Sunday, June 1, 2025

Don't let the pigeons fly the plane

HALLIE EPHRON: Earlier this week we devoted time to birds, noting how they seemed to be having their moment, popping up in the news feeds and detective dramas.

This week, it happened again. Pigeons -- this time, a pair of them in the news -- causing chaos trying to stow away on a Delta flight from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin.

The plane was delayed almost an hour while passengers and flight crew and finally a baggage handler managed to corral the pigeons and remove them from the plane. Quite the drama.

I'm guessing they were a pair, looking for a place to nest. It's that time of year. Or m
aybe they climbed aboard hoping for a bag of pretzels. Sadly those short hop flights no longer have snacks.

I hope they were set free together to continue their quest. 

Had my Jerry been on that plane, or even heard about the drama, he'd have been inspired to immortalize those pigeons in cartoons. 

So I leave you this week with some of Jerry's birdiest handiwork.

First, from a series he called, "Hair Club for Penguins"...

AND more Hair Club for Penguins--


And a startled parakeet...

He also had a series, Hair Club for Chihuahuas and Hair Club for Slugs and Hair Club for Rabid Raccoons.  Also Hair Club for Aardvarks and Hair Club for Philodendrens and Hair Club for 6-week-old Whoppers. (Jerry himself was nearly bald but handsome as ever.)

And, of course, all of that inspired Hare Club for Men. (He was a big punner.)


He had a very bizarre sense of humor. For the birds, you might say.

40 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing Jerry's special and delightful artwork with us, Hallie . . . wonderful smiles to start the day . . . .

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  2. I absolutely love Jerry's bird "clubs." Too humorous. And they capture so much in just a squiggle or two. What a talent.

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    1. I agree - it's really uncanny - particularly for those of us with zero ability to draw.

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  3. Always enjoy seeing Jerry's artwork! Thank you, Hallie! His sense of humor shines through each drawing.

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  4. Thanks for the birdie and hair clubs artwork!
    A lovely way to start a chilly JUNE 1st.

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    1. We woke up in the 50s here, too.

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    2. Cold rain, windy and 8C/46F here in Ottawa.

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    3. 37°F and drizzly at 5 AM in Lake Placid. Sigh! (Selden)

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  5. How fun! Love Jerry’s humor. Thank you for sharing.

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  6. He had such a talent for capturing expressions in just a few lines. I admire punners!

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  7. Pigeons on a plane? It will never fly in Hollywood. Can you picture Samuel L. Jackson saying, "And get those Monday-to-Friday pigeons off of my plane!"?

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    1. I can only imagine what he would have done with SNAKES on a plane... And I haven't found a Hair Club for Snakes drawing.

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  8. My favorite is Hare Club for Men, but Jerry's cartoons are all extraordinary! Thanks for a Sunday morning giggle!

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  9. Hallie, that Jerry! He was a stitch. I was enjoying this post, and list it at Hair Club for Philodendrons. Snort!

    You inspired me to search for one of those old Hair Club for Men commercials, which were no doubt Jerry's inspiration. Bless him for running with THAT ball so hilariously. Somebody had to do it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeFoLdeqG1I

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  10. Thanks for sharing Jerry's cartoons! So fun. When I was a volunteer reader back in the '00s, the kids loved Mo Willems' Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. So funny.

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  11. Love Jerry's cartoons! What a great partner he must have been! I had not heard about the stowaway pigeons so thank you for sharing.

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  12. This loving "birdie/birders" connection that you shared with your Jerry is so special, Hallie. As you continue to periodically share with us this quirky, funny and creative side of your soulmate I almost feel as if I knew him. I must say that I laughed out loud at the Hare Club for Men cartoon although all of Jerry's illustrations are delightful. He had quite the sense of humor which I feel is always a positive attribute in a person. Jerry was obviously one who knew how to "find the joy." Thanks for all the smiles and chuckles this morning. :-)

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    1. He absolutely did know how to "find the joy." And he was a good dancer and a completely brilliant eater.

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  13. I love seeing Jerry's cartoons here, Hallie! Thanks for sharing him and his creative work this way.

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  14. Thanks for sharing Jerry, Hallie. You just brightened my day.
    Again!
    Much love
    Ann

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  15. So amazing to see a funny melding of word and art play. That was Jerry! Thanks, Jerry - even in the dullest of meetings you always made me giggle.

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    1. Word and art played together - absolutely. Yes, he doodled through every faculty meeting. And never threw away a scrap of doodled-on paper.

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  16. let's see if this gets published...June 1, 2025 at 10:02 AM

    HALLIE: Hilarious to see Hair Clubs for different animals. Love that! Thank you for sharing Jerry with us. This week I was in an office waiting room where we saw this big print of a blue heron drawing and I thought of your birding posts.

    Diana

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  17. I always love seeing Jerry’s artwork! And as a birder, I was especially entertained by the Hair Club for Birds!

    DebRo

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  18. Hank Phillippi RyanJune 1, 2025 at 12:15 PM

    Awwwww love Jerry! Xxx and yes, he was the BEST to go to dinner with— he loved everything! Xxxx

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  19. How about publishing a collection of his drawings, I think you have already established a following here and your family would enjoy having them in a bound volume

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    1. I come back to that over and over. I think I should, too.

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  20. Jerry was clearly one of a kind! I love his humor and his sketches so much - thanks for sharing them with us, Hallie!

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  21. So much fun! What a treasure Jerry obviously was. How lucky you were to find each other. (Selden)

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  22. I absolutely love his drawings. They are so whimsical. Every time I see them they make me chuckle. Thanks for posting!!

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  23. I've told you before how much I love Jerry's drawings and how I think you should put together a book of them. And, I'm saying it again today. I love the sense of humor that makes me smile and often laugh at his drawings. Jerry's drawings (and giving you one for your birthdays) and his love of garage sale finds have me convinced that I would have loved to spend some time talking to him. He must have been a great person to have as a husband and a father. Please keep sharing his drawings here on JRW. In fact, when it's your week for the blog, one day should be devoted to Jerry's drawings. I just thought of a question, Hallie. Did Jerry ever have a desire to do a comic strip, or did he have recurring characters or animals that were favorites?

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Kathy! Jerry did have recurring characters (based on me, him, our kids, our cats...) - and his dearest wish was to have his cartoons published. Eventually some he did for the introductory physics text that he wrote were published. And he came close to having a book of visual puns about gnus published by Random House, but they wanted more polished cartoons and he'd have none of it.

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    2. His cartoons are shining stars here on Jungle Reds, Hallie. Thank you for each and everyone you’ve posted. Elisabeth.

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  24. Thanks for sharing, Hallie! Jerry was so talented and so funny. His drawings are priceless.

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