Jim Bowie (with his famous knife) is greeted by Davy Crockett at the Alamo
For a limited edition comic strip, In the Days of Davy Crockett does a nice job of condensing the stories of Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, William Barret "Buck" Travis and Andrew Jackson to make them easy to understand for young readers. The stories are generally accurate and portray each man as an American hero. The artwork is excellent, with appealing composition and masterful use of shadows. Writer William Ritt and artist Alfred J. Buescher did a great job.
While I was unable to collect the entire set of strips (some were missing in the available papers), there are enough presented here to give you a good idea of what the youngsters were reading. The story of Jim Bowie and his famous knife kicked off the four-week long series. I like how the narrator gives the young reader credit for knowing "all about Davy Crockett," and notes that "Now I'd like to tell you about some of Davy's friends, like Jim Bowie."
June 6
June 7
June 8
June 9
June 10
June 11
I thought the imminent death of Jim Bowie in the strip was depicted pretty tastefully.
Next up: Sam Houston. The first strip apparently ran on a Sunday, so the Journal (which didn't publish on Sunday back then) didn't carry it. The June 14th strip handles the fall of the Alamo and the death of all its defenders very quietly.
June 13
June 14
June 17
June 18
The story of William Barret "Buck" Travis began with the June 20th strip. The inclusion of Travis is understandable, as he died at the Alamo with Crockett and Bowie.
June 20
June 23
June 24
On June 27, the Journal printed two strips, one atop the other (below). The top comic includes Travis' famous drawing of a line on the ground for volunteers to cross, as well as his death at the Alamo.
The bottom panel kicks off the story of President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was somewhat of an odd choice to be part of this series. Jackson was hardly a 'friend' of Crockett, since during the time the frontiersman was serving in Congress, he vehemently opposed many of President Jackson's policies.
June 27
June 30
July 1
The series concluded with this strip on July 2.
July 2
But the Lorain Journal was not quite done with Crockett that summer. A brand new series, this time focused directly on the man, not his friends, began on July 25, 1955. Here's the short promo that appeared on the front page on July 22nd.
And here is a small selection of the Davy Crockett strips, beginning with the first. Unlike the brisk pace of the other comic strip series, unfortunately this one plodded along like a turtle.
July 25
July 29
Aug. 1
Aug. 15
Aug. 8
Aug. 9
Aug. 14
Oct. 3
Nov. 1
Apparently the recovering Crockett staggered away and right out of the Journal pages in the Nov. 3, 1955 strip. It was the last to appear in the paper that I could find. Maybe it was just a case of frontier fatigue.
By the summer of 1955, the Davy Crockett craze was taking off in a big way.
Portion of an O'Neil ad from May 13, 1955
Portion of a Fisher's ad from May 27, 1955
Portion of a Kroger's ad from June 16, 1955
June 29, 1955 ad from Lorain Journal
Portion of a Muir's ad from June 30, 1955
July 1, 1955
The famous frontiersman had been featured in a series of episodes on Walt Disney's Disneyland TV show beginning back in early December 1954. Soon, the legendary coonskin-capped character who died at the Alamo became the idol of millions of boys. Eventually in 1955, you could buy just about anything with a Davy Crockett theme, from toys to clothes to peanut butter.
With all of the newspaper advertisements promoting Davy Crockett merchandise for sale, the newspapers couldn't help but notice – and want to get in on the act and make a buckskin buck. So in June 1955, a Davy Crockett strip began its limited run in the pages of the Lorain Journal.
But the comic – In the Days of Davy Crockett – wasn't quite what you would have expected. Rather than focus on Davy Crockett, the strip featured the story of four of Davy Crockett's famous 'friends': Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, William "Buck" Travis, and Andrew Jackson. Each interacted with Davy in their lives, so he would figure prominently in their tales. With three of the men involved with the Alamo, the story of the Texas fight for independence figures prominently in the run of the strip.
Perhaps the creative team behind the strip, writer William Ritt and artist Alfred J. Buescher, just wanted to do something unique. Both Ritt and Buescher were affiliated with the Cleveland-based King Features Syndicate, so it's not too surprising that the Lorain Journal (which utilized many of the syndicate's cartoons and other features in its pages) ran the strip.
Here are the promotional pieces that appeared before the strip began its run. Most ran on the front page of the Journal.
June 1, 1955
June 3, 1955
June 3, 1955
June 4, 1955
Tomorrow: an ample sample of In the Days of Davy Crockett strips.
It's summertime, so for a lot of people in Northern Ohio that means it's time for a trip to Cedar Point.
Actually, I know a few people that don't just go once a year, like my family did when I was a kid. The trend now is to get a season pass.
It's a pretty good reflection of how times change.
