March/April 2011 - Big Little Books

THE
BIG
LITTLE
TIMES
®
__________________________________________________
VOLUME XXX, NUMBER 2
BIG LITTLE BOOK COLLECTOR’S CLUB
P.O. BOX 1242
DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA 94526
MARCH/APRIL 2011
_______________________________________________________________________________________
WHITMAN Better Little Book #1451 (1942)
WHITMAN Better Little Book #1456 (1948)
SAALFIELD Little Big Book #1085 (1934)
Back
Front
Cover
Cover
This issue of The Big Little Times is packed with lots of
information.
new discoveries
have
been
made the
related
to of the
Frank Chandler isSome
a fictitious
character
who
learned
secrets
items
that
are
peripheral
to
the
BLBs.
We
have
the
results
from
the ball to
Yogi’s in the Far East. He used his special powers and a crystal
Club
Questionnaire
that
Tom
Gardner
prepared
and
analyzed.
And
we the
thwart the enemies of mankind. He became well-known as Chandu,
have
another
fine
article
by
Walt
Needham
this
time
on
the
Our
Gang
BLBs.
Magician.
•
•
•
In
the
past
3
decades,
our
Club
has
been
enriched
several
authors.
This on
The popular juvenile radio program Chandubythe
Magician,
began
year
we
can
add
another
one
to
that
growing
list.
Claire
Schulz,
Member
October 10, 1932 on the West Coast Don Lee Network, radio station KHJ,
#837,
just published
a highly
readable
book
the golden
days of
Los Angeles.
It soon
expanded
to the
Eastthat
onreflects
Mutual.onThe
5-day series
of
radio.
15-minute episodes was sponsored by White King Soap in the West and
by Beech Nut Gum in the East.
The 590-page soft cover book is available from
BearManor Media, P.O. Box 71426, Albany, GA
The title character was American-born Frank Chandler who learned occult
31708. Its title is: On the Screen, One the Air,
secrets in India. He acquired supernatural skills, including astral projection,
On My Mind. There are chapters devoted to
teleportation, and the ability to create illusions. Calling himself Chandu,
The Funnymen, The Entertainers, The
he intended to fight any “evil that threatens mankind.”
Frightmeisters, The Ladies, and more. And
there is a nice section on Big Little Books and
The original show was created by Raymond Morgan and Harry Earnshaw.
their relationship to radio programs.
Vera Oldham who worked for them, wrote several hundred episodes in
which Chandler’s sister, Dorothy
Regent,
•
•
• and her two children, Betty and
Bob, try
find
Dorothy’s
husband,
Robert Regent,
disappeared
Plans
fortothe
Big
Little Book
Club meeting
in July who
are coming
along.in a
shipwreck.
foul play,
the You
family
Egypt
where
31
membersSuspecting
have indicated
they Chandler
intend totakes
attend.
willto find
some
they encounter
dangerous
adventures
and
evil Roxor. Chandler has
additional
information
about the
meeting in
thisthe
issue.
a mild romance with Nadji, an Egyptian princess, and he discovers that
•
•
•prisoner in an attempt to get his
Roxor had kidnapped and holds
Robert
I’ve
intended
to
make
this
year
of
the
BLB
plans for a powerful ray gun.
Club, a special year. The BLT has been
upgraded,
a 2011
Price came
GuidetotoanBLBs
Although the
program
end in 1936, it was revived for another
including
a
Personal
Checklist
run beginning June 28, 1948. has
The been
original scripts were reworked by Vera
placed
on aand
disc.the
It isepisodes
the most accurate
and sponsored by White King Soap on
Oldham,
were again
complete
listing
of
BLBs
(all
companies)
ABC, Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. The spooky theme music was provided
ever
published.
The Rolando
“bigger” specials
will Hindu pseudonym, Korla Pandit.
by organist
Juan
under his
take
longer
to
produce,
but
they
are
in
the episodes were dropped, and the
Then on February 2, 1949, the serialized
works.
To
the
right
is
a
sneak
preview
of
program became a 30-minute, self-contained
story each week. The last
abroadcast
BLB that will
be
published
by
the
Club.
was heard on September 6, 1950.
LARRY LOWERY Editor
4
THE GREAT
BLB CLUB
MEETING
Thirty-one Club Members have indicated they intend to attend the
upcoming BLB Club Meeting. I will need an official count after
the May/June issue of the BLT so that I can plan for food and other
arrangements. In the next issue of the BLT, I’ll include a Postcard that
will ask if you can attend or not. When you return the Postcard, I’ll
have a better count on attendance. And for those who say they are
coming, I’ll mail information on places to stay and directions to my
home.
Several members are including a vacation when they come to the Bay
Area of California. Some say they will visit San Francisco, Napa Valley,
Yosemite Park, the redwoods, and other places of interest. Locally, in addition to a super Club Meeting, there are great sites to see,
restaurants to enjoy, and most likely fine weather.
Several Club Members are bringing “surprise” items for others to see.
This may be the only time you can see so many rarities and one-of-akind items.
A few members are bringing BLBs to sell. Tables will be set up to make
it easy to peruse the for sale items.
Put this date on your calendar:
July 16, 2011
the GREAT BLB CLUB MEETING
3
A REAL
BIG LITTLE BOOK
COLLECTOR
GOES FOR THE GOLD - - FORGETS MINOR DISTRACTIONS
THAT MAY DISTRACT
FROM ATTAINING THAT GOAL!!!
4
THE COLLECTOR’S CORNER
An interesting display case for selling the short-lived Fawcett booklets
recently showed up on eBay. This is a rare item, and most of the Fawcett
booklets are hard to get.
