Clifford McBride

Clifford McBride (January 26, 1901 – May 21, 1951) was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Napoleon and Uncle Elby.

Biography Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, McBride was twice expelled from school because of his drawings in the school paper. His first professional cartoon was published in 1917 in The Los Angeles Times.

When he graduated from Occidental College, he moved to Pasadena, California, beginning his career in 1923 as a staff artist for The Los Angeles Times. The following year, he illustrated humorous fiction for the Chicago Tribune.

Comic strips and Napoleon

After drawing such features as Insect Life, McBride's Cartoon (1927), and Clifford McBride's Pantomime Comic (1932), he created Elby, a character based on his uncle, Henry Elba Eastman. He soon began to add situations involving Elby's dog, Napoleon.

Drawing for a minor syndicate, Lafave Newspaper Features, McBride began Napoleon as a daily strip on June 6, 1932, adding a Sunday strip in 1933. The following year the title was changed to Napoleon and Uncle Elby.

Films Although Napoleon was an Irish Wolfhound, McBride's own dog was Ace, a 190-pound St. Bernard. Ace was sometimes used for promotional purposes with McBride, including two short films, Unusual Occupations (1941) and Artist's Antics (1946).