Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for June 12, 2008

Please let there be a banana peel on the stairs…

Oh…. hello again, Sloop…. and hi everyone else…

Glad you’re all here at Bert and Emma’s house,

so we can start to post our comments on

the June 12th  2018 “CLEO and COMPANY” 

once it’s posted on Sherpa

http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwy

yesterday several people were very early… before the turn,

and way before Cleo…..

I just hope you’ll all stick around once the strip comes out.

It looks like Alvin and Carole are leaving early…..

did they just come for the cheese and crackers platter, and not to talk about the strip with us?

Oh gosh, Alvin! What are you trying to do?

Oh NO!!

Carole!

Is Alvin all right?

Sloop! That’s not particularly nice, is it?

I do understand that Carole sounded a bit harsh… but for 37 years she’s been watching Alvin show off….

He’s one of those "Hold my beer and watch this! " kind of guys.

I think she suspected a flaw in his plan…. but you can never convince him…. or stop him.

Carole! Do we need to call an ambula….

oh… Alvin…. are you going to be all right?

He’s brushing the leaves off his suit…. I think he’s OK.

Let’s go on in… stay away from the edge there….

you know… I told Emma I thought they needed railings on this porch….

but everybody thinks I’m just a scaredy-cat.

Well, I am.

So what?

Well, Alvin, that was a spectacular face plant. With your hands at your sides like that, it looks like you thought you could soar over the edge of the porch. Carole knows your penchant for showing off when you’ve imbibed half the liquor at the party, so she merely makes a few comments as you pull your latest stunt. BTW, you may not remember it, but she’s seen to it that you’re heavily insured.

Now is the star of that show Cleo Houndini, or Hairy Houndini?

Under the Ballard County building code, there should be a railing around that porch. Alvin was just marching along, talking and waving his hands as usual, when he stepped off the un-railed porch. Sheriff, a fine must be imposed.

Hi Sloop! Sounds like you would like Carole to do a matching face plant. But Carole watches her steps, carefully.

Farside, it must be Hairy Houndini. The human version named himself Harry after her, trying to get in the spotlight..

https://www.loc.gov/item/2014637413/

@SLOOP Always good to see you again.

I can’t say I know Carole & Alvin all that well. I think we’ve only been introduced a couple of times. So I’m not privy to the history and the dynamic in their relationship. But I can see how Carole’s banter could be taken in a multitude of ways. I’m sure Alvin knows precisely how to take it.

In the final analysis, I end up occupying the same square as Sloop. It’s just physical comedy. Pratfalls. Slapstick. Where two is always better than one.

And, what is a “fakir” anyway? It sounds vaguely discriminatory.

Wow… I love this poster!

Thanks, Stel!

I remembered having seen it…. I mean, how could one forget?

And besides, it wasn’t all that long ago….. which I brilliantly deduced by the fact … cough…. it has a date on it.

So, forgive me, but I just went back to see what I said then.

And I’d like to repeat some of it…. including, excuse me please, Dennis, a nice large version of the silly human poster….

plus some thoughts I still have now:

“Houndini has always fascinated me…. ever since I was a pup….er…. I mean a little kid, of course.”

“No leash, no collar, no harness…. not even a doggie crate of any description…. could hold the great Houndini!

The words “No” and “Stay!” meant nothing, either.

An amazing dog!

Of course, we only have grainy old silent footage to prove it….. and no modern style crates….. but I doubt it would make a difference.

At the same time, there was a human…

calling himself by the same name but leaving out one letter to avoid a lawsuit….

who tried to imitate Houndini’s great feats.

But what difference does it make if a human can escape from a collar and leash? Humans don’t wear them anyway.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/88/ab/e188ab4a13caf7408cfb1cd98672d36d.jpg"

Don’t bother me while I’m eating dirt.

Houndini was pretty good, but I was most impressed with they Great Flydini.

I always love a good Mystery! And the magic of Houndini just adds to the illusion.

Love today’s poster, Stel

Looks like the Great Houndini has been in his sarcophagus a bit too long — he’s starting to smell!