I was never into this old strip, but another part of American history is gone, Brenda Starr came at a time when being a reporter for a big-city newspaper was a glamour job. Now, the interenet has destroyed the newspapers-but we still need good reporters. In her most recent incranation, Brenda was pretty sexy-I remember her portrayal in the 1980’s-sorta dikey-looking.
Anyway, BS is now history-she will no longer be seen-RIP!
Brenda’s friend Hank O’Hair was more of a dyke (at least by 1950s standards – her sexuality was never mentioned, AFAIK).
I used to read the strip in the 50s. Too much soap opera and the Basil St. John character made it verge on a cheap romance novel.
Brenda was hot.
The strip got less soap opera-ish and more reporter-ish after Mary Schmich took it over in the 1980’s. It was an improvement.
When did Hank quit smoking? She ALWAYS had a cigarette dangling from her lips back when I used to read Brenda!
Brenda Star, like Mary Worth, was a comic strip that moved so slowly, nothing ever happened. They would show a strip with someone walking into the other room (taking several frames) and the entire text would be something like, “Oh dear, what if he really does care?”
I think if they put an entire year’s worth of either of those strips together, it would still be about 5 minutes of conversation, tops.
Some nice art work though.
It shifted back to soap opera in the 90s. I don’t even remember why I read it, I think because it looked so different from everything else on the comics page. But when a guy with an eyepatch came back from the dead, I was done.
An article from the Chicago Tribune earlier this month on the end of the strip:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/ct-biz-1209-phil-20101209,0,7423887.column
And, yesterday’s column by Mary Schmich (the strip’s writer for the past 25 years, as well as being a Trib columnist):
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-live-1230-brenda-staff-schmich-20101230,0,4247086.column
The strip was down to about 3 dozen newspapers, and wasn’t making much money for the syndicator. When Schmich and the artist, June Brigman, decided to step down, the syndicator decided to end the strip, rather than put new talent on it.
R.I.P to Gabby VanSlander. She was representin’ for the sexy big mamas. Adored her.
the names were always a hoot.
I have to admit, despite it’s soapiness, I was addicted to BS during my highschool years and slightly beyond (1988-1992+ maybe 1996ish). But I lost track of it after college at the latest. Although I’m not sure the contemporary storyline resonated as much as the implied past ones (Brenda’s relationship with the orchid guy in particular)…and perhaps the slight bit of Russian-philia during the Barishnokov-character romance.
I haven’t followed it since then, but nonetheless I’m slightly sad at it’s parting - or else, assuming it has some sort of decent closure, a sense of closure myself.
I’ll have to check out the recent columns. Hopefully the end will allow for a Uber-edition of all BS comics “ever!”. I never managed to see the movie either, and it’s not on torrents - how was that?
I seem to recall she had a husband and child show up now and then.
I loved reading Brenda Starr a loooooooooong time ago, as a child. She was SO glamorous! She always had stars in her eyes! And Basil St. John was so mysterious, working on the orchid cure for…whatever it was he had, I was just entranced. Funny the things in childhood that just stick in your head forever. … Later, of course, with his getting involved with that woman and having a child, and Brenda and her dopey dog Patch, and…oh, never mind, time the strip was retired, yes. But long ago it was a treat.
When I was a kid I thought Hank was a guy for years and only realized she wasn’t when she appeared in a strip wearing a skirt. Even then I was thinking “Why is Hank wearing a skirt? I guess he’s Scottish? That’s not plaid though…”
I mean, c’mon, her name’s HANK and everything.
And, of course, Basil’s son also had an eyepatch. Apparently it was a genetic trait. 