Welcome back to the Forgotten Library; I’m Nikki Gee. If you listened to part one of this episode, you’ll know that I said it was overlong so I had to split it into two. Part one delved a little further into the history of romance comics and we began our look at the short-lived All Romances from Ace Comics. Now, this is part two, where we’re still looking at volume 1 of this serial; lots of crazy ones in here!
Next up, “My Soul Wasn’t My Own.” Hmm. Demonic possession WOULD put a different spin on dating and relationships, huh? Abby, our protagonist in this tale, is raised in an orphanage until she’s sixteen, when it is discovered that she has an aunt, who comes to claim her. Aunt Magda runs a nightclub, so she’s not sure what she’s going to do with her niece. Now, isn’t this something you would have figured out before you went to claim her? Also, she’s sixteen, so it’s not as if you would need constant supervision over her. Considering the fact she’s also been in an orphanage for most of her young life, I’m sure she can fend for herself.
I might be overthinking these comics again. It’s just so easy to do!!
She sends Abby out with the maid to go shopping and get her hair done, and wonder of wonders, she’s pretty! Because of course, all these comic book girls are, and they’re never dumpy and usually not wearing any unflattering clothing (there are some exceptions, but that’s usually because no one has kindly shown them the RIGHT WAY or whatever).
Magda says she’s like her mother, who was so beautiful, and a great singer. Can Abby sing? Yes – with a little work. Aunt Magda decides to invest in her niece – lessons, a trainer, even a finishing school. She will work tirelessly to get Abby ready, not only for a top spot at the nightclub, but even a rich husband. This is also called, older people living vicariously through the young. It’s sad that Abby finds this sort of sexism kind, as if the only endgame for a young woman, an aspiring chanteuse, no less, is to snare a rich man.
Fast forward two years. Abby makes her debut and everyone finds her stunning, including Mr. Randolph, who’s a fine catch. Sure, he’s a catch . . . if you’re into dudes who could be your grandfather! Need I remind you that this girl is EIGHTEEN. I know the median age for marriage was much younger in 1949 than it is today, but still, EWWW.
A serious sculptor is also interested in the young girl, for a new work called Spring in Flight. The man chasing her will be played by model and wrestler Cal Martin, who’s only interested in a serious acting career. Abby is in a rather skimpy Grecian dress, with one shoulder strap and rather high on the thigh. Cal is in a one-piece leopard-print mankini, and obviously works out. He pays no attention to Abby when they first meet, except for letting her lean on him a little when she tires from modeling. Then, in her dreams, she imagines him as a statue which suddenly comes alive and embraces and kisses her. Ooooh!
Abby is still seeing Rich Grandpa, and probably having to sit on his knee (not shown). Aunt Magda tells her she needs to be more attentive to Mr. Randolph, so that hopefully he’ll propose and she won’t be stuck singing at the nightclub every night. Abby only has eyes for Cal, but he doesn’t seem interested and is in fact a bit shitty to her when she talks about never having ridden public transportation. He thinks she’s just a spoiled little rich girl, as she comes to the studio in a hired car.
Abby protests and tells Cal about her sad upbringing, which makes Cal turn his fire on Aunt Magda. He tells Abby that she’s being essentially fattened up for market, to Mr. Randolph, the old dude. Wow! Cal is rather intuitive, for a pretty boy. Abby is so grateful to be out of the orphanage that she’ll explain away anything her aunt does, including auctioning off her V card.
After this, Cal is more receptive towards Abby, and indeed, they have a day on the town when the sculptor takes a sick day. They’re caught, however, by Aunt Magda, and she is PISSED that a common wrestler should put his meaty paws on her human Fabergé egg. If Mr. Randolph hears about her little dalliance with this peasant, they’re through! If Rich Grandpa can’t take his little dolly seeing New York sights with a young man for one day where they didn’t even mack on each other – they went to the Automat and a movie; scandalous, you guys! – Rich Grandpa can stuff it. Well, he can stuff it, anyway, for being interested in a relationship that’s pretty creepy in the long run.
