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Jim & Frank PodCast 11: Wracked Packaging!

Quail Hut sponsors another all-new, all-now episode of the J&F shebang. We hear from Charles McCullough, our QH liaison, and then settle into some real-life chit-chat. Did you know that Frank (of Jim & Frank) is a gag writer for Topps Chewing Gum's legendary "Wacky Packages" trading cards? Yep, it's true!

Hear Frank talk about his amusing, enlightening experiences in writing mainstream merchandising satire as work-for-hire! Learn how the rules have subtly changed... "wacky" is far different now than it was in the wild and woolly 1970s! (For example, drunken hillbilly humor is a no-no, as Frank recently learned.)

Their chat is interrupted by a visit from Ruth and "The Great DiJon." Our pet prestidigitator is in a glum mood, and exits quickly. Ruth fills us in. We reprise our patented "ThoughTunes" process, the better to illustrate her many mood-swings with the magic that is (and always will be) music, sweet music!

We have the genuine pleasure--and deep honor--to unveil a brand new Quail Hut jingle in this program--a soulful ditty they call "It Feels Like Home." It's a wow, folks!

Jim & Frank Podcast #10: Let's Make It a QuailHut Night!!

Who among us doesn't like those tender, gentle quails? And aren't we all just a little bit fond of huts?
I thought so! Therefore, please join us in a hearty welcome to our new sponsor, QuailHut Family Restaurants!
After last week's program, in which we parted ways with a former long-time sponsor, we were  bit leery of an immediate hook-up with a new corporate "parent."
We're proud to say that we've found an understanding, compassionate and caring home in QuailHut.
In this week's extra-length, super-spectacular show, we chat about things that matter to us, spend some time with the always-surprising Ruth Belson, and then hear from the official Jim & Frank Political Maven, Ira Dgrdsgy. You'll find him a changed man, with news and views that show his courage and outrage--often in the same ragged breath.
We'd like to thank Charles McCullough, Creative Vice President of QuailHut, for appearing on this show, and we look forward to a bright, happy future in alliance with "the Hut," as the kids call it.
So... let's make it a QuailHut night! And, in the meantime, please make it a Jim & Frank afternoon and hear our new podcast! Just click and enjoy!

"Cooooooooomin ATCHA!:" Jim & Frank Podcast Goes Ultra-Commercial!

On this week's Jim & Frank Podcast, to quote the phrase of our political correspondent, Ira Snsodsst, "the doo-doo hits the fan blades!"

Our allegiance with the Corectto Foundation has never been, shall we say, harmonious, but this week, things come to a head. "Honey," our executive liaison with the Foundation, has imposed a new, "now" format for the program.

We now "do our thing" before a live studio audience, complete with "mod" musical sounds and a professional announcer. They made us use one of those APPLAUSE signs, as seen above.

This episode marks a turning point for the Podcast. You'll just have to hear it for yourself. Just understand this... after this episode, everything you think you know about the Jim & Frank Podcast will never be the same again!

Oh--and we almost forgot... there's the Corectto Dancers! Hold onto your armchair, folks... this one's a doozy!

Ten Minutes Without A Miracle: Episode #8 of The Jim & Frank Podcast

Just in time to reach our monthly quota of four episodes, here's the newest Jim & Frank Podcast!

This week, romance and new love are afoot at the Jim & Frank Media Compound. Ruth Belson returns as... prepare yourself for the shock... Mrs. "Uncle" Dicky Johnson--or, as they now bid us call them, The Great DiJon and Wife!

Ruth looks pretty remarkable in her spangled blue Spandex one-piece gown. You see, she's now the official stage assistant of The Great DiJon!

But it's not all bunnies and flowers, being hitched to a world-acclaimed master of legerdemain. Ruth confides in us, and tells all about the ups and down, the highs and lows, of being the intimate partner of a great magician.

Through a new scientific process we call ThoughTunes, Ruth's inner state is "painted" for the listener in music! You'll be able to track Ruth's highly volatile emotional condition as it changes--from second to second!

As if that weren't enough (and it isn't), The Great DiJon will perform one of his astonishing, complex feats on the air. It's an unforgettable experience. Of this we assure you.




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Podcast #7: Up, Up, Up With Senior People on the Jim & Frank Podcast!

On behalf of our corporate sponsors, The Corectto Foundation, this week's special podcast focuses on the wants, desires and wisdom of the senior citizen people!

Hear them "rap" on what matters most to them. The weather! Presidents Dewey AND Kroger! Egg nog! The funny papers! Shoes! Memories! The war!

