Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, Vaughn Monroe!

Born on this day in 1911: actor/singer Vaughn Monroe ("Mule Train," "Cool Water," "Riders in the Sky" and many more). And comic book star? You betcha!


from "Vaughn Monroe: Racing with the Moon" in Juke Box Comics #3 (Eastern Color, July 1948), pencils and inks by Sid Greene




And chef!


from Juke Box Comics #3; script, pencils, inks and letters by Phil Berube
And pilot! Really, what can't Vaughn Monroe do?!?


from Juke Box Comics #4 (Eastern Color, September 1948); script, pencils, inks and letters by Phil Berube
Why, he even had his own comic book: an adaptation of his 1950 movie Singing Guns! In which, I'm sad to say, no guns sang. But Vaughn did!


cover of Singing Guns one-shot (Fawcett, 1950)
Monroe plays Rhiannon (will he ever win?), an outlaw who becomes a town sheriff thanks to a shave and a convenient script twist.




from Singing Guns; creators uncredited and unknown
There's also songs! Which...don't appear in the comic book. Awww, c'mon, Fawcett. Captain Marvel woulda sung!



So let us join with Smokey the Bear to wish Vaughn Monroe a very happy birthday. Clippety, clippety, clippety, clippety, clippety cloppin' along!


"Vision in the Forest" starring Vaughn Monroe and his family (United States Department of Agriculture/United States Forestry Service, 1957)
PS: the fellows from RiffTrax do a nifty version of the short by wisecracking on this!