Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 74 years ago…
This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott and I are selecting comics that came out the week of June 24, 1952.
Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of June 17, 1983. Click here to check it out.
(Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are the issues that went on sale between June 21 and June 27.)
Eisenhower’s first campaign speech, in Abilene, Kansas, on June 4. Amazing how late in the cycle campaigns really began back then.
So, let’s set the scene: Harry Truman had decided not to run for re-election, so the 1952 presidential race provided open lanes to both Democrats and Republicans. In those days, the primaries mattered but the conventions mattered even more, so with just weeks away from either gathering — both were set for Chicago — neither party had a presumptive nominee.
For the Democrats, Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, best known at the time for his crusade against organized crime, won most of the primaries but was strongly disliked by the party machine, which cast about for a different candidate. Among the alternatives were diplomat W. Averell Harriman; Sen. Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota; and Vice President Alben Barkley.
None of them, or any other hopefuls, passed muster, so attention focused on Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, who instead wanted to run for re-election. But Stevenson didn’t close the door, either, and a movement was growing to get him to run.
The Republicans, meanwhile, had been out of the White House since 1932, but rather than unite behind a single standard bearer, the GOP was as divided as the Democratic Party, and perhaps even more bitterly. With the convention scheduled to begin July 7, there were two candidates with roughly even support: Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio, who was the son of former President William Howard Taft, and war hero Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who on June 3 retired as the supreme commander of NATO, and resumed his duties as president of Columbia University.
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IN OTHER NEWS
— The Korean War entered its third year, with no end in sight. The two sides were essentially at a stalemate and morale was low among US Army troops.
— Speaking of the Korean War, this would have made a good episode of MASH: On June 23, the financially ailing Toledo Mud Hens moved to West Virginia and became the Charleston Senators — right in the middle of the season. Just imagine Klinger’s heartbreak at the news! (The Mud Hens were replaced by the Toledo Sox from 1953 to 1955; the current iteration of the team began play in 1965.)
— On June 26, the Defiance Campaign, spearheaded by the African National Congress and other organizations, was launched in South Africa against the racist apartheid government. Largely non-violent protests and acts of civil disobedience were held in major cities. Black volunteers burned their pass books, for example, and others went into places deemed “whites only.” Police arrested protesters and the government called the campaign anarchist and communist. Things would get far worse.
— Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl was published in English this month for the first time.
Tracy and Hepburn’s Pat and Mike was the top-grossing movie in the U.S., but would soon be supplanted by the swashbuckler Scaramouche, starring Stewart Granger. Opening this week was Walt Disney’s The Story of Robin Hood. Skirts Ahoy! starring Esther Williams was a hit, and classics The African Queen, Singin’ in the Rain and The Greatest Show on Earth were still box-office draws, too.
Radio was continuing to lose ground to TV, but the most popular shows included the anthology series Lux Radio Theatre; Amos ’n’ Andy; Jack Benny; Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy; and Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts.
I Love Lucy had just completed its first season and was a big hit, finishing the lowest it ever would in the ratings — at No. 3 for 1951-52. Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts was No. 1 for the season, with Uncle Miltie’s Texaco Star Theater at No. 2.
Al Martino, a 25-year-old crooner who won on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, had a No. 1 hit with Here in My Heart. (Two decades later, he became best known as Johnny Fontane, the Frank Sinatra analogue in The Godfather.) Jane Froman’s album With a Song in My Heart was enormously popular, holding the top spot for about six months.
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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension
Frontline Combat #9, EC. The Civil War issue! Featuring the talents of Harvey Kurtzman (natch), John Severin, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Marie Severin, Wally Wood, and Ben Oda. Damn.
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The Phantom Stranger #1, DC. The debut of one of DC’s most-enduring minor heroes, created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. (That’s an Infantino/Sy Barry cover.) The Stranger is one of those characters who I completely forget about until he shows up, and I’m usually glad he does. Which is fitting when you think about it.
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The Lone Ranger #50, Dell. The Lone Ranger running away?! Yer as yellow as yer gloves! That’s not MY Lone Ranger.
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Four Color #415, Dell. My Mom used to mention Rootie Kazootie, which was a kids’ TV show. She was 13 when the program began in 1950, and 16 when it ended in 1954, so I’m not sure if she liked it or just liked saying “Rootie Kazootie.” But it was very popular, so I’m sure she knew the gist.
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Crime SuspenStories #13, EC. Then again, it’s amazing she didn’t become a juvenile delinquent given the proliferation of trash like this. I mean, she was already smoking!
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Four Color #413, Dell. Just in time for the movie’s premiere!
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Love Diary #30, Orbit. Aren’t romance-comic photo covers creepy?
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Weird Tales of the Future #3, Key/Aragon. Basil Wolverton, being disgusting as usual.
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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension
Batman #72, DC. One of the very few versions of Batman that lacks pants.
Dan adds: Everyone talks about the late-’50s/early-’60s wacky era of Batman, but DC was doing it well before then. And I love them for it.
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Pat Sullivan’s Felix the Cat #32, Toby. One of the very few versions of Felix the Cat that has pants.
Dan adds: I loved Felix the Cat when I was a kid. Used to watch him on Channel 11 all the time.
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Adventure Comics #179, DC. Stilt-Man before there was Stilt-Man.
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Strange Tales #10, Atlas. To be fair, it’s really more of a hidden face. You can totally see his head, it’s right there.
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MORE
— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale the Week of June 17 — in 1983! Click here.
— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale the Week of June 10 — in 1964! Click here.
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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.
