Tower Topics ~ Summer 2001

Back to Table of Contents

Back to Alumni Archive

Priest returns as comic strip character

See you in the funny papers.

Say this to Father Robert Murphy and it just might come true. In May, Father Murphy, a Conception alumnus, “appeared” as himself in the nationally syndicated comic strip Gasoline Alley.

It was the second time for the pastor of Kansas City’s Coronation of Our Lady parish. His likeness first appeared in the strip seven years ago. In that storyline, Father Murphy hired Joel and Rufus, two eccentric men who live in a junkyard, to do some handyman work around his rectory.

This time around the priest, “a little balder and a little heavier,” hired two other characters, Rover and Tyrone, to clean up St. Bernard’s Church for a visit from the bishop. He also runs into his old buddies Rufus and Joel again. Father Murphy will appear off and on in the strip through July.

Father Murphy actually contributed the story lines for his two appearances and threw in some tidbits from his past. For example, Rufus and Joel continually mispronounce Father Murphy’s name as Father Mercy, Father Murky and other variations.

“That was based on a housekeeper in one of my former parishes,” he said. “I was there two years and she never got my name right.”

A Renaissance man of sorts, Father Murphy is a writer, journalist, actor, musician, composer, lyricist and collector of animation art. He co-wrote the musical “Stations” which has received national acclaim for the past 24 years and was performed by Conception Seminary College during Lent. While in the seminary he worked as the assistant to the director of Kansas City’s Starlight Theater. And he has counted Bob Hope and the late Bing Crosby among his close friends. In fact, he cites Crosby’s encouragement as one of the main influences in his decision to become a priest.

Father Murphy’s career as a comic strip character grew from his career as a journalist.

After writing an article on Jim Scancarelli, who draws and writes Gasoline Alley – one of the oldest continuous comic strips in America – the two conspired to add the priest to the story line. It was the first time the strip had ever depicted a real person, a move that got Scancarelli in some hot water with his syndicate, which had a rule against it.

Scancarelli won out, Father Murphy hooked up with Rufus and Joel, and as the junkyard duo might say, they done a heap a good together.

Back to Alumni Archive

Back to Table of Contents