Time passes, and Abby doesn’t hear from Cal, so she thinks he must not have liked her very much. Now Aunt Magda has another harebrained scheme – let’s get Abby into the movies! She plans an accidental meeting with the movie producer at the unveiling of the sculpture. And he loves it! But for Cal, not Abby. [price is right horn] It’s for Tarzan-type movies.
The director makes his offer to Cal, who has suddenly and conveniently arrived, and Cal asks to speak to Abby alone. He asks if she’s married to her grandpa; she isn’t, and how dare he ask, after he walked out on her? Oh, but he didn’t, you see; he didn’t want her to have to share his insecurity over acting gigs. He wants to know if she would marry him, even if he becomes a freak movie star. She says yes, because after all, this is just the start of your career!
The famous last words of the wife of Jungle Billy.
Of course, now that Cal has a chance to be famous, Aunt Magda is all for him marrying Abby. Until she finds out that he has to work with monkeys and swing from trees, because that’s not something successful people do.
So Abby gets the man of her literal dreams. Hurray! Now you guys just need to find a way to dispose of Aunt Magda and get the proceeds from her nightclub, and all will be well.
It’s time for Contradiction Corner! How Independent Should a Girl Be Where Men Are Concerned? The short answer is that there are degrees of independence. Boys admire independence to a point, but cross the line, and they’ll want nothing to do with you. They break it down further and I’ll share with you as succinctly as possible how ridiculous this all is.
· Be able to take care of yourself, BUT don’t put your career before your man.
· Have your own friends and social life, BUT don’t put your friends or activities ahead of his, or expect him to give up his activities for yours.
· Be responsible for your personal things, such as carrying your own compact or remembering to wear your boots, BUT don’t shrug off help with your coat or open your own doors before your date can do it for you.
· Have your own opinions, BUT don’t assume you’re always right or that you’re more intelligent that other people.
· Be the type of person who will go against the tide of opinion for a friend, and not consistently seek approval from others, BUT if all your friends are on the “unconventional” side (whatever that means, it’s too early for hippies) and you feel that the rules don’t apply to you, then you might not find yourself to be marriageable material.
· Be fashionable in your clothes and hair, BUT don’t copy the movie stars completely; ALSO don’t eschew fashion and makeup or no guys will be knocking on your door for dates.
· Show you care for your man, BUT don’t keep seeking validation of your love.
A few of these are reasonable (don’t be arrogant about your opinions and such) but I am perfectly capable of opening my own door. If my man gets there first, great, I’ll say thank you and walk inside. I also hold the door for anyone and everyone myself. It’s just common courtesy, no need to make it a gendered thing.
Ugh, moving on, or we’ll be here all day.
Tarnished Engagement is our next tale. Meet Nina and Dick. They’re in college and Dick’s in a band. Dick likes ugly suits. Seriously, green checked plaid, retch.
They end up working at the same swanky hotel for the summer, Dick with his band and Nina as a waitress. Waitressing leaves Nina ragged and very little time for her man, as they work different hours.
After a time, Nina is resolved to see him at night, even if she has to stay up late. She catches him with one of the rich guests, and he’s upset to be caught. Unintentional pun coming up in three . . . two . . . one . . .
Marcia Loring’s assured, confident manner toward Dick irritated me and at the same time frightened me. She was the kind that took what she wanted – and right now, I could see she was out for Dick.
Marcia sneers at the fact that Nina is a waitress, blah blah, class wars. Dick claims he’s just being nice because Marcia offered to get his band more gigs, and then he can make more money! Honest! Nina turns away so that he won’t see her tears, but Dick is already heading back towards Marcia, ready for her next request. Nina cries to her friend, Charlie, who works the front desk; he tries to assuage her fears about Marcia and says that Dick is just letting the flattery go to his head.
