Today in Comics History, May 25: Happy birthday, Steve Cochran!

Born on this day 1917: film, television and stage actor Steve Cochran (Wonder Man*, Copacabana, A Song is Born, Jim Thorpe: All-American, I Mobster, The Beat Generation and many more)!


from Movie Love #20 (Eastern Color, April 1953), pencils and inks by Frank Fogarty



Steve had a respectable if never superstar-level acting career, but he didn't put in too many comic book appearances. (What was wrong with ya, Steve-O?) On the other hand, here is is on the cover of Movie Love!"


cover of Movie Love #18 (Eastern Color, December 1952)
No no, not the guy leaning over the fence with a movie camera and in the arms of Phyllis Thaxter. This guy:


Steve Cochran is Tom Marcel Brevoort! The French guy in blue. I wonder if All-American Steve had a halfway-decent French accent?


from "Operation Secret" in Movie Love #18; pencils and inks by Harold LeDoux
And here's Steve Cochrane with a gun again!


Poor Steve Cochran — he may have gotten some decent screen time, but never a lot of comics time. Unless...wait! Here he is on the cover of the Rolling Stone Great Lover Romances!


cover of Great Lover Romances #2 (Tobym, August 1951)
But not on the inside, hbecause there's no story adapating this still from the movie Highway 301. Aw, so close, Steve Cochrane (and Lee Fontaine)! Happy birthday anyway, Steve!

*No, not that one.