From the Archives: The 1924 L.A. Times-Gump family shopping promotion
Standing in the car is the cast of the film series that brought the Gump family from the comics pages to the big screen. From left are Jack Morgan as Chester, Fay Tincher as Min and Joe Murphy as Andy Gump.
The Gumps cast members were promoting their latest two-reel comedy short film “What’s the Use?” During the four-day promotion starting April 29, 1924, the Gumps stopped and shopped at various Los Angeles Times advertisers. Each day’s schedule of cast appearances was printed in The Times.
Created by Sidney Smith, “The Gumps” comic strip ran from 1917 to 1959. In the 1920s, the popular characters appeared in film.
Between 1923 and 1928, Universal Pictures released about four dozen Gumps two-reel comedies. “What’s the Use?” in 1924 was the sixth episode in the series. The two-reel shorts ran about 20 minutes.
Below, two unpublished images from the joint promotion show actor Joe Murphy as Andy Gump reading the April 22, 1924, Los Angeles Times.
