Come On, Steve!

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Come On, Steve! was a very popular strip written and drawn by Roland Davies.  His name was a tribute to famous racehorse jockey champion Steve Donoghue, the spectators would yell 'Come on, Steve'! and it became a nationally known expression.  Mr. Davies was a consummate professional artist, he was a pioneer of British animation when he made a cartoon of Steve the carthorse in his kitchen, eventually producing 6 of them.  The strip ran from 1932 to 1949.  Steve is anthropomorphic because he is of human level intelligence and he can read.


Clay statuette of Steve, possibly a production prototype.

Come On, Steve by Roland Davies

I had to copy and paste this, I could not enlarge it.

For decades this was the only example of the strip I saw.


Oh, well, in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe Mr. and Mrs. Beaver eat ham -
“Now, Mr Beaver, just reach down that ham. And here’s a packet of tea, and there’s sugar, and some matches".  So a horse wanting a fur coat makes sense.  English sense.


Collected reprints sold very well.


Outstanding artwork and humor.


The cartoons suffer from post-production sound and just are not up to what was coming out of the U. S. in the 1930's, although I find the artwork outstanding.  Of course, it is no shame to be beaten by Disney Studios when you are making cartoons in your kitchen.  Here is a silent French version that is probably better for not having sound - 

 
And this one is an advertisement for Fordson Tractors with the dashing Roland Davies in the opening -
 
 

 Superb.  I think the sign reads 'Beware of the Engines', as if this may be close to a railroad.  Yes.  This was a common sign in England.
 

 Alamy ruins everything with their watermarks.  Wankers.  Universal should have been required to post this outside of all theaters charging money to see Mortal Engines, yes they should have.
 

 Unknown over here in the U. S. except by strange-o researchers.  Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery and Nelson's Column in background.

Steve gets fed up with your rules, man.


I think this would go over today quite well.


Superior talent.


Roland Davies, 1904 - 1993.  Bang up job, for sure!

(Steve's Cannon Crackers, 1937)



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