July 19th, 2014

Summer Camp – Part Two

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

In the previous post we reprinted the first three strips of a 1965 story in which Chip goes to summer camp with his friend Jerry (who calls himself “Randall” in the second episode).  There were seven strips in the series, which ran from June 29 to July 27.

The fourth episode shows the inside of the bunk house with the boys getting ready for bed.  Apparently Chip enjoys swimming in ice-cold water.

Hi and Lois daily strip, July 13, 1965.

The first panel of the next strip shows an exterior scene with cabins and a totem pole in the background.  Chip and Jerry are comparing the colored ribbons they’ve won in various camp activities.

Hi and Lois daily strip, July 20, 1965.

In this installment, Hi and Lois are picking up Chip at the end of the session and discover on the way home that he hasn’t taken a hot shower for a month.  Note that “Camp Wudacrudie” is spelled differently on the sign than it was in the first strip of the series (see the previous post).

Hi and Lois daily strip, July 23, 1965.

Four days later, Chip is talking on an old rotary dial phone to one of his new friends from camp and Hi makes a reference to “toll calls.”  It is amazing how things have changed since this strip ran almost fifty years ago, long before cell phones and unlimited calling plans.

Hi and Lois daily strip, July 27, 1965.

A new weeklong summer camp series, starring Dot, begins this Sunday, July 20, 2014.

– Brian Walker