Harold Hamgravy
| Harold Hamgravy | |
|---|---|
 Ham Gravy (right) and Castor Oyl (Thimble Theatre, August 5, 1923) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | King Features Syndicate |
| First appearance | Thimble Theatre (December 19, 1919) |
| Created by | E. C. Segar |
Harold Hamgravy, better known as Ham Gravy, is an American comics character from the Thimble Theatre (later Popeye) series, created in 1919 by E. C. Segar.[1][2]
Publication history
[edit]Ham Gravy was the original fiancé of the better-known character Olive Oyl, but was often attracted to other women who were considerably wealthy. Ham was depicted as a slacker who preferred getting rich quick rather than earning money honestly. He was likewise heavily defined in-universe by the considerable size of his nose, often a subject of mockery to other characters. While initially the main protagonist of the strip, Ham was increasingly supplanted by Olive's brother Castor Oyl during the mid-1920s as the latter's characterization evolved into more of an everyman, although Ham nonetheless retained a focal role in several storylines during this period.
In a later strip, Castor and Ham hired a sailor named Popeye to man his ship for a treasure hunt.[3] Intended as a minor supporting character, Popeye proved so popular with readers that he was made a permanent member of the main cast.[4] As Popeye's role expanded, Ham was increasingly phased out of the comic, with the sailor ultimately replacing him as the subject of Olive Oyl's affections following a series of Sunday strips in March 1930. Following two background appearances in May 1930, Ham vanished as a regular altogether; while he made occasional appearances in the later Popeye strips, he never regained comparable prominence.
Ham makes a supporting appearance in the 1980 film Popeye, where Olive has recently left him and has since begun dating Bluto at the film's opening. He was played by Bill Irwin.
References
[edit]- ^ "Introduction on Popeye's Poop Deck.com". Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ Harvey, Robert C. (August 17, 1994). The Art of the Funnies: An Aesthetic History. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 162. Retrieved August 17, 2017 – via Internet Archive.
Harold Hamgravy.
- ^ Drowne, Kathleen Morgan; Huber, Patrick (August 17, 2017). The 1920s. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313320132. Retrieved August 17, 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Stumpf, Charles (January 22, 2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. ISBN 9780786460236. Retrieved August 17, 2017 – via Google Books.
External links
[edit]
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