5
•
•
•
Gloria Mohar, Member #508, sent me a note to say that the Brenda Starr
comic strip came to an end on January 2, 2011. Brenda, the red-haired
heroine newspaper reporter was created by Dalia Messick in June of
1940. The daily strip presented a strong female lead role in a time when
the workplace was not friendly to women. Messick was a greetingcard artist who changed her name to Dale so her work would be better
accepted. She passed away at age 98 in 2004.
•
•
I came across a Whitman ad showing new BLB titles for 1949, the last year
of the Better Little Books. None of these titles ever reached the market
place as a Better Little Book. Some did become part of the 5700 series
paperbck BLBs. Wouldn’t it be great to discover one of the prototypes?
Mary Schmich has been writing the strip since 1985. Artwork has been by
June Brigman. The final picture in the strip simply says “THE END.”
Gloria Mohar contacted
Schmich and found she
did not have the Brenda
Starr Big Little Book, so
she located one and sent
it to her.
The material used to
make the BLB is odd. It
has an unreinforced paper spine, thus it is often
found with large spine
tears. It is hard to find a
copy in a nice condition.
Our Club honored the Brenda Starr strip with a 1994 article in the
November/December Issue, Volume XIII, Number 6. The article told
that Messick won the National Cartoonists Society silver plaque for Best
Story Strip in 1975, and a 13-chapter movie serial was made by Columbia
Pictures in 1945. It starred Joan Woodward and Katie Richmond. Then in
1976 the strip was made into a TV movie starring Jill St. John.
Although the life of
the strip has ended, its
spirit will live on. The
first of several planned
volumes will reprint the
daily and Sunday strips.
The publisher is Hermes
Press, and the hard
cover volume is titled
Brenda Starr, Reporter.
6
•
7
•
•
•
The Overstreet Price Guide has called the Mickey Mouse BLB with the
stamped on title and number for the Mail Pilot as the “Holy Grail” of
BLB collecting. The value put on it by Overstreet was astronomical! The
book was first discovered by a BLB Club Member Eugene Trewyn, Jr.
and written up in the 1987 May/June issue of The Big Little Times.
THE ORIGINAL MICKEY BIG LITTLE BOOK
(COVER BY A WHITMAN ARTIST)
THE BIG LITTLE TIMES DESCRIPTION OF THE MAIL PILOT BLB (1987)
Today we know that there are at least 5 of these books, thus it is NOT
the “Holy Grail.” And its value has diminished significantly. It is my
speculation that several prototypes were made of this second Mickey
BLB to avoid having trouble with Disney.
Whitman ran into trouble with Disney when it published the first
Mickey Mouse BLB. The original cover on Mickey Mouse BLB #717 was done
by a Whitman artist. It displays a very skinny and odd looking Mickey.
Disney disliked the rendition and stopped Whitman’s presses,
threatening to cancel the licensing agreement with Whitman if it
continued to do “badly done” covers. Whitman appeased Disney by
letting the Studio provide a new Mickey illustration for the cover. The
presses were then restarted and the “good looking” Mickey appeared on
the remaining copies. A total of 600,000 copies were printed. It is not
known how many of these have the cover Disney did not like.
Once Whitman and Disney cordially settled the problem, they greatly
expanded the licensing terms allowing Whitman to expand a variety of
formats for Disney material.
Again, my speculation is that for the second Mickey Big Little Book,
The Mail Pilot, Whitman sent several prototypes of the book to the
Disney studios, and rather than having a Whitman artist do the cover,
acceptable covers from the first Mickey BLB were used. Whitman
stamped the next title on the cover and changed the Publisher’s
number on the back of the book. The company was taking no chances of
offending Disney again. In a letter do Disney, Whitman asked that the
Studio provide the cover for the Mail Pilot. Disney complied.
8
THE REVISED MICKEY BIG LITTLE BOOK
(COVER BY DISNEY STUDIOS)
Larry Johnston (Member #681) came across the fifth copy of the
prototype last fall. It was accompanied by a note written by the seller,
telling where and how the book was found. Here is a copy of that note:
Hi Larry,
I live on a farm in New Jersey that has been in our family since the 1750’s. It has
passed down through eleven generations and was originally obtained through
several land grants from the King of England (I have documentation for these
grants although they are not in really good condition). My husband (whose
ancestors owned the farm) died many years ago, and I have spent all of my life
keeping it going for the next generation. My son has a home on the property
and he and I do most of the work on about 600 owned and leased acres. We raise
Angus cattle, horses, hay and corn. I am blessed to also have my son-in-law and
daughter and their two daughters living on the farm in the original farmhouse. My
granddaughters love the farm, ride horses and are beginning to be a help with
tractor work too, and I know I have done my job to keep it going for the future. It
is in the original farmhouse that this book was kept.
In the bedroom that my husband used as a boy, there was a bookshelf on which
this book stayed. When I first met my husband in 1957 it was one of many books
on that shelf. It actually belonged to his sister, Jeanne Angle, who was about 12
years older. I know there are several more of these big-little books around - they
were moved from the bedroom when my granddaughters were born and I need
to find them. They are probably in the attic along with a lot of other “treasures”.
Anyway, that is what I know of the book - it is probably one of the few still in
possession of the family of the original owner.
Elaine
9
•
•
•
It is time to return to a topic introduced in the BLT over half a decade
ago - Volume 23, Nuimber 6, November/December 2004. At that time not
much was known about the item, and Club Members could not add more
knowledge.
The item was actually two books, both published by Whitman in 1939,
written by Roy J. Snell and illustrated by the great Henry Valley, both
free-lancers who contributed to many publications for Whitman. The two
books are about the size of the Dell Fast-Action books, 96 pages in length with
scattered captioned illustrations throughout each book rather than
opposite each page of text. Both had colorful, full-color soft covers. The titles
are: Haunted Treasure Island - Following Secret Signs to Pirate Gold and
Hunting Pirate Gold in the Deep-Sea Ball - The Adventures of Don and Nancy.
