TV Guide

 

31 July, 1976

For comparison of Searle's Carroll O'Connor here's his cover for 'All In The Family'.

See my book 'Ronald Searle's America' for the collected TV Guide artwork including many scanned form the original art.

See more Searles from TV Guide here

Who Killed Hollywood Society?

 For TV Guide. More here

TV Guide, New York, 11 November 1967, Page 27, 

'Who Killed Hollywood Society? The Golden Years' by Cleveland Amory

TV guide

Interior spot illustration added to the TV guide section here

'Pay TV movie Guide'

'Beauty Factory'

(Offensive stereotypes portraying offensive TV shows published Dec. 10th, 1977)

Reindeer

One of Searle's long running 'characters' was the reindeer which he used to great comic effect on multiple occasions. A relative of Searle's similarly pathetic horse motif, the reindeer says everything about the human condition.

 Young Elizabethan magazine, January 1959

 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog

 This later cover was used as the basis for this promotional snow globe.

...and here's a version of the image sans reindeer

Holiday magazine

Christmas card design 1992

This piece is in the art collection of the British Parliament 'The ancient and rather touching ceremony of proceeding towards Christmas' 2009

More Christmas ephemera here

Misc. America

Here's one I didn't get in the book . . .

Bea Arthur as Maude' for TV Guide magazine

Drawing from the series 'Who Killed Hollywood Society?' for TV Guide

'Beauty Factory' 1991 for TV Guide

I tracked this down at the 11th hour but not the original drawing . . .

Mark Twain for HOLIDAY magazine

'Fremont Street, Las Vegas' is one of hundreds of images in the book. The Neon Museum shared this photo of a similar view from the same year Searle made his drawing (1960) - he may well have sat in the restaurant on the right of the photo to make his field notes.

 The original artwork for the British ed. of 'USA for Beginners' sold at auction recently. It's a beautiful iconic drawing - I don't know who bought it. This spectacular original Searle drawing sold at auction for a high $6250. 'Six Shooter' was originally published in Punch magazine and used as the cover for 'USA For Beginners' (Perpetua, 1959). The cowboy's face is very much like that of Mr. Punch the magazine's mascot and may have started out as a rejected cover design.

A remarkable series of love letters between Searle and American artist Ruth Cyril have appeared on eBay. They are very private and should be in the Searle archive in Hannover but they do offer a perspective on Searle's assignments in America tat I wish I had for the book. There's a more personal angle on the JFK/Nixon campaign tour and some frank thoughts on the Eichmann trial Searle attended in Jerusalem (see previous post on 'Eichmann').

For more on America see also 'FLORIDA'

'Searle's America' update

My publisher Fantagraphics has the final cover art for the book listed on their site. It'll be released late November but pre-order the book there or Amazon.

'This lushly-produced book compiles drawings and illustrations by legendary British illustrator Ronald Searle have been virtually unseen since their original publication in the 1960s. During this golden age of illustrative reportage, Ronald Searle—an influence on historic figures as wide-ranging as Matt Groening, Pat Oliphant, and John Lennon—was sent by American magazines such as Holiday and LIFE to far-flung and exotic locations. He would report back with a raft of drawings detailing his observations and experience in his trademark satirical and matchlessly virtuosic style.

Dispatched to America in the early ’60s, Searle spent several years covering everything from sports to politics, from spreads on Palm Springs and Las Vegas to the Presidential contest between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and TV Guide, capturing the essence of the American experience as seen through the eyes of a caustic Englishman. Edited by the passionate Searle scholar Matt Jones, whose Perpetua: Ronald Searle Tribute website has become the foremost resource for Searle fans, the book also features a running commentary by Searle himself (as well as his wife Kaye Webb), including the journal he kept during the JFK- Nixon election, providing historical context to his assignments, recounting funny anecdotes, and making insightful observations about the drawings. This deluxe coffee-table book will be the most lavish treatment of Searle’s work that U.S. audiences have ever seen.'

Update

I've updated the Film Titles & Posters section here.

I also added artwork from the title sequences & promotional campaigns for the original St Trinians films over on Uli Meyer's 'Animated St. Trinians' blog here.

Also added new images to the TV Guide section

Gallery Nucleus Exhibition

I caught the Ronald searle exhibition at Gallery Nucleus just before it ended last weekend.  As always it was a pleasure to see an entire room lined with Searle's artwork. The entire lower gallery space was dedicated to the Searle show- a handful of colour originals, some black & white pen drawings, reproduction 'Wine' posters, 3 coins and around a dozen lithographs.

Several TV Guide pieces were included.

 'LUCILLE BALL'

 'JED CLAMPETT OF BEVERLY HILLBILLIES'

 'JIM NABORS AS GOMER PYLE'

'ED SULLIVAN'

A very nice image from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

 'NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL SKETCH'

Promotional image for the Taltarni winery

'BACCHUS ON KANGAROO'

"In typical Searle fashion, the depiction is irreverent, but not entirely inaccurate.  You’ll notice that the Sun King’s grill is even in his preferred style of furnishings.  This painting was created for Delta Sky Magazine in 1995. "  Stalking The Belle Epoque

'LOUIS XIVTH BARBEQUEING'

You can view the entire exhibition online here

Original for sale on eBay

An original Searle drawing is up for sale on eBay-it's a portrait of US comedienne Phyllis Diller-undated but Stephen Nadler speculates on its origin here.

It's a vibrant piece, large format but wasn't used as a cover image.  It's listed at $4500 but the dealer is willing to let it go for $3000.  If you buy it tell them I sent you !