A day at Cedar Point was a big deal when I was growing up. We went once a year; going there twice would have been unthinkable. Some years we didn't even make it there at all, because we were doing a lot of camping. So when we did go to Cedar Point, the night before our visit was like Christmas Eve.
The park is so different now. In the 1960s, Cedar Point was in the process of adding a lot of new rides and family attractions in an attempt to be a 'Disneyland of the Midwest.' There was a sense of nostalgia about the place, with calliope music playing and a lot of old-time atmosphere.
Nowadays, Cedar Point is strictly about thrills and excitement. It evolves with each generation. It has to, if it wants to stay in business.
But many of my readers enjoy rekindling old memories of the park, so when I find some vintage postcards that are new to me, I post them. Here's the latest collection.
Happy Independence Day! Here's hoping you enjoy a safe and joyous celebration of our country's 249th birthday.
Above is the huge graphic that ran on the front page of the Lorain Journal one hundred years ago today: George Washington, the Father of Our Country, superimposed over the Declaration of Independence. It's a powerful image. (I wonder if illustrations like this are out of style in this jaded age.)
Anyway, it looked like an unusually quiet July 4th was in store for Lorain, judging from this article from that same front page.
So what was there to do if you wanted to have some entertainment? In Lorain, it looks like it was classic American leisure time fun: dances, baseball games, and band concerts. They're all listed in this sidebar that ran just to the left of the George Washington illustration on the front page.
As we head into the holiday weekend, you might be wondering: besides going to see fireworks, what else is there is to do for fun?
Nowadays, it's hard to think of where you can look to see a virtual snapshot of all of the various entertainment options. The Cleveland TV news programs usually offer a few suggestions, but there is nothing quite like the jam-packed entertainment pages that used to run in the Lorain Journal.
It seemed like every local restaurant, nightclub, shopping center, social club and ethnic organization had an ad. In addition, Journal readers were made aware of every fair, circus or special community event within an hour's driving distance. The choices were impressive.
Below are the Journal entertainment pages for July 2nd and 3rd, 1964. It's hard not to feel a little wistful, seeing how just about every ad is for something that is no longer around (except for McDonald's of course).
Nevertheless, it's fun to study the pages and see what you remember. It sure was an exciting time in the Lorain area back then.
And here's the entertainment page from a year later, July 2, 1965.
I haven't posted one of Gene Patrick's The Passing Scene comics in a while, so here's one from sixty years ago this week. Above is the strip that ran in the Journal on July 3, 1965.
Normally, I just post the comic without delving into the news stories being referenced. But not this time, you lucky reader.
The third panel with the horned toad story interested me. (My only familiarity with them up to this point was hearing Yosemite Sam mention them in one of his outbursts).
But as noted in the comic, the appearance of a strange looking horned 'monster' in South Lorain caused a stir. Here's Doug Warren's story from the June 24, 1965 Journal.
The reporter was somewhat bummed to find out that the 'monster' was just a horned toad. But at least the article helped identify the critter as the missing pet of a six-year-old boy.
Article from June 29, 1965 Journal
As you can see, "Horny" (the pet's name) almost ended up living at Mill Hollow. But the story of a boy and his horned toad had a heartwarming ending.
****
And in case you're interested, here's the miniature submarine story.
Sixty-one years ago today, one of my favorite movies – It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – began its first run engagement at Avon Lake Theatre. Here's the movie ad from the Lorain Journal of July 1, 1964.
I've devoted many posts to this movie, mainly because I feel so sentimental about it. My parents took my siblings and me all the way in to Cleveland to see it on a big screen when it was first released, and it left a lasting impression on me. Those were the days of the roadshows, when a really big movie was a special event, with an intermission and even souvenir programs. We had the one from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in our basement for years.
For a couple of years in the mid-1970s, CBS broadcast it on New Year's Eve, and it was still a big event. The great music composed by Ernest Gold for the movie was released as a record and it was one of the first that I ever bought. I later purchased all the other formats of it, including cassette and various CD versions. It's a great soundtrack to listen to when you happen to be driving on a mountain road and want to add a little drama to your trip. (I listed to it while going through the Great Smoky Mountains.)
Anyway, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was probably the last of the really great all-star movie comedies, since its stars spanned the gamut from silent movies to vaudeville to movies to television. Today it would be hard to assemble a comparable cast of not only comedians, but also actors who could do comedy (like Peter Falk).
Nevertheless, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World remains one of the great movies, a time-capsule of comedy and the early 1960s. I watch it every couple of years, and the memories of seeing it as a five-year old come flooding back.
A posed shot found in the souvenir book
Are you a big fan of the movie like me? Then you'll love this short video showing 'then and now' comparisons of locations from the movie. And the music (from the intermission) is great!
