Show Biz Gets Buzzed

BACK in the 1950s television was overtaking the movies as a regular source of entertainment. Hollywood's response was to upgrade the technology: "Cinemascope," "Technicolor," "VistaVision," "Sensurround," and huge projection screens displaying yards-wide heaving bosoms and bulging biceps. While motion picture premieres were hyped more than ever, TV showcased not only dramas and comedies but also soap operas and game shows, which were wildly popular. It's no surprise, then, that a couple of unserious pulpsters just couldn't pass up taking a swipe at that era's entertainment milieu . . .

(1) "Preview."

By Frank Belknap Long (1901-94; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; and the SFE HERE).

First appearance: Fantastic Universe, January 1956.

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short short short story (5 pages as a PDF).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

   "But how could there be one when no man or woman on Earth would ever know where Mr. Scanlon went, or why he had insisted on a preview in the first place?"

. . . but he has his reasons. It's clear that Scanlon has an appreciation for what show biz people used to call a "boffo finish"—with emphasis on the "finish" . . .

Main characters:

~ Mr. Scanlon, the film critics, and Stella.

References (all from Wikipedia):

- "Rabelaisian" (HERE)

- "the Black Hills" (HERE)

- "Robert Mitchum" (HERE)

- "Custer" (HERE)

- "Shane" (HERE)

- "Calamity Jane" (HERE)

- "Humpty Dumpty" (HERE)

- "extras" (HERE)

- "unstable isotope" (HERE).

(2) "The Vidiot."

By Ib Melchior (1917-2015; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Fantastic Universe, March 1956.

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short short story (8 pages as a PDF).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

   "There was a mint to be made—and Donny boy was going to make it!"

WHO could possibly predict that a new way of producing a television show just might mean the end of civilization as we know it?

Main characters:

~ Don Hartley, the secretary, George Kenmore, Steve, Bill Sanders, and Barnes.

References (all from Wikipedia):

- "the son of a singer" (HERE)

- "the Perry Como show" (HERE)

- "Ganymede" (HERE)

- "space opera" (HERE)

- "live TV" (HERE)

- "dry ice" (HERE)

- "ammonia vapors" (HERE)

- "doubles" (HERE)

- "matting amplifier" (HERE)

- "Test Pattern" (HERE)

- "uranium mine" (HERE)

- "Person to Person" (HERE)

- "General Electric" (HERE)

- "RCA" (HERE)

- "a Croesus" (HERE)

- "Rich as Rothchild" (HERE)

- "Another Rockefeller!" (HERE)

- "The Norden Bomb Sight" (HERE)

- "the H-bomb" (HERE).

(3) "The Winner and New . . ."

By Ib Melchior (1917-2015).

First appearance: Fantastic Universe, July 1956.

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short short short story (5 pages as a PDF).

Online at Project Gutenberg (HERE).

   "Little beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and a tiny artery in his temple beat—and beat—and beat . . ."

THERE used to be a quiz show called You Bet Your Life, but they weren't being serious. The producers of Quizz Night, however, have other ideas . . .

Main characters:

~ Bob May, Barrie Rose, Charles Monroe, and James Burton.

References (all Wikipedia):

- "Fritz Leiber, Jr." (HERE); "Manly Wade Wellman" (HERE); "and Samuel Merwin, Jr." (HERE)

- "Emcee" (HERE)

- "Univac" (HERE)

- "Force-Field" (HERE)

- "Gulliver's Travels" (HERE); "Jonathan Swift" (HERE)

- "Franklin Delano Roosevelt" (HERE); "Mangareva" (HERE); "Tahiti" (HERE)

- "Mount Kepler": Mars has no Mount Kepler.

- "lichens" (HERE)

- "mosses" (HERE)

- "George Washington" (HERE)

- "Thomas Jefferson" (HERE).

- Addendum: It's a shame that TV quiz shows in the 1950s were beset by scandals. (Wikipedia HERE.)

Resources:

- Thirty years after "The Winner and New . . ." was published, there was a novel by a pseudonymous author (much better known by his real name) which was adapted for the movies and captured the spirit, if not the precise details, of "The Winner and New . . ." (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE and HERE).

- Our only encounter with Frank Belknap Long's fiction before now was (HERE).

- Ib Melchior's involvement with Hollywood was more that casual. He was responsible for some of the best low-budget sci-fi B-films of the period (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE, HERE, and HERE). One of his stories became the nucleus of a cult film starring two future Hollywood superstars (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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More Comic Crime (Part Three)

(11) "Bounty for Varmints."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 11, January 1954.

Short short short story (1 page).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 27).

   "Out of the tail of his eye, he saw the distorted face, the leveled automatic."