We also speak with a big-wig from Corectto, a guy we only know as "Honey." You'll get a glimpse of what our dealings with this powerful scion of public service are really like!

Ruth and "Uncle Dickie" are on a whirlwind vacation in Palm Springs, so they're regrettably absent from this, our seventh broadcast in this new, Non-Pandering Direction.

Senior citizen people are our biggest demographic, so let's hope this special episode will "tell it like it is" for our devoted listeners!

Special musical guest this week: legendary jazz clarinetist Jimmy Noone!




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Could This Be Magic? Episode Six of "The Jim & Frank Podcast!"

There's magic in the air at the Jim and Frank Podcast Studio this week.
We interview legendary Puget Sound children's prestidigitator "Uncle Dicky" Johnson, who regaled us with surprising and inspirational stories about his almost four-decade career as the Seattle area's go-to guy for birthday shows, bar mitzvahs and Kiwanis meet-'n'-greets!
We also hear about the real Canada, from our pal, Ruth (America's voice of the senior citizen) and hear about the latest sinister doings in Washington, courtesy of our phone-in political maven, Ira ______! (We have committed his first name to memory!)
All these thrills and more in this jam-packed episode of THE JIM & FRANK PODCAST!
(a tip of the magic top-hat to Jay Sankey, by the way, for the dog's sphincter!)




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Podcast #5: A Hungry Legend of The Blues Talks with Jim & Frank!

We're honored to feature a candid, exclusive interview with the one and only Blind Willie Jefferson, blues legend of the 1930s and '40s, on this week's Jim & Frank Podcast.

As you may know, Blind Willie has resided in France since the early 1950s. He just happened to be in town this week. Like millions of others, all over the world, Blind Willie knows and respects the Jim & Frank Ethos, and he kindly agreed to tell the poignant story of his career in a revealing conversation with Jim.

(Frank is trapped in British Columbia, along with Ruth. But that's another story.)

Tune in and listen to a previously unknown chapter in the history of the blues!




Frank and Jim Podcast by James Gill and Frank Young is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
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Podcast #4: Come Unto the Eve of Breakfast with Jim & Frank!

What on earth could Aimee Semple McPherson [left] and Philip "P. F." Sloan [right] possibly have in common? They're both subjects of conversation on a special, all-talk edition of the Jim & Frank PodCast.

No improvised cut-ups or shenanigans this time... just the two of us talking about stuff. We hope this departure is an enjoyable one. We'll be back to the funny stuff next time.

That said, few things we might ever improvise could be funnier than Ms. McPherson's immortal 1926 religious rant, "Come Unto Me," which you will hear at the close of this week's jumbo-sized program.

Frank and Jim Podcast by James Gill and Frank Young is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

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Jim & Frank Podcast #3: Avoid Craigslist Dentistry!

That's the harrowing lesson Frank learned on the new episode of the Jim And Frank Podcast.

All it took was a simple serving of this imitation of Seven-Up (pictured at right) and the loss of 35 hard-earned dollars to teach Frank a lesson he'll not soon forget.
It's Ruth to the rescue! But we don't want to spoil the fun of what happens.
There's also a valuable dramatization of rental property management, a delightful real-life anecdote, and, for a change, some actually good coffee.
Why be like everyone else, and miss out on all this fun? Just click on the pretty button below and spend approximately 27 minutes with us...

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The Jim and Frank (Frank and Jim?) Podcast Returns: 2nd Big Episode!

It had to happen again, folks--The Jim and Frank Podcast has just released its second edition!

This 35-minute funfest features conversation, a remembered true-life dream, "Gripe Night" (our venerable viewer call-in segment) and, of course, more political news from our man in the fields, Chad... er... Chris... oh, bother! We forgot to write his name down AGAIN!!!

Special music for today's episode includes "Wistful Waltz," written by Frank Young (it's the "Gripe Night Theme," in other words), and a mysterious "demo" recording for the 1962 international smash hit "Telstar," moaned by its composer, the legendary Joe Meek, over the backing track to another song entirely.

There's plenty of information about Joe Meek on the internet--some of it is even true. But this home-made demo of "Telstar" is clearly something special--the same way our podcast is, always, something special.

Enjoy, by all means....




Frank and Jim Podcast by James Gill and Frank Young is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
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Frank & Jim Podcast, 1/22/10: The Dawn of a New Era, Vol. ii

It had to happen, America, and here it is...

The all-new, all-now Frank & Jim Podcast!

As the subtitle implies, it truly is the dawn of a new era for our program. We feel that this fresh start is just what we've needed. The old formulas had grown stale, and we were just spinning our wheels.