Marcia begins to berate Nina the very next day, and Nina, surprisingly, tells her off. Wow!
Marcia goes off to tell the manager about Nina being impertinent, and has serious asymmetrical boobage going on. Nina has some of her fellow workers back up her story about Marcia, so she doesn’t get fired, just slightly reprimanded. Here comes Dick, though, claiming to have the real story from Marcia and just what’s the big idea, huh, Nina?
Dick gets mad. See Dick fume. Spout, Dick, spout. Nina says they’re done. Say goodbye, Dick!
Despite wanting to leave, Nina stays, trying to be strong; Charlie tries to buoy her up, but then she sees Dick and Marcia go for Lovers’ Lane and she just wants to go home. Charlie has to go check in a guest. It’s none other than Marcia’s husband, John!
Nina, since she’s such a good doormat person at bottom, goes to warn Dick that Mr. Loring is on his way. Personally, I would have let him had his balls handed to him, but that’s me.
Nina covers for her dim-witted boyfriend and the hussy he was about to kiss before Nina crashed into the bushes, and puts Marcia’s husband at ease. The Lorings leave, and Dick tells Nina he’s been a fool. And of course, she forgives him, because this is All Romance, not All Breakups.
Yes, Dick, it doesn’t matter that you fell for a wealthy young socialite bitch because she offered you some money. I know it’s me you REALLY love!!
There is an advertisement in here for a Minicam camera; it used 127mm film and had a flash attachment; the company is “Martins-David Co,” which I cannot find ANY information for, and it’s bugging the hell out of me. I see this ad in other comics of the time, but no information on the company.
And finally in this issue is an ad for the Spot Reducer, billed as a weight loss implement. Pictures of smiling women accompany this ad, and I do believe that this is code for a “personal massager.” If you watched the popular AMC show Mad Men, remember Peggy pitching the “Electrosizer/Rejuvenator” to the guys in one of the earlier seasons? Post-Comics Code, this ad wouldn’t fly, euphemism for vibrator or not.
Man, Volume 1 was just FULL of gems. Will we continue this streak with Volume 2?
“He Suspected the Worst,” is the second story in this issue. We open with a girl standing on a broken bridge, rescued by a handsome youth with an unfortunate-looking jacket. So many ugly checks and plaids. Once on safer ground, the girl introduces herself in an odd way:
I’m Leslie Blaine. My mother married your father a week ago you know. Welcome home!
Don’t you mean, “Hi, I’m your step-sister, Leslie?” Not that it matters, as our young man is suddenly obnoxious, calling Leslie’s mother a gold-digger, but not exactly in those terms. “Uncle Jim,” as Leslie calls him, is determined for the two young people to be friends.
Ross is being a bit intimate with his second cousin, Mavis, when he discovers Leslie kind of spying on them. Then this happens: Leslie goes back into the house, but Ross follows her and wonders aloud if she really does dislike him so much, and calls her a spitfire as he sweeps her into an embrace and kisses her. I forgot that Ross was my enemy and gave in to the ecstasy of that kiss! I guess you also forgot that Ross was your STEP-BROTHER.
Ross decides to leave and head for New York, because he knows where he’s not wanted; he’s going to go with Mavis and Friends to the West Indies, because that’s where winners and not-gold-diggers go! (And this time, he actually does say “gold-digger.”)
Leslie is sad that Ross is going away, because feelings, I guess. And then “Uncle” Jim makes up his will, but her mother and Leslie are not privy to his decisions.
Jim kicks the bucket soon enough, and Ross is all “I’m’a kick you outta this house because I’m the king now” or some shit, but in reality, Jim left everything but $10k to his wifey. Ross also has to stay at the house for the next two years if he wants the dough to which he is entitled. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but adjusting for inflation, it’s equivalent to over $100k today. Cha-ching! Of course, Ross doesn’t believe that his step-family were ignorant of the changes to the will, so he is pouty and goes to his rooms.
