Fine Arts

Cartoonist and Illustrator Buford Tune

Talented illustrator and cartoonist Buford Tune inked cartoons, comic strips and illustrations for newspapers, magazines, and film studios (Paramount Pictures advertising) from the 1920s through the 1970s.

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(Buford Tune Cartoon 1932: Baloonacy |  Broadway and Hollywood “Movies”)

A Texas native, Buford Tune (born Aug. 26, 1906) is best known for taking over illustrations for the Dotty Dripple comic strip from Jeff Keate and Jim McMenamy, a few months after it was created by them in 1944.

dotty dripple, cartoons, comic strip, 1951, cartoonist, illustrator, artist, buford tune, (Dotty Dripple 1952 Comic Strip 1951: Buford Tune | Sponsor)

The Dotty Dripple cartoon characters bear a remarkable resemblance to the more well known and still running Dagwood and Blondie cartoon characters created by Chic Young around 1930.

Prior to working on Dotty Dripple, Buford Tune illustrated the syndicated comic strip Doings of the Duffs from 1928 to 1931.

doings of the duffs, cartoons, comic strip, 1917, cartoonist, illustrator, artist, walter r allman(Doings of the Duffs Comic Strip Dec. 8 1917 by Walter R. Allman | The Tacoma Times)

The creator of Doing of the Duffs was one Walter Allman, c. 1914, and the strip was continued after his death first by cartoonist Ben Batsford in 1924, until Tune took over in 1928.  

buford tune, american cartoonist, cartoons, comic strip, illustrator, artist, baloonacy, film industry, movies, funny, jokes, humor, 1933, i tank i go home now(Buford Tune Cartoon 1932: Baloonacy |  Broadway and Hollywood “Movies”)

From mid-1931 through mid-1934, Buford Tune was a contributor to the Baloonacy cartoon section in the monthly Broadway and Hollywood “Movies” fan magazine.

buford tune, american cartoonist, cartoons, comic strip, illustrator, artist, baloonacy, film industry, movies, funny, jokes, humor, 1933(Buford Tune Cartoon 1932-1934: Baloonacy |  Broadway and Hollywood “Movies”)

These cartoons were often film industry-oriented gags designed to appeal to Broadway theatre-goers, movie fans, and film studio insiders.

Other cartoonist who contributed to Baloonacy included Walt Munson, Phil Rolfsen, and Adolph Barreaux.

buford tune, american cartoonist, cartoons, comic strip, illustrator, artist, baloonacy, film industry, movies, funny, jokes, humor, 1933, 1934, back in 98, picture without a title(Buford Tune Cartoon 1933-1934: Baloonacy |  Broadway and Hollywood “Movies”)

They were quite often “racy” by standards of the day (and today too, sometimes).

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(Buford Tune Cartoon 1932-1933: Baloonacy |  Broadway and Hollywood “Movies”)

Buford Tune died on May 21, 1989.

buford tune, american cartoonist, cartoons, comic strip, illustrator, artist, baloonacy, film industry, movies, funny, jokes, humor, 1933, gwan stick your head in, thats great boys, now lets rehearse it a couple more times(Buford Tune Cartoon 1932-1933: Baloonacy |  Broadway and Hollywood “Movies”)

*Images are believed to be in the public domain and/or Creative Commons licensed & sourced via Wikimedia Commons, Vimeo, YouTube, or Flickr, unless otherwise noted*

Anita Hamilton

50+ World editor & writer Anita Hamilton's articles are inspired by real historical events, places, and people. Her travel experiences, a lifelong keen interest in history, art, vintage music, books, silent films, classic movies, "golden age" television shows, fashion, & entertainment in general - combined with years of research - make her a subject matter expert with acquired knowledge & expertise on these topics. This, and a loving and supportive family complete with 3 mini-dachshund minions, keeps her busy.

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