'Louie'.
Harry Hanan was a British-American comic artist, best known for his long-running pantomime gag-a-day comic 'Louie' (1947-1976). The series was an international success, published in over 23 countries.
Early life and career
Harry Hanan was born in 1916 in Liverpool, Lancashire. Encouraged by his mother, he studied art at the Liverpool School of Art, after which he became an illustrator, cartoonist, editor and film critic for the Liverpool Evening Express. Hanan earned additional income designing posters and stage sets for theatrical productions in his birth town. In 1940, he married Marjorie Goode. During World War II, he spent six years in the British army as an infantry commander.
'Louie'.
Louie
After Harry Hanan's military service, his mother had arranged a job for him at a small press paper. He soon applied for a magazine with a larger circulation, the London weekly The People. The editors asked him to create a weekly cartoon, which became 'Louie'. First published in March 1947, Louie is a small man with a black mustache. Originally he was an unsuccessful criminal, trying to rob people and banks, but failing every time.
In November 1948, Harry Hanan moved to the United States, settling down in Westfield, New Jersey, while continuing his daily 'Louie' strip and its color Sunday episode. More than one observer has noticed that the character bears a striking resemblance with his creator. Interviewed by Erwin Knoll for Editor and Publisher (15 May 1952), Hanan confessed that he shared Louie's streak for mischievous behavior: "Whenever I see women with feathered hats, I have to suppress the urge to snip the feathers off." Nevertheless, once 'Louie' became a global success, the character abandoned his criminal activities and became a more common, but still terribly unlucky civilian. The series ran until 1976, after which Hanan retired.
'Louie'.
Since 'Louie' was a pantomime comic, it allowed for easy global distribution. The series was syndicated in the United States by Publishers-Hall, and then by The Chicago Tribune Syndicate, eventually running in over 100 U.S. papers. Eventually, 'Louie' was published in about 23 countries. In some translations, his name stayed the same, for instance in the Mexican magazine Novedades. In Sweden, he was translated as 'Ludvig' and published in the Göteborgs-Posten. In the Canadian province of Québec, 'Louie' ran as 'Eusèbe' in Le Petit Journal. In Spanish, the character had no less than three different names. In the Argentinean magazine D'Artagnan, 'Louie' ran under the title 'Juan Cépillo', while in Cuba he was known as 'Luisín'. In Spain, the publishing company Bruguera ran the feature as 'Rebeco'. 'Louie' additionally appeared in Turkey and Japan.
Final years and death
Harry Hanan was also active as a painter. His works were exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the William Allen White Foundation at the University of Kansas. He passed away in 1982, at the age of 65. Several of Hanan's personal archives are nowadays in custody of the University Library of Syracuse, New York.