He starts insulting Leslie about the gardening, and then Mavis shows up again. Mavis essentially invites herself to the house, and then is insolent and lazy, not to mention a bitch. Ross piles on about the girls duping his father out of his money, and maybe even murdering him. After the spat, Ross leaves and then Mavis goes out for a walk. Down by the water, where the suspension bridge is out! Oh, no!
Mavis is in trouble and Ross dives right in to save her, which nearly kills the both of them. Until Leslie and her canoe save the day.
So, is Mavis grateful when she comes to? Of course not! She tries to spin another story, this time about Leslie trying to kill her. Ross has finally had enough of it, but before he can say anything else, Leslie faints from all of the exertion.
Later, Mavis descends the stairs with her suitcases, and says, “I hope I never see any of you again!” Ross says, “Goodbye, Mavis!” the 1940s version of [Bye Felicia].
And now, for the squicky conclusion! Ross says that the reason he was so mean to Leslie at first was because he fell for her right away and had to fight to hate her. And what about now? He wants to get married!!
What in the What??
Ladies, if the man you love is a close relation, [SHUT IT DOWN].
Most of the tips in this volume’s column are actually pretty sane; I just want to point out a small section on presents because it’s so cutely dated. The writers give you a scenario where you’ve spent the weekend at the seaside with your friend and her mom. You’d like to give a thank-you present to both of them for a lovely time. If your cash doesn’t extend far enough to include both of them, get a present for your friend’s mom. What do they suggest? Some things would still be perfectly acceptable and timeless today (for certain women, anyway) like a brooch or earrings, or a bath set. However, change purses, lingerie clips, sachet bags, glove boxes, and stockings would be weird gifts today, and not in a delightful way. Take note of these gifts if you ever time-travel, though; then you’ll be quite in vogue!
The first story in Volume 3 is a doozy! It’s called “The Whole Town Talked.” We open with an exterior shot of a house, where a young lady with dark hair in a bob is cutting roses. A blonde man in a suit is leaning over the fence, hat in hand, asking if she’s Deb Gates; he’s been told he can rent a room there. Deb says that they do rent rooms, but she’s getting married next week, so she doesn’t know if they will have room for him.
In the text blurb, Deb tells us that it’s one week before her marriage to Rand Barnes, who has suddenly become a congressman in Washington, and she’s so very happy. The wedding is also costing a bit more than the couple expected, so she goes inside to see if her Aunt Letty will let Jeff Martin stay. Her aunt takes to the young man right away and lets him rent their front room.
Soon after, they are eating lunch and he praises the food, saying that he doesn’t eat half as well in Washington. Aunt Letty wonders aloud if he knows Rand Barnes, and as contrivance would have it, he does; in fact, he and Rand are roommates! Jeff is a reporter for one of the Washington newspapers.
Jeff looks a bit perturbed as he begins to confess that he came to their house on purpose, but before he can fully explain, the doorbell rings. It’s obviously not a neighbor as the whole town uses the side door, not the front!
Deb opens the door to a very stylish blonde in a fur stole and fancy hat and gloves; she introduces herself as Carol Leonard and says she’s there to tell her that she is Rand’s new fianceé, and since he’s been too much of a coward to break it off with Deb, Carol decided to take it upon herself to come in person and tell her, as she thought it would be kinder this way.
In the next panel, Aunt Letty says she doesn’t believe this nonsense, but Carol shows the assemblage her engagement ring; in this panel, we can see her hat more clearly, and it looks like a green flowerpot. Fantastic. Jeff says that he can’t wait to report this story; the voters aren’t going to like Rand throwing over his small-town girlfriend for this glamorous woman. Carol says that she hates him, too. Heh.
