Special Guests: John Rose and Mike Curtis!
We continue celebrating the 40th anniversary of the National Lum and Abner Society with a look back. Only this time, there was no NLAS activity a decade ago, so we’ll look at 2015! The NLAS held its final (hopefully not forever!) event in Mena/Pine Ridge, Arkansas with special guests!
The new Lum and Abner comic strips will return next week!!
“Off to the Festival!” – Chapter 6
The National Lum and Abner Society held a Convention in Mena, Arkansas in 2015 in conjunction with The Lum and Abner Festival! Our special guests were two stars of the syndicated comic strip world, John Rose, cartoonist of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, and Mike Curtis, writer of Dick Tracy!
“What do Snuffy Smith and Dick Tracy have to do with Lum and Abner?“ you might ask. Well, for many decades, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith has featured a similar style of rural humor, and Lum and Abner even discussed the comic strip on some of their programs! The strip’s second cartoonist, Fred Lasswell, was an NLAS member, plus his aunt, actress Vivian Lasswell, performed on some Lum and Abner programs!
If you’ve been following these Lum and Abner reruns, you’ll know that Lum and Abner actually had a cameo in a 2014 Dick Tracy Sunday strip, written by Mike Curtis and illustrated by Joe Staton!
John and Mike performed in a couple of Old Time Radio style scripts with us on the stage of the former Lyric Theatre, now the Ouachita Little Theatre in Mena! It was only natural to feature both gentlemen in the comic strip!
Both men received The Lum and Abner Memorial Award!
Look closely at the third panel! You’ll see, left-to-right, Mike Curtis’ good friend Coffee plus Debbie and Sam Brown and Tim Hollis!
Cartoonist/photographer: Donnie Pitchford
Audio credits:
Our 2021 announcer is Dr. Joe Oliver!
Music by Marc Ridgeway!
Dick Huddleston: Sam Brown!
Lum: Tim Hollis!
Abner: Donnie Pitchford!
John Rose: John Rose!
Mike Curtis: Mike Curtis!
Click to listen!
(Please note that the URL in the strip below is no longer valid. Thanks)
Lum and Abner Comic Strip 