Characters: Rance Higbee, the pilot, Leo Jason, and the secretary.

Story: When the police are seeking a criminal, one thing they look for is any distinguishing marks. Would a "diagonal white scar" do?

(12) "The Strange Avenger."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 12, March 1954.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

   "You don't act surprised."

Characters: Loop Mills, Hank Gardy, Francie Joy, and Monk.

Story: They say there's no honor among thieves. When it comes to dames, that's almost certainly true.

Reference: "policy slips" (Wikipedia HERE).

(13) "The Corpse in the Car."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 13, May 1954.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 25).

(Note: Smudgy text.)

   "You—meddling—sap!"

Characters: Pat Warner, Bill Nelson, David Winston, Betty Hoyt, Eunice Malloy, and two thugs.

Story: This is what happens when the plan, with all of its ingenuity, runs into dumb luck.

Comment: Not to be confused with the John Rhode novel of the same name (WARNING! SPOILERS! In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel HERE).

(14) "Fact Into Fiction."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 14, July 1954.

Short short short nonfiction article (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 24).

   "Poe's theory of the crime was the only one which accurately dovetailed all the evidence in the case."

Characters: Mary Cecelia Rogers, Payne, Crommelin, the innkeeper, a "dark complexioned man," local thugs, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Story: A true crime that Poe converted into a mystery story (HERE).

(15) "Point of Death."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 15, September 1954.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

(Note: Some text obscured but interpretable.)

   "He grabbed up the shirt, tore at it, snatched at the pin as if it were a loathsome cobra, hurled it . . ."

Characters: O'Hara, Mrs. O'Hara, the family man, the internes, three kittens, and the small schoolgirl.

Story: Humor is contagious, but on this particular wet Monday so is death.

Comment: The story's ironic tone is enhanced by the images of the kittens and the little girl.

Resources:

- One of our authors, "Beresford King" (a pseudonym), got published outside of comicdom as well (ss = short story; ar = article; FictionMags data):

  "Blood at the Ball," (ss) Super-Detective, March 1950

  "Shots in the Night," (ss) Private Detective, March 1950

  "Gunpoint Wedding," (ss) Private Detective, April 1950

  "Hovering Doom," (ss) Super-Detective, April 1950

  "Racket’s End, (ss) Private Detective, June 1950

  "Model for Murder," (ss) Pocket Detective Magazine, September 1950

  "Stars Die Fast," (ss) Hollywood Detective Magazine, October 1950

  "Those Rough Carny Girlie Shows," (ar) Exposed #3, January 1956.

- Like "Beresford King," "Rhett Rutledge" (another pseudonym) also saw publication beyond comic books (ss = short story; ar = article; FictionMags data):

  "Blood on the Jewel," (ss) Private Detective, February 1950

  "The Questionable Quest," (ss) Private Detective, May 1950

  "Front Seat for a Killing" [Cupid Cain], (ss) Hollywood Detective, June 1950

  "Hollywood Homicide," (ss) Hollywood Detective Magazine, October 1950

  "The Catty 'Miss Universe' Contest," (ar) Exposed #3, January 1956

  "Reason Behind Rita-Dick Break," (ar) Exposed #4, March 1956

  "When Oona Lowered the Booma," (ar) Exposed #6, May 1956

  "Mae West Pinched in Sex Show, (ar) Exposed #8, August 1956 [Ref. Mae West]

  "James Dean: God of a Morbid Cult," (ar) Exposed #9, September 1956

  "Rita Moreno: Cop-Fighting Wildcat," (ar) Exposed #13, March 1957

  "The Old Dime-a-Dance Hostess Racket," (ar) Exposed #17, August 1957.

- The same goes for "Clark Demery" (yes, a pseudonym) (ss = short story; na = novella; ar = article; FictionMags data):

  "Death on Display," (na) Private Detective Stories, April 1938, as by Robert Leslie Bellem

  "No Bloodshed," (ss) Speed Western Stories, August 1943, as by Harold de Polo

  "Harder Role," (ss) Hollywood Detective, June 1949

  "Horror in the Night" [Ed Byrnes], (ss) Super-Detective, October 1949

  "Kidnap Frame," (ss) Hollywood Detective, December 1949

  "Tagged for a Corpse," (ss) Super-Detective, December 1949

  "Battle of Wits," (ss) Private Detective, February 1950

  "M.D.—as in Murder," (ss) Super-Detective, February 1950

  "Why Stars Yell for Geisler," (ar) Exposed #4, March 1956

  "The Dictator’s Jail-Bait Harem," (ar) Exposed #5, April 1956

  "Nude Movies Americans Can’t See," (ar) Exposed #8, August 1956

  "Hollywood Hobby Is Wife-Beating," (ar) Exposed #10, November 1956.

