Ripley, Robert (LeRoy), 1890 - 1949
Dates
- Existence: 22 February 1890 - 27 May 1949
Biography
Robert Le Roy Ripley was born on 22nd February 1890 in Santa Rosa, California.
Robert Ripley, as he was known, was a very successful American cartoonist, entrepreneur and amateur anthropologist, known for creating Ripley's Believe It or Not! newspaper panel series and radio and television shows which feature odd facts and the bizarre and strange from around the world. During the 1930s he hosted a series of Believe It or Not! theatrical short films for Warner Bros. Pictures & Vitaphone.
In 1933 Ripley opened his first museum in Chicago, the ‘Odditorium’. The concept was so success that successive Odditoriums opened in San Diego, Dallas, Cleveland, San Francisco, and New York City. During this time Ripley was voted the most popular man in America by the New York Times and received an honorary degree from Dartmouth College.
In 1948, the year of the 20th anniversary of the Believe it or Not! cartoon series, the radio show was replaced with a television series. Ripley completed only thirteen episodes before he died of a heart attack on 27 May 1949 at the age of 58.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Enquirer Printing Company Collection
This collection of printed material produced by the Enquirer Job Printing Company contains American sideshow and freak show posters mainly from the Ripley’s ‘Believe it or Not’ franchise and a poster sampler that was taken around by salesmen from the company.
See Snookie the Famous Hollywood Movie Chimpanzee Poster, c1930 - 1949
‘Believe it or Not’ as chimpanzee was convicted in court at South Bend Ind. for smoking a cigarette! Colour illustration of chimpanzee in a suit in court showing the judge and the jury on brown and mustard colour background.
Sideshow and Freak Show Posters, c1930 - 1949
Posters of sideshow and freak show performers printed by the Enquirer Job Printing Company, in Cincinnati, USA, many of which for Leroy Robert Ripley's Believe it or Not franchise.
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