May 21st, 2017

Timeline – 1964 Part 2

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

Hi and Lois Sunday page color proof, June 28, 1964.

This classic Sunday page from 1964 shows Lois Flagston on a trip to town. She is dressed in an attractive red dress with pearls, white gloves and a stylish hat. Her friend Millie admires her for looking so fresh and calm while planning a large lunch party at the same time her home is being renovated. With Hi’s help, Lois is regarded by her peers as a super capable suburban housewife.

Mort Walker always felt that Dik Browne drew a pretty Lois, but Dik often confessed that he found the challenge of trying to make a good-looking character act funny very difficult. Lois can be shown in compromising poses to get humor out of a situation, but a fine line of integrity could never be crossed. She is perceived as almost real by readers of the strip, so her believability is essential. Lois is not just a pretty face or a stereotypical baby boom mother. She is a creation of pen and ink, who lives out her most private moments for the enjoyment of millions.

Stay tooned for our ongoing Timeline series.

– Brian Walker