WRIGHT Douglas “Doug”
Doug Wright’s Family, v. 2: back cover.
Born 11 August 1917 in Dover, England, son of an Oxford graduate killed in World War One.
He immigrated to Montréal in September 1938, on the promise of job in Sun Life Assurance of Canada’s art department for $90 a month.
In June 1942, he joined the R.C.A.F. and went to Manitoba. During his training he crashed an Avro Anson and after a brief convalescence he was made a navigation instructor at No 1 Central Navigation School in Rivers, Manitoba. His continual sketching caught the eye of an officer in charge of service magazines, and soon Wright was producing “Lord Whiff of Grapeshot” under the pseudonym “Ozzie” for The Station. The war was winding down, and so he was discharged from the R.C.A.F. in August 1945.
Back in civilian life, and working for Sun Life Insurance again, Wright tried to break into cartooning. He submitted his portfolio to the Montreal Standard, and although Art Director Dick Hersey did not hire him, he began offering Wright illustration jobs which over the course of a couple of years increased in importance and frequency. Finally in May 1948, he quit Sun Life and became a full-time freelancer.
When Jimmie Frise died suddenly 13 June 1948 Wright was asked by Dick Hersy to take over Juniper Junction. Unfortunately, without Frise, Juniper Junction’s readership declined and so it was decided to cancel it. Only a few days before it was finished, Wright received a call from the editor of the Family Herald who wanted it for that publication. Both the Standard and the Family Herald were owned by the Montreal Star.“ Juniper Junction” appeared in that periodical until it ceased publication in September 1968. Wright did not sign the strip for the first five years as he thought the strip belonged to Frise, but finally the Family Herald insisted he sign it which he did with DAW. Interestingly you can see elements of what will become Doug’s own creation “Nipper/Doug Wright’s Family” very early in these “Juniper Junctions”.
About a year after taking over “Juniper Junction”. Wright began a nameless strip inspired by a chance look at a gag cartoon about a youngster in Punch magazine, and an editor’s note suggesting more cartoons about kids would be desirable. Wright, at home that night, created a throw away cartoon about a youngster. It was published, 12 March 1949 as a filler in the Standard. The response, prompted the editors to ask Wright to do one every other week, and then due to its popularity once a week. The strangest part of this cartoon was that Wright was still a bachelor. He would not marry Phyllis Sanford, till September 4, 1952.The new feature was named “Nipper” by the editor.
In 1951, The Standard facing stiff completion from the Star Weekly changed its format from weekly magazine to a magazine supplement inserted into other major newspapers across Canada and its name to Weekend. “Nipper” survived this transition and reached an even larger audience.
In 1954, the Montreal Star, the Weekend’s owner, invited Doug to do weekly editorial cartoons filling in for Ed McNally, In these cartoons we get a whole different world view from him. He attacked everything from city corruption to social attitudes. Brad MacKay has likened him to the great British cartoonist Carl Giles, who apparently was a favourite of Doug’s. It was about this time that Doug reduced “Juniper Junction” from a full page cartoon to a half page.
In June 1966, he and his family moved to Burlington Ontario. On 7 January 1967, a new feature called “Doug Wright’s Family appeared in a new weekly supplement called The Canadian. he now drew editorial cartoons for the Spectator [Hamilton], filling in for Blaine MacDonald. However, these cartoons were never political commentary like his Montreal Star work. Rather they were a humorous look at every day people in everyday situations. His satire was reserved for a daily panel he created called “Max and Mini” or alternately “Tickytacky Township”.
Doug Wright suffered a stroke in March 1980 which effectively ended his cartooning career. On 3 January 1983, he suffered a second stroke and died on 4 January just short of 66 years old.
WORK:
CARTOONIST:
BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:
Content cartoon editorial & Cover book wrap around:
Doug Wright: Editorial Cartoons. The Spectator [Hamilton], 1973.
