Radio Smithsonian; 27; The Creative World of Rube Goldberg

But. Washington We present a program of music and conversation from the Smithsonian Institution. Rube Goldberg is a man and an agile Lucious Goldberg started his career as a cartoonist 19:00 for the age of 21. He's got tunes with syndicated in 1915 and by the following year he was described as the guy who made laughing a national daily habit. He made famous such well-known cartoon characters as Mike and I. Doctors and Lollapalooza. The American genius for devising mechanical means were doing simple tasks so captured Goldberg's imagination. He designed many do it the hard way machines himself. These whimsical inventions became so identified with him that his name has entered the English vocabulary. The Rube Goldberg and adjective in Webster's International Dictionary. Is defined as accomplishing by extremely complex roundabout

means what actually seemingly could be done simply out of ingenious contraptions that Rube Goldberg has contributed to American society perhaps the most famous is his automatic portrait make up. I wrote a simple device a portrait maker provides amateur and professional photographers with excellent portraits without the usual tinkering. All the photographer is required to do is to usher the subject to a stool and tell him to look at the camera as he sits a pneumatic cushion on the stool forces it through a tube which is aimed at a model sailboat resting on a block of ice. The sailboat has been rigged with ice skates and of course holds a lighted cigar as the sailboat glides across the ice a lighted cigar pops a balloon exploding balloon frightens a dictator who believe he has been shot again. The dictator falls backward on a bow which is connected to the camera and snaps a picture of the portrait Make it was acclaimed throughout the world it promised to revolutionize the photography business

visionaries first saw great boots with people paying to enter then sitting on the stool in order to make a portrait of themselves. But soon after production was set up the plant had to close because of a shortage of out-of-work dictators. One of the few corporate mega still in use is owned by Dr. Harvey Zeno of elephants bred Montana. We talked with Dr. Zana who explained how he was able to conquer the dictator problem. Soon after he received the portrait make a doctor's and I realized that in order to keep the machine running smoothly he would need help. First he had a vet who ushered the gentleman to the stool. Then Ingrid of Swedish cook to make sure the ice man brought the ice blocks as they were needed. And finally he employed an out-of-work Zarina named Sofia to take the place of the dictator Dr. Zeno tells us that in the 30 odd years the portrait maker has been in operation he has photographed every man an elephant's breasts at least 15 times. This is part of the created

world of Rube Goldberg. I always drew when I was four years old I like to draw. And my most kids like to draw on my. My family were very sympathetic. And. I. Used to draw on the blackboard on Washington's Birthday Lincoln's birthday. And then when I was 12. There was a fellow on the block a good friend of mine named George Wagner. His brothers were in the paint his sign painting and they had a sign painted was a good good artist. And George and I would want to his house every Friday night.

Every two years. Working with him painting in the park on Sunday. And he used to wish Grace's ribbon I think you have more talent drawing than George. George turned out to be a good architect and a contractor a very successful contractor exams. And I don't think he understood my cartoons. And then as I said you know it's an old story that's when I want to I want to go to college. I draw in high school and all. I want to cry I want to go to college and I got this. And I think that colors your mining theory that you've been good in arithmetic. Mathematics. And it was the most remote thing in the world from anything that I was associated with when I was growing up. And but he was paying for it you know and I. Great respect for him. And. He says when you get out you go you know you make make good money you know people in the mining.

And. All cartoonists are kind of bums and you know there weren't there weren't any strip bars but for the first strips August in about nineteen. Seventy. Six. So I went to University of California and took up mining engineering and I used to draw pictures in fact I drew a field is full of slate that invented the Baradei and I was kicked out of his classroom. Now when I got out. I got a diploma or three at three years and a half. I graduated from high school around Christmas six months ahead and I went over to college there was no registration. Department. And it was either a question of going back. Or are trying to make up six months. So. My residence in the college of mining and followed follows around to the different classes trigonometry and I didn't want to cosign or sign was some trigonometry I bought a slide rule I don't know how but I I placed all this

