"Those seeking to achieve fame and success in cartoon work without doing the necessary "ground-work" are doomed to disappointment and would do better to change immediately to some other vocation," Graham warned his audience, emphasizing that "nothing but discouragements will be encountered in the profession." The tenor of Graham's 1935 speech at Columbia certainly suggests he felt wounded by his years in cartooning. "Then," quipped Graham, "the gags will be numerous." In other words, "Be funny or die." (An Ed Graham gag from the "Annual Nudist Number" of Ballyhoo magazine, October, 1936)Īs for that core skill of the cartoonist - the ability to come up with funny ideas - Graham suggested one consider the scenario of "the wolf at the door" to help motivate one's creative funny bone. Graham allowed that the most determined newcomer might enjoy a modicum of success if he possessed the many virtues of "resourcefulness, hard work, careful attention to detail, and intellectual honesty." Graham thoroughly denounced any rumor that would indicate that a cartoonist's life was easy and without hard luck and discouragements," wrote the article's author, Howard Hammer. By then he'd had ten years experience in the cartooning business but struck a cynical tone when addressing his audience at a presentation at Columbia University: "Mr. Graham was the subject of an article in the Maissue of the Columbia Daily Spectator. There he enjoyed some admirable successes: Graham's work soon began appearing on covers and interiors of many major magazines including Life, Ballyhoo, College Humor, Collier's and Judge. Ed Graham began his career as a professional cartoonist in the 1920s when he moved from his home state of Indiana to New York City.
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