We had some good times, and some big laughs, but now it's time to move on--and to grow up. We hope you approve of our maiden effort in what is, truly, The Dawn of a New Era, Vol. ii!



To join us on this new voyage, simply press the PLAY button above and listen.

A note on the music: our theme song for the program, "Occhi di Bambola," came from the wonderful, educational and lyrical blog Excavated Shellac. This haunting piece of music, recorded in 1928, just seemed to be the perfect theme song, in search of a program.

Well, if nothing else, we've created the program.

Look for a new Frank & Jim (Jim & Frank east of the Mason/Dixon line) each week at this time.


Frank and Jim Podcast by James Gill and Frank Young is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
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The Secret Files of Dr. Drew: A fascinating Will Eisner side project, 1949/50

Towards the end of the creative peak-era of Will Eisner's weekly comic book/strip The Spirit, the Eisner Studio had a strong team churning out innovative comics material.

Writers Jules Feiffer and Marilyn Mercer, background artist Jerry Grandenetti and peerless letterer Abe Kangeson were key components in a finely-oiled funnybook machine. All contributed greatly to the high quality of the post-war Spirit feature. (Other notables who contributed to post-war Eisner product include Klaus Nordling, Andre LeBlanc and Dan Barry.)

Eisner's hand was still deeply felt in the series. His growing ambitions to push comics past their humble street-smart status, and into something that rivaled literature and cinema, found their first strong expression in the 1946-1950 run of The Spirit.

Although Eisner certainly leaned heavily on his creative team, he left his distinct imprint on the work that issued from his studio. He drew from their strengths and made their distinct talents assets in mass media work of high quality

A lesser-known side project of the post-war Eisner Studio appeared in the checkered pages of a comic magazine published by Fiction House. Their comix imprint was as "spicy" and lowbrow as their pulp magazines. Cleavage, violence and sexual suggestion are rife in the assembly-line Fiction House product.

Much of their comix material came from the shop of Eisner's old partner, S. M. Iger. Iger's shop had a distinct house style. By this time, the look and feel keyed off of the work of African-American cartoonist Matt Baker.

Baker, a gifted artist, brought a sheen and flair to his often-elegant work. Those who followed his lead, in the manner of assemblymen on a production line, produced anonymous, efficient, prosaic work. 

Recognizable comix stylists such as George Evans, Bob Lubbers and Jack Kamen did work for Fiction House. Their styles were slightly at odds with the Iger shop "house style," but conformed to the same general rules of lush rendering, competent drawing and static, highly repetitive staging.

The work of a Will Eisner was bound to stand out in such company. Exactly why Eisner sought to return to comic books isn't clear. His studio can't have made much money off such work. Perhaps Eisner did it to keep his staff busy enough to work full-time for him. I'm sure Eisner must have discussed this move somewhere in the vast body of interviews he left behind.

In a posthumous tribute issue of Comic Book Artist, sundry comix professionals and  historians pay tribute to Eisner and his legacy. Among them is Jerry Grandenetti. He was chosen to do the artwork for a short-lived but feverishly ambitious comic book feature, "The Secret Files of Doctor Drew."

The series ran in issues 47 through 60 of Ranger Comics, amidst the headlight-heavy likes of "Firehair," "Jan of the Jungle" and "I Confess."

Grandenetti contributed the highly atmospheric, intensely detailed background drawings to Eisner's late-1940s Spirit. As Eisner's interest in the series lessened, throughout 1951, Grandenetti was among the artists who took over the artwork on the feature. At the time of "Dr. Drew"'s birth, Eisner was still heavily invested in The Spirit. Some of the finest episodes of the series appeared in 1949 and 1950.

Eisner created the "Dr. Drew" concept--of a self-appointed investigator of supernatural occurences, a sort of mystical-yet-worldly detective that one could imagine portrayed by George Sanders or Herbert Marshall. It's a sound idea, as it bridges Bram Stoker-style occult atmospherics with the 20th century private-eye genre.

The feature anticipates Steve Ditko's Doctor Strange, and, to an extent, the beloved 1970s TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Its mixture of Old World atmosphere and modern themes is genuinely unusual, and compelling.

In 1949, Eisner and Co. clearly chafed at the generic restrictions of the weekly Spirit feature. Increasingly, the series' focus shifted away from the masked detective, and explored one-shot short story scenarios, usually of a highly ironic "twist of fate" nature--forerunners of both the EC "SuspenStory" format and later TV shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone.

"Dr. Drew" may have offered a welcome creative spark for Team Eisner. While Eisner created the series concept and grandfathered the look and feel of the debut story, he left the creative work to the team of Mercer, Grandenetti and Kangeson.