Edwin Perkins was the creator of several food products. At age 13 he
became interested in manufacturing foods after responding to a mail
order publication. And the product we know as Jell-O was a major
influence on his creation of Kool-Aid. He created many products before
his Kool-Aid, including one that helped people stop smoking (Nix-OTine Tobacco Remedy). His Perkins Products Company promoted all his
creations and was profitable.
Kool-Aid was a derivative of his Fruit-Aid drink. He found that if he
removed the water, the remaining powder was easier to package and
ship (no breakage, no spillage). It entered the marketplace in 1928.
The original flavors were: Cherry, Grape, Apple, Orange,
Lemon-Lime, Watermelon, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Root Beer.
It was almost an instant success. It was originally manufactured
in Hastings, Nebraska, and during the Depression, it sold for a
nickle a packet. The 1939 premiums stimulated sales, and Jack Benny
became the spokesperson for the product.
The adventure stories in the two books not only promoted the Kool-Aid
Adventure Club, but they blatantly promote Kool-Aid. Don, Nancy, and
Uncle John take cases of it on their archeological expeditions.
Perkins sold his company to General Foods and retired to enjoy life with
his wife Kitty, his high school sweetheart. He passed away in 1961.
Hastings celebrates a yearly summer festival called Kool-Aid Days on the
second weekend in August
in honor of the city’s claim to
fame. Kool-Aid is also known
as Nebraska’s “official soft
drink.”
We now know that the books were given away as premiums by the
Kool-Aid Company. They were part of a campaign to promote the
Kool-Aid Adventure Club.
Full color newspaper ads were
recently sold at Hake’s Auction. The
ads tell how to get the books. Hake’s
Auction included the mailing
envelope and the first of the two
books.
10
11
OUR GANG
VINTAGE CHILDHOOD
WITH SPUNKY KIDS AND HAPPY ENDINGS
by
Walt Needham (Member #1102)
Although Our Gang first appeared on movie screens 89 years ago, this
ever changing group of children is still part of America’s cultural heritage.
Turner Movie Classics celebrated the first month of 2011 with a marathon of the Gang’s 221 films. Within the past several years, the Gang’s
silent films, the sound ones produced by the Hal Roach studios, and the
last ones released by MGM have become available on DVD for home
audiences.
WHITMAN’S 1929
OUR GANG BOOK
SPANKY PINBACK
SPANKY BOBBLEHEAD
Although Saalfield published one Our Gang Little Big Book
and Whitman published two Our Gang Better Little Books,
it was not the first time that Whitman depicted the Gang’s
adventures in print form. In 1929, it produced a hard covered volume
entitled The Story of Our Gang. Inside, on the title page its name was
changed to A Day with Our Gang. The author was Eleanor Lewis Packer, a
stalwart writer with Whitman. The photos were by STAX. It tells of the
waking hours of six Gang members, Joe Cobb, Allen “Farina” Hoskins,
“Hardboiled” Harry Spear, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Mary Ann
Jackson, and Jean Darling. It describes their times both at home
and in the Hal Roach studios. Throughout the day, they are shown
filming movies, playing games, lovingly posed with their “second daddy,”
Robert McGowan, and being instructed by their on-site teacher, Mrs. Carter.
Besides text and black and white photographs, it also contains six large
color pictures of the above featured Our Gang members. The book
even had perforations making it easier to remove them from the book
so that they might be framed. There may have been a second version
of the book, similar to a big little book premium issue, it being without
hard covers and containing fewer pictures. One described as such was
listed on EBay, but it may be a damaged copy of the more complete
volume
HERALD ADVERTISING PERSONAL APPEARANCE
OF “SAMMY” MORRISON - SILENT OUR GANG STAR
Yet 1929 was late in the game for an Our Gang book. Many of the
original members, Mickey Daniels, Ernie “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison,
Mary Kornman, and Jackie Condon, had left, either because of age or in
order to begin other ventures. “Sammy” Morrison had a career as a “Dead
End” and “East Side Kid,” for example.
12
13
The factors contributing to the creation of the Our Gang films remain in
question. Most sources (1, 2, 3) cite Hal Roach’s claim that he had the idea
for these films from watching a group of children in spontaneous play
outside his studio window. Robert McGowan seems to be considered
a second force in the development of the Gang’s persona. However, the
contribution of Tom McNamara in creating the Our Gang concept is
often neglected in its histories of Our Gang. Ron Goulart (4) notes that
McNamara prior to that time had created several Our Gang-type comic
strips, Us Boys and On Our Block, these appearing in the Evening Journal. He
had earlier helped put together short silent films. McNamara left New
York in 1922 to work with Roach. Although hired as a writer, he, along with
McGowan, co-directed some of the Gang’s first films: Fire Fighters, Young
Sherlock, One Terrible Day, A Quiet Street, and Saturday Morning. He is
also listed as the sole director of The Cobbler, The Champeen, Boys to Board,
and A Pleasant Journey as well as contributing to the titles and stories.
His name disappears from the credits after March 1923. McNamara
confided to Goulart that he felt disappointment over a lack of
recognition for his creative part in the Our Gang series.
