Cartoonist. He was the creator of the cartoon "Mutt and Jeff", which would become the first to achieve success as a daily newspaper comic strip. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was educated in the city public schools prior to attending the University of Chicago. In 1905 he left Chicago for California, where he joined the" San Francisco Chronicle". Like most early cartoonists, he started with layouts and sports cartoons for the sports department. Soon he introduced a regular strip," A. Mutt", on November 15, 1907, which illustrated racing tips from a gambler. In 1915 he renamed the strip "Mutt and Jeff". He was among the first cartoonists to establish that a comic artist could be financially stable and be socially acceptable. In 1913, he created the Bud Fisher Film Corporation and signed a deal with American Pathé. They made 36 "Mutt and Jeff" short comedy films in 1913, but production ceased for two years when his copyright was challenged. Once the courts upheld the copyright claim, the comic strip was syndicated nationwide, and between 1916 and 1926, his film production company created another 277 "Mutt and Jeff" film productions. Harry Fisher became the world's highest paid cartoonist during the 1920s. In 1932, he authorized cartoonist Al Smith to produce the strip under his supervision, and Smith went on to draw "Mutt and Jeff" for the next 48 years. When Harry Fisher died in 1954, Smith began signing his own name and continued to draw the strip until 1980.
Cartoonist. He was the creator of the cartoon "Mutt and Jeff", which would become the first to achieve success as a daily newspaper comic strip. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was educated in the city public schools prior to attending the University of Chicago. In 1905 he left Chicago for California, where he joined the" San Francisco Chronicle". Like most early cartoonists, he started with layouts and sports cartoons for the sports department. Soon he introduced a regular strip," A. Mutt", on November 15, 1907, which illustrated racing tips from a gambler. In 1915 he renamed the strip "Mutt and Jeff". He was among the first cartoonists to establish that a comic artist could be financially stable and be socially acceptable. In 1913, he created the Bud Fisher Film Corporation and signed a deal with American Pathé. They made 36 "Mutt and Jeff" short comedy films in 1913, but production ceased for two years when his copyright was challenged. Once the courts upheld the copyright claim, the comic strip was syndicated nationwide, and between 1916 and 1926, his film production company created another 277 "Mutt and Jeff" film productions. Harry Fisher became the world's highest paid cartoonist during the 1920s. In 1932, he authorized cartoonist Al Smith to produce the strip under his supervision, and Smith went on to draw "Mutt and Jeff" for the next 48 years. When Harry Fisher died in 1954, Smith began signing his own name and continued to draw the strip until 1980.
Bio by: Shock
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