Pasadena, California: "Tales From the Strip" is the first comprehensive museum exhibition to recognize the legendary hot rod and drag racing cartoonist Pete Millar (1929-2003). After finding his original inspiration from the artists of MAD Magazine's heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Millar turned his drawing skills to humorous situations involving souped-up cars and their errant drivers, as well as his spoofs of actual personalities and controversies during the rapid growth of the drag racing culture in California. Millar's virtuoso drawing abilities were nurtured by his training as an engineering draftsman and first hand experience as a drag racer. He built and drove three dragsters while he published his drawings and comic strips in "Drag Racing", "Hot Rod", "Rod & Custom", and produced his own periodicals, "CAR'toons", "Drag Cartoons", "Big Daddy Roth Magazine", and "Drag Comics". Millar is considered one of the greatest satirical cartoonists, working within the hot-rodding and drag racing communities. This exhibition will include over 40 original drawings and paintings from the Millar estate and will also feature vintage publications from both the golden age of drag racing and the recent era of hot rod nostalgia. The exhibit runs from June 1st to September 14th Pasadena Museum of California Art 490 East Union Street Pasadena, California Please come and support the efforts of the Millar Family to preserve and share Pete's artwork www.laffyerasphalt.com
Love that poster!!! Pete attended the races at Green Valley,(dont remember year) early 60s..Pete stayed with me during his stay in Dallas for the races... I was so happy to talk with his wife and daughter,Robin,last year at the CHHR in Bakersfield....He was a dear friend of mine....Long live his memory!!!!
This is great, and LOOOOONNNGGG overdue! I wish they'd done this when he was alive to enjoy it. Pete was an enormous talent and a founding father in the genre that is hot rod art, and one heck of a neat guy. Hats off to you, Pete. You were the best! Bill Stinson
Here's the Millar website: www.laffyerasphalt.com Pasadena Museum of California Art www.pmcaonline.org
Thank you for the head-up on this;I may have to bite the bullet and fly out there for it. Pete Millar was probably the biggest influence(along with Donn Varner)in my getting into the pinstriping and cartoon business as a kid.I would unremorselessly ATTEMPT to copy his cartoon characters to use on my specialty at the time:convertible top boots of cars.They never seemed to have the feeling that Pete's did and it was many years later before I understood why. To me the 3 greatest cartoonists that have ever lived were Pete,Charles Schultz,and Johnny Hart.They all had that rare ability to,using an absolute minimum of lines,completely capture an expression on the face of their characters.And they defy duplication. I never had the pleasure of meeting Pete in person although I did get to speak with him on the phone before his untimely passing.A very nice and humble man. As an aside,I was at home one night when I received a call on my wife's phone.It was Robyn;Pete's daughter.She had seen some pictures of my car that Ilene Roth's brother had taken and noticed the tribute I had painted on the fender.Co-incidentally my(old) phone number was readable in the picture. She just called to thank me for the nice words I had put on there about her dad.Made my day!
Edit: I think I red lighted.After visiting the site it prolly isn't,but it is a good cartoon never the less. I think,but I'm not sure that this is one of his cartoons. It is related to a "Blower Explosion Rating System"
OK KIDS! I just got the word from the Millar family that you HAMBers are invited to the OPENING NIGHT of the Pete Millar exhibit! That will be on saturday evening, May 31st from 7-9PM. Hot rods and custom drivers can park in the lot to the east of the museum. details in the above posts
I expect to be at the May 31 opening. In 1984 I took a basic graphic arts class at South Coast Regional Occupational Center (adult education) in Torrance, California. To my surprise, Pete Millar was teaching the night class. At the end of the semester he made a caricature of the students. I'm the tall guy in back (red arrow). His signature is enlarged in the red box at the upper left. Pete was a great teacher.
i been planning on checking it out i first saw his work a few years ago my co worker said that was his uncle and when he was a kid pete would give him sweaters for xmas with his art . wish i had uncles like that
It is VERY difficult to catalog and begin to present a big picture of Pete Millar's scope and influence.... I'm convinced that he was responsible for making Roth into a unique cartoon character to accompany the physical...kinda like Stan Lee and Spider Man, you get the idea.... Alfred E. Nueman of the crazy painters/builders....he hired the best artists SoCal had working: Alex Toth, Ron Dias (Hanna Barbera/Disney low-key superstar),Python's Terry Gilliam, Gilbert Shelton, etc etc....I suspect he even introduced Ed to Wes Bennett,Roth's top-secret Disney moonlighter..... Wish we could be there......
I sure wish they would take exhibits like this around the country to other museums for all of us who can't make it out to California.
I got the chance to check out the exibit yesterday while I was in Pasadena taking a class. Luckily I got a postcard otherwise I might of missed it; they must have remembered me from the time I purchased a few magazines a couple of years ago. You guys and gals have got to check it out!!! Peter's attention to detail is awesome and the images in the magazines don't do it justice. Seeing the real deal in the musuem was too cool. http://laffyerasphalt.com/Strip.html
Here are the photos from opening night...... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=269208
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