stuff and made up to say I passed the second semester. Junior year and I went. To graduate in three years and I have something that I wasn't adopted to at all. And. When I got out I with my father got me a job in the city engineers all. Sam says the design was in the water. And I was there and I had a father working next to me to get what I got but he was getting a hundred dollars a month and that would be great. You'll get a hundred dollars a month when you get up to his position. So after six months I got so sick of what I said to my finish. Well what do you want to do I says I'm going to go and try to get a job on the paper. I went to the Chronicle. And the boss happened to be out the boss of the department happened to be out and his assistant was on the hairy bunk. And he looked at. You know Jim has some books college things. And he

says well we give you a chance. But I don't know the drug cartels would take in the art department eight dollars a week. I paid him eight dollars a week I was so kind I was just following. I just. I wanted to be a privateer and I drew a cartoon every day and you know I came in early. And I'd sweep out the art department wipe off retouching. And I'd. Look in the wastebasket in the cartoons I did the day before when the waistband. So finally after. About three months. I got an assignment to do a football game a kid's football game cross the day. And I got out I got out all of the. Reference pictures I could get all of the pictures of the ballplayers and I had my paper rule. And there was about. Eight or 10 fellows in the autumn probably all work. And I got everything ready so when I came back ID. Have extra time to think and I was kind of

scared. So when I had all the stuff out when I came back there was one fella there was a dog what they call a dog watch when they're out to dinner. And no one follows and he's going to have his head down. And my stuff was all gone off the top of my desk. And you know I was just a kid and they knew that I was gone. For ages. So constant. So I try to open my drawer and it was locked. It was nailed to a nail down. There with a case of a you know the playing field. I guess. I came back I guess said oh oh she was up for me but. I don't know something and something sort of snapped inside of me and I went out and I got a hammer and a lot of nails and nailed up every desk in the room including the boss. And I went out and had a bite to eat. When I came back they were all hammering on their doors and opening him and I thought oh God this is going to be a tear I'm going to get fired. So the boss came over to me and I thought he's going to say Goldberg

you're finished. His name was language he was a German. And he said why did you why did you name Myna. I says well maybe you were in on the conspiracy too. So that was the end of it and we all became great friends and I you know and I did cartoons. Every day sports crowd goes after that. So I was encouraged it was fright. You know. Will you look back at these things and I don't know I don't know why I. Why I just had the nerve to urge you to do that but that's what I did. And then. There was a paper called The Bulletin and they they gave much more space. And I would go over there every day and they were trying out different problems. Ted Dorgan had the job of the bully. So every day I go over there and. Going to college he was also chairman the head of the art department and they had one of those glass doors and he had a little hole scraped out of it and he would look at

me then tell me tell the girl to say he was busy but I kept coming back and coming back and I finally got the job. I'd been raised to $12 a week. And I took this job in the column for temp. And all that that was that I was finally coming back early was the. Sports Editor and he and I became great friends. I wrote in that story how I. Went up to up to Reno you know quite well Jeffrey gave the title away. And they had a they had a writer there trying to get drunk. So beggarly wired me says write a story. I wired back I said I don't write write any. Car. I've been writing ever since. I was channel. Yes it evolved very tech and I didn't care about going out to a white.

Ball game every day. And gradually I did see a human interest story. It just sort of I didn't know you know you can look back and try to find reasons why a career took this turn of that period. But. I don't happen. To know it all happens when. You want to look back and you know in retrospect. Versus the invention. When I went to college in there. And did these things happen. This. Very day. Running away. Very. Soon and living mechanics that was what I had I thought that was crazy or silly and then later on I kept groping from it. All of the sudden it dawned on me this is funny. And this is what people do and this is the exaggerated way in which people accomplish very little. So I tried it and I didn't expect that. That was only part of my. Part of my.

Work. And I didn't expect that to be picked out something that would identify me the rest. Of the summer. Probably kept calling me up from the university or some place in Arizona. I didn't know what he already knew but best. Believe finally came down to the country into the country. And he didn't know that I was satirizing and he thought that I was better because every time people would have a complicated forming. Or. Some machine that you know look. You know fantastic. They call it a Rube Goldberg and he didn't know he just knew that I existed I think thought that I was an inventor serious embarrassment and he was having a convention center. Young I said I can't help but not right. Yeah I know I'm very frank about it. I'm not mechanically minded really. Alone. This is kind of a progressive. Thing the steets machine. And then that then they're really not machines they're.

