Happy Hooligan (1920-1921)
by David Gerstein, ©2011
The first archetypal tramp of comedy wasn't Charlie Chaplin. It was Frederick Burr Opper's bedraggled loser with a tin can for a hat - a figure who looks fairly generic today, but only because so many other characters have imitated him over the years. Happy Hooligan's comic strip run lasted from 1900-1932, a very respectable run way back when. The hobo appeared on merchandise, on stage, and in live-action films within a few years of his debut.
The ironically-named Happy was rarely happy in Opper's oeuvre. Or rather, while he might start out a story happy, he rarely ended up that way. Happy cheerfully volunteered to help walk-on characters with everyday tasks: helping boys steer their sled in the snow, for instance, or offering to carry an old lady's bundles. But a mix of clumsiness and bad luck caused all of Happy's efforts to backfire - whereupon the ever-present Cop and his handy billy club usually intervened. Quite often, Happy's efforts were misunderstood simply due to his being a tramp; and thus, presumably, capable of any vile deed. Opper's support of the downtrodden was never in doubt, even as Happy himself took a licking.
Often accompanying Hooligan in the strip was his dour brother, Gloomy Gus - who, Cassandra-like, usually anticipated what was about to go wrong. Also featured were Happy's girlfriend Suzanne, his dog Flip, and his three identical, tin-can-wearing nephews.
The IFS/Bray collaboration resulted in a long run of Happy Hooligan cartoons, but very few have turned up in modern times. Director Gregory La Cava had managed IFS in its pre-Bray period; later, La Cava would gain fame as a live-action film director, helming Carole Lombard's My Man Godfrey among many other well-known dramas. Alas, we don't know enough about La Cava's Happy Hooligan shorts to ascertain whether they anticipated his later work. We do know that Happy's nephews made the jump from comics to cartoons, beginning a long, long animation tradition.
The ironically-named Happy was rarely happy in Opper's oeuvre. Or rather, while he might start out a story happy, he rarely ended up that way. Happy cheerfully volunteered to help walk-on characters with everyday tasks: helping boys steer their sled in the snow, for instance, or offering to carry an old lady's bundles. But a mix of clumsiness and bad luck caused all of Happy's efforts to backfire - whereupon the ever-present Cop and his handy billy club usually intervened. Quite often, Happy's efforts were misunderstood simply due to his being a tramp; and thus, presumably, capable of any vile deed. Opper's support of the downtrodden was never in doubt, even as Happy himself took a licking.
Often accompanying Hooligan in the strip was his dour brother, Gloomy Gus - who, Cassandra-like, usually anticipated what was about to go wrong. Also featured were Happy's girlfriend Suzanne, his dog Flip, and his three identical, tin-can-wearing nephews.
The IFS/Bray collaboration resulted in a long run of Happy Hooligan cartoons, but very few have turned up in modern times. Director Gregory La Cava had managed IFS in its pre-Bray period; later, La Cava would gain fame as a live-action film director, helming Carole Lombard's My Man Godfrey among many other well-known dramas. Alas, we don't know enough about La Cava's Happy Hooligan shorts to ascertain whether they anticipated his later work. We do know that Happy's nephews made the jump from comics to cartoons, beginning a long, long animation tradition.
Happy Hooligan Filmography (21)
Green: Project Print or Video
Gray: Print Known Elsewhere
Red: No Known Print
The Great Umbrella Mystery 4/17/1920
The First Man to the Moon (aka A Trip to the Moon) 4/21/1920
All for the Love of a Girl 6/18/1920
A Fish Story 7/3/1920
The Last Rose of Summer 7/17/1920
Cupid's Advice 8/11/1920
A Fly Guy 8/26/1920
Happy Hooldini 9/11/1920
Apollo 9/18/1920
A Doity Deed 10/25/1920
The Village Blacksmith 10/27/1920
The Bootblack 11/??/1920 [print pending nitrate preservation]
A Romance of '76 11/22/1920
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Zip 12/8/1920
Happy Hooligan in Oil 12/23/1920
Fatherly Love 1/3/1921
Roll Your Own 1/3/1921
A Close Shave 4/29/1921
The Spider and the Fly 4/9/1922
Getting the Goods 4/23/1922 [clip only]
The Tale of a Kangaroo ??/??/????
Gray: Print Known Elsewhere
Red: No Known Print
The Great Umbrella Mystery 4/17/1920
The First Man to the Moon (aka A Trip to the Moon) 4/21/1920
All for the Love of a Girl 6/18/1920
A Fish Story 7/3/1920
The Last Rose of Summer 7/17/1920
Cupid's Advice 8/11/1920
A Fly Guy 8/26/1920
Happy Hooldini 9/11/1920
Apollo 9/18/1920
A Doity Deed 10/25/1920
The Village Blacksmith 10/27/1920
The Bootblack 11/??/1920 [print pending nitrate preservation]
A Romance of '76 11/22/1920
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Zip 12/8/1920
Happy Hooligan in Oil 12/23/1920
Fatherly Love 1/3/1921
Roll Your Own 1/3/1921
A Close Shave 4/29/1921
The Spider and the Fly 4/9/1922
Getting the Goods 4/23/1922 [clip only]
The Tale of a Kangaroo ??/??/????