Grandenetti commented on his artwork for "Dr. Drew:"

I did try to do an Eisner look on [the series] -- an impossible task -- but shortly afterwards I began to do my own thing.

For the first eight or so stories, "Dr. Drew" is consumed by the Eisner Studio "house style." in a spectacular display of innovative approaches to page layout, visual communication, ligature and graphic usage of text. If Grandenetti devised the page layouts, and the flow of information in these stories, then he learned -- and was clearly very inspired -- from Eisner's forward-thinking ethos.

That the stories are genuinely well-written, atmospheric and impressive is something of a triumph. Sheer formalism, for its own sake, can only do so much. "Dr. Drew"'s blend of substance and style is a true rarity in 1940s comics.

These stories are jarring when encountered in the context of Rangers Comics. After one gets accustomed to the Eisner-esque visual trappings (Kangeson's lettering and Grandenetti's rich backgrounds are identical to their contemporary Spirit work), the sheer quality of the series remains striking.

Yes, they look like they were filmed on the Will Eisner backlot. But "Dr. Drew" transcends its stylistic debt with highly original, vibrant visual storytelling.

Here's one of my favorites in the series, from Ranger Comics #52. It best shows the odd mix of old-world and new-world that is "Dr. Drew," and it has a character modeled on cult film actor Bela Lugosi.

The placement of blacks, the free-wheeling approach to page layout, the notebook motif... all these were key components of the post-war Spirit. It is fascinating to see the Eisner approach slightly shifted, as it is guided by other hands.

Here's another favorite story, from issue #50. It's a variant on the Faust-Mephistopheles legend, given a suspenseful approach much like Alfred Hitchcock's 1940s films. Again, strong writing bolsters the visual pyrotechnics and prevents them from being an empty, self-indulgent grandstanding.

The visual hijinks of "Dr. Drew" toned down after its first eight installments. Page layouts became more earthbound, and the Eisner house style phased out. In their place was Grandenetti's strong, more  traditional cartooning, in the au courant style of Alex Toth, Bill Draut or Pete Morisi.

Here's a sample page from the final "Drew" episode, in Rangers Comics #60:

Traces of the earlier, more flamboyant approach still remain (and, to be honest, I selected the most extreme page of this story). The style of the figures now resemble the look of the post-Eisner Spirit episodes. It seems obvious that Grandenetti assumed more of that series' art chores in 1951.

Grandenetti has continued to produce innovative, graphically arresting comix work--he contributed some strong, stylized material for the Warren horror magazines of the 1960s, and endowed DC Comics' war features with more grit and style than they deserved in the 1970s.

"The Secret Files of Dr. Drew" remains an intriguing side-project in comix history. If The Spirit was Will Eisner's Citizen Kane, "Dr. Drew" is his Journey Into Fear--a relentless excursion into visual style.

Though it stayed within the boundaries of genre tradition and audience expecation, the feature was blessed with narrative substance. While the other contents of Rangers Comics seem unreadable today, "Dr. Drew" still has something to offer 21st century readers.

A New Cartoon By Jim and Frank

Cat Quartet from James Gill on Vimeo.

FLETCHER HANKS DISCOVERY: "Moe M. Down," from Great Comics (1941)

Here's a fascinating bit of comix archaeology. You may have heard of Fletcher Hanks--the mysterious Golden Age comic book creator who wrote and drew highly sinister, violent and freaky jungle, super-hero and space-opera stories from 1939 to 1942.

Hanks' super-hero, jungle and he-man comix have been compiled in two handsome-yet-disturbing trade paperbacks published by Fantagraphics Books. Cartoonist/comix researcher Paul Karasik did an outstanding job on these books. The first volume includes a haunting docu-comic, by Karasik, about how he uncovered the dark truth about the life of Fletcher Hanks.

Both books come highly recommended, and are easily available through amazon.com (you might also see them--gasp!--on a bookstore shelf if you're lucky. But don't count on it.) (Click HERE for more info.)

The bulk of the notorious Hanks' work was done for the Fox Comics Company. All of it--even the back-woods he-man feature "Big Red McLane of the North Woods"--is deadly serious in nature.

As I continue to learn, via my research into the comix work of writer-artist John Stanley (see my blog, STANLEY STORIES, for more information), the archaeology of early comic books is by no means over.

With the boom in digital scanning of rare old comic magazines, these fetish-items have been taken out of the hostage of collections and been made available for actual study. By digging through over-looked, avoided titles, we continue to find surprising discoveries.

Here's a humorous feature from 1941, for a small comix company, that may not be written by Hanks, but it's clearly drawn by him! Many of his visual "tells" are present in these two five-page stories.

