's sport pages. A few of their antics will bear the signature of Bud Fisher and then, alas, nevermore. But Mutt and Jeff will remain, for gossip in the art rooms of local newspapers says the Hearst Syndicate has offered the job of drawing them to five or six comic artists of national repute. Fisher's contract with Hearst runs out early in August. That does not account for the absence of the well-known well-known characters for the last four or five months. When it was found that the cartoonist did not intend in-tend to renew his contract, orders were issued from Hearst headquarters to hold up the Mutt and Jeff strips and be ready to spring them when they appeared in opposition journals. Fisher was quick to grasp the game and discontinued furnishing his drawings, thereby breaking his contract and hoping to obtain release in order that he might sooner begin work for his own syndicate, the principal backer of which I understand is tho Chicago Tribune. This idea, however, did not find ready acceptance with the Hearst papers and it is said Fisher has been drawing his salary from them all the time he has been preparing advance matter for his syndicate. Discussion is renewed as to who was the real creator of these supposedly supposed-ly humorous characters. Newspaper men from Chicago have told local newspaper artists that A. Mutt was a direct adaptation from A. Piker, one of the creations of Claire Briggs, once of Chicago, but now with tho New York Tribune. Briggs is said to have run A. Piker for several months, twelve or thirteen years ago. In the same circles the original of Little Jeff is credited to George Herriman of Los Angeles, now on the Hearst Syndicate payroll as the parent of the entire Dingbat family. Herriman, I am told, ran a Little Jeff series which he later abandoned and Fisher adopted the character as a companion to Mutt. Herriman has never taken credit for Jeff, telling his friends "Bud got away with Jeff and I didn't, so he deserves all the credit he can get out of it." I understand Herriman declined the . drawing of a substitute Mutt and Jeff series for Hearst. |