Sunday, November 14, 2004

Flash Photo

Here, courtesy of my pal Tom Stewart, is a photo of Harry Lampert at a comic book convention. He's holding up a tabloid reprint edition of the first issue of Flash Comics. Thanks, Tom.

• Posted at 6:49 PM · LINK

News Flashes

At above left is the cover to the historic Flash Comics #1 which featured the first Flash story, written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Harry Lampert. Today, many text-only obits are appearing about Harry (like this one and this one). In a day or two, they'll start appearing with pictures. Let's see how many run this cover — which was drawn by Sheldon Moldoff — as if it represents Harry's work. A couple are already forgetting that Harry was not the sole creator of the super-speedster; that it began with a script by Fox. And I just heard from a reporter who's writing about Harry but who apparently doesn't know that the Flash has undergone a few changes (like becoming a couple of totally different people) since 1940.

For the record, Lampert never drew a cover with The Flash on it. The cover to Flash #6, seen above right, is sometimes wrongly identified as his. It was actually by E. E. Hibbard, who took over the Flash strip as of the third issue. Comic book lore may not be as important as some history but it's not that difficult to get it right.

• Posted at 11:13 AM · LINK

Recommended Reading

Michael Kinsley writes about judicial activism. [Washington Post registration may be necessary.]

I don't agree with every word of articles to which I link, and sometimes don't agree at all. But this one I think is right on the money: Decrying "judicial activism" is usually just a way of saying you think a judge should interpret a law, which may or may not say what you want it to say, as saying what you want it to say.

• Posted at 10:42 AM · LINK

Dayton Allen, R.I.P.

That's right: Another damn obit. The very funny comedian and voice actor Dayton Allen died last Thursday at age 85. Born Dayton Allen Bolke, he was a native of New York and he got into show business, more or less following the path of his boyhood friend, Art Carney. Both broke into radio in their teens as disc jockeys and specialists in funny voices. Dayton parlayed his skills into work on early children's TV shows, dubbing in voices for puppets and often appearing on camera. He did both for years on the Howdy Doody program, originating the voice of Flub-a-Dub and many other denizens of Doodyville and playing a wide array of non-puppet characters.

Steve Allen "discovered" Dayton and added him to his stock company of comic players. Often, when Steverino did his "Man on the Street" routines, the funniest interview would be with Dayton Allen playing some scatterminded "expert." Audiences howled at him and loved repeating his catch-phrase, "Whyyyyy not?"

Throughout all of this, Dayton Allen established himself as one of the top voiceover performers in the New York talent pool. He was heard in many of the Terrytoons animated shows, voicing both Heckle and Jeckle, and almost all the characters on the Deputy Dawg series, including the star of the show. He was also heard on many of the cartoons produced by Hal Seeger, such as Milton the Monster and Stuffy Durma. He occasionally worked with his brother, Bradley Bolke, who was also active in doing animation voices. (Bradley was the voice of Chumley the Walrus on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales.)

Dayton more or less retired from performing in the early eighties. Around then, I had occasion to offer him a role in a TV show I was writing and it led to what is easily the most hilarious hour or so I ever spent on the phone. Our casting director was unable to track down an agent for Mr. Allen so I called a friend who furnished me with what turned out to be Dayton's home number. I made the call to him and he politely declined the job, saying that thanks to wise real estate investments, he had plenty of money...and he didn't feel like flying to Los Angeles to be funny. He could be funny in his own toilet, he said. He was sure funny on the phone, and he seemed to enjoy the audience. He kept coming up with anecdotes and jokes, and he kept me on the line for so long that I felt like I should have paid a cover charge. Weak with laughter, I finally begged off...but only when he announced he had to go to the toilet and be funny in there. I'm sure he was...just as I'm sure it was our loss that he decided to retire when he did.

• Posted at 9:11 AM · LINK

Correction

Just amended the Harry Lampert obit. I wrote that he died on his 88th birthday because the source I consulted said he was born November 13, 1916. Mike Catron, who diligently preserves convention panels and interviews for posterity on videotape, informs me Harry said at one he was born November 3, 1916. I'm assuming Harry was right. Thanks, Mike...for that and many other contributions.

• Posted at 8:30 AM · LINK