Born on this day in 1901: reporter, syndicated columnist, radio and TV personality and host Ed Sullivan! (You should mentally sing along to the song as you read that name.)
"Ed Sullivan" from Bye Bye Birdie (Columbia, 1963), song by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, featuring Paul Lynde
By the man with a really big shew also had some big appearances...well, okay, medium guest-starring roles...would you believe, cameos?...in comic books throughout the years. Look, he's gettin' bounced by a seal!
cover of Miss Melody Lane of Broadway #3 (DC, June 1950), pencils and inks by Bob Oksner
Born on this day in 1907: actress Fay Wray, star of a whole bunch of films and TV (The Most Dangerous Game, The Richest Girl in the World, The Countess of Monte Cristo and more), but perhaps best known for monkeyin' around.
from King Kong one-shot (Western/Gold Key, September 1968), painted cover by George Wilson
Born on this day in 1899, so he knows ALL about the Y1.9K virus: actor Neil Hamilton, star from stage to silents to movies to television, plus advertisement modeling and even a little song and dance!
from "Screen Scoops" in Movie Comics (1939 series) #2 (DC/Picture Publications, May 1939); text, pencils and inks by Walter Galli
Sam Jaffe! Born in 1891, so we probably can't be goin' over to his house to celebrate. But I'm lifting a frosy mug of high-proof root beer to the actor, musician, and teacher who appeared in many films and TV series, like The Asphalt Jungle, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Ben-Hur, Gunga Din, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and as the High Lama of Shangri-La in Lost Horizon (when he was 45!). He also played a thematically similar role (at the age of 70) in the medical series Ben Casey.
cover of Ben Casey #7 (Dell, August 1963)
Jaffe portrayed Dr. David Zorba, the mentor to Ben Casey (Vince Edwards), who provided him with much sage advice on medicine and surgery...and life.
from Ben Casey #7; script by Carl Memling, pencils by John Tartaglione, inks by Vince Colletta
In fact, it was the voice of Jaffe that narrated the opening credits of Ben Casey and delineated the show's theme:♂ ♀ ❊ + ∞. Say that three times fast!
Tell us what the theme of the episode is, Dr. Zorba! (He's always doin' that.)
Ben Casey was a very popular show that ran for five seasons! You know what that means...THE SECOND LAW OF COMICS OUGHTA BE FUN!
from "Stupidity on Televsion" in MAD #83 (December 1963), script by Stan Hart, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
Sam Jaffe also appeared in comics because he was in the movie Gunga Din:
from Movie Comics #1 (DC, April 1939), photograph airburshed and colored by
Jack Adler and Emery Gondor
But...I'm not gonna show you any appearances of Jaffe as the title character from the story inside the comic book. Reason? That's Jewish Russian American Sam Jaffe playing the role of an East Indian boy, and with considerable browning make-up (that's even more evident in the "natural colors" Adler and Gondor used to colorize movie stills). It's pretty garish and awkward. Why wasn't the role played by an Indian actor? Well, how many Indian actors do you think there were in Hollywood in 1939? Actually, one: Sabu, who was the directors' first choice, but became unavailable. Jaffe was hired in his place. Many years later, Jaffe was asked how he portrayed an Indian Hindu. Jaffe replied he kept telling himself to "Think Sabu." (Also, he was 47 when he played this role of an Indian youth.)
I pause here momentarily to note that the Sam Jaffe we're celebrating today is not this Sam Jaffe from a typically-illustrated 1990s Image comic. It's not very subtle, is it? Is her torso made of taffy?
from The Tenth: The Black Embrace #2 (Image, April 1999); co-plot, script, and pencils by Tony Daniels; co-plot by Scott Lobdell; inks by Marlo Alquiza, Kevin Conrad, and Tony Daniel;
So a very happy birthday to ya, real Sam Jaffe! How to you plan to celebrate for your birthday dinner?
Born on this day in 1892: comedian and actor Oliver Hardy, the plump half of Laurel and Hardy!
from "Bobby" in Jumbo Comics #5 (Fiction House, January 1939); script, pencils, and inks by S.M. Iger
from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #162 (DC, February 2003); script by John Arcudi; pencils, inks, and letters by Roger Langridge; colors by James Sinclair, clor separations by Digital Chameleon
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