Brunello Lodovico Dalpra
Brunello was the Bemus Bay Pops mascot! Brunello's owner is Danelle Dalpra who was head chef at the Italian Fisherman and one of Dan and Sue's three daughters. This photo was taken in 2017 so Brunello has grown up since this photo was taken of him as a puppy. He posed for me that day in Bemus Point as if to say .. "Do you want my paw autograph?"
"Why sure, Brunello. You are a celebrity! Do you know another celebrity dog? I just happen to know one and his name is Marmaduke. Marmaduke's owner was the world-famous cartoonist, Brad Anderson who happened to be a cousin of mine!"
I didn't see Brad on a regular basis since he lived out-of-State though I do recall when Brad and his wife, Barb visited Chautauqua County from their home north of Houston Texas they would stop at the Cadwell Cheese House in Dewittville NY for an assortment of cheeses and to see owners, Ford Cadwell and his daughter, Jane Currie. When I lived in South Florida I recall spending time with Brad and Barb in Boca Raton FL at the International Museum of Cartoon Art.
The late cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey started the IMCA in Greenwich CT though it eventually was relocated to FL and is now on the campus of Ohio State University.
During Brad's life he would often times send me letters with a hand-drawn cartoon. Brad would always sign the letters with two endearing words, Woof Woof. Brad and Barb who were high school sweethearts owned a female Great Dane named Marmaladee who we had the pleasure of meeting when Bill and I visited them in Texas many years ago. They lived on Lake Conroe so during one fun visit the Andersons they took us for a boat ride. I don't recall the name of their boat though somehow I imagine it to be .. Marmaladee or Marmaduke.
Brad's Great Dane named Marmaladee was often times a contributor to the cartoon. She liked to engulf Brad's hand with her mouth while Brad tried to draw. When designing the statue to Brad's specifications prior to his passing this photo was the one that was used to help create the statue images as it happened in real life.
The sculptor, Don Sottile from Penn Yan NY and formerly from Westfield NY is also the sculptor of the President Abraham Lincoln and Grace Bedell statues who are in Westfield on the corner of N. Portage and Main Street. Don was present at the statue unveiling in Portland along with the Anderson family, friends and guests.
Don studied art at the State University College at Buffalo New York, the University de Siena and Scuola del'Arte in Italy majoring in painting and sculpture. He decided to return to his first love of fine art sculpture so he built his own studio. He has since produced may commissioned works and a body of personal work for several shows winning numerous awards as well as being acclaimed in the art world.
At the start of this project, Sottile was able to meet with Brad who discussed what he wanted the statue to portray. The final product depicts Anderson being nudged in the arm by Marmaduke in an effort to get a play session started as Brad is in the middle of drawing a comic. This was based on Anderson's own dog's attempts to lure him away from work. Because Sottile was able to exchange ideas in person with his subject, he was able to capture the look on Marmaduke's playful face and place the figures in the positions that Anderson wanted. This collaboration created a beautiful tribute to Anderson for all to enjoy.
Brad was father to a daughter, Christine and three sons Craig, Paul and Mark. His son, Paul now draws the cartoon though Brad continued to draw the antics of Marmaduke until his passing.
"During the time I was drawing various types of dogs in my magazine cartoons, I was also trying to develop a dog character specifically for eventual newspaper syndication. You couldn't see the eyes of my shaggy dogs so as I thought more about it I decided I wanted a dog where I could have an expressive face."
Anderson, who said that he drew on the Laurel and Hardy routines for his ideas received numerous awards and recognitions for his work. In 1978, he received the Newspaper Panel Award from the National Cartoonists Society and in 2012, the NCS awarded him the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award. Syracuse University awarded him the George Arents Pioneer Medal for alumni in 1999. Many Marmaduke book compilations appeared including a 50th anniversary compilation. Brad was generous with his time and frequently visited schools. He worked for and donated artwork to many animal charities.
Marmaduke was animated by Ruby Spears in 1980 for segments in the animated Heathcliff show and a full length live action movie based on the strip, Marmaduke appeared in 2010. The voice of Marmaduke was actor, Owen Wilson. Other voices featured in the film were from Fergie, George Lopez, Emma Stone and Kiefer Sutherland.