- More Comic Crime (Part One) is (HERE) and (Part Two) is (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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More Comic Crime (Part Two)

(6) "Death Laughs Last."

By Beresford King (publishing house name).

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 6, March 1953.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

   "They'd get a light, all right, a light that would show them the way into eternity."

Characters: Pomfret, Eva, and Harvey.

Story: It's rare when a problem is self-liquidating and especially rare when it involves a romantic triangle.

Reference: "nitro-glycerine" (Wikipedia HERE).

(7) "Terror in the Dark."

Unsigned. (Attributed to Ashley Calhoun.)

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 7, May 1953.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

(Note: Text damaged but readable.)

   "She had learned the meaning of hate, and of patience, too."

Characters: Joe Morrell, Mary Morrell, Balk, the wino, and the cabbie.

Story: Being done in by something rotten seems like poetic justice for a rotten individual.

References: "radiator ornament" (Wikipedia HERE) and "kapok" (Wikipedia HERE).

(8) "Murder Is a Skin Game."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 8, July 1953.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

   "The plan was simple."

Characters: Dot Lewis, Cal, Tim, Horace Wright, Tessie Lane, and Guy Weaver.

Story: While robberies always have a tendency to go wrong, the one planned for Burley's fur store takes it to a new level.

References: "three models in the window" (Wikipedia HERE) and "window dressers" (Wikipedia HERE).

(9) "One Last Bullet."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 9, September 1953.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

   "An instant later, the report of the shot boomed dully in the thick-walled room. Then there was silence."

Characters: Scar Winters, the Inspector, and the Sheriff.

Story: Just admit it. City slickers will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to the ways of the world.

(10) "Second Attempt."

Unsigned.

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 10, November 1953.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 26).

   "A simple plan and perfect . . . if it worked."

Characters: Steve Chadwick, Helen Chadwick, Charlotte, and Robert Lore.

Story: There are only so many ways you can improvise your way out of a jam. Unfortunately for this murderer, he doesn't pick any of them.

Resource: 

- More Comic Crime (Part One) is (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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More Comic Crime (Part One)

WHAT surprises us about the next stories isn't the adult themes per se but rather where they were published . . .

(1) "Hate Backfires."

By Gerald James (publishing house name).

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 1, May 1952.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 25).

(Note: Text blotchy but interpretable.)

   "He wanted to see them fry and burn and writhe and scream and beg for mercy."

Characters: James Strumper, Frank Burch, and Gloria Burch.

Story: Possibly the most popular animal to ride on is, as our killer will discover, not all that reliable.

Comment: A perfect crime spoiled by—what else?—the unexpected.

(2) "Death Makes the Plan."

By Beresford King (publishing house name).

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 2, July 1952.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 24).

(Note: Text very faded but legible.)

   "Every guy who's up in the cage will tell you, it's the little things that snarl up a job."

Characters: Frank Woods, Joe Hernandez, Sam Kelcy, the Greek, and the cop on duty.

Story: A daylight robbery goes better than expected . . . until the rubber doesn't meet the road.

Typo: "the cap said".

References:

- "drop a match into the box of excelsior" (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "like it was made of celluloid" (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "They've opened a hydrant!" (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "around a light stanchion" (Wikipedia HERE.)

(3) "Operation Double-Cross."

By Rhett Rutledge (publishing house name).

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 3, September 1952.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 25).

(Note: Text fuzzy and faded but readable.)

   "The incision had been made and he had found what he was looking for."

Characters: Doc Welch, Myra Welch, the tall man, and Felix.

Story: A major operation, but the man on the table isn't really the patient—it's his erstwhile friends.

(4) "Trap for a Killer."

By Clark Demery (publishing house name).

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 4, November 1952.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 18).

(Note: Faded text with some blotches but still legible.)

   "He ruffled the greenbacks with greedy rapidity. Six thousand dollars."

Characters: Matilda G. Bream, Mark Paulson, the exterminator, Landow, Sergeant Magruder, and Doc.

Story: Need a clue? "The play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." Think about it.

(5) "The Voice of the Dead."

By Beresford King (publishing house name).

First appearance: Crime Mysteries No. 5, January 1953.

Short short short story (2 pages).

Online at Comic Book Plus (HERE; go to text page 24).

(Note: Faded text but not too bad.)

   "Maybe music will settle his ghost."

Characters: Albert Derieux (deceased), Hannon, Roger Craig, and Lynn Craig.

Story: Normally it's not easy to get revenge from the other side of the grave, but there are ways.

Reference:

- "La Paloma" (Wikipedia HERE.)

Resource:

- Our latest excursion into comic book criminality is (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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