George Baker

George Baker (May 22, 1915 – May 7, 1975) was a cartoonist who became prominent during World War II as the creator of the popular comic strip The Sad Sack.

The 1957 comedy film The Sad Sack starring Jerry Lewis was based on Baker's fictional character.

Biography

Early life and education Baker was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, living there until 1923. He grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, and Chicago. In Chicago, he attended Lane Tech High School and graduated from Roosevelt High, where he played baseball and drew pictures for the high school annual.

Commercial artist After six weeks of art training in a night school, he got a job as a commercial artist "but soon grew tired of drawing pots and pans for newspaper advertisements."

Disney days He moved to California to pursue a baseball career. Instead, he was hired by Walt Disney in 1937, and assisted in the production of the studio's full-length animated features, including Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. His specialty was animation of thunderstorms, waterfalls and other effects.

World War II Five months prior to Pearl Harbor, Baker was drafted (June 1941) into the United States Army. He related later that he expected that the Army Classification System would have no use for his artistic experience, noting "They say it makes cooks out of mechanics, and vice versa. But I must say, it worked perfectly in my case." The scholarships, named after Baker's cartoon character, are awarded to children of military veterans.

Death and burial George Baker is buried at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, California.