Much has understandably been made of Tom Hanks thoughtfully giving a coffee machine to the White House Press corps. I just wanted to add that in photographs of the note he sent, what most-impressed me is that the political cartoon Hanks included looks to me almost certainly by the great Bill Mauldin, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for the Chicago Sun-Times, who famously did the "Willie & Joe" cartoons during WWII, about two sardonic, world-weary "dogfaces".
As a point of reference, here is one of Mauldin's WWII cartoons, so you can see the similarity in style and why I'm sure that one the Hanks letter is by him.
For the sake of accuracy, when he did he political cartoons during WWII he was working for the army's Stars and Stripes publication. He later worked for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, where he won his second Pulitzer. Three years later, he moved to the Chicago Sun-Times, where worked for 30 years until his retirement.
Two movies were based on his "Willie and Joe" characters. The first was Up Front, which was the title of Mauldin's collection of his World War II cartoons. It starred Tom Ewell and David Wayne. And there was a sequel, made the next year in 1951, Back at the Front.
Also, for almost two decades Charles Schultz would pay tribute to Mauldin and have Snoopy head over to Mauldin's house, dressed in army fatigues, to have a couple of beers.
Two movies were based on his "Willie and Joe" characters. The first was Up Front, which was the title of Mauldin's collection of his World War II cartoons. It starred Tom Ewell and David Wayne. And there was a sequel, made the next year in 1951, Back at the Front.
Also, for almost two decades Charles Schultz would pay tribute to Mauldin and have Snoopy head over to Mauldin's house, dressed in army fatigues, to have a couple of beers.
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