| |
| | Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Mutt and Jeff |
 | | Mutt enjoyed gambling at the racetrack (which is why, like Fisher's earlier work, the strip appeared in the sports section, back before daily papers had comics pages), but had to answer to his shrewish wife for this avocation. |
 | | Mutt's easygoing dimwittedness contrasted to great comic effect with the fact that Jeff was certifiably insane (they first met in a mental institution). |
 | | Its scope broadened immensely (in fact, later that year, Mutt became the very first toon candidate for U.S. president), and before long "Mutt & Jeff" actually became a part of the English language, a slang term for a tall person paired with a short one. |
| www.toonopedia.com /muttjeff.htm (894 words) |
|