ter.ri.to.ri.al.i.ty n. The behavior of a male animal that defines and defends its territory. cu.ra.to.ri.al.i.ty™ n. The behavior of a curator that defines and defends his collection and its history.
WHEN HEROES UNITE: 1928-1945 (PART 2)
We started talking about this gallery last time, but by the time we were done last month, we had only talked about Mickey Mouse and the many other Disney characters that share a spotlight in this room. But there’s so much more to cover, from the all-pervasive influence of radio, the proliferation of kids’ clubs offering premiums and giveaways galore, the first big round-up of dusty desperadoes and heroes from the Old West, and the march of comic book heroes to war. Oh, and Superman. No pressure, then.
In the previous gallery dedicated to 1895-1927, we offered a small tribute to one of the real-world historical figures that we consider honorary “characters” in their own right. Charles Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight not only served as a watershed moment in American and world history, but presaged a new movement in pop culture that led directly to the debut of two towering icons in our unfolding story. The first was Mickey, but we already talked about him. The other was… you’re all ahead of me, aren’t you? Thought so.
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Through the 1930s and early ‘40s, countless aviation-themed heroes from Jimmie Allen and Captain Midnight to Tailspin Tommy and Smilin’ Jack patrolled the air for marauders from above. But when it comes to hitting the proverbial nail on the head, you can’t do any better than Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman, the virtual embodiment of that generation’s fascination with flight – a man who can take to the air himself, without the aid of an airplane or any technology at all. Granted, his earliest escapades had him leaping and bounding about the Metropolis skyscrapers rather than soaring into the stratosphere. Soon enough, however, Supes would be breaking all kinds of air speed records and doing Lindy proud as the single most powerful literary example of Man’s domination of the skies.
Within a year of his debut, Superman had captured the imagination of the entire nation, and his exploits expanded into radio and newspaper comic strips as the Man of Tomorrow transformed from just another caped crusader into a merchandising juggernaut. The storm brewing in Europe would only fuel the fire in everyone’s hearts for heroes that could save the world, and the Last Son of Krypton would become one of America’s devoted patriots, rallying others to the cause and taking the fight to the Axis powers alongside Batman, Wonder Woman, and the competition’s Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, and of course, Captain America. Captain Marvel and family would also support the war effort, as would the comics medium’s “funny animal” characters like Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny. “Buy War Bonds!” “Support the Red Cross!” In his red…um, yellow and blue gear (well, close enough anyway), Superman and his four-color colleagues carried the flag of freedom high and showed us the way to victory.
But I think most of us know all that about Superman already, so I won’t belabor the point. As for the rest of this huge room, comics make a strong return in a display that showcases their aforementioned rallying role during the war – in some cases sending superheroes to the front before the U.S. had officially entered the conflict – while the heroes of the Old West enjoy one of their greatest periods of popularity via the Saturday matinee movie serials. There’s even a bit of fun thematic overlapping – amongst the Lone Ranger and Gene Autry memorabilia, you’ll see Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in full cowboy gear.
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This was also an era in which the mechanism of character-based clubs became such a finely honed marketing tool as well as an important part of the war effort on the home front. Rings, badges, decoders, manuals and membership cards winged their way to mailboxes across the country in exchange for box tops, coupons and pocket change. While children played with their precious premiums, sales of the staple products that offered them, like bread, milk and cereal, kept the American economy – and its people – healthy.
And I have to mention that nestled among the other bits of memorabilia from newspaper comic strip, cartoon and radio stars of the era like Charlie McCarthy, Betty Boop and Buck Rogers are three actual, original, no kidding, Popeye cookies! They have to be some of the weirdest items in our collection, and no, no one here is particularly interested in tasting them. Depression-era cookies – yech.
Next time, get your pompadours and your poodle skirts ready because we’re heading back to the 1950s for a look at that amazing window to the world we call television. So cool your heels, daddy-o, ‘cause we’re going to tune in to TV and see what’s on the dial, from Howdy Doody and the Mickey Mouse Club to Hopalong Cassidy and Captain Video.
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This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.
