The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-11-18
Geo. McManus Began
 Comic 9 Years Ago
"Jiggs and Maggie Re- call Days of Gay
 Nineties
lspeclal to The pemocratl

(SpeC1al 70 Tne DemOcEhU
 In the early Gay Nineties, an English teacher in a St. Louis, Mo-, school stuck out her hand, and 13-year-old George McManus, advanced tinidly up the aisle of the class room with a picture he had just drawn of a young ster with a turned up nose and a generous sprinkling of freckles.
 That was the first time that the famous creater of Bringing Up Father" drew public attention to this work. It was the first big crisis in the life of George McManus.
 T expected a whale of a licking from the school ma'an," said the cartoonist. But apparently she felt that ,ny dad could give me @ sound- CT thrashing, and 50 she sent this bit of art, and 8 few others she found in my desk, home.
 My dad was very quiet during dinner, and fancied that the strap would get a good workout just be- fore bedtime. Instead he quietly asked: Did you do that?'
 My First $5 Job
 T admitted 1t, and without @ word, he went out of the house. Next morning my father told me to get my hat and coat and go down to the St. Louis Republic to work. He had taken the freckled faced drawing to the editor and 1t made @ hit. worked for a year at $5 a week, sweeping out the office, run- ming errands and drawing. Finally I was rewarded with a dollar raise. That was more than thirty years ago, and I have been drawing car- toons ever since."
 It was no meteoric career on which he was launched. For sev- eral years George was the star er- rand boy of the Republic. During this time he was improving his drawing. however, and when the op- r ortunity presented itself, he step- ped into the shoes of the papers fashion artist. Eventually he got Q chance to draw cartoons and start- ed @ comic strip, Alma and Oliver"
 Tt was a terrible job and wouldn't get by modern high school editors" he admits.
 "Ah, An have Q hoss tip for you, MT. McManus. An got 1t straight. Hamburg Belle's going to win the futurity today. And have some money ridin on her nose, was An you"
 McManus looked into the matter, found that Hamburg Belle was of- fered at 30 to 1. If the bootblack was right, 1t would be Q clean-up. He decided to risk sloo.
 Hamburg Belle won-and that night found George McManus aboard a New York-bound train, with all his ambitions. He was just 2i. Three thousand dollars seemed like 6 lot of money to George, but New York wasn't any too friendly to this lad from St. Louis. For months he job-hunted and the money dwindled to zero.
 
 Joins New York World
 Finally the New York World of- fered George @ job. He plunged into the work of Q comic strip. He tried half Q dozen ideas. Finally he clicked with "The Newlyweds." Then came Their Only Child"
 How did McManus strike the pop- ular character of Jiggs and Mag
 It was this way. Indelibly in his mind since childhood remained the picture of old Bill Barry, the best Irish comedian of his day. His dad was in the show business and George used to see Barry on the stage quite often. He remembered every detail of his play. The char acter portrayed by Barry is the Jiggs of today, and his wife Maggie s the same leading actress of the play.
 During all his comic c arteening career, McNGanus had had in his mind the idea that a knockout strip ,ould be created by using the idea behind "The Rising Generation" he play in which he had watched Barry act time and time again. Tn his popular drama the experience # Q laborer's family, suddenly be. ,ome wealthy, were presented. Why not e comic strip based on he resistance of the head of the