Frank Interlandi, who served as the Los Angeles Times editorial cartoonist from 1962 to 1981, passed away on February 4 due to age related causes. He was 85 years-old. Frank shared the opinion page with Paul Conrad for most of his career doing more social commentary cartoons to Conrad’s political work, according to Conrad. His twin brother was a magazine cartoonist.
The Interlandi brothers were among a gaggle of newspaper and magazine cartoonists in Laguna who began taking midday bar breaks together in the 1950s. Over the years, the group included Virgil (VIP) Partch, John Dempsey, Dick Oldden, Ed Nofziger, Don Tobin and Roger Armstrong.
Their first meeting place was the bar of the White House restaurant on South Coast Highway, a spot chosen because it was the closest bar to the post office where they dropped off their morning output of cartoons.
When the post office moved to Forest Avenue in the mid-1970s, the cartoonists moved with it, bellying up to the leather-padded bar of the Ivy House restaurant a few doors away.
A memorial service will be held at noon at the gazebo in Heisler Park in Laguna Beach. The celebration will continue at the Marine Room Tavern on Ocean Avenue.
Quite a loss.
So sad to hear. He was one of the first pros who gave me time and advice when I was starting out.