Ned Riddle: Dallas Artist and Creator of “Mr. Tweedy”
by Paula Bosse
The Texan Visits New York City … “New York CITY?!”
by Paula Bosse
A few years ago, I came across the cartoon above in Joe E. Cooper’s chili bible, With or Without Beans, and I was delighted to see that the cartoonist was Ned Riddle, who, though having begun his career as a staff artist for the Dallas Morning News, is known primarily for his syndicated comic panel “Mr. Tweedy,” which I loved as a kid.
A couple of interesting tidbits about Mr. Riddle, who was a Dallas resident until his death in 2003: during WWII, he served on a submarine with the unspeakably perfect name, the USS Piranha, and — unlikely as it seems — while studying art at Washington University in St. Louis, he apparently studied under the great Expressionist artist Max Beckmann.
I loved “Mr. Tweedy” — the look of it, the simple one-panel jokes, and the fact that (as I recall) the somewhat optimistic-though-beleaguered Mr. Tweedy rarely actually spoke. Sort of Mr. Bean-like. I also knew that the cartoonist was from Dallas, and I was always trying to spot any sort of hidden homage to the city (as far as I know that never happened, but it SHOULD have!). “Mr. Tweedy” began in 1954 and ended in 1988. That’s a good run.
Here are a few Mr. Tweedy panels.
1959
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1959
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1969
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And some photos of Ned Riddle at his drawing board over the years.
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Oct. 15, 1988, the final panel….
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Sources & Notes
“The Texan Visits New York” cartoon appeared in With or Without Beans, An Informal Biography of Chili by Joe E. Cooper (Dallas: William S. Henson, Inc., 1952). Find (pricey) out-of-print copies for sale here.
First two “Mr. Tweedy” panels from Mr. Tweedy by Ned Riddle (NY: Fleet Publishing Corporation, 1960; reprinted in 1977).
Later photo of Ned Riddle found on Flickr here.
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Copyright © 2014 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Flashback : Dallas 
Was a collection of Mr. Tweedy ever published? If so, where can I get a copy?
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I have a copy my parents bought in the ’60s — there was a reprint done in the 1970s. There is a link at the bottom of this post to find copies available for sale online. It looks like there is a $15 mass market paperback available on Amazon right now.
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We lived just next door to the Riddles on Mimosa Lane. They were all a lot of fun.
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[…] he ended the strip’s run. (The story was reprinted on-line in a function on Riddle posted on Flashback Dallas, an internet site by Paula Bosse exploring the Texas metropolis’s individuals and historical […]
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I grew up with Mr. Riddle’s daughter, Emily, and remember him in his studio drawing Mr. Tweedy. Great memories at their first house in Dallas. The backyard was a giant playground. Awesome!
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I never heard of Mister Tweedy, but judging from the panels you re-printed, I should have!
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Catching up on missed Flashback Dallas in early hours, I was so delighted to find Mr Tweedy! I had completely forgotten about him but as a teenager in Dallas in the 60’s I loved the cartoons. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to go back 60 years and feel young again!
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You’re welcome! I loved Mr. Tweedy too!
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