Leo “The Lion” – Cartoonist O’Mealia

1913 [1] Odd Facts About Stars of Prize Ring, in The San Francisco Call, Sep 15. “…“Jack” Johnson always laughs when in the ring…”

“What did Leo do today?” was the question from the steady Daily News readers of his time. A sports cartoonist like no other I’ve seen doing this work, Leo had a style all his own. It was pen and ink painstakingly applied — line by line — by his talented hand, adding to it a whimsical sense of humor. He signed his name “By Leo” and put his trademark small lion in every drawing. The lion was a lovable little squirt of an animal who sometimes would run around the edges of the cartoon delivering a message. A cartoon without that lion was not a genuine Leo. — sporting cartoonist Bill Gallo, 1960

1913 [2] Lion plus Leo signature.

by John Adcock

Leo Edward O’Mealia was born in Le Roy, New York, March 31, 1884. The family moved when he was fourteen and he grew up in Rochester New York where he “played baseball in the Caledonian Avenue vacant lots that back up to the Pennsylvania Railroad yards, and he was a pupil in Immaculate Conception school.” O’Mealia’s first job as a cartoonist was on the old Rochester Herald under John Scott Clubb where “I was put on sports … they made an artist out of me.” His most popular creation was called Sod Bug, about an insect who commented on local baseball games. From the Herald he moved to the Rochester Times, still drawing sporting cartoons, and compiling a collection of his newspaper cartoons titled Mut and Flea Brain Leaks. He sold over 1000 copies in advance of publication.
   

1913 [3] Three Men in a Tub, in The Evening Herald, July 29. “…I thought it was very dangerous, but it’s nothing but cheese!…”

Mr. O’Mealia worked on the New York Journal under the late Winsor McCay, once one of the best-known cartoonists in the country, and was assistant to the famous “Tad” Dorgan, the sports cartoonist of the daily paper. When Tad’s heart, which he always said was one of those “dime-a-dozen tickers,” gave out, Leo subbed and later succeeded the renowned Dorgan. — Comic Strip Artist Visiting Old Home Town, in Rochester Democrat Chronicle, Aug 3, 1935

Winsor McCay was drawing political cartoons for Hearst at the time and touring the vaudeville circuit with the animated Gertie the Dinosaur. The company made a stop in Rochester and played the Temple theatre. John (Mickey) Finny, the Temple’s manager, introduced McCay to O’Mealia over a poker game. Through McCay’s intercession he was given a job as cartoonist on the “sporting side” of the New York Evening Journal. There he was given into the charge of sporting cartoonists/columnists Tad Dorgan and Hype Igoe.

   

1913 [4] The History of a White Hope No. 1, in The San Francisco Call, Sep 2. “…He “threw” all the strong men…”

On the journal he was doing small fill in bits when Arthur Brisbane, Hearst’s great editor, stopped at the young man’s drawing board, admired his work, and advanced him to a full-fledged sports cartoonist. At that time, he adopted the slogan “Leo the Lion,” which has identified his sports cartoons ever since. — Seen and Heard, Henry W. Clune, Democrat Chronicle, June 13, 1957

1913 [5] The History of a White Hope, in The San Francisco Call, Oct 15. “…Moran walked all around the ring…”

The Great White Hope era began on Dec 27, 1908 when Negro boxer Jack Johnson defeated the Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. Jack London, journalist, called for retired champion James Jeffries to return to the ring to “remove the smile from Johnson’s face.” The period ended April 5, 1915 when Jack Johnson lost the Heavyweight Championship to Jess Willard at Havana, Cuba.

1913 [6] Here’s a Regular Hard Luck Story, in The San Francisco Call, Oct 27. “…He holds the stakes…”

One of O’Mealia’s one-panel serials on the sports page was about a boxer named George “Sledge” Seiger, titled The History of a White Hope. O’Mealia left after two years to draw comic strips for Associated Newspapers syndicate. For the next seventeen years he drew comic strips. Among them were Little Pal, Freddie’s Film, Jungle Definitions and Wedlocked. In 1929 he began drawing an adventure strip called Sherlock Holmes (he was reportedly also illustrating reissues of Conan Doyle novels at the time) followed by another comic strip, Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu.

