Friday 17 March 2023

Bill Tidy R.I.P...


I guess that the first time I ever really started laughing at Bill Tidy's fabulously funny cartoons, was around 1967, when I started work in Rye, Sussex, and walking past the newsagents one day, I noticed that they had a copy of Private Eye on their stand outside - for 1/6d!

I was immediately hooked on 'The Cloggies', and forever turned first to their antics on the same page as the Barry Mckenzie strip, which funnily enough, I didn't read very much as much of it went over my head for a while...

But Bill Tidy's cartoons will live with me forever! He was so funny and displayed a myriad of subjects in unimaginable situations, in fact some of them were just hilariously improbable, but I'm lucky in having a treasured book of some of his cartoons, and will now look at the whole lot again!

I bet the editors of 'The Daily Heaven' rag will soon be asking him to illustrate their welcoming pages, especially as he used to love depicting vicars, nuns and monks, and that when I eventually get there, I'll ask him to sign my copy of his book...

'Bye Bill; twenty-seven pints please Doris...

 

10 comments:

A K Haart said...

I was hooked on 'The Cloggies' too. A good cartoonist brightens up the day. I hope 'The Daily Heaven' rag takes him on. Bound to I think.

Chromatistes said...

Combined with the demise of the incomparable Wally Fawkes, this is a sad time for lovers of witty cartoons.

johnd2008 said...

I remember two cartoons in particular ;
One showed a crashed Airship in flames with its passengers ,all in full evening dress disembarking while two by-standers remarked "The Penge formation Dance Team make spectacular entrances"
The other was set on a car production line with enormous steering wheels arriving via an overhead conveyor.two men in white coats are looking at a drawing and one is saying "Inches man inches, not feet" meanwhile two other men in bib and brace overalls look at each other and shrug.

Scrobs. said...

Absolutely, AK!

There was even a specially designed coffee mug on sale once, depicting The Cloggies executing 'a perfectly balanced Single-Leg Arkwright', and an item I longed for and didn't get...

Scrobs. said...

That's very true, Chromatistes!

I was brought up on a diet of Giles, and an annual was always on the present list every Christmas!

I still like Matt cartoons though!

Scrobs. said...

Ha ha ha, John!

I can just picture those scenes as we speak...

One of my favourites is showing an Arab or similar, grasping an escaping 'chubby' concubine, and exclaiming, "Stay, the night is young and you are enormous"!

James Higham said...

Awwww … nice.

Scrobs. said...

Looking at his long life James, he made some superb cartoons didn't he!

I remember another one he did, where a bank manager is discussing an issue with a Mother Superior, saying, " I'm afraid building loans are a bit tight at the moment, Mother Superior, exactly how many nuns were you thinking of walling up"?

Absolutely fabulous humour!

Thud said...

A northern treasure.

Scrobs. said...

Yup, he was, Thud!

Luckily, I still have several of his creations in a large book, and they're all still as funny as ever!