George Baker (1) (1915–1975)
Author of The Sad Sack
For other authors named George Baker, see the disambiguation page.
Series
Works by George Baker
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Baker, George Walter
- Birthdate
- 1915-05-22
- Date of death
- 1975-05-05
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- cartoonist
- Short biography
- George Baker was the creator of the popular cartoon character Sad Sack, the hapless Army private in the ill-fitting uniform who never seemed to be able to do anything right. Spotlighted for his shortcomings, overlooked for his few achievements, and forever the brunt of "rank-pulling," Sad Sack became a welcome mascot for millions of American soldiers overwhelmed by the inconsistencies and red tape of military life.
The character of Sad Sack has been capitalized into a sizable industry, including drinking glasses, costume jewelry, appliques for clothing, comic books, animated cartoons, and a radio series featuring the voice of Jim Backus, which was later released as a sound recording by Mark 56 Records in 1975. A movie based on Baker's work was produced by Paramount and starred Jerry Lewis as the bungling private. - Nationality
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
While I knew Sad Sack began as a comic for the troops, I didn't realize how popular it became post-war and how many forms it took until I did some web searching.
This book is a selection of the the original cartoons for in Yank magazine printed for the soldiers. These are all pantomime strips. I don't know if the order is that of original publication, but they follow the Sad Sack from bootcamp to Europe then to the Pacific and finally to a few post-war but not post-Army strips. It's an show more excellent slice of history. Each strip feels rooted in reality, unlike Beetle Bailey or the later Sad Sack comics. Readers might be surprised at hojw many of the strips in an official Army publication made officers the enemy or focused on street walkers. Also unexpected are a few strips where the Sad Sack comes out on top at the end. One particularly poignant strip has the Sad Sack passing bombed-out ruins with families trying to find shelter amid the rubble, ending with him gratefully bedding down in a hole in the ground in the rain.
Also of comic history interest is a foreword by Alfred Harvey, founder of Harvey Comics. Harvey Comics published nearly 300 Sad Sack comics from 1949 on, but the foreword is about Harvey's personal relationship with Baker.
Recommended for both the humor and the history. show less
This book is a selection of the the original cartoons for in Yank magazine printed for the soldiers. These are all pantomime strips. I don't know if the order is that of original publication, but they follow the Sad Sack from bootcamp to Europe then to the Pacific and finally to a few post-war but not post-Army strips. It's an show more excellent slice of history. Each strip feels rooted in reality, unlike Beetle Bailey or the later Sad Sack comics. Readers might be surprised at hojw many of the strips in an official Army publication made officers the enemy or focused on street walkers. Also unexpected are a few strips where the Sad Sack comes out on top at the end. One particularly poignant strip has the Sad Sack passing bombed-out ruins with families trying to find shelter amid the rubble, ending with him gratefully bedding down in a hole in the ground in the rain.
Also of comic history interest is a foreword by Alfred Harvey, founder of Harvey Comics. Harvey Comics published nearly 300 Sad Sack comics from 1949 on, but the foreword is about Harvey's personal relationship with Baker.
Recommended for both the humor and the history. show less
Always loved Sad Sack, this was my original copy purchased in 1978
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 19
- Members
- 123
- Popularity
- #162,200
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 36
- Languages
- 1