STYMIE WEARING STAN LAUREL’S DERBY
EARLY OUR GANG PUBLICIY PHOTO
14
Hollywood had been ready for children’s’ films since the early days of
the silents. The star power of children had been demonstrated in the
silent film era by the popularity of such toddlers as Diana “Baby Peggy”
Serra Cary (5), Baby Marie Osborne (6), and Jackie Coogan (7). Their
earning power was recognized by tremendous salaries. Likely early
producers surmised that if an appealing child could guarantee a film’s
success, then a group of cute and lovable children would draw even
larger audiences. Because many children comprised the Gang, this
allowed audiences to have a number of favorites. As the individual child
actors came and left, there was continuity and easy transition which
assured the fan’s continued interest and loyalty to the series.
A COUPLE OF
OUR GANG COMICS
15
Our Gang, illustrates four popular sound comedies adapted for this
format by Charles T. Clinton. They are For Pete’s Sake (1934), Bedtime
Worries (1933), The First Roundup (1934), and Hi Neighbor (1934). The
first involves the convoluted attempt to replace a broken doll for a sick
child, the second entails Spanky’s encounter with a burglar, the third
depicts the Gang’s camping out in the “wilderness,” and the fourth
deals with the Gang’s rivalry with a snooty new kid on the block.
Parts of the dialogue in the films are used verbatim in the book.
Understandably, much of the fast moving slapstick in the films is either
omitted or minimized. Several of the elements of the plots are missing
as well. For instance, in For Pete’s Sake, Pete the Pup returns to exchange
the wrong doll for the correct one, once again terrorizing the stingy store
keeper and his heartless son.
PORTRAI OF FARINA
ANOTHER OUR GANG COMIC
There had been an attempt to make a children-cast movie in 1915 when
Fox produced a Sunshine Kiddies series. The plots consisted of costume
adventures designed for children, and included Jack and the Beanstalk,
Babes in the Woods, and Treasure Island (1). This series lasted for only two
years and had little impact on the general public’s psyche. Following
the success of Our Gang other child series were attempted, the most
notable being Shirley Temple’s Baby Burlesk and Mickey Rooney’s Mickey
McGuire series. Supposedly Shirley Temple and Mickey Rooney
auditioned for parts in the Our Gang films but were not selected.
Autobiographies of these actors do not support this, however (8, 9).
The Our Gang Little Big Book has some of its more recognizable members,
such as George “Spanky” Mcfarland, Scotty Beckett, Mathew “Stymie”
Beard, Jr., Wally Albright, William “Buckwheat” Thomas, Jr., Tommy
“Butch” Bond, and Jerry Tucker. However, other of the Gang’s famous
icons, including those whom were featured in the 1929 The Story of Our
Gang, such as Joe Cobb, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins,
Jean Darling, and Hard Boiled Harry Spear were gone by that time. In
addition none of the Whitman big little style books “captured”
popular Gang members, such as Dorothy “Echo” DeBorah, Mickey
Daniels, and Shirley Jean Rickert. Dickie Moore, and Jackie Cooper
were among this group, but they had all “graduated” from the Gang,
establishing themselves firmly in the larger film world.
The gang made appearances in all media at that time, even as guests in a
short lived George Jessell show during the 1937-1938 season (10).
As noted above, Saalfield published one Our Gang Little Big Book. Whitman
issued two Our Gang Better Little Books. Saalfield’s Our Gang (1935) is a
movie scene book filled with still photos. Whitman’s Our Gang on the
March (1942) is also a movie book with a flip-it feature and illustrations
instead of still photos. The illustrations are by Henry Vallely. The story
is adapted from three MGM films by Eleanor Packer. Whitman’s Our
Gang Adventures (1948), which lists neither author nor illustrator, is more
like the Dell comics version of Our Gang with a very forgetable story.
However, it lacks the artistic renderings of Carl Barks or Walt Kelly who
first illustrated these comics.
16
DOROTHY “ECHO” DeBORAH (l) and DIANE “BABY PEGGY” SERRA CARY
AT A BILLY BRONCHO FESTIVAL
17
Unfortunately, before the first Whitman “Our Gang” book, several of the
most memorable of the Our Gang members had come and gone. One in
particular was Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, the freckled faced, wide eyed
young man with the hair that stuck up in back. Eugene “Porky” Lee and
Darwood “Waldo” Kay were also part of this group.
Our Gang on the March was based on three MGM one reel
productions. The series was now beginning to wind down, finally
ending in 1944. The chapters consisted of Surprised Parties (1942),
Going to Press (1942), and Come Back, Miss Pipps (1941). Surprised Parties
tells of a disappointed Froggy’s self-sabotaged birthday party, Going to
Press involves the Gang’s adventures in investigative journalism, and
Come Back, Miss Pipps depicts the comeuppance of an unfair,
curmudgeonly school board member. Spanky and Buckwheat are
still part of the Gang, but new members include Billy “Froggy”
Laughlin, Darla Hood, and Mickey Gubitosi along with his brother,
Tommy. Mickey became Bobby Blake, the Little Beaver of the Red Ryder
films and later, Robert Blake, the troubled adult star.
Our Gang members are also in other big little books. Jackie Cooper led
the group in titles with Little Hollywood Stars, Dinky, Skippy and Sookie,
Peck’s Bad Boy, Treasure Island, O’Shaughnessy’s Boy, and Gangster’s Boy.
Spanky McFarland, and Stymie Beard also made appearances in Saalfield’s Little Hollywood Stars. Dickie Moore commanded the book, The
Little Red School House.
The African-American Gang members were a mainstay and
provided much continuity in the series. Farina appeared in 105 movies,
and Buckwheat in 93 films. However, their roles reflected the stereotypes
of the times. They were often the younger versions of Stepin Fetchit,
Willie Best, and Mantan Moreland. They were often poorer, had fathers
who were in jail, received harsher treatment in the slapstick, teased, and
frightened more than the others. However, they were no dolts, typically
responding with cleverness and ingenuity, thus winding up on top at the
film’s conclusion.