The title character strongly resembles Hanks' Stardust, the Super-Wizard--but with a google-eyed, tongue-lolling cartoon head grafted to his heroic physique.

The discovery of these stories puts a curious twist in the Fletcher Hanks legend--that this violent, cruel man created only dark, brutal tales of Biblical-style vengeance. "Moe M. Down" is a quick-blend of "Joe Palooka," Damon Runyon-esque pop culture cliches, and a hint of Al Capp's "Li'l Abner."

Hanks' attempts at bigfoot cartooning come off like a half-hearted collaboration of Basil Wolverton and rural cartoonist Norman Pettingill. The stories aren't really successful--they're not funny. But oh, are they peculiar!

Here is the first "Moe M. Down" story, from the debut issue of Great Comics. It and the companion book Choice Comics were published by Great Comics Publications (see the indicia for the first issue following this first story.)

A mish-mash of oddball adventure/super-hero stuff, factual/historical material and miserable bigfoot-style comics, the innards of Great Comics Publication's output appears to come from the S. M. Iger shop. Iger had partnered with Will Eisner on this concern in the 1930s.

When asked about Fletcher Hanks, Eisner only vaguely recalled him--and remembered only that Hanks could be counted on to turn in his work on-time. (In such a ramshackle business as 1930s comic books, reliability was indeed an asset!)

"Moe M. Down" lived in the back half of Great Comics, which housed the magazine's undelightful "funny" comix. Amidst the slick, rococo cartooning of the Iger shop (which includes intensely detailed artwork by Rudy Palais and Charles Sultan), Hanks' blunt, bold cartooning stands out in sore-thumb relief.

Here are the cover, and the "Moe M. Down" story, from issue #2 of Great Comics. More striking Hanks "tells" decorate this story. Dig the woman in the splash panel, for example! As well, the artist's eccentric rendering of the human form, and of the drape and volume of clothing, are dead giveaways of Fletcher Hanks' work.

The splash panel is an (unintentional?) lampoon of Hanks' final "Red McLane" story, from the Fiction House title, Fight Comics. That story was published in the magazine's September, 1940 issue--a year or so before this story saw print.

UPDATE ON 1/2/10: Paul Karasik informs me that the "see ya next issue" blurb, in the above story, is just wishful thinking:

This just in... a collector with a copy of Great Comics #3 informs me that there is no Hanks tale inside...too bad... too, too bad...

Sigh... too much to hope for. But, in the meantime, the mere existence of these two odd stories is certainly a wonderful effed-up Yuletide gift to the universe!

POST SCRIPT: Paul Karasik's comments on this post lead me to toss another theory on the table. What if these are alterations of the "McLane" stories? I don't have a copy of Karasik's second book on hand, but, as I think of it, it seems that there are many recognizable panels, especially from the final "McLane" story.

Were these stories done for the Iger shop? If so, would Iger have retained the originals? As this series didn't really catch on, was Iget trying to get some extra mileage from a commercial flop?

As at least one "McLane" story was retitled, slightly altered and reprinted later in the '40s, this would make these stories appear to be owned by the Iger shop. It's horrifying to consider how little respect Iger had for his studio's output.

Were one to search for them, there may be other cases of repurposed Iger shop material in 1940s comics. There are enough obscure, uninviting comix from the 1940s--especially in the middle of the decade--that it's quite possible.

It's a tough job, sifting through these dull, hapless funnybooks!

I agree with Karasik: the bridging material doesn't look like Hanks' way of drawing. Many of the oogly-eyed faces appear to be another artist's work. And the complete blandness of the stories goes against the Hanks grain. His stories were many things, but they were never quaint or dull.

Is "Moe M. Down" an early comix mash-up? Or is it an example of cynical recycling? The jury will ponder these peculiar findings and, I hope, render a verdict.

POST-POST SCRIPT: Paul Karasik writes back with more comments on these stories:

I guess I just did not want to believe it to be true, but I take it all back.

Not that anyone cares but me...BUT....I spent a looong time looking at these pages again today
and have come to the conclusion that they are, in fact by Hanks.

The second story is taken directly from the final Big Red McLane tale with the captions rewritten and the faces re-rendered (possibly by another hand).

But the first story really had me stumped, so many of the compositions are un-Hanksian but ultimately tiny details such as hair-rendering, crowd-rendering , and big details like, yes, anatomy have made me change my mind.

I knew that sooner or later it would happen: the undiscovered Fletcher Hanks has been discovered.


Well, whaddaya know? Remember, folks--you read (and saw) it HERE first!