Deb runs off to the kitchen to sob, right next to her wedding cake. Which . . . your wedding is in a week. Why would your aunt bake the cake this early? Jeff follows after her and tries to comfort her. He says that she hasn’t seen Rand much in the past year, anyway, so maybe she wouldn’t like him so much now. Deb says that they’ve been engaged since she’s sixteen (so three years), because he was waiting for her to grow up first.
Jeff, in a further effort to comfort her, embraces her and then kisses her. Shocking! But also exciting! She can’t believe it! This gives Jeff an idea. Let’s spread word around town that Deb is ditching Rand for Jeff. This way, people won’t feel sorry for her. She protests, but is eventually won over. His next bright idea is letting Carol stay at the house, too; Letty isn’t having it, but Jeff says that this way, they can keep a better eye on Carol. Letty still thinks Carol might be lying, but Jeff finally says that he knew about this as well, and that’s why he came to town, trying to break the news first.
Jeff makes Deb go out in the town with him. Jeff says that if they meet anyone on the way, she is to introduce him as her fiancé. They stop in front of a house and Jeff asks why. Deb says it’s time for her final fitting on her wedding dress, and starts crying again. Miss Emma is the town seamstress, and Deb tells her the sad story about Rand. Emma says that she shouldn’t let the town find out, because they will just feel sorry for you and gossip about you. Why, Emma was jilted herself forty years ago, and they still call her Poor Miss Emma. That’s so fucking patronizing. Ugh.
Jeff begins trotting out the story about how he and Deb are actually together now and she’s the one who jilted Rand, not the other way around. Emma feels comfortable enough to speak her mind about Rand, then; he was a pompous snobby young man and she’s glad that Deb isn’t going to marry him. Jeff makes up all sorts of stories about how he and Deb met and courted by mail; he was so convincing, but she doesn’t understand why he’s going through all this trouble. Jeff confesses that he’s been looking at her picture for a long time and kind of fell for her.
Next stop is the post office, where Carol is dictating a telegram to Rand, telling him to come to the town. Jeff says that she should add that he’s “beating your time” with Deb. That is an odd phrase. Mrs. Vincent, the town gossip, happens to be in the post office, too. She’s pissed because Rand is her nephew. Jeff says, Too bad, we’re in love, deal with it.
Deb tells us she has never known anyone who made lies seem so plausible. Wait, your fiancé is a congressman, right? Oh, sweet summer child. People in town are gossiping like mad, and some have completely turned on her, but no one is sorry for her, so she’s grateful to Jeff for that.
Here comes Rand from DC. As soon as she sees him, Deb gets swept up in her old feelings, but Jeff kisses her before she can run to Rand. Rand yells at the base of the stairs that she’s lost her mind. Carol pops up from behind the kissing couple, and says, Hey, over here, dumbass. Rand comes up to the top of the stairs and sweeps Deb into his arms, saying that they’re still engaged so why would she let Jeff kiss her like that? Jeff accuses Rand of playing dog in the manger, and then Aunt Letty hustles everyone inside the house, as that’s enough airing of dirty laundry and there’s no more room on the clothesline.
Carol asks Rand if she’s forgotten that THEY’RE engaged now, and her father is a big-name in politics, blah blah reputation-threatening. Rand says he meant to tell Deb gently. Yeah, sounds like you did a bang-up job there, bud. Deb takes off HER engagement ring and hands it back to Rand. Jeff says that they’re taking over the original wedding date, hope you don’t mind, but if you do, I don’t give a shit, anyway!
Deb cries herself to sleep that night. Rand is staying next door in his old house. Carol is a bitch to Deb and Letty, but the walls are thin, so apparently Rand can hear everything. Deb goes out on an errand and Rand falls into step with her, apologizing for Carol’s shitty behavior. Deb just wants to know why he let her go on believing they were still together and going to get married. He turns it around on her and says, You’re a fine one to accuse me when this whole time you’ve been writing to Jeff. She confesses that that was just an idea he cooked up because he felt sorry for her. Rand is happy to hear this. “I don’t care if Carol can further my career and is beautiful and a smooth dresser. I can teach you to be beautiful and smooth-looking, too, Deb. I’ve decided to marry you, after all!” What. I guess this is how you sweet-talk a woman in Washington. He kisses her, right in front of a neighbor’s window.