The last Whitman book, Our Gang Adventures consists of a sequence
of original stories featuring the Gang’s encounters with a group of
counterfeiters and an evil Indian Joe, as well as their discovery of a lost
Indian cave. The only recognizable Gang members from the films are
Froggy and Buckwheat, although, Happy, Red, and Janet are added to
the Gang. Town bullies, Egghead and Feeney, are brought to justice after
they try to best the Gang.
“SUNSHINE SAMMY” MORRISON IN A SCENE FROM A SILENT OUR GANG FILM
EARLY OUR GANG PAPERDOLLS
In real life, things were different. Leonard Maltin reports that it was the
first time that there was equality between races during a film production
(1). Ernie “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, whom the father of the above
mentioned Baby Marie Osborne introduced to the Roach Studios, was the
first real Our Gang star in the early silent films. He was to have said that
when it came to race, Hal Roach was color-blind and treated him with
respect (1). Other African American members of the Gang reported the
same feelings. Unlike many child stars (1), most of the Our Gang kids
who were interviewed as adults, regardless of ethnicity, looked upon
the experience as a positive one with fond memories. Their salaries,
however, were quite modest and there was some resentment from some
when they were old enough to realize the monies that Roach himself had
made from their work.
18
19
Television created a ready market for the Our Gang films although
confusion reigned in terms of ownership, name, and distribution.
Roach bought the 1927 to 1938 films which were then marketed as The
Little Rascals since MGM owned the Our Gang name as a result of its
production of the last films. “Hal Roach’s Rascals” had been used as
an alternate designation during the early films. MGM then issued its
1939 to 1944 films under the Our Gang name. The Roach Pathe and
Roach M-G-M silent Our Gang films were sold. Some were issued under
various titles, such as The Mischief Makers and Those Lovable Scalawags
with Their Gang (1). Roach sold his Rascals films to Monogram then
later to Allied Artists, which released them to theaters just prior to their
appearance on television.
Among those who were often honored by the Sons at conventions and
individual tent meetings were Dorothy Deborba and Shirley Jean Rickert (Measures). Dorothy had left the film business in her adolescence,
finally settling in northern California where she retired as a senior clerk
at UC, Berkeley. She died on June 10, 2010 of emphysema and lung
diseases. Shirley Jean, who subsequently had interesting careers as an
adolescent actor with John Wayne, a dancer in Singing in the Rain and
other musicals, a burlesque entertainer (Gilda the Golden Girl), and a
traveling industrial tool salesperson, passed away in a nursing home
on Feb. 6, 2009. Jerry Tucker and his wife as well as Jean Darling who
are still living have also been recently active in Sons’ events.
Unsuccessful attempts had been made by Roach to produce Our Gang
films in a full length format. General Spanky which featured original
Gang members was released in 1936, Curley, with a new cast of child
actors premiered in 1946, and Who Killed Doc Robbin in 1948. Norman
Lear produced three pilot episodes which were not bought although
they gave a start to Gary Coleman. There were animated Rascals shorts,
notably The Little Rascals Christmas Special. A 1994 feature The Little
Rascals, was produced by Universal Pictures and King World. It
featured child actors who played the roles of Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla, Stymie and Porky. It was termed “a moderate success”
but no sequels followed.
Some of the Gang members experienced early deaths. Alfalfa was shot
to death at age 31. Norman “Chubby” Chaney died at 18 after a crash
diet. Buckwheat died of a heart attack at 49. Wheezer was killed in an
airplane collision while an Air Force cadet at age 19. Scotty was beaten
to death at 38. Darla died because of surgical complications at age 47.
Froggy was killed in a bicycle accident when he was 16.
The Our Gang/Little Rascal films and their surviving actors have been
“adopted” by The Sons of the Desert, the international Laurel &
Hardy appreciation society. Historically there was much contact between
the various entertainers at the Roach Studios. For example, Stymie’s
derby was given to him by Stan Laurel. Other Roach film celebrities
who made appearances with Our Gang in front of the camera include
Oliver Hardy, Charlie Chase, Stepin Fetchit, Harold Lloyd, Charlie
Hall, James Finlayson, Stanley “Tiny” Sandford, Anita Garvin, and
Edgar Kennedy were among them. Will Rogers even appeared in one.
Even animal celebrities made Our Gang appearances. Dinah the Mule
was featured in the early films. Pal the Dog then shared the screen with
Dinah but both were replaced by the icon of the series, Pete the Pup.
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BUCKWHEAT FAN CLUB PINBACK
BUCKWHEAT DOLL PRODUCED BY
MEGO TOYS
Other former Rascals alive as of the first of January 2011 include Dickie
Moore, Jackie Cooper, Marianne Edwards, Mildred Korman, Robert
Blake, Sidney Kibrick and Jackie Lynn Taylor (3).
Will there be any other Our Gang types of films made? Movie
viewers today seem to prefer older children, typically involved in
a dramatic or horror plot. Political correctness seems to enter in as
well. Those who buy the most movie tickets are younger and did not
experience Our Gang neighborhoods or make their own toys. Much
of the nostalgia factor which had been present earlier no longer exists.
Naïve, simple people are no longer considered as interesting as before. Or
it may as Jackie Coogan is reported to have said that today’s children just
aren’t “charming.” The majority of opinion seems to weigh against the
creation of a new Gang of Rascals.
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BIG LITTLE BOOKS
FOR SALE
SHIRLEY JEAN RICKERT and WALT NEEDHAM
AT A SONS OF THE DESERT MEETING
References
1. Maltin, Leonard & Bann, Richard W. (1992). The Little Rascals, The Life
and Times of Our Gang. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks.
