Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine

Number 1115


Return of the singing cowboy


This post gives me a chance to make up for a faux pas. The last time I showed a story from DC's Jimmy Wakely comic book* I titled it "The second-string Gene Autry." A reader sent me a note, telling me he understood I was trying to be funny, but felt that Wakely deserved more respect.

The Jimmy Wakely Trio was a popular Western group with several hit records. Wakely was in movies with his trio, then starred in his own movies for Monogram in the late '40s. I'm not able to find any that are currently available on DVD.

I believe that Wakely has mostly disappeared from the pop culture radar, but Jimmy Wakely deserves respect for what he accomplished in his career as a movie star and popular singer. I'm reminded to be careful what I say about people, even though they may be deceased. Family members and fans are googling their names and sometimes ending up at Pappy's. I don't need anyone angry with me over some snarky comment I may have said about their father, grandpa, brother, uncle, best friend...you get the picture.

Drawn by Alex Toth and Joe Giella, from Jimmy Wakely #1, 1949:











*"Jinx Town Lives Again," also from Jimmy Wakely #1, in Pappy's #1020.

Another Jimmy, this time Jimmy Thompson, was the artist for this beautiful three-page strip, "The Sun-Dance of the Crow Indians!" from this issue of Jimmy Wakely. Writing is credited to Gardner Fox, although a caption on the splash page says that Thompson lived with the Crow Indians. I assume he had more than a little to do with technical advice.

Thompson is also the artist who did the Robotman back-up strip in Detective Comics.