When I was kid growing up in the Washington DC area in the 1960s, "Freddy" was one of my favorite comix strips. I guess I just identified with that fat kid for some reason. So it bothers me that "Freddy" and his creator (Robert "Rupe" Baldwin) seem to have vanished into obscurity.
Agreed ! Fred was great. I grew up in NYC. A cousin (now a senior VP at a Bank) was nicknamed after Fred J Mcready back in the 1960's. The name stuck. Four decades later his closest friends still call him that. After discussing it at dinner tonight I went looking for "Freddy". This site was all I could find. What a shame.
My favorite Freddy: Scene 1: Freddy talking to Charlene: When my mother is upset she says "Oh my goodness". Scene 2: When my father is upset he says Scene 3: Charlene has her hands covering Freddy's mouth before he can finish.
My favorite that I can recall was of Freddy all dirtied from playing outside. His mother asked "Do you know what good, clean fun is?" Freddy replied, "No I don't. What good is it?
Has any one ever published a compilation of Freddy comic strips?
My older brother compiled a scrapbook of Sunday Freddys and it was great fun reading it as a young lad in the early 60s. Long gone and forgotten, Freddy was mischievous and liked putting pencils in his head and messing with his fellow character Ernest and others. IIRC, he would buy Atomic Belly Busters (or something like that) from a jawbreaker machine.
Nice to read all this. Rupe - Bob Baldwin - was our dad. A really fine artist, and maybe the wrong shaped peg for the thirties, forties, fifties. . He could draw, paint, sculpt anything, and so sometimes he deprecated his talent. Not a real happy guy, but a tower, and funny. So was his wife, Helen, who wrote some of the gags. Mark Baldwin
Got to wondering about that old comic "Freddy" that I used to enjoy in the Toronto Telegram before it folded in 1970. Nice to see that it was appreciated by others here as well. Will always remember the teacher calling on Freddy while he was sleeping at his desk, and him shouting out,"Mom - you always wake me up too early for that dumb school!" and then hiding behind his book in embarrassment as his classmates roared.
Mark (Baldwin), it would be really great if you could put together a book of his drawings. Growing up, my 3 brothers and I always looked forward to each day's paper. After all these years, it still comes up in conversations. I'll bet a LOT of graying adults would love to have that book.
When I was kid growing up in the Washington DC area in the 1960s, "Freddy" was one of my favorite comix strips. I guess I just identified with that fat kid for some reason. So it bothers me that "Freddy" and his creator (Robert "Rupe" Baldwin) seem to have vanished into obscurity.
ReplyDeleteAgreed ! Fred was great. I grew up in NYC. A cousin (now a senior VP at a Bank) was nicknamed after Fred J Mcready back in the 1960's. The name stuck. Four decades later his closest friends still call him that. After discussing it at dinner tonight I went looking for "Freddy". This site was all I could find. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Freddy:
ReplyDeleteScene 1: Freddy talking to Charlene: When my mother is upset she says "Oh my goodness".
Scene 2: When my father is upset he says
Scene 3: Charlene has her hands covering Freddy's mouth before he can finish.
My favorite that I can recall was of Freddy all dirtied from playing outside. His mother asked "Do you know what good, clean fun is?" Freddy replied, "No I don't. What good is it?
ReplyDeleteHas any one ever published a compilation of Freddy comic strips?
My older brother compiled a scrapbook of Sunday Freddys and it was great fun reading it as a young lad in the early 60s. Long gone and forgotten, Freddy was mischievous and liked putting pencils in his head and messing with his fellow character Ernest and others. IIRC, he would buy Atomic Belly Busters (or something like that) from a jawbreaker machine.
ReplyDeleteNice to read all this. Rupe - Bob Baldwin - was our dad. A really fine artist, and maybe the wrong shaped peg for the thirties, forties, fifties. . He could draw, paint, sculpt anything, and so sometimes he deprecated his talent. Not a real happy guy, but a tower, and funny. So was his wife, Helen, who wrote some of the gags.
ReplyDeleteMark Baldwin
Thanks Mark for commenting and sharing some insight about your dad! He was a great cartoonist!
ReplyDeletePanel one: (Freddy and his dog watching TV) From the TV a voice says, "When boys die they go to heaven..."
ReplyDeletePanel two: Announcer continues, "And when dogs die they go to their own heaven."
Panel three: Both Freddy and his dog separately think to themselves, "Separate heavens?"
Got to wondering about that old comic "Freddy" that I used to enjoy in the Toronto Telegram before it folded in 1970. Nice to see that it was appreciated by others here as well. Will always remember the teacher calling on Freddy while he was sleeping at his desk, and him shouting out,"Mom - you always wake me up too early for that dumb school!" and then hiding behind his book in embarrassment as his classmates roared.
ReplyDeleteit was "Atomic Belly Burners."
ReplyDeleteMark (Baldwin), it would be really great if you could put together a book of his drawings. Growing up, my 3 brothers and I always looked forward to each day's paper. After all these years, it still comes up in conversations. I'll bet a LOT of graying adults would love to have that book.
ReplyDelete-Rich W.
I loved reading Freddy back when I was a kid. I really identified with the character. Good times...
ReplyDeleteI have tried to live by J. Fred Mcreddy's motto, "DO GOOD STUFF".
ReplyDeleteWhat about Uncle Mikes houseboat
ReplyDelete