The Biglittle Times®
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THE BIG LITTLE TIMES® __________________________________________________ SUMMER EDITION BIG LITTLE BOOK COLLECTOR’S CLUB JUNE 2012 P.O. BOX 1242 DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA 94526 _______________________________________________________________________________________ JANE ARDEN AND THE VANISHED PRINCESS WHITMAN BETTER LITTLE BOOK #1498 (1938) BUCK ROGERS IN THE WAR WITH THE PLANT VENUS WHITMAN BETTER LITTLE BOOK #1437 (1938) Back Front Cover Cover Beginning this year, the Big Little Book Club is publishing its Big Little Times newsletter on a semi-annual basis. The issue is larger than previous issues. It contains more articles and lots more collecting information for Club Members to read and enjoy. The next issue will be in December • • • For this issue, Jon Swartz, Member #1287, has written an extensive article on the Buck Rogers Big Little Books and the many collectibles that were produced during the heyday of the comic strip and radio program. The history of the character, which began in 1928, reveals that he has never fully lost his appeal to subsequent generations. The pictures of premiums that accompany the article are from Jon’s extensive collection of Buck Rogers ephemera. • • • Walt Needham, Member #1102, has been a popular contributor of BLT articles for nearly 20 years. His carefully researched articles provide details that most collectors don’t know about the characters in the Big Little Books. In this issue Walt takes us on a journey through the world of Jane Arden, one of the earliest comic strip characters who exemplified the changing role of women in the American Society. Although Jane appeared in just one BLB, her comic book life lasted for many decades – from 1927 through 1968. For those who remember the strip, they will recall the wonderful paper doll cut-outs in the Sunday edition of the strip. • • • Very few BLB collectors have seen or heard about BLB cards. Jeff Kepley, Member #1337, provides an article telling about those very rare cards that were given away to buyers of BLBs in 1937. • • • Thanks to all who have made contributions to this issue of The Big Little Times. LARRY LOWERY Editor 3 AMAZING STORIES, AUGUST 1928 The issue that introduced Buck Rogers to the world. 4 5 BUCK ROGERS Comic Strip The first comic strip about Rogers, titled “Buck Rogers 2429 A.D.,” appeared INTERPLANETARY MULTI-MEDIA HERO in newspapers on January 7, 1929 – written by Nowlan and drawn by Richard (Dick) W. Calkins, an Army Air Force pilot during World War I and a lieutenant by in the Air Force Reserve. At first, the strip’s title was updated each year to keep Jon D. Swartz (Member #1287) 500 years difference in time from the present up to date. Eventually, the title became simply “Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century A.D.” The first series In 1928 Philip Francis Nowlan, a Philadelphia newspaperman, wrote the ran through 1933, with the strips numbered from 1 through 1560, The second first science fiction story about his interplanetary hero, Anthony Rogers series began in 1934 and ran through 1936. The third series began in 1937 and (later renamed “Buck” after western star Buck Jones). This initial story, the fourth in 1939. In the strip Rogers battled his mortal enemy and rival, Killer “Armageddon 2419 A. D.,” appeared in the first American pulp magazine Kane, on land and sea and in space. Kane’s ambition was to conquer the world devoted exclusively to science fiction, Amazing Stories (August issue). and lure Wilma Deering away from Buck. The strip was the first to deal with While exploring an abandoned mine, Rogers – a twenty-nine-year-old science fiction themes in an entertaining manner, and it was very successful. former officer in the United States Army Air Corps – falls into a coma after exposure to leaking radioactive gas and finally wakes up – the only survivor of the exploring party -- in the twenty-fifth century. The sequel to this initial . story, “The Airlords of Han,” appeared in the March 1929 issue of Amazing Stories. Other stories followed. A comic strip was created in 1929, and radio programs (offering Buck Rogers premiums), Big Little Books, comic books, a movie serial, hardcover and paperback books, a feature film, many advertising promotions, games, and – finally – two television series, followed. But Buck was even more successful in the area of toys. In 1934 Daisy began manufacturing BR rocket pistols, and that same year the Louis Marx company introduced a toy rocket ship. The first rocket pistol was made from heavy-gauge blued gun steel with nickel-plated trimmings. It made a loud “zap” when fired, and was nine and a half inches in length. It looked like the weapon shown in the daily and Sunday comic strips and sold for 50 cents. Costing only 5 cents to make, it was the toy “hit” of 1934. Buck Rogers was well on his way to becoming the first interplanetary multi-media hero! BUCK ROGERS NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP Early dailies. A RECENT MODEL OF THE BUCK ROGERS XZ-38 DISINTEGRATOR RAY PISTOL BY DAISY Rocket Pistols were first offered by Daisy in 1934. Cream of Wheat gave them as a premium in 1935. 