Satirical representations of. The progress of nothing. You know. But. That's. You know I think it's all kind of showing up good television presence you take the wall. There's nothing could be sillier than the trouble and the jam in the Middle East all you have to stop fighting. Stop hating. You know that's the solution which they'll find out after they're killed millions of people. And that's all in the same type of thinking you know but that's what that's human nature and I don't think you're going to Europe. Russia and China seem to have on hand for the world and they're played they played over an instance of territory. I don't know. And their fellows here in Washington they're going to fix everything. Not now that we have an election. I listen to the candidates. But I know that I was listening

to candidates 80 years ago when I was a little. Cleaning up Sampras's just still cleaning up. I don't want to sound bitter. Gloomy or pessimistic but. That's the way people are. Still kissing babies. You know. Are you ready to do editorial cartoons. Yeah I know that's a good idea. Like a you know I have you know when I was doing at the top I did a for. Almost 20 years. And I want to spoil the surprise. But. I didn't quite feel I didn't quite feel that that was possibly the way the comics. Comics. And the comics I was in trying to fix anything. I just says here it is I said to people look at your life itself what kind of an era. But in the editorial cartoons. You have to.

You have to have some kind of. Point. You know you have to have something that you want to cure. You had. One party or another or. Whatever exists. And you have to say I'm fixing this. You know. I can fix it. So it's much much easier just to satirize him. It's more fun. More. Fun. When Truman ran. When he ran. It didn't matter he said he had a chance to pose for all to do it. So I. I wanted to cheat a little bit sort of waiting for the election I drew a cartoon. Father was moving a piano out of the White House with. Truman. On the. On the roof and the next day it was due it was a like a Truman was elected. And so this fellow Franco Bryant was the editor of the mail. Or the sun. He ran a blank space. Robert regrets that's all he said. And I gave the card

to determine. The madam we went down to Washington directly. And he had a good time he laughed. Well her frock I think is very better I know very well in. Fact the cocktail the society has. Trophy every year they give it. To the. Cartoonist of the year. It's. Called a rube. My design is kind of tame. And. I was the first president. To use the site. Honorary. And I present this every year and I present it to her blog twice a day. And he said. This is amazing this you're so nice to me. We differ politically. Well it didn't matter to me that much to differ politically it would matter much more Pete Gifford. Humorist. Approach to. Funny Pictures. I says I don't know you're a nice guy I don't agree with you at all I think you're kind of better.

Like he draws pictures of Nixon now you makes him look like an idiot and he made. Eisenhower look like a pinhead you remember. But that's. And. He has some kind of a charm yes some kind of a and ability that makes him stand out. Above other Carto that's because he's he said and in a much more. Fractious. Much more. Sound way. You know you can see it in even papers that don't agree with him politically probably some of this stuff. Because they could try to. But he's not going to fix it he's not going to make an idiot out of all presidents that Republicans. He's a Democrat. And. I've heard. Discussions about where they're. Going on TV whether. The news can be. Can be you know neutral or whether they can be. Fair. You know not. Lopsided. You know I like. I go. To the old biases.

Color. I don't see how that has any feeling for politics appealing for news can help that. You know we all have certain. Certain believe. Certain. Built in. Prejudices. And that come out somewhere. You no matter how hard you try to be objective. I'm glad I'm not a bit torn. And there. In the sculpture you know I have. You know. Every creator has sort of a one trick. Not a trick but one point of view. I mean I exaggerate. By satirizing. That I thought I didn't want to keep repeating. Because the public is tired. So that's why I was still a. Baby. Tonight. I said I'm going to go into. The structure. But. Now I'm doing things that are not. Coming. And they're not all coming.

