Cartoons, cartoons, cartoons.... John Crowther's Cartoon Odyssey

I think of it as The Fool's Journey. I've been asked who the "fool" is. It's me, but in the classical sense of the court jester. Only the fool was allowed to tell the king of his follies. All cartoons are available as prints or originals, framed or unframed, through my website or e-mail. For mugs, t-shirts, and other products visit my gift shop at www.zazzle.com/jcrowtherart* (be sure to include the *).

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Crazy About You

For another indication of how rapidly the world is speeding along now, as opposed to past centuries and millenia, consider that today is the 87th anniversary of the first singing telegram, at once an art form and communications medium that has gone the way of the typewriter. One can only imagine the horrified look on the face of the intitial recipient, when a stranger  showed up on his or her doorstep and croaked "Happy Birthday."

6 Comments:

Blogger Andrew said...

"Singing telegram.... an art form and communications medium that has gone the way of the typewriter"

To that I say thank God for small favors.

I miss my typewriter though.

2:03 PM  
Blogger John M Crowther said...

Andrew, when my older brother was about six he asked my grandmother for money to buy an ice cream. She decided the moment was right to teach him a life lesson, so she told him if he wanted money he would have to earn it. "I can't," he said, "daddy won't let me use his typewriter."

I don't miss the infernal instrument of torture at all.

4:22 PM  
Anonymous Jean Burman said...

I miss the old typewriters. The clackety clack of the keys and the fact that you had to thump them solidly to get a response. The manual return at the end of the line was the icing on the cake... oh and before that of course... the resounding ding that heralded the end of the line at the right hand margin. Ahhh... bliss.... (((chuckles)))

1:56 AM  
Blogger John M Crowther said...

A perfect example of different strokes, etc. All those triggers just throw me into a panic attack. [grin] I'm an inveterate rewriter. Add that to my obsessive compulsive need for clean pages and you have a perfect storm for typewriterphobia. When I first learned about word processing three decades ago I was convinced God had invented the computer with me in mind. Ding.

9:41 AM  
Blogger Andrew said...

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't want to relive the days of typing term papers on a typewriter. (Thank God for End Notes vs actual foot notes!) Writing is all about rewriting and editing, so word processors are perfect for the job.

But every time I stuff an envelope into a laser printer, I think how much simpler it would be with the old Smith Corona.

BTW, do you know where I can get needles for my Victrola?

9:48 AM  
Blogger John M Crowther said...

Wind-up, I hope.

9:57 AM  

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