1930 [7] Sherlock Holmes – The Musgrave Ritual; A New Adventure, Leo O’Maelia comic strip after Conan Doyle.

The busy cartoonist was reported to have assisted Percy Crosby on Skippy and Robert Ripley on Believe It or Not. He gave up comic strips in the early 30s to work as a free-lance illustrator and as a comic book artist at National periodicals drawing for More Fun, Action, Adventure and Detective Comics. He was one of the cartoonists Jerry Siegel considered for the drawing of Superman.

1950s [8] “I’ll string along.” Opening of the Baseball Season — with the  Pirates, Reds, Orioles, Senators, and a Dodger fan.

1950s [9] Photo of Leo O’Mealia.

In 1939 O’Mealia signed on with the New York Daily News. His first assignment was illustrating Jimmy Powers sporting column. Leo (“The Lion”) Edward O’Mealia died on May 7, 1960, at Brooklyn, New York.

1955 [10] Who’s a Bum! Leo O’Mealia’s classic victory cover outsold every other paper that October Wednesday when the Dodgers beat the Yankees — read Bill Gallo’s background story in our Further Reading link to the Daily Mail.

     

Other cartoonists signing with ‘Leo’ were the American Leo Hershfield, the Dutch Leo Debudt, and the Dutch Alfred Leonardus Mazure or Maz.

FURTHER READING. Genuine Leo – Gallo Remembers Leo O’Mealia, by sporting cartoonist Bill Gallo in the New York Daily News, May 8, 1960 HERE.

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Winsor McCay Takes to the Stage

“Little Nemo’s” Author Takes to the Stage.

New York, June 15. -- “Silas,” or, as he was known, when he was poor but still proud, Winsor McCay, has at last succumbed to the inevitable -- that is, inevitable to those who gain fame, and sometimes inevitable to those who have not gained fame -- and gone on the stage. He appeared for the first time last night at Keith-Proctor’s Fourteenth Street theatre, and was received with enthusiasm by the audience.

Mr. McCay did no talking whatever, but appeared like an ordinary human being -- a clerk, a cashier, or a mere gentleman -- but the fifteen or twenty minutes that he was on the stage he made his pencil speak for him. He drew a series of 25 pictures in his well known manner, depicting the characters in the “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend,” “Little Nemo in Slumberland,” “Dull Care,” “Mr. Bunion,” and “Hungry Henrietta.” After Mr. McCay had shown the audience that he could draw a “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” in something like forty seconds, as well as a complete six-column comic of “Sammy Sneeze,” in a minute and a quarter, he picked from the audience at random people who struck his fancy, and with a few strokes on the board which he uses would draw a likeness of the person selected. This was one of the most amusing parts of the act.

While Mr. McCay was on the stage for fifteen or twenty minutes, more amusement was given the audience in this time, than they often receive in two or three hours, and Mr. Proctor says that from the outlook today he would have to increase his seating capacity of the theatre or hire another house.

One of the most surprising things done by Mr. McCay was at the close of the act, after he had selected the person in the audience whom he indicated he would draw, signaled for the lights to go out, and the theatre became totally dark. In less than one minute the lights were switched on, and Mr. McCay had drawn the picture of the person indicated while the stage and theatre were in darkness. This last act was the feature that most astonished audience.

After Mr. McCay appears in the Keith-Proctor circuit he will make a tour of the country, appearing in the principal cities where the “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” and other of his comics are published.

“Hitherto, I have always stood in awe of one man, who passes the decisive verdict on my work -- the editor,” said Mr. McCay yesterday. “And now it makes me feel pretty shaky to go out and present my work to thousands of people who will compose my audiences and each one of whom will be practically my editor. Think of that. It’s a Welsh rarebit dream all by itself!”

Mr. Fred Day, of Francis, Day and Hunter, has composed a two-step, which will be played during Mr. McCay’s act, and it is called “The Dream of the Rarebit Fiend.” It is full of queer, unexpected musical phrases of an amusing nature and interprets the spirit of much of Silas’s comic characters who eat cheese sandwiches and undergo the consequences.

*16 Jun 1906 Manitoba Free Press