Ted Key
Ted Key | |
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Hazel | |
Awards | 1977 National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Award |
Ted Key (born Theodore Keyser; August 25, 1912 – May 3, 2008)
College to cartoons
Born in
Hazel
Key's most famous creation, the single-panel Hazel, about a wry and bossy household maid, came to Key in 1943 in a dream that he drew the next morning and sent to The Saturday Evening Post, where it was accepted and began running regularly.[1] He soon afterward gave the character a name and employment at the Baxter household. In 2008, the cartoonist's son, Peter Key, said, "He picked the name Hazel out of the air, but there was an editor at The Post who had a sister named Hazel. She thought her brother came up with the name, and she didn’t speak to him for two years."[1]
The cartoon ran until the weekly magazine ceased publication in 1969. Hazel was then picked up for newspaper syndication by King Features Syndicate.[4] With the increased output of six cartoons a week, Key hired veteran gag cartoonist Stan Fine to lend a hand.
Key later adapted his comic panel into the television show Hazel, starring Shirley Booth as the titular maid. It ran from 1961 to 1964 on NBC; for its final 1965 season, the show switched to CBS. Key continued to draw the strip until his retirement in 1993.[5] King Features reprints panels in over 50 newspapers as of 2008.[2]
Films and television
Key's other work in the comics field includes Diz and Liz, a two-page feature that ran in
Radio
Key also wrote radio plays during the 1930s and 1940s. His radio drama, The Clinic, broadcast on NBC, was chosen for Max Wylie's Best Broadcasts of 1939-40 anthology.
Other works
He was the screenwriter for three
Personal life
During World War II, Key served with the
Diagnosed with bladder cancer in late 2006, Key suffered a stroke in September 2007. He was 95 at the time of his death in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania.[9] Key was married twice; his first wife, Anne, died in 1984, and Key was survived by second wife Bonnie and by three sons: Stephen, David, and Peter.[8]
Awards
In 1977, Key received the National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Award for his work on Hazel.[10]
Bibliography
- Many Happy Returns (1951)
- So'm I (1954)
- Fasten Your Seat Belts!: A New Album of Cartoons (1956)
- Phyllis (1957)
- The Biggest Dog in the World (1960)
- Ted Key's Diz and Liz (1966)
- The Cat From Outer Space (1978)
- Love Is the Reason for It All: The Shirley Booth Story (Foreword, plus information on Hazel, 2008)
References
- ^ a b c d e f Weber, Bruce. "Ted Key, 95, Creator of 'Hazel' Cartoon, Is Dead", The New York Times, May 8, 2008
- ^ a b King Features Syndicate. "Hazel by Ted Key: About the Cartoonist". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ Membership Directory, 2010, Pi Lambda Phi Inc.
- ^ Hazel at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012.
- ^ Evanier, Mark (May 5, 2008). "Ted Key, R.I.P." P.O.V. Online: News from Me (column). Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "Toonopedia: "Peabody's Improbable History"". Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ TedKey.com. "(Official site)". Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b Unbylined (May 5, 2008). "Creator of Hazel, motivational posters Ted Key dies at 95". Philadelphia Business Journal.
- ^ Lentz, Bob (May 5, 2008). "Cartoonist Ted Key, creator of 'Hazel' comic, dies at 95". Associated Press via Yahoo! News.
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(help) - ^ National Cartoonists Society (May 5, 2008). "Newspaper Panel". Retrieved 2008-05-05.
External links
- Ted Key at IMDb
- Papers of Harry Ackerman
- Ted Key Papers 1942-2008 at Syracuse University (primary source material)