Desperate Desmond

"Desperate Desmond" was a comic strip by Harry Hershfield, published in the New York Journal[1] between March 11, 1910, and October 15, 1912.

[2] A parody of melodrama, it depicted a stereotypical villain named Desmond who continually tried to capture a damsel in distress named Rosamond, which brought him into conflict with her and her paramour Claude Eclaire;[3] Hershfield ended the strip by having Claude and Rosamond marry, which meant that Desmond could no longer pursue her.

[4] Coulton Waugh described it as one of the first strips to include genuine suspense; [5] similarly, R. C. Harvey has mentioned its early use of daily continuity.

[6] Don Markstein noted that it was a "probably a response" to the presence of a similar character in C. W. Kahles's earlier strip "Hairbreadth Harry";[3] Maurice Horn, however, called it a "direct imitation" of Kahles's work, but felt that it "showed greater ingenuity and wit".

[7] Film adaptations of "Desperate Desmond" were produced by Nestor Studios,[8] directed by Tom Ricketts, with Dorothy Davenport as Rosamond and Fred Kelsey as Claude;[9] as well, vaudeville star Fred Duprez released a recording of a "Desperate Desmond"-based comedy act.