Li'l Abner & Barks

[Rob Klein]

Regarding Don Markstein's "kinda seeing Barks thinking of Sadie Hawkins
Day":

Don, -  Is that what you suspect?  - Or did you hear of Carl, himself,
having referred to that?

He, told me several times ((when we discussed where his ideas came from (in
individual stories), that Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" was a big influence on
him.  He mentioned specifically, that "Sadie Hawkins Day" was his
inspiration for "shenanigans" involving Daisy with Donald (please excuse my
own paraphrasing) in at least two individual WDC & S stories.  I can no
longer recall which stories he referred to, as I am now middle- aged, and
the conversations took place in the late 1960s and beginning of the 1970s.
He mentioned Capp's strip most, but also "The Gumps" ((that Andy Gump's
rich Uncle was the inspiration for Uncle Scrooge) (at least in terms of the
fabulous wealth's ability to allow him to go anywhere and do anything he
wished)).  Seeing the glow in his eyes when he mentioned "Li'l Abner, and
hearing him chuckle every time he spoke of it, I would venture to guess
that Capp's strip was one of his favourite strips (if not the very
favourite).  He was not embarassed to say that he was influenced by other
cartoonists.

Carl also mentioned "The Katzenjammer Kids" and "Thimble
Theatre"(especially the earlier Segar) as others of his favourite strips
(but he did not say whether or not he may have been influences on him).  He
also mentioned liking several other strips from the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s
that he liked, but I cannot remember which, as I knew little about U.S.
newspaper strips from those periods.  It seems clear that the joy he
received in reading the newspaper cartoon strips in his young childhood
spurred him into his cartooning career.  (But, I believe that has been said
many times in his various biographies?).

Cheers,  Rob Klein