Bessie Bunter

Discuss all the girls comics that have appeared over the years. Excellent titles like Bunty, Misty, Spellbound, Tammy and June, amongst many others, can all be remembered here.

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DavidKW
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Bessie Bunter

Post by DavidKW »

In January 2013, Paw Broon wrote on the Lucky's Living Doll forum:

Going back to Bessie Bunter. As we know, Billy Bunter strips were reprinted in the Netherlands as Billy Turf. What I don't know is if Bessie Bunter was reprinted there, or anywhere else for that matter. If so, did she have a name change also?

Well I think - and given her longevity, I'm a little surprised a topic on BB hasn't been started.

The above question would be a good place to start perhaps.

I was also prompted to start this as I was looking through a 1974 June & Pixie, and on the letter page a reader wrote in about being shown a really old Bessie from Schoolgirl's Own by her grandfather from 1923. She submitted her own sketch of what BB looked like back then. (I'd love to scan pic but I have no scanning equipments)

There also was bits on BB on the 100 greatest girls' serials sites. SO I think her own forum is deserved.

DavidKW
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by DavidKW »

... and this is started by someone who's not a Bessie fan.

Never found her funny (was a one joke idea to me) or understood her appeal, but many do like her.

It might've been better if there had been some BB serials in the 1960s-80s version; ie she finds skullduggery at her school, turns detective, but her appetite & (un-PC) size gets in the way causing many humourous situations.
(June should've taken up that idea; one of the missed opportunities where it might'e saved itself)

Tammyfan
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Tammyfan »

DavidKW wrote:... and this is started by someone who's not a Bessie fan.

Never found her funny (was a one joke idea to me) or understood her appeal, but many do like her.

It might've been better if there had been some BB serials in the 1960s-80s version; ie she finds skullduggery at her school, turns detective, but her appetite & (un-PC) size gets in the way causing many humourous situations.
(June should've taken up that idea; one of the missed opportunities where it might'e saved itself)
Funny, there were many BB stories where she does turn detective and fights skulduggery. In one episode, someone is raiding the larder. Miss Stackpole sets out to trap Bessie while Bessie rigs a camera to catch the thief. The photo reveals it is Miss Stackpole; she is raiding the larder in her sleep. Miss Stackpole finds herself a bit caught in her own trap as well.

Do you mean BB stories that spread across several episodes rather than the one weekly stories?

Phoenix
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Phoenix »

This is an early portrait, David. The illustrator is G.M. Dodshun, and the copyright for the book from which the scan is taken belongs to Bonnington Books of Haslemere.
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Phoenix
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Phoenix »

Here are a couple more, David. They are the front covers of sixteen-page booklets that I assume were free gifts. I don't know how many there were altogether, but I have nearly fifty of them. For the record, other titles include Barbara Redfern's Birthday Book, Mabel Lynn's Book Of Party Games, Clara Trevlyn's Book For Girl Guides, Jemima Carstairs' Book Of Party Magic, and Marjorie Hazeldene's Book Of Needlework. Another interesting one is Cliff House Facts And Information by Hilda Richards (actually Charles Hamilton, of course).
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BBsDreamBook.jpg
BBsCookeryBook.jpg

Tammyfan
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Tammyfan »

Her appearance had certainly changed a lot by the time she made it to School Friend, June and Tammy. She was even fatter and had different hair.

How was she at schoolwork back then? In the strip she was infamous for being hopeless at schoolwork, and having untidy writing and spelling. I've wondered if that was due to learning disabilities rather than low IQ, because she seems to be clever in other ways.

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philcom55
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by philcom55 »

I like Bessie. She might not have been much of a feminist role model but I bet she'd have grown up to be a wonderful mum!

In the comic strips I don't think Cecil Orr gets enough credit for the distinctive look he gave her - a style that the veteran artist Arthur Martin successfully maintained when he took over the strip following Orr's death in 1965.

- Phil Rushton

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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Phoenix »

Tammyfan wrote:How was she at schoolwork back then? In the strip she was infamous for being hopeless at schoolwork, and having untidy writing and spelling.
From Cliff House Facts And Information by Hilda Richards comes this pen picture of Bessie.

BUNTER, Elizabeth Gertrude
Always called Bessie. Age next birthday, 15. Brown hair worn in cable-like plaits. Grey eyes. Very fat and a thorough duffer, but very lovable. No settled hobby or ambitions. Position in class, 32.

There were 32 pupils in the Fourth Form. In position 31 was Annie Joyce BELL, who is described as having a thin, spiteful face, and a mean, vindictive nature, so Bessie would appear to have been a more acceptable member of the class than Annie. Presumably, for the later picture strips, the range of Bessie's character traits will have been reduced to the two or three that will have been guaranteed to produce laughter from her readers on a weekly basis.