Brad was born to Jennie and Perl Anderson in Jamestown NY though Brad grew up in Portland NY. His mother said that he started to draw before he began to speak! His hometown roots raised him to be an honorable and humble man who was committed to his family and country, along with bringing joy to others through his Marmaduke cartoon. He began drawing at an early age and sold his first cartoon to Flying Aces magazine when he was only 15 years old. Following his graduation from Brocton Central School in 1943, he served with the U.S. Navy until 1946 in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After the war, he attended Syracuse University under the GI Bill intending to study industrial design, but he graduated in 1951 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a major in advertising.
While at Syracuse, Brad served as an editor and regularly published cartoons in the student magazine entitled The Syracusan. After graduation he went to work for Ball & Grier, an advertising agency in Utica NY for two years leaving in 1953 to focus his career as a freelance cartoonist and submitted single panel cartoon drawings to the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and other magazines. In 1954, he began two family oriented comic strips, Grandpa's Boy which he drew until 1966 and he created his famous "Marmaduke" comic strip that became extremely popular and the strip he was best known for through the years. Marmaduke was syndicated in 600 newspapers which included 20 countries worldwide. Among them were the United States, Sweden, Greece and England. Marmaduke was a winning formula and remains one of the longest running syndicated newspaper comic strips of all time!
Brad believed that part of his comic's strength derived from the fact that he did not try to give the dog a human personality. "He's not a talking dog. He doesn't walk on his hind legs. He walks and does things a real dog would do", said Brad. His cartoon helped fill a void for older people who could no longer keep an animal.
A gigantic dog frequently described as a canine Dennis the Menace, Marmaduke drove his owner, Phil Winslow, crazy in one-panel comics on weekdays and in strips on Sundays. Brad told the Dallas Mornings News in 1999 .. "I wanted a larger dog. I wanted a dog that doesn't know it's a big dog, because big dogs don't realize how large they are. They want to sit in your lap."
If you look closely at the above cartoon, you will see his son, Paul's signature tucked in by his father's famous signature.
"I get alot of letters from people who are in retirement homes and sometimes they can't keep a dog anymore so this is their pet. They watch the paper for it and they clip is out and put it in scrapbooks."
I didn't see Brad on a regular basis since he lived out-of-State though I do recall when Brad and his wife, Barb visited Chautauqua County from their home north of Houston Texas they would stop at the Cadwell Cheese House in Dewittville NY for an assortment of cheeses and to see owners, Ford Cadwell and his daughter, Jane Currie. When I lived in South Florida I recall spending time with Brad and Barb in Boca Raton FL at the International Museum of Cartoon Art.
The late cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey started the IMCA in Greenwich CT though it eventually was relocated to FL and is now on the campus of Ohio State University.
During Brad's life he would often times send me letters with a hand-drawn cartoon. Brad would always sign the letters with two endearing words, Woof Woof. Brad and Barb who were high school sweethearts owned a female Great Dane named Marmaladee who we had the pleasure of meeting when Bill and I visited them in Texas many years ago. They lived on Lake Conroe so during one fun visit the Andersons they took us for a boat ride. I don't recall the name of their boat though somehow I imagine it to be .. Marmaladee or Marmaduke.
Anderson's studio was re-created for the National Comedy Center in Jamestown NY which opened on August 1, 2018. The donated studio includes Anderson's original drawing board and materials. I have personally seen this re-created studio and I was emotionally moved when seeing the beautiful tribute to my cousin, Brad Anderson.
Brad's Great Dane named Marmaladee was often times a contributor to the cartoon. She liked to engulf Brad's hand with her mouth while Brad tried to draw. When designing the statue to Brad's specifications prior to his passing this photo was the one that was used to help create the statue images as it happened in real life.
The sculptor, Don Sottile from Penn Yan NY and formerly from Westfield NY is also the sculptor of the President Abraham Lincoln and Grace Bedell statues who are in Westfield on the corner of N. Portage and Main Street. Don was present at the statue unveiling in Portland along with the Anderson family, friends and guests.
Don studied art at the State University College at Buffalo New York, the University de Siena and Scuola del'Arte in Italy majoring in painting and sculpture. He decided to return to his first love of fine art sculpture so he built his own studio. He has since produced may commissioned works and a body of personal work for several shows winning numerous awards as well as being acclaimed in the art world.
At the start of this project, Sottile was able to meet with Brad who discussed what he wanted the statue to portray. The final product depicts Anderson being nudged in the arm by Marmaduke in an effort to get a play session started as Brad is in the middle of drawing a comic. This was based on Anderson's own dog's attempts to lure him away from work. Because Sottile was able to exchange ideas in person with his subject, he was able to capture the look on Marmaduke's playful face and place the figures in the positions that Anderson wanted. This collaboration created a beautiful tribute to Anderson for all to enjoy.
