Al Capp

A Life to the Contrary

Biography & Memoir, Artists, Architects & Photographers, Nonfiction, Art & Architecture
Cover of the book Al Capp by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher ISBN: 9781608197859
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: February 26, 2013
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA Language: English
Author: Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
ISBN: 9781608197859
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: February 26, 2013
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA
Language: English

More than thirty years have passed since Al Capp's death, and he may no longer be a household name. But at the height of his career, his groundbreaking comic strip, Li'l Abner, reached ninety million readers. The strip ran for forty-three years, spawned two movies and a Broadway musical, and originated such expressions as "hogwash" and "double-whammy." Capp himself was a familiar personality on TV and radio; as a satirist, he was frequently compared to Mark Twain.

Though Li'l Abner brought millions joy, the man behind the strip was a complicated and often unpleasant person. A childhood accident cost him a leg-leading him to art as a means of distinguishing himself. His apprenticeship with Ham Fisher, creator of Joe Palooka, started a twenty-year feud that ended in Fisher's suicide. Capp enjoyed outsized publicity for a cartoonist, but his status abetted sexual misconduct and protected him from the severest repercussions. Late in life, his politics became extremely conservative; he counted Richard Nixon as a friend,and his gift for satire was redirected at targets like John Lennon, Joan Baez, and anti-war protesters on campuses across the country.

With unprecedented access to Capp's archives and a wealth of new material, Michael Schumacher and Denis Kitchen have written a probing biography. Capp's story is one of incredible highs and lows, of popularity and villainy, of success and failure-told here with authority and heart.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

More than thirty years have passed since Al Capp's death, and he may no longer be a household name. But at the height of his career, his groundbreaking comic strip, Li'l Abner, reached ninety million readers. The strip ran for forty-three years, spawned two movies and a Broadway musical, and originated such expressions as "hogwash" and "double-whammy." Capp himself was a familiar personality on TV and radio; as a satirist, he was frequently compared to Mark Twain.

Though Li'l Abner brought millions joy, the man behind the strip was a complicated and often unpleasant person. A childhood accident cost him a leg-leading him to art as a means of distinguishing himself. His apprenticeship with Ham Fisher, creator of Joe Palooka, started a twenty-year feud that ended in Fisher's suicide. Capp enjoyed outsized publicity for a cartoonist, but his status abetted sexual misconduct and protected him from the severest repercussions. Late in life, his politics became extremely conservative; he counted Richard Nixon as a friend,and his gift for satire was redirected at targets like John Lennon, Joan Baez, and anti-war protesters on campuses across the country.

With unprecedented access to Capp's archives and a wealth of new material, Michael Schumacher and Denis Kitchen have written a probing biography. Capp's story is one of incredible highs and lows, of popularity and villainy, of success and failure-told here with authority and heart.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Saudi Arabia and Iran by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Korean War Aces by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book The Chinese People’s Liberation Army since 1949 by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book No Talking after Lights by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Tales of Terror from the Black Ship by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Theologies of Retrieval by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book The Unpunished Vice by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Failed Alliances of the Cold War by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Karl Barth and the Incarnation by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Race, Place and Globalization by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Philosophy of Educational Research by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Virgil & Owen by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book The Smart City Transformations by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Beyond Nose to Tail by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
Cover of the book Chicken Dust by Denis Kitchen, Michael Schumacher
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy