I’m trying to get the image of a 4-panel cartoon in which Linus implores Lucy to read him a story. She reads “A man was born, he lived, he died” and tosses the book aside. Linus replies “Kind of makes you wish you knew him better” (or words to that effect).
Probably ran in the 60’s or early 70s.
I’ve seen it.
Not finding it online. If no one pops up with a link I may be able to scan it from a “Peanuts Classics” book I’ve got floating around here.
Me too, years ago in a collection somewhere-can’t believe I remember it actually…
There is a guy on gocomics who calls himself “Hobbes” (thus you know where you can likely find him often) who seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Peanuts as well as C & H.
I can’t help you find the strip but I read it in an older collection book of “Peanuts” strips from the 50s and remember it being a Sunday strip rather than a weekday 4-panel one. From what I recall, Linus spends about the half the panels bugging Lucy to read him a story before she finally gives in and peevishly “reads”,“A man was born, he lived, he died.”
Coincidentally, I’ve been checking out volumes of The Complete Peanuts at my local library this week, and I remember seeing that one. It’s pre-1965, as that’s the volume I’m waiting on. That series has a very comprehensive index that should make it easy to find, if your library carries it.
Thanks to all for your advice (especially that it may well be a Sunday, not daily, cartoon).
I am now better armed to continue my (hard copy) search.:smack:
It’s got to be much earlier than late 60’s if Linus is asking Lucy to read him a story, implying Linus can’t read.
I’d guess 1952-1956.
Linus’ dialog is "What a fascinating account… It almost makes you wish you had known the fellow.”
I wonder if that is the correct date. I’ve been looking at the earlier Complete Peanuts collections (hunting for another strip) and the characters from the late 50s-early 60s look much less sophisticated. These characters look like the Peanuts from, using the term loosely, the modern era. But you found it which is the important thing!
It’s the correct date. They started looking ‘modern’ by ~1956. You can, if you put some effort into it, find this same comic in scanned newspapers from that date.
They finally settled into the way they look “now” around 1963. As I recall, Snoopy was the last to change; he went from being somewhat “elongated” to being much “rounder.” Also, Woodstock was introduced ca. 1968, and was a bit scruffier than any of the birds featured previously in the strip.
Hi All,
Old post bump I know. Sorry. But . . .
I’m brand new here and came to this thread from a Google search. I also have been looking for this cartoon but I remember it different. That’s not to say I remember it correctly.
I thought it was Sally begging Charlie to read him a story. Charlie was swallowed up in a bean bag chair (ergo mid '70s or later) watching TV. I’m sure it could have been Linus and Lucy but I thought it was Sally and Charlie. In any case Charlie takes the book and says, “A man was born and he lived and he died.” He throws the book over his shoulder behind him and in the last frame Sally is walking away from Charlie and the TV while carrying the book and says words something like, “It kind of makes you wonder what his name was.”
I think this is the most profound Peanuts cartoon ever.
http://www.columbia.edu/~jef1/felind.html
9/28 but it does not show the year.
There was a similar story with (I think) Charlie Brown and Sally (although it could have been Lucy and Linus); Charlie Brown’s story was, “Once upon a time they lived happily ever after. The End.”, then Sally takes the book to Charlie Brown and says something like, “What’s on all of these other pages? Advertising?”.
1958 as linked to in post 8.