Darrell Craig McClure

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Square-Rigger Argyle Castle

D. McClure, courtesy NPS

Darrell Craig McClure February 25, 1903 Ukiah, California - February 27, 1987 Talmage, California, was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for his work on the comic strip Little Annie Rooney from 1930 to 1966. This imitation of Little Orphan Annie had familiar name from an 1890 song by Michael Nolan and a 1925 silent film starring Mary Pickford as Little Annie Rooney.

After working as a tailor, lumberjack and merchant seaman, McClure began an apprenticeship as a cartoonist and animator. He never lost his love of the sea, living at times on his 45-foot yacht, Small Wonder, and illustrating for Yachting. He formally studied cartooning in San Francisco and later at the California School of Fine Arts.

He moved to New York City and began working for King Features Syndicate. In the late 1920s, his first strips Vanilla and the Villains and Hard Hearted Hickey appeared. Later, after taking over Little Annie Rooney (except for Sundays) from two previous artists for the New York Journal, he tried another strip of his own, Donnie. These comic strips were short-lived. During the height of Little Annie Rooney's popularity, McClure built a house in Greenwich, Connecticut, home to many famous cartoonists, and he lived and worked there from 1939 to 1947. As adventure strips became less popular, McClure and Rooney retired in 1966.

He painted many sailing scenes, especially in the Bahamas. His paintings and drawings are in galleries, private collections and museums, including the Maritime Museum in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

[edit] Collections

The Best of Darrell McClure: Cartoons Including the Adventures of Cautious Conrad and the McClure Roundup by Darrell McClure. Yachting Pub. Corp (January 1, 1954).
The Gaff Rigged Yachtsman: Cartoons by Darrell McClure; Yachting Pub. Corp (January 1, 1944).
Little Annie Rooney Wishing Book by Brandon Walsh (author), Darrell McClure (illustrator); McLoughlin Bros. Inc. (1932).

[edit] References

"McClure painting value complicated," Cincinnati Post; May 20, 2006
"Memories of Darrell McClure linger in his backcountry Greenwich home," Greenwich Time, Conn.; September 2, 2003
"Deaths elsewhere," The Washington Post; Washington, D.C.; March 2, 1987
"Deaths elsewhere," Orlando Sentinel; Florida: March 1, 1987
"Deaths," The San Diego Union-Tribune; California: February 28, 1987; p.A2
"Little Annie Rooney" (sheet music). Duke University Historic American Sheet Music [1]
Social Security Death Index
"A legend in his time," Marcia Wiley; Yachting; v157. April 1985