2, Gulick, Rebecca. (1993). Those Little Rascals, The Pictorial History of Our
Gang. New York/Avenel, New Jersey: Crescent Books.
3. Wikipedia (2010). Our Gang.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Gang
Retrieved 12/2/2010 at http://
4. Goulart, Ron. (1995). The Funnies, 100 Years of American Comic Strips.
Holbrook, Massachusetts. Adams Publishing.
5. Cary, Diana Serra. (1996). Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy: The
Autobiography of Hollywood’s Pioneer Child Star. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
6. Obituaries: Baby Marie Osborn. (January, 2011). Classic Images, p. 60.
7. Dick Moore. (1984). Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (but don’t have sex or
take the car). New York: Harper & Row.
8. Black, Shirley Temple. (1998). Child Star: An Autobiography. New York:
Mcgraw-Hill Publishing Company
9. Rooney, Mickey. (1991). Life is too Short. New York: Ballantine Books.
10. Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press.
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23
THE BIG LITTLE BOOK CLUB SURVEY
Thanks go to Tom Gardner, Member #488. He created the survey an
did the analysis. Here is a summary of some of his findings in his own
words. More will be published in the next Big Little Times.
Since the last BLB Club Survey 20 years ago, things have changed. Our
membership looks like it has dropped significantly. With this survey
being representative of today’s members, it shows that our members 60
years and up comprise 80% of our membership. The way it looks is that
when they are gone, a broad interest in BLBs will be gone too. With the
youngest member being 45 and only 2% under the age of 65, it makes me
wonder what will happen to our beloved collections. With 281 members
and only 55 responding to the survey we still get a fairly informative
idea of how things are from the number of people who are still actively
collecting BLBs. It looks like the BLTimes is a great link for collecting the
books according to the survey. Perhaps a blog/trading section on the
Club’s website could replace the BLT in the future.
Although there were a total of 55 respondents, not all answered
every question or completed the survey. Therefore I took the number of
respondents for each question and answered that question with its total
of responses. This varied from question to question. To my knowledge it
looks like 5 ladies answered the survey.
I appreciate the chance to work on this survey since it will very well be
the last survey conducted on the subject. I am glad I was able to become
a member when I did and to be able to learn as much as I have about
Big Little Books. This was, of course, due to the Club and contributing
members - thank you! Tom Gardner, Member #488
Here are some of the results of the survey - more will be in the next issue
of the BLT.
Do you display your collection?
Most of our Club members display their collections. Generally, they
expressed the locations in different spaces throughout their homes.
Many stated that they had special cases made, mostly with glass doors to
display the books. A few mentioned that their cases were made to display
the front covers of the books. One member has 6 cabinets with 7 shelves
in each in two hallways. Some display them at work and a few had
special rooms for the BLBs and other collectibles. The most predominant
areas for displaying BLBs were the den, library, recreation room (15),
living room (17), spare bedroom (10). One member donated his
collection to a library. Another says his is shown on our website. Quite a few
members store them in boxes. One said the attic, others said a filing
cabinet, drawers, cupboard.
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What made you start collecting?
32 members answered that they remembered BLBs from childhood.
14 liked the format, artwork, and looks.
10 just love BLBs.
8 stated that it was to complete character titles or a childhood collection.
6 others said it was just finding a BLB.
5 said they were an extension of a comic book character.
4 had either bought or received BLBs as gifts.
4 just liked to read
4 said it was just a hobby
2 said it was from meeting Larry Lowery, Walt Needham, and John
Stallknecht.
1 said it was the discovery of the BLB Club
What do you consider to be your most valuable book?
Dick Tracy #707 led the survey with 14% of responding members
Laughing Dragon of Oz had 11%, John Carter of Mars 5%, Mickey Mouse #717
5%, Mother Goose #725 hard cover or soft cover 4%, Big Little Paint Book
2%, Little Orphan Annie #708 3%, and 10% of the members said they did
not know. 11% listed Disney titles, 12% listed assorte Space related titles,
19% listed mystery/detective titles, and 4% listed westerns. Fast Action
books, premiums, and Spanish titles were also mentioned.
What do you consider to be your favorite book?
This question got a variety of answers with some members saying that
all the books were their favorites. Of those who mentioned titles, most
seem to like Disney titles as their favorites with 23% of the replies. 66% of
the Disney titles were for Mickey Mouse. Mystery/Detective titles came
in at 18% with various Dick Tracy titles holding 50% of these. Westerns
received 9% and Space titles got 12%. Laughing Dragon of Oz and Tarzan
titles came in with 5% each. Treasure Island #720, Major Hoople, Hairbreadth
Harry, Chester Gump, the Dime Action Series , Popeye Sees the Sea, Joe Louis,
Robinson Crusoe, Houdini Magic, Ella Cinders, Krazy Kat and Ignetz Mouse,
Movie title BLBs, Tales of Demon Dick and Bunker Bill, Silver Streak, Keep
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How many books are in your collection?
From what source(s) have you gotten most of your books?
The number of books in the club members collections varied from 0 to
over 1000. Some members had a collection but had since liquidated it
for various reasons to 0, and other member’s collections went well over
1000 with some of those being the youngest of our membership. The
basic Whitman titles number 550 with 255 Golden Age and 295 Silver
Age. This total doesn’t count all the variations e.g. soft cover and hard
cover versions, cover variations, page counts, etc. Members with these
large collections expressed the hundreds of duplications that make that
total. Also in these totals it was noted that Saalfield, Lynn, premiums and
others were included.
List 1 as your best place to find books through 10 as your least favorite place.
