Strips 120-124 of the popular comic Molarity, which previewed in the Observer in 1977, contains one of the most memorable strips Molinelli did at Notre Dame.
120. This cartoon series was inspired by Woody Hayes, the coach of Ohio State, punching Clemson nose-guard Charlie Bauman after an interception in the 1978 Gator Bowl. Woody was fired the next day, ending his 28-year career. The headline of the Observer included Iran’s military government trying to keep Moslem religious leaders from taking over now that the Shah left.
121. Stories in the Observer show that heaters in the bookstore had warped the vinyl records for sale. And a sports feature heralded sophomore basketball phenomenon Kelly Tripucka.
122. The punch line for this gag was sort of a homage to a Monty Python bit about the gangsters Doug and Dinsdale Piranha. Homage when pronounced without the “h” means you ripped someone and hid behind false obeisance. Well, not false in this case.
123. For decades students have remembered and reminded me about this one. One male Domer constantly used the phrase “Come Lay With Me, You Feisty Wench” as an overture to romance with his Saint Mary’s wife. They had many children. So here it is, the most talked-about cartoon I ever did. It appears my cartooning career peaked on Friday, January 26, 1979. The last 33 years have been just dénouement.
124. Oh, yes, a clever cartoon about censorship, but let’s talk about cartoon #123 again. Look, if was really smart I would have parleyed the previous cartoon into an industry of “Come Lay With Me, You Feisty Wench” T-shirts, bumper stickers, calendars and a nationally syndicated cartoon strip in which every punch line is “Come Lay With Me, You Feisty Wench.”
See the first five classic strips. Check back monthly for more classic Molarity strips. Molarity Redux, the updated, continuing adventures of Jim Mole and friends, also is posted monthly. For those new strips, check out the cartoon archives.