Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Columbia Record, 1950s

The Smith Family as it ran in The Evening News on March 1, 1956, and in The Columbia Record (Columbia, SC) on October 1-4, 1957. The four October strips ran on consecutive days, showing how the Smiths built a gag across a week.

The Smith Family strip by Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, The Evening News, March 1, 1956: a girl laughs uncontrollably at a boy's joke, rolling on the floor, and he says 'Gee, wait till I tell her the punch line of my story!'

The Smith Family strip by Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, The Columbia Record, Oct. 4, 1957: the kids say Suzanne is so sweet they'd do anything for her, but at 'Change the baby, somebody' they all run out the door.

The Smith Family strip by Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, The Columbia Record, Oct. 3, 1957: a mother sewing wonders if Tish practiced her piano lesson, then finds the piano and music covered in tiny handprints — 'Yep, she did!'

The Smith Family strip by Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, The Columbia Record, Oct. 2, 1957: a crying boy says he's sore because his dad spanked him though he had a big book in his pants — 'He took it out and used it.'

The Smith Family strip by Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, The Columbia Record, Oct. 1, 1957: a mother hears a thud, comforts Georgie who fell out of bed with a piece of candy, then hears a chorus of thuds from the other kids.