Brad was father to a daughter, Christine and three sons Craig, Paul and Mark. His son, Paul now draws the cartoon though Brad continued to draw the antics of Marmaduke until his passing.
"During the time I was drawing various types of dogs in my magazine cartoons, I was also trying to develop a dog character specifically for eventual newspaper syndication. You couldn't see the eyes of my shaggy dogs so as I thought more about it I decided I wanted a dog where I could have an expressive face."
Anderson, who said that he drew on the Laurel and Hardy routines for his ideas received numerous awards and recognitions for his work. In 1978, he received the Newspaper Panel Award from the National Cartoonists Society and in 2012, the NCS awarded him the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award. Syracuse University awarded him the George Arents Pioneer Medal for alumni in 1999. Many Marmaduke book compilations appeared including a 50th anniversary compilation. Brad was generous with his time and frequently visited schools. He worked for and donated artwork to many animal charities.
Marmaduke was animated by Ruby Spears in 1980 for segments in the animated Heathcliff show and a full length live action movie based on the strip, Marmaduke appeared in 2010. The voice of Marmaduke was actor, Owen Wilson. Other voices featured in the film were from Fergie, George Lopez, Emma Stone and Kiefer Sutherland.
Brad was born to Jennie and Perl Anderson in Jamestown NY though Brad grew up in Portland NY. His mother said that he started to draw before he began to speak! His hometown roots raised him to be an honorable and humble man who was committed to his family and country, along with bringing joy to others through his Marmaduke cartoon. He began drawing at an early age and sold his first cartoon to Flying Aces magazine when he was only 15 years old. Following his graduation from Brocton Central School in 1943, he served with the U.S. Navy until 1946 in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After the war, he attended Syracuse University under the GI Bill intending to study industrial design, but he graduated in 1951 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a major in advertising.
While at Syracuse, Brad served as an editor and regularly published cartoons in the student magazine entitled The Syracusan. After graduation he went to work for Ball & Grier, an advertising agency in Utica NY for two years leaving in 1953 to focus his career as a freelance cartoonist and submitted single panel cartoon drawings to the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's and other magazines. In 1954, he began two family oriented comic strips, Grandpa's Boy which he drew until 1966 and he created his famous "Marmaduke" comic strip that became extremely popular and the strip he was best known for through the years. Marmaduke was syndicated in 600 newspapers which included 20 countries worldwide. Among them were the United States, Sweden, Greece and England. Marmaduke was a winning formula and remains one of the longest running syndicated newspaper comic strips of all time!
Brad believed that part of his comic's strength derived from the fact that he did not try to give the dog a human personality. "He's not a talking dog. He doesn't walk on his hind legs. He walks and does things a real dog would do", said Brad. His cartoon helped fill a void for older people who could no longer keep an animal.
A gigantic dog frequently described as a canine Dennis the Menace, Marmaduke drove his owner, Phil Winslow, crazy in one-panel comics on weekdays and in strips on Sundays. Brad told the Dallas Mornings News in 1999 .. "I wanted a larger dog. I wanted a dog that doesn't know it's a big dog, because big dogs don't realize how large they are. They want to sit in your lap."
"I get alot of letters from people who are in retirement homes and sometimes they can't keep a dog anymore so this is their pet. They watch the paper for it and they clip is out and put it in scrapbooks."
"I have enjoyed doing Marmaduke who resembles a very big Great Dane, but he's really a cartoon dog and so are all of his dog buddies, but they resemble different breeds which made it fun for me to draw. In the beginning, I wanted Marmaduke to take on the characteristics of a real dog, so he walks on four feet and doesn't talk. He's not a talking dog who says cute or funny words. Also, Marm is not into politics, religion or whatever. He does like to sleep at his master's bed or chair, bury bones in the backyard, stand on his dog house and look into the neighbor's yard, ride in the car, watch cartoons and shows on TV, play with the kids, visit the retirement home, go for a walk and chow down dog food. Marmaduke has alot of real dog habits that lead him into funny situations. It seems to me that dogs are more popular than ever and I anticipate Marmaduke will continue creating laughs, chuckles and smiles. Always think of Marmaduke as a real dog who ended up in the cartoon pages."
Bradley Jay "Brad" Anderson
May 14, 1924 - August 30, 2015
Rest in Eternal Peace, Cousin Brad
Pat Locke
Maestro Muse