The Size of Big Little Book Collections
Golden and Silver Age
Number in the collection Number of Members
0 - 49 50-99 100- 199 200-299 300-399 400-499
500-599 600-699 700-799 800-899 900-999 1000 or more 9
9
12
3
10
6
10
2
3
5
5
6
The modern age books were influenced by television and started their
growth in the late 1950’s with Whitman’s TV Series, then the 1960’s with
the 2000 series and later in the 1970’s 5700 soft cover series. The 2000 series
in the beginning had several reprints but the 5700 series had numerous
reprintings on each title. There were also Moby Books, Ottenheimer,
Golden Press, Landoll, and Chronicle books. There are hundreds of these
books with different printings. As you can see, many of our members don’t
have any of these in their collection.
Modern Age
0 1-49 50-99 100-199 200-299 300-399 400-499 500- 599 24
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11
9
4
1
1
1
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This question gives members an idea of good areas that have been
popular with other members. Although some answered 1 through 10
on the sources, while others just listed their top 3. Because of the varied
replies of each source, the table below lists each source and the
ratingnumber followed by the number of members in parentheses that
responded to that rating number.
Flea Markets - 1. (9) 2. (18) 3. (15) 4. (11) 5. (6) 6. (3)
7. (4) 8. (3) 9. (1) 10. (0)
Antique Stores - 1. (17) 2. (17) 3. (22) 4. (10) 5. (6) 6. (2)
7. (0) 8. (1) 9. (0) 10. (0)
Bookstores - 1. (8) 2. (4) 3. (7) 4. (11) 5. (10) 6. (7)
7. (5) 8. (4) 9. (1) 10. (1)
Garage Sales- 1. (2) 2. (2) 3. (6) 4. (3) 5. (5) 6. (6)
7. (7) 8. (4) 9. (6) 10. (3)
Gifts- 1. (1) 2. (2) 3. (0) 4. (7) 5. (6) 6. (6)
7. (5) 8. (2) 9. (10) 10. (4)
Other individuals- 1. (16) 2. (8) 3. (7) 4. (7) 5. (4) 6. (3)
7. (2) 8. (9) 9. (0) 10. (1)
E Bay- 1. (15) 2. (5) 3. (5) 4. ( 4) 5. (3) 6. (3)
7. (6) 8. (0) 9. (4) 10. (3)
Members of BLB Club- 1. (8) 2. (16) 3. (13) 4. (5) 5. (10) 6. (2)
7. (2) 8. (4) 9. (3) 10. (2)
Ads in the BLTimes 1. (14) 2. (12) 3. (4) 4. (5) 5. (2) 6. (4)
7. (3) 8. (6) 9. (8) 10. (2)
Other- Here are some of the responses for this source with 14 members
numbering this a 10: Second hand stores, Auctions, Comic Book Stores,
Childhood Collection, Mail Order, and Shows scored a number 1 place
for 7 members to collect books; Collections - 3 members listed as their 3rd
or 4th choice; Mail order and Auctions - 1 member listed this as 4th; Street
Shows - 1 member listed as 6th choice.
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PORTRAIT OF A MEMBER
The BLB Survey reveals that we have
many interesting members in our
Club. One Member, Kathy Strong,
Member #1327, recently made headlines and was interviewed on TV.
Kathy became interested in Big
Little Books partially because her
Dad, Don Strong, Member #1296, is
a collector and member in our Club.
Kathy’s nostalgic memories blossom
from the 2000 BLB series and other
BLBs in the Modern Era.
KATHY, LARRY, DON
Kathy has a wide range of interests and loves to travel. When she was 12
years old she received a bracelet as a Christmas stocking present. Engraved
on it was the name of U.S. Army soldier James Moreland who was listed as
Missing In Action in Vietnam. Since receiving the bracelet, Kathy, in honor
of Moreland, has worn it for the past 38 years, vowing to wear it until he
returned. “I was in seventh grade when I put the bracelet on,” said Kathy,
“He was missing almost five years by the time I got the bracelet.”
As she grew into adulthood, she gradually learned more about the man and
made contacts with his family. At her home she keeps a wooden box with a
picture of Moreland. Through research in books about Vietnam, she found
that Moreland was a Green Beret medic in a small mobile strike force. He was
seriously injured and presumed dead at age 22 in the battle at Lang Vei. When
she marked the 40th anniversary of the last time he was seen alive, Kathy
decided to make her story public to remind people and the country that there
are still hundreds of American military personnel missing and that she and
others are keeping their memories alive. Moreland, who lived in Anaheim, is
one of 1,788 troops still missing from that war.
In February of this year, the Moreland family called Kathy to inform her that
the remains of James Moreland had been found. Kathy is invited and will
attend the burial ceremony in which she plans to bury the bracelet with his
remains. The recent news coverage has been focused upon Kathy and her
long-time patriotic vigil for an American soldier whom she had never met.
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LETTERS
I’ve been collecting radio premiums and related items for more than 50 years,
thus I was most pleased to see in several issues of the BLT, articles related to
Big Little Books and radio-related premiums.
Pricing these premiums is always a difficult task when so much depends
on the condition and desirability of an item. Notice I didn’t mention rarity,
since a premium may be very rare, but few collectors may be interested in it,
so the market value may be low because of lack of demand. Pulp magazine
pemiums also command heftyprices because of the considerable interest in
characters like Doc Savage, G-8, The Spider, The Shadow, and others.
Do you intend to write another book as a companion to your excellent Golden
Age of Big Little Books Reference Guide - this time for the Silver Age up to
modern times? It would sure be nice to have this companion volume. How
many years did it take you to put togetther the last volume?
Your work stands out on its own, and what an impressive contribution it is!
Worthwhile writing with useful information bears re-reading. So we Club
Members can always go back to your earlier editions or the Big Little Times
and read them again. As ever, my best to you in all your future eneavors.
