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Johnson, Russ

Mister Oswald was a monthly, Sunday page-style comic strip, which appeared in the pages of the "Hardware Retailer". Starting in 1927, Russ Johnson (1893-1995) went on to draw Mister Oswald for 62 years, finally handing over the reigns of the strip to Larry Day in 1989, at the age of 95. Russ' tenure on the strip is a record for a comic strip done by the original creator.

Mister Oswald detailed the trials and tribulations of a hardware store owner, and mirrored Russ Johnson's own experiences, as he took over the family hardware business after his father passed away, and continued operating the store until 1963. He simultaneously operated a shoe store which his brother-in-law started, all the while drawing Mister Oswald, as well as other strips for different trade publications.

Mister Oswald was all about gentle humor and observations, done in Johnson's bigfoot style. Russ studied under Billy DeBeck and Carl Ed in Chicago, and longed for his own newspaper strip. His real strength, besides the ability to draw huge quantities of nuts and bolts over 62 years, was his build-up to the gag. As Mel Casson would later put it when describing Jay Irving's ability to build-up a gag, Russ knew how to sell it. He knew how to sell the gag after the build-up.

But Mister Oswald also presents a good slice of our country's social history. It is a time-capsule of the retail trade through Depression and wars. Through good times and bad. All reflected in the life of Oswald S. Oswald.

I was lucky enough to conduct the last interview Russ ever gave, back in July 1995. He was 101 years old at the time, and passed away two months later. the interview was published by Hogan's Alley and can be read at the Hogan's Alley website. One of the things that really struck me during the interview, was that I was interviewing a WWI vet! I don't know how many WWI were with us in 1995, but it couldn't have been many. It was great to hear about Russ' experiences during the war.

ADDENDUM - May 26, 2021: I've created a website devoted to Russ Johnson and Mister Oswald! To check it out just click HERE.

There are 11 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.    

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Russ Johnson Photo

Art Details

Artist:
Media Type:	Photograph
Art Type:	Other
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1505
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	8/23/2005

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson Photo
Artist: 1505 Views, 1 Comment

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Mistaken Identity

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (Inker)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1331
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	12/18/2004

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Mistaken Identity
Artist: Russ Johnson (Inker)
1331 Views, 4 Comments

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - At the Doctors - 1958

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1491
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	12/18/2004

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - At the Doctors - 1958
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
1491 Views

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald- An Unplanned Planned Visit - August 1958

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All) Russell Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	140
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	2/25/2024

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald- An Unplanned Planned Visit - August 1958
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
Russell Johnson (All)
140 Views, 2 Comments

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Nice Looking Front! 1954

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All) Russell Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	253
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	5/11/2021

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Nice Looking Front! 1954
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
Russell Johnson (All)
253 Views, 1 Comment

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Interesting Economic Times - 1957

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1592
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	12/18/2004

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Interesting Economic Times - 1957
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
1592 Views

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Meeting of the Minds

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1017
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	12/18/2004

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald - Meeting of the Minds
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
1017 Views

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Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald -The Woes of Retail During Remodeling - 1954

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Other
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1433
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	12/18/2004

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Mister Oswald -The Woes of Retail During Remodeling - 1954
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
1433 Views

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Russ Johnson - Spuddle's Sport Shoppe - Bathroom Breaks

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	826
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	12/11/2015

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Spuddle's Sport Shoppe - Bathroom Breaks
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
826 Views

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Russ Johnson - Spuddle's Sports Shoppe - Football

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1349
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	11/5/2010

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Spuddle's Sports Shoppe - Football
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
1349 Views

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Russ Johnson - Spuddle's Sports Shoppe - Salesman

Art Details

Artist:	Russ Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	994
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	11/5/2010

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Russ Johnson - Spuddle's Sports Shoppe - Salesman
Artist: Russ Johnson (All)
994 Views

There are 11 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.    

About the Owner Rob Stolzer Premium Gallery Owner Joined: September 2004 Last Login: January 2026 Ebay Id: robart Website: https://freeassociationfunnies.com/ Country: UNITED STATES On CAF: Rob's Classifieds Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About RobStolzer

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