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philcom55
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by philcom55 »

Although Miss Stackpole appeared regularly in the comic strips I don't know if any other Cliff House girls were retained from the original stories. In particular Bessie's long-suffering roommate Mary Moldsworth seems to have been a completely new invention - possibly inspired by the popularity of Ronald Searle's Nigel Molesworth.

Also, it's surprising that 'Hilda Richards' should ascribe 'no settled hobby or ambitions' to Bessie as quite a few tales appear to centre around her love of and (in her own eyes at least) expertise at cooking. Here's a nice example from 1968 with art by the excellent Arthur Martin:
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besfooddda.jpg

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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Phoenix »

philcom55 wrote:Also, it's surprising that 'Hilda Richards' should ascribe 'no settled hobby or ambitions' to Bessie as quite a few tales appear to centre around her love of and (in her own eyes at least) expertise at cooking.
In Bessie Bunter's Cookery Book she says I think cooking is great fun. Also, in her introductory paragraph, she says It gives me grate pleashure to write a booklet on such a usefull subject as cookery, girls, for I think it is one to which I can do justise. Babs has very kindly offered to read over my efforts and to make any little altarations she thinks nessassary - which is jolly decent of her, don't you think? But then, she knows that I d do it for her at any time. She's not reading this part though, so if you detekt any spelling misstakes in the rest of the booklet that follows, just blame Babs, won't you? Because really, a busy person like I am won't have time to check up any errors she may make.
philcom55 wrote:Although Miss Stackpole appeared regularly in the comic strips I don't know if any other Cliff House girls were retained from the original stories. In particular Bessie's long-suffering roommate Mary Moldsworth seems to have been a completely new invention
I suspect that Bessie was reimagined for her appearances in picture strips, her friends and teachers as well. To help you in any checks, Phil, these are the teachers listed in Cliff House Facts And Information. Penelope Primrose (headmistress) : Thelma Margaret Bland : Dora Ratcliff Wright : Jane Matthews (Fourth Form mistress) : Miriam Drake : Mary Evelyn Bullivant : Eva Scott : Pamela Plummy : Mabel Nellie Chantrey : Moira O'Sullivan : Kathleen Keys : Josephine Deschamps (visiting French mistress) : Maria Hertz (visiting German mistress) : Belinda Wanda Belling and Annette Marigold Ayre A.R.C.A. (Art teacher).
The other pupils in Bessie's Fourth Year are Annie Joyce Bell : Marcelle Biquet : Leila Constance Carroll : Jemima Carstairs : Jean Stella Cartwright : Gwendoline Cook : Lydia Crossendale : Philippa Beatrice Derwent : Elsie Sheila Effingham : Brenda Fallace : Lucy Farraday : Freda Ferriers : Frances Frost : Marjorie Alice Hazeldene : Phyllis Joan Howell : Amy Maud Jones : Marcia Ursula Loftus : Mabel Elsie Lynn : June Merrett : Lucy Morgan : Bridget Moira O'Toole : Peggy Preston : Barbara Hilda Redfern : Rosa Rodworth : Diana Royston-Clarke : Eleanor Graham Storke : Matilda Tattersall : Ermyntrude Terraine : Priscilla Agatha Terraine and Clara Marian Trevlyn.

Tammyfan
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Tammyfan »

Arthur Martin? I thought it was Cecil Orr who drew her for Tammy.

Phoenix
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Phoenix »

Tammyfan wrote:Arthur Martin? I thought it was Cecil Orr who drew her for Tammy.
Well, it seems logical to me that if Cecil Orr died in 1965, he could hardly be drawing anything for Tammy, which didn't debut until 1971. For Misty maybe! :wink:

Tammyfan
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Tammyfan »

Phoenix wrote:
Tammyfan wrote:Arthur Martin? I thought it was Cecil Orr who drew her for Tammy.
Well, it seems logical to me that if Cecil Orr died in 1965, he could hardly be drawing anything for Tammy, which didn't debut until 1971. For Misty maybe! :wink:
But a lot of the Bessie stories in Tammy were reprints from June and School Friend.

Still, thanks for the correction about Cecil Orr. I did not know Orr had died before Tammy, but I was under the impression that he drew the Bessie Bunter stories in Tammy.

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philcom55
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by philcom55 »

I think Arthur Martin must have drawn most (if not all) of the Bessie strips that appeared after School Friend merged with June. Cecil Orr had a slightly more detailed style which is evident in this example from August 1963:

Image

Image

- Phil Rushton

Phoenix
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Re: Bessie Bunter

Post by Phoenix »

Tammyfan wrote:Still, thanks for the correction about Cecil Orr. I did not know Orr had died before Tammy
Nor did I until I read the information in an earlier post by Phil Rushton on this very thread.

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