Content strip & Cover book front:
The Collected Doug Wright. Ed., Seth (G. Gallant) & Brad MacKay. Drawn & Quarterly, Apr. 2009.
Doug Wright’s Family, vol. 2. The Canadian Magazine Readers Service, Oct. 1975.
Content strip & Cover book front & back:
Doug Wright’s Family. Canadian Homes Service, 1971.
Nipper 1963-1964. Drawn & Quarterly, Oct. 2010.
Nipper 1965-1966. Drawn & Quarterly, Aug. 2011.
Nipper 1967-1968. Drawn & Quarterly, Dec. 2012.
PERIODICAL TEXT:
Content strip cartoon full page:
| Family Herald & Weekly Star: Canada’s National Farm Magazine, …: “Juniper Junction”: … | |||
| 25 January 1950: 36.
8 February 1950: 42. 18 May 1950: 44. |
18 January 1951: 38.
15 February 1951: 38. 22 February 1951: 44. |
22 March 1951: 42.
10 April 1952: 44.
|
25 December 1952: 40.
17 December 1953: 32. |
Content strip cartoon half page:
| Family Herald & Weekly Star: Canada’s National Farm Magazine, …: “Juniper Junction”: … | |||
| 29 April 1954: 36.
12 May 1954: 38. |
8 July 1954: 28.
13 January 1955: 34. |
21 April 1955: 44.
|
15 December 1955: 40. |
| Family Herald: Canada’s National Farm Magazine, …: “Juniper Junction”: … | |||
| 31 January 1957: 39.
2 May 1957: 30. 30 May 1957: 30. 27 June 1957: 24. 21 November 1957: 32 |
6 February 1958: 32.
8 May 1958: 36. 5 June 1958: 26. 17 July 1958: 26. 24 July 1958: 26.
|
19 March 1959: 36.
2 June 1960: 22. 23 February 1961: 36. 20 April 1961: 34. 11may 1961: 30. 15 June 1961: 39. |
11 April 1963: 44.
4 July 1963: 39. 26 September 1963: 69. 10 October 1963: 78. 19 December 1963: 28. 17 December 1964: 14. |
ILLUSTRATOR:
BOOK TEXT:
Content autobiography Cover dust jacket:
And Now . . . Here’s Max. Writ., Max Ferguson. McGraw- Hill Co. of Canada Ltd., 1967.
PERIODICAL TEXT ANTHOLOGY:
Content advertising:
Weekend, 9-16, 1959 April 18: For Simonize Floor Wax: 65.
SOURCE:
Article book:
The Collected Doug Wright. Drawn & Quarterly, Apr. 2009: “ “Afterword.” Writ., G. Gallant (Seth): 22-50. “Mr. Wright.” Writ., Brad MacKay: 22-50.
The Hecklers. Writ. & Ed.., Peter Desbarates & Terry Mosher. McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 1979: 254.
Drawn and Quarterly: Twenty-Five Years …. Drawn & Quarterly, May 2015: “Drawing From Real Life: an appreciation.” Writ., Brad McKay: 290-291. “On Doug Wright.” Writ., Gregory Gallant (Seth): 292-297.
Nipper 1963-1964. Drawn & Quarterly, Oct. 2010. “Mr. Doug Wright.” Writ., Brad MacKay.
Nipper 1965-1966. Drawn & Quarterly, Aug. 2011. “Mr. Doug Wright.” Writ., MacKay.
Nipper 1967-1968.: Drawn & Quarterly, Dec. 2012: “Mr. Doug Wright.” Writ., MacKay.
Article periodical:
Now and Then Times, 1-1, Summer 1972: “Doug Wright.” Writ., Dave Sim. 17+.
Inks: Cartoon & Comic Arts Studies, 4-2, May 1997: “An Introduction to the Canadian Newspaper Comic.” Writ., Kenneth Barker. 18-25.
GALLERY:
Doug Wright Editorial Cartoons, 1973, back & front covers.