Deb waits for the sparks, but they do not arrive. She says she has to do some thinking about this whole thing. He says he’s happy about this, and that voters will definitely go for their small-town union over rich-society girl. Notice that he doesn’t mention in any of these statements that he loves her or cares about her.
Deb goes to try on her wedding gown and Jeff is there. The gossips have been busy, because Jeff already has heard that Deb is taking Rand back. Emma says he’s not worth it, don’t do it!
Jeff takes her to the drugstore for a soda – that’s so quaint. Jeff says that while he’s been telling all sorts of stories about their engagement, the kernel of truth is that he really has fallen for her. He kisses her at the soda counter, and then says he’s going to go, but to remember that he loves her. Suddenly, she realizes that Jeff IS the one she loves, but he was already walking away! She hurries after him as quickly as she can; he has gone back to the house and is getting into it with Rand. Deb comes in before anyone can get into fisticuffs and says that she’s realized something – Sometimes loving a man is just a habit, or because everybody in town pushes you together. And that was what happened with her and Rand.
So, Carol and Rand go back to Washington, and Jeff and Deb get married. Oh, the gossips buzzed like angry hornets for a while, but whatevs. Jeff bought the local newspaper so they can stay in town. And everyone is happy. The End.
The contest is back with the same cash prizes, but in this issue, they extended the maximum word count to 150 words and also wanted the ages of the entrants.
The next story is a bit dated, so I’ll provide some backstory for those who have no idea. It’s called “Dime-a-Dance Girl.” Dime-a-dance girls were popular in dance halls during the early 20th century. The men would buy dance tickets, originally for 10 cents each, hence the name, and then present a ticket to his chosen dancer, who would dance with him for one song. They were also called “taxi dancers” because they were paid proportionate to their time much like taxicab drivers.
Taxi dancing originated in the United States in San Francisco, in the Barbary Coast district, which was where the gold prospectors and sailors would congregate. It was one step in a movement to crack down on prostitution. The dance hostesses (another term for them) would earn their living from commissions paid for by the drinks that they could encourage the male patrons to buy them. The laws changed regarding alcohol in these dancehalls in the early 1900s, and that innovated the ticket system, and now the girls were paid for how many ticketed dances they performed in an evening. The only women allowed in these dance halls were the ones employed by the hall. Taxi dancing soon spread to Chicago and New York, and by the mid-1920s, they were ubiquitous. As they spread, however, they became dens of iniquity, some of the dance girls turning to prostitution for extra cash. After World War II, the taxi dancing phenomenon began to dwindle in the United States, and by 1960, they were pretty much gone. However, in the late 1970s, there was a weird revival in California and a few opened their doors in Los Angeles, charging so much per minute as opposed to price per ticket. This seems much more like a taxi meter idea, and yet, they are now called hostess clubs.
Back to the story. We’re at a dance hall in midtown Manhattan, and the protagonist of our tale is a dance hostess. She’s from some bumfuck town in Iowa and thought she’d get her big break immediately, the same old story. A nice-looking guy in a suit asks her how it all works; he has a roll of tickets. She says he can dance with her as long as the tickets last.
While they dance, he introduces himself as Stewart and asks her name. She refuses to tell him, which makes him a little annoyed. She says, Well, you’re here to dance, right? So, cut the chit-chat and let’s dance. Despite this, after a few dances, she finds that she rather likes this one. Stew is getting a bit tired, and she says that the tickets can also be used to just sit and drink with her, as well. He orders some ginger ales for them and they sit at the table. He tells the waiter to keep the change, so our dancer wants to know, what is he really buying, her story or a kiss? He can’t believe how cynical she is for such a young person. So, she kind of rolls her eyes and says she has three versions of her sad life story she keeps at the ready for the rich men who like to come slumming at the old dance hall.
