Ralph Stein

{{more citations needed|date=November 2016}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2014}} '''Ralph Stein''' (November 13, 1909–November 27, 1994<ref name=":0">{{cite news |author= |date=November 29, 1994 |title=Ralph Stein; Cartoonist, Wrote Automotive Books |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0F016D1EBEF7EA&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB030236E82F551 |work=The Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |access-date=September 28, 2021}} </ref>) was a writer, cartoonist and illustrator.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XCHkn64cYkC&q=ralph+stein+popeye&pg=PA13|title=Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History, 2d ed.|last=Grandinetti|first=Fred M.|date=2012-05-21|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786426874|language=en}}</ref>

Ralph Stein was born in New York City on November 13, 1909,<ref>Connecticut Department of Health. ''Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2012'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2003.</ref> the eldest of two sons of Sarah and Jacob Stein.<ref>Ancestry.com. ''1930 United States Federal Census'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.</ref> His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants and their first language was Yiddish. His father was a tailor and his younger brother, Arthur Stein, was a magazine promoter.<ref>Ancestry.com. ''1940 United States Federal Census'' [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.</ref> He married his wife Muriel Stein, with whom he had three children: David Stein, Jonathan "Jon" Stein, and Elizabeth "Betsy" Turco (Stein).<ref name=":0" />

He began his career as a photographer and illustrator at The World-Telegram. During World War II, he was the staff cartoon editor for the U.S. Army magazine "Yank". During that time, he was co-author, with Harry Brown, of "It's a Cinch, Private Finch," a humorous book about Army life, and many of his cartoons from "Yank" were compiled into a book called "What Am I Laughing At?".<ref>Whittlesey House, A Division of the McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1944</ref> On May 23, 1950, his fifteen Travelers Safety Service single-panel comics titled "Maim Street" began appearing in newspapers<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/the-daily-review-may-23-1950-p-11/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_page/|title=Maim Street|last=Stein|first=Ralph|date=May 23, 1950|pages=6|url-status=live|work=The Daily Review}}</ref> and were reprinted until 1961.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/manti-messenger-feb-23-1961-p-7/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_page/|title=Maim Street|last=Stein|first=Ralph|date=February 23, 1961|pages=4|url-status=live|work=Manti Messenger}}</ref>

From 1953 to 1959, he helped draw and write the "Popeye" comic strip and illustrated "Here's How" for King Features. Stein's first daily "Popeye" strip was published December 6, 1954 and his last in August 1959. Stein's stories used very little of Popeye's supporting players, and instead took the sailor all over the world. He also returned Bluto to the daily strip beginning in 1957. Later Stein created Bluto's beard-less 'twin brother", Burlo.

Stein was the author of several books about cars, including ''Sports Cars of the World'' (1952), ''Treasury of the Automobile'' (1961), ''The American Automobile'' (1978) and ''The Great Cars'' (1967).<ref>[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/400870.Ralph_Stein Bibliography from goodreads.com]</ref>

Other books by Ralph Stein include ''The Pinup From 1852 to Now'' and ''The Great Inventions''.<ref>[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/400870.Ralph_Stein Bibliography from goodreads.com]</ref>

Stein died on November 27, 1994 at the Saybrook Convalescent Hospital in Old Saybrook, Conn at age 85 after a long illness.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/01/obituaries/ralph-stein-85-was-a-cartoonist.html Obituary in the New York Times 12-1-1994]</ref> He had lived in Connecticut for many years.

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stein, Ralph}} Category:1909 births Category:1994 deaths Category:Writers from New York City Category:People from Middlesex County, Connecticut Category:20th-century American photographers Category:American editorial cartoonists Category:American comics writers Category:American humorists Category:United States Army personnel of World War II