Mary Worth evolved from Apple Mary, a successful comic strip created in 1932 by Martha Orr, about an elderly woman who sells apples around her neighborhood. The earlier Apple Mary was taken over and renamed by artist Dale Conner, who had previously been Martha Orr's assistant. Later, when Allen Saunders signed on as the scripter, the strip appeared under the pseudonym "Dale Allen", a combination of the collaborators' given names. The strip reached its apex under Saunders and artist Ken Ernst. The title was shortened in 1942 when Ernst succeeded Conner. It was also published briefly by Harvey Comics as Love Stories of Mary Worth (1949–50).