6 7 Radio Programs “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” was an early adventure program based on the newspaper comic strip – and the first science fiction series on radio. This 15-minute program was broadcast from 1932 to 1936, with brief reincarnations in 1939, 1940, and finally, during 1946-1947. It was a science fiction thriller featuring the interplanetary adventures of Rogers, who had been in suspended animation, but awoke hundreds of years in the future. In addition to the many futuristic devices that were a regular feature of the program, the brilliant scientist Dr. Huer provided fantastic new inventions that were often an important part of the storylines. The first actor to portray Buck was Curtis Arnall, followed by Carl Frank, Matt Crowley, and John Larkin. Buck’s companion in most of his adventures, Wilma Deering, was played by Adele Ronson and then by Virginia Vass; Edgar Stehli played Dr. Huer. The announcers were Fred Uttal, Paul Douglas, and Kenny Williams. Several premiums were awarded during the program’s run, and today some of these are quite valuable. MATTHEW CROWLEY AS CAPTAIN BUCK ROGERS IN A CREAM OF WHEAT PREMIUM. Photos on back show Black Barney, Killer Kane, Ardala, Lieutenant Wilma Deering, and Willie (1936) PREMIUMS - BUCK ROGERS SOLAR SCOUTS RADIO CLUB (1936) (Interior pages in club manual) 8 9 Buck Rogers Premiums/Toys There have been many Buck Rogers premiums and toys offered, first by the sponsors of the Buck Rogers radio programs. In its second year on the air, the radio show was sponsored by Cocomalt, a food drink, and a book premium of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was offered. This premium can be found in two editions, each with a different Cocomalt ad on the back cover. The content of the book was also used for a Tarzan Ice Cream premium titled Buck Rogers, a shorter version of the BLB with the illustrations arranged out of order. In the next few years these early premiums were followed by a flood of other Buck Rogers premiums and toys: Buck Rogers Cocomalt Map of the Solar System (1933), Buck Rogers Pistol (1934), Buck Rogers Helmet (1934), Buck Rogers Rocket Ship (1934), Buck Rogers Pop-Up Books (1935), Buck Rogers Paint Book (1935), Buck Rogers Space Suit (1935), Buck Rogers Disintegrator Pistol (1936), and many, many more. Over the years the REISSUE OF BUCK ROGERS SPACESHIP BUCK ROGERS Buck Rogers name (Martians Invade Jupiter, 1942) HALLOWEEN CANDY BUCKET (1980) has been used on literally hundreds of premiums and toys (see the several illustrations included in these pages for BUCK ROGERS PIN BUCK ROGERS FIGURE some examples). COLLECTIBLE BUCK ROGERS STAMPS PUBLISHED WITH SUNDAY STRIPS (1940s) TWO TOOTSIE TOY BUCK ROGERS ROCKET SHIPS (1930s) BUCK ROGERS COCOMALT MAP OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM (1933) 10 11 NEWSPAPER PREMIUM ILLUSTRATION (1930s) Set of six Rocketship Balsa Wood Models sold in stores or as newspaper premiums. AD FOR A BUCK ROGERS CASTER SET FOR MAKING BR FIGURES Set was first offered in 1934 12 13 BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY ORIGIN PREMIUM COVER AND BACK OF BUCK ROGERS SOLAR SCOUTS PREMIUM (Cream of Wheat, 1936) Offered by Kellogg’s (1933) 14 15 Big Little Books The next BLB in storyline sequence was titled simply Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (#742). Like other popular newspaper comics of The story is from newspaper strips published the day, Buck Rogers was reprinted as in 1932-1933, and the content is the last to Big Little Books by Whitman, using text be written from Buck’s viewpoint: “Wilma adaptations of the daily strips. The strips and I had captured the arch-criminals Killer were numbered in sequence, but none Kane and Ardala, and we were now speeding of the BLBs contain content from the towards New York with our prisoners in tow.” first year of the daily newspaper strip. The story concerns a race of tiny men called Indeed, the earliest storyline appeared in Asterites who have come to explore Earth. Whitman’s second Buck Rogers BLB in Their actions hinder Buck and lead to Kane’s the form of a hard cover and a 3-color Full-color escape – although they eventually help Buck Soft Cover soft cover version, Buck Rogers in the Version recapture him. City Below the Sea (#765). The story tells of the sunken city of Atlantis. In Standard Hard Cover The next BLB in storyline order was Buck this BLB Buck and Wilma meet Killer Rogers and the Depth Men of Jupiter (#1169).