Nicholas P. Dallis

Nicholas Peter Dallis (December 15, 1911-July 6, 1991) was an American psychiatrist turned comic strip writer, creator of the soap opera-style strips Rex Morgan, M.D., Judge Parker, and Apartment 3-G.

Summary of his life and work

Nick Dallis was born in 1911 in New York City, growing up on Long Island. He graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in 1933 and from Temple University's medical school in 1938 and married a nurse, Sarah Luddy. He decided to specialize in psychiatry, and after World War II, started a practice in Toledo, Ohio (Mendez). Allen Saunders was chair at the time of the local mental hygiene center that invited him there, and in his autobiography (ch. 14), he recalled that Dallis approached him, as a well-known comics writer (Steve Roper and Mike Nomad, Mary Worth), about "his desire to write a comic strip, one tracing the history of medicine. I told him that, commendable as his idea was, such a feature would not succeed. Readers want entertainment, not enlightenment. But a story about a handsome young doctor's involvement with his patients might be a winner." And it was: after further conversations with Saunders on strip writing, Dallis successfully launched his Rex Morgan, M.D in 1948. Later, he found himself working more with troubled youth in juvenile court (Mendez), and from his experiences there he conceived a second strip focused on the legal world, Judge Parker, which took off in 1952 and also became successful. Both strips were "soaps" that directly followed the tradition pioneered by Saunders, as continuities in which each story was basically distinct. And yet they differed from Mary Worth in centering on male protagonists who counseled their clients with professional advice as well as intervening to help them with personal problems. In addition, Dallis did manage to work in some enlightenment for his readers, as well as entertainment.

Separating his comics career from his medical practice, he wrote under pseudonyms, "Dal Curtis" for Rex Morgan, M.D. and "Paul Nichols" for Judge Parker. But in 1958, he retired from medicine and moved to Arizona as he continued to author his comics. There he conceived a third strip, also a "soap" but this time focused on the life of three young women sharing an apartment in Manhattan, and launched it in 1961 as Apartment 3-G. He passed away in 1991, but all three of his strips have survived over the years and are still produced under syndication in the newspapers. The fact that all still have their original protagonists (although Judge Parker is now semi-retired) further shows the enduring appeal of Dallis's creations. He was later remembered by his successor on two of his strips, Woody Wilson (quoted by Boog), as "a prince among men," "educated, kindly, compassionate, talented, and generous."

References

• Boog, Jason. 2007. The Publishing Spot, June 21, 2007.
• Mendez, E. 2006. Remembering the Girls Next Door: Alex Kotzky and Apartment 3-G.
• Saunders, Allen. 1986. Autobiography "Playwright for Paper Actors,", ch. 14, Nemo--The Classic Comics Library, no. 18.