Stew insists that he is neither rich nor slumming. She remarks that he doesn’t seem to be from out-of-town, or a Broadway wolf type, either, so what IS his deal? Before he can answer, however, Duke, the manager, comes over to whisperingly remind her of the rules – even if a guy has a zillion tickets, he can’t have more than one hour of a girl’s time. Stew smilingly goes along with this and takes his leave.
Duke gives Linna – we finally get her name – some tips, which basically amount to, take the suckers for all they’ve got. At the end of the night, Linna is readying to go home when some chica comes up behind her and warns her away from Duke, because that’s HER man! Linna tells this Mirella, a haughty blond with humongous knockers, that she doesn’t want Duke and she can have him; inwardly, she wishes she could quit this scene – if only all the other jobs didn’t require previous experience!
Duke tries to take her home in his car, but she politely demurs; Mirella warns her again to keep away from Duke. Which, lady, are you dim? She refused to ride in the car with him and she walked away. Step off, bitch.
Linna is a little rattled leaving the club, and trips on the stairs outside, only to be caught by Stew, who was waiting there. Oh, he’s so strong! He walks her home and asks if she would like to ride through Central Park tomorrow, and she accepts.
On their date, Linna tells Stew more about her background and what she knows about the other girls she works with at the Golden Slipper. It seems to be a very enjoyable day for both of them. He takes her picture before they part, and she wonders at his taking all of these photos today. After he leaves, however, she realizes that he didn’t tell her what he did for work, and also that he didn’t ask her to go on a second date. That night, however, she sees him again, but instead of talking to her, he makes a beeline for Mirella. As Linna watches them together, she mopes about, realizing that she was very much in love with Stew. Duke comes over to reprimand her because she’s just sitting and not trying to dance with any of the men.
Her next partner, however, really likes to cut a rug and claims to be the best dancer in Weehawken. HahaHA. Weehawken, for those not from the area, is a small-town in New Jersey, not far from New York, but certainly not as cosmopolitan as this fancy dude likes to think. Perhaps it was different in the 40s, no idea. Anyway, all his fancy steps cause Linna to lose her slipper. She caught Stew taking a picture of her dancing before her shoe took flight, and now he presents it to her while kissing her hand. Then he asks her to dance and whispers to her that he had to dance with Mirella and that she has to trust him. He calls her dear and says that’s the way he feels about her. Duke comes up and kicks him out of the club. Linna is surprised that he just leaves instead of putting up a fight. He’s not there at closing time, either.
Duke says that Stew doesn’t seem to be on the level, and he likes Linna, so he’s just looking out for her. She thanks him, but says that she can take care of herself. Here comes Mirella again to threaten Linna; she tells Mirella she wouldn’t have Duke as a gift. Hehe.
Three days pass where she doesn’t see or hear from Stew. Then Duke gets in her face at the club and accuses her of being a “stooge” for a snooping newspaperman. She, of course, has no idea what he’s talking about, but Duke doesn’t believe her. Stew wrote an article in the paper, which included Linna’s pictures, and gave bad publicity to the Golden Slipper. Stew calls Duke a Simon Legree; if that name doesn’t sound familiar, it was the name of the slave owner who has Tom flogged to death in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Which, WOW.
Duke fires Linna, who cries aloud that she thought Stew liked her, but it was all about getting a good story. There are reporters waiting for her in the lobby as she leaves, leaving her flabbergasted, until Stew comes up and rescues her, saying she’s his exclusive story. Linna says she doesn’t want to see him ever again, for he tricked her, all for the sake of a story! He says that if he told her the truth, he wouldn’t have gotten anything out of her about herself or her fellow dancers.
