Do Dagwood Bumstead and F. Scott Fitzgerald have the same hairdo?
July 22, 2017 7:05 AM   Subscribe

Is Dagwood Bumstead's hairdo meant to be a stylized representation of the sort of 1930s hairdo that F. Scott Fitzgerald sports in this picture, that one and this other photo?

Years and years ago I heard that Dagwood's weird hairdo in the Blondie comic strip was meant to be a representation of a hairstyle that was popular in the 1930s but I've never been able to figure out what it actually looked like. F. Scott Fitzgerald's hair seems like a plausible match. Does anyone here know?

Note: In the earliest strips from 1930 Dagwood doesn't have the distinctive hairstyle but has adopted it by 1934 if that helps narrow things down.
posted by Kattullus to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: P.S. I just realized that the first photo is an airbrushed version of the second photo.
posted by Kattullus at 8:24 AM on July 22, 2017


Response by poster: Here's brief footage of Fitzgerald where he seems to have that hairdo. The upturned sidelock (or whatever the proper hair terminology is) seems to move free of the rest of the hair, making Bumstead's hair wings (or whatever the proper hair terminology is) look like an approximation.
posted by Kattullus at 8:30 AM on July 22, 2017


FYI my iPhone won't open the very first link (to Dagwood), blaming too many redirects.
posted by jon1270 at 9:22 AM on July 22, 2017


I think Dagwood's hair was meant to be a similar hairstyle, but carelessly styled so the sides are escaping, with cartoonish exaggeration.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:43 AM on July 22, 2017


Mod note: Swapped in Wikipedia link for broken first link.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:18 AM on July 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


FWIW the last cited link in the initial post includes two excerpted panels and a complete strip with a 1931 copyright date and a 12-16 pen date that shows Dagwood seated in an armchair, apparently sporting Oxford bags. He also appears to have the signature hairstyle in place, side wings and all.
posted by mwhybark at 6:56 PM on July 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


Ah, I do savor these early strips. The next one in that same link pen dated 1-7 concludes with a double flip-take!
posted by mwhybark at 6:59 PM on July 22, 2017


Dick Tracy's Flattop has that hairstyle too. Pictures from the live action movie seem to just about split the difference between F. Scott and Dagwood.
posted by milk white peacock at 9:23 PM on July 22, 2017


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