It's culture realistic sculpture. A lot of people seem to like me. And I'm enjoying that. I mean I wouldn't enjoy drawing now. Because I think that's another you know that's in the past. I thought I have to learn to manipulate clay and what kind of materials to your. Kind of. Instrument. And. So there's a place right near us that sculpture. Center sculpture with a. Class up. There. And I went in there and I thought all is well nice you know who I was and I said I'm trying to. Find out how to go by sculpture. And I said oh I scraped the crap. Took a. Big. Handful of clay and put it on the stand and had. To make something. That all around me was young you know. Sculpture and would mean. Everything and. He looked at me

as she gave me a smart kind of mark in my life. And I went up and I did that and she didn't tell me anything except. What kind of play to you. Got to do. And I never went back. I knew I knew what I wanted to do. But it took me a while to find out how to do I didn't. And I. Wrote books on anatomy I didn't study anatomy. And then I had to have an armature you know I didn't know anything about obviously that's a wireframe issue. Sculpture. So I could just play and I build up a man. Quite tall and it was very good. You know in the morning when I looked at him he was a misfit and had struck and I thought what happened. You know and then I found out that the clay wasn't strong enough to hold itself up and you know I want to run I just. Like him as.

An art store and all the names you know and they really are crazy you gotta you gotta have the knowledge your aunt was sat. Beside me and I was going to have. Pacific yell wire. Think it went on. You know. Pieces the arms and legs and if you want to do a head. There's another type of. Her. Piece of. Wire. So no I lie by omission. And sometimes I make my own. And I gradually it didn't take too long it took me about six months to get on. To the to the manipulation. Of the. Technical part of it but. My mind was still working the way it did when I was drawing 5 to. 20 I couldn't cheat. You have to look at the back you know to look around. And it's and the anatomy gotta be there no matter how much exaggeration there are. A lot of these are things you know when I look back. I think it's me. You know you look at all this stuff and I read it instead of being all.

Welled up all over the. Wall and with my production it kind of frightens me and I wonder how. How I did all this. That's that's what I feel today. When I talk to my sons or my grandson. And then they tell me I don't know what I'm talking about that I'm old fashioned. There. Are things that apply. One when I was young like ambition or. Truth. All of the different concepts that we had we done trying to look out for your future. Saving a little money. They say that's all out. Well I don't think it is. You. Sowed a lot of these because a lot of these kids don't think of the future they don't think of. You know. They don't seem to. But there must be kids. With all the disadvantages today I guess are more disadvantaged now. Or. In a

kind of. Trap. You know the draft. Unions and all that kind of stuff. But I still I still hang on to the some of the older guys like you the kid who gets a little more than the other kids I think will be rewarded. Rube Goldberg has become an institution during his 66 years as a cartoonist and writer. At 80 while he was still young enough he took up sculpture. He has shared his astute mind blood spirit and facile imagination with the nation. His insight and wit have produced a unique commentary on human nature and American culture. As Dr Daniel Boston director of the National Museum of History and Technology says Rube Goldberg is a grand maker of American jokes but he is much more than that. He is a modern and pungently Americans who say he is in the venerable good humor tradition of Franklin and Lincoln and in the popular traditions of Artemus Ward and petroleum the

Naz bee and Mr. Dooley and Will Rogers. But while these others focused on the political follies and hypocrisy of that age Goldberg mines a new vein he sees what he's most modern about modern America while he is of course a more versatile artist and writer than his journalist predecessors he also has a shop a focus he focuses ingeniously and devastatingly on those peculiar follies and hypocrisy of daily life which spring from the wonderful American standard of living and the American genius for technology. Also wrote the lyrics for some popular songs. When you hear me talk when people turn around to say. All all do they know exactly where this

car is or shines much. And the king of England cuts my hair. For breakfast every day. I'm here I'm there I'm mostly. The salt in the show. I'm the guy. Oh always live on never. Wish. I could still smoke in the chimney me. Foot leaves on trees. Me this one.

Who don't you know. Holes in the radio Smithsonian is presented weekly at this time produced by Dan McLeish of the Office of Public Affairs Frederick M. Phillips director. This is Cynthia. This is the national educational radio network.