Great Depression:
Poor Brooklyn boy loves reading
Dreams trove of BLBs in father’s closet!
Army
College
Marries
Children
Joins the BLB Club!
Ages
Becomes widower
New fantasy: Dies
Passes inspection at Pearly Gates
Enters Heaven
BLB Club Members each given a mint set of all titles and memorabilia in a cabinet of their choice!
Amen!
DR. HARVEY KUDLER
Member #694
It was sad to reallize that I’m getting in on the tail end of your long-time
venture with Big Little Books. My original collection of Big Little Books was
obtained over a number of years in Seattle when I was a teenager. But then
Mom threw them all out (along with numerous comic and baseball cards)
when I went off to college. It’s a tale I’m sure you have heard numerous
times. But she did keep my first grade school picture, where I recognize no
one, not even me. I look forward to the upcoming newsletters.
RICHARD SWANSON
Member #1344
MICHAEL SANTELL
Member #162
I do intend to do a Silver Age volume on the Better Little Books and related items
(1938 - 1950). And I will linform all current members when it is ready. It took 25
years to do the first volume (although I seriously worked on it for about 3 years).
The book was a massive undertaking - again scanning books, formatting pages and
most of the writing was a solo effort. I got great editing help from Monique Berrill
(Canadian Member #866). Based upon what it took to do that volume, the second
one might be finished between 2012 and 2037 (Ha, ha).
LARRY
Just wanted to say, you do a great job with each issue of The Big Little Times.
Thanks for the recent issue on Bambi and the other Disney BLBs. Hope you
find the energy to do a book on the “Silver Age” of BLBs.
JEFF KEPLEY
Member #1337
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It is obvious to me that this Club has had a rich heritage. You speak in your
front page of the Club’s web site that you took over the Club in 1982. As
so often happens with organizations and clubs, a select few seem to do the
majority of the work. You’ve been plugging hard at this thing for 29 years.
Do you do the BLT by yourself?
As you have said, membership is declining due to the aging process. Many
are passing away. Their cared for collections of Big Little Books are being
left for the next generation. If many people are passing away, these little
reasures are once again moving back on to the market place. To me, this
would seem like a perfect time for new people to discover these books
and begin a new era of collecting. At age 49, I remember those late sixties
variants of Big Little Books. I had the Goofy book, the Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang one, and a third one (a Mickey Mouse title?). I remember them,
so there is a nostalgia factor for me. I have been a shopper in antique
stores since a boy, and have seen BLBs on the shelves of such stores for
years. Many of the characters these 1930s and 40s books depict are still
recognizable. I would assume the Disney editions and other comic characters
are sought after by collectors today. The covers alone are worth displaying.
These connections would naurally lead to new interest in other titles, and
the collecting bug bites again!
Perhaps I could set up a booth at some future shows. Could you provide
Club information for me to take? Back issues or other publications? It might
be worth a try, and new memberships could help revitalize the Club. Maybe
some other members who go to shows could do the same.
JACK CLEVELAND
Member #1347
The Big Little Times is pretty much a solo operation. I do most of the writing, all of the
formatting, prep of envelopes, and mailing (including sending reminders for those who
forget to renew their membership). Some members, such as Walt Needham give a hand by
contributing BLB-related articles. Those contributions are a great help although
I still must edit, add pictures, and format the contributions. A couple of members
have talked with me about their continuing the Club, but after seeing what has to
be done, they have their minds.
LARRY
CLASSIFIED ADS
WANTED
WANTED
Does anyone in the San Francisco Bay
Area have BLBs that I can see and
review before buying? I’ve never
seen many of the BLBs that I think I
might want to buy. I am a long time
member in the BLB Club.
I collect memorabilia for Zorro, Lone
Ranger, Davy Crockett, Green Hornet,
Shadow, and Crusader Rabbit.
GARY RICH (Member #1005)
415 Molino Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
JEFF KEPLEY (Member #1337)
6956 Westmoreland Way
Sacramento, CA 95831
(916) 421-0921 (evenings or weekends)
I also collect older non-sport cards
Let me know what you have to sell.
ITEMS FOR SALE
FOR SALE
Old-time collector has thousands of
Golden-age comics for sale
(in lots only).
Hundreds of sports comics
equals one lot.
Ditto movie comics, westerns,
early Mad Magazines, Vampirellas,
Heavy Metal, complete runs of
Joe Palooka, Popeyes, etc.
Many comic strip board games;
lead, plastic, paper dolls, and
figurines.
Much more. . .
Dick Tracy and Dick Tracy Junior
spine loose, slanted $150.00
Little Orphan Annie
fine $175.00
Buck Rogers, City Below the Sea
some pages browning $75.00
Tom Swift, Giant Telescope
fine $125.00
Laughing Dragon of Oz
vg/fine $250.00
plus $6.00 shipping for each
SOL DAVIDSON (Member #1279)
3581 South Ocean Blvd
South Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 547-9374
email: [email protected]
WILLIAM CHANCELLOR (Member #386)
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: (402) 733-8726
FOR SALE: SUPER BLB PRICE GUIDE
The Big Little Book Club Price Guide is now
available - just $15.00 plus $2.00 shipping.
Includes every company, every title, every
variation. Also includes a Collector’s Checklist
for keeping track of your own books.
It was sad to read about the closing of the Roy Rogers and Dick Tracy
museums. The generations that remember them are passing. What about
the current generation? Are they going to have any long term memories of
favorite stars or media heros? Or do these pass quicker today and won’t
be memorialized in any way?
DOUG KENDIG
Member #49
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To order, contact Larry:
[email protected]
or call
(925) 837-2086 (California time).
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