Popular Entertainment

Elvis Presley Record

This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.

The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.

Culture: Mexicans

Camera-ready comic art drawing for Gordo

This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Gordo newspaper comic strip shows Gordo’s nephew ruining the gifts Gordo is bringing his date by trying to explain them scientifically.Gustavo "Gus" Arriola (1917-2008) was a Mexican American comic artist and animator.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Gordo newspaper comic strip shows Gordo’s nephew ruining the gifts Gordo is bringing his date by trying to explain them scientifically.
Gustavo "Gus" Arriola (1917-2008) was a Mexican American comic artist and animator. He was born in Arizona, and raised by his older sister in a Spanish-speaking home. His first jobs included preparing animation art for Screen Gems and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Arriola's strip, which debuted in 1941, promoted a better understanding of Mexican culture and environmental concerns. The strip was suspended during World War II until 1943, when Arriola began drawing again from his military station. He remained the sole artist and writer on the strip for its entire run.
Gordo (1941-1985) was a strip about a Mexican dirt farmer, drawn with stereotyped attributes. After complaints from his public about his style and message Arriola altered the character to offer a more realistic representation. The strip’s subject was presented as a continuous narrative with daily gags. In later years it included features about Aztec and Mexican history and culture, as well as political and environmental commentary.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-08-21
graphic artist
Arriola, Gus
publisher
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
author
Lizer, Anna
ID Number
GA.22445
catalog number
22445
accession number
277502

Camera-ready comic strip, entitled "Gordo".

"Gordo", created and drawn by Gustavo "Gus" Arriola (1917-2008), ran from 1941 to 1985, distributed by United Feature Syndicate.
Description
"Gordo", created and drawn by Gustavo "Gus" Arriola (1917-2008), ran from 1941 to 1985, distributed by United Feature Syndicate. The strip followed the life of Mexican bean farmer Perfecto Salazar "Gordo" Lopez, who lost his lease on his land and had to travel throughout Mexico as a tour guide. The artist used the tours as a vehicle to introduce Mexico and its people to the wider world. Arriola often used a comic penname for Sunday comic strips, often a phonetic pun of a recognizable word or phrase, i.e., "Anne Teak" (Antique). In this strip, a drunken New Year's celebration causes Juanito to pass out.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
8/27/1966
graphic artist
Arriola, Gus
publisher
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
ID Number
GA.22559
catalog number
22559
accession number
277502

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