Duke swoops in and says he was a bit too hasty in his firing and invites her to have a cup of coffee with him to talk it over. Stew warns her away from him, but she goes, anyway. At the café, he tells Linna that he could go for her in a big way. Oh, could you?? Mirella says, appearing out of nowhere. She had followed them, of course, and now she has a pistol, pointed straight at Linna’s face. Duke quickly says that he’s crazy about Mirella and only her, and she says that talk is cheap and this chickie is cheap as dirt. Ouch.
Stew conveniently sweeps up behind Mirella and disarms her, and it’s actually only a toy pistol in the end. Mirella protests that she was only trying to scare Linna. Stew takes Linna out of the restaurant and she thanks him for rescuing her. She mentions that the day in the Park was so nice, and she wishes he hadn’t put her pictures in the paper. He says that in the beginning, he DID think she was hard and cheap (OUCH again), but once he got to know her, he realized that she was very sweet, and he ran the pictures in the paper to try to help her career. Linna walks away and says she wants to go back home. Stew says, No, you’re going to stay here and marry me! She doesn’t have a choice in the matter? Selling that story gave him a sweet bit of cash for a honeymoon.
Linna says, you haven’t even told me that you love me. He embraces her and basically says to know her is to love her and she loves him too, and they’ll live happily ever after, forever ensconced in this fantasy in four colors. The End.
Finally in this issue, an ad for the “Up-Life Adjust-o-belt” which appears to be a type of girdle. The advert screams in capital letters, Look and feel like sixteen again! Which is odd, because these romance comics were geared TOWARDS young girls, who certainly wouldn’t have need of a panty girdle. So weird.
[break]
I don’t really have any in-depth after-research this time, as I did most of it for the first part of this episode. I’m just going to talk about my sources for a minute, and tell you to consult your local library if you want to read more, like they used to do after certain shows when I was a kid.
Michelle Nolan’s Love on the Racks: a History of American Romance Comics was a invaluable asset for the history of the romance comic. It’s definitely worth a look, if you are interested in genre comics, especially for the fabulous scans of comic covers and panels (even though they are in black and white for the most part), some of which we will probably never get to on this show as they are still Marvel property.
For the comics themselves, I tend to use Comic Book Plus, which is at comicbookplus.com The Digital Comics Museum is also another great resource; usually, they tend to have matching materials, but sometimes not! So, if you want to peruse these comics, and literally thousands of others, for yourself in their full-color glory (and sometime craziness) definitely check those websites out.
Both of these sites rely on donations to help keep them hosted AND free, so if you like these episodes, consider kicking them a couple of bucks so that I can continue to make shows like this one!
Information on taxi dancers came from that venerable online resource Wikipedia, as well as a July 15, 1990 article in the LA Times entitled “Taxi Dancers: It's No Longer 10 Cents a Dance, But Lonely Men Can Still Hire Partners by the Minute in Dim Downtown Clubs.” This article, penned by Martin Booe, has some dramatic backstories to rival these comics!
I don’t expect you to remember these things, so they will also be linked in the show notes.
Well, that’s the show. If you liked this episode, please like, subscribe, review, or whatever option your podcast aggregator has available. The Forgotten Library is available on the following platforms: Anchor, Apple, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, Stitcher, and TuneIn. There’s also a Twitter account now @forgottenlibra1. Show suggestions are always welcome. Until next time, I’m Nikki Gee, your intrepid library haunter.
Sources:
Nolan, M. (2008). Love on the Racks: a History of American Romance Comics. McFarland Books.
Comics were accessed from Comic Book Plus: https://comicbookplus.com
Information on Taxi Dancers comes from Wikipedia, and this July 15, 1990 article in the LA Times entitled “Taxi Dancers: It's No Longer 10 Cents a Dance, But Lonely Men Can Still Hire Partners by the Minute in Dim Downtown Clubs” by Martin Booe: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-15-tm-549-story.html