Gasoline Gus (comic)
Gasoline Gus is a character that was popular in cartoon strips, a record single, and films. The comic strip was written by O.P. Williams and was syndicated by the Philadelphia North American between 1913 and 1914. The character Gasoline Gus was a taxi driver and car fanatic who constantly wrecked his early automobile.[1] Billy Murray and the American Quartet recorded the song "Gasoline Gus and his Jitney Bus" in 1915.[2] It was recorded on Edison Record phonograph cylinder.[3] It was one of several songs about jitneys in the U.S. as they became popular in the lead up to World War I.[4]
For the 1921 film see Gasoline Gus (1921 film)
![](../I/Gasoline_Gus_cartoon.png.webp)
Two films were made based on Gasoline Gus. The first in 1915[5] with a cast that included Fay Tincher and Elmer Booth,[6] and the second Gasoline Gus (1921 film). The 1921 film was based on a Saturday Evening Post story by George Pattullo (writer).[7]
The petroleum scientist and Director of Universal Oil Products, Gustav Erloff, was nicknamed Gasoline Gus from 1915.[8]
References
- "Stripper's Guide: Obscurity of the Day: Gasoline Gus". Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- "Browse All Recordings | Gasoline Gus and his jitney bus, Take 2 (1915-07-26) | National Jukebox". Loc.gov. 1915-07-26. Archived from the original on 2017-05-26. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- University of California, Santa Barbara Library Department of Special Collections (November 16, 2005). "Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project". cylinders.library.ucsb.edu.
- Anderson, Don (2016-04-10). "The Jitney In Song, 1915-2011". The Third Carriage Age. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- Bowser, Eileen (February 23, 1999). The Griffith Project, Volume 12: Essays on D.W. Griffith. British Film Institute. ISBN 9781844572687 – via Google Books.
- Massa, Steve (April 23, 2013). "Lame Brains and Lunatics". BearManor Media – via Google Books.
- Massa, Steve. "Rediscovering Roscoe: The Films of "Fatty" Arbuckle". BearManor Media – via Google Books.
- Science (magazine) 11 May 1956