Step off, Krusty! Move over, Obnoxio! Beat it, Pennywise! If you’ve forgotten why most people consider clowns to be such a creepy bunch, here’s an ODDBALL issue of SUPER CIRCUS -- based on the early television show of the same name -- that cover-features one of the super scariest-looking comic book clowns ever! In fact, this grease-painted goon is so out of control, he’s ripping a hole right through his own funnybook! Plus, meet his clown cronies, Cliffy and Scampy! (Hmmm, that last guy sounds more like an Italian shrimp dish than a circus performer!)
[fieldinserts][issuetitle]Title: [subissuetitle]Super Circus[subissuetitle]
[issuetitle][issue]Issue: [subissue]Vol. 1, No. 1[subissue]
[issue][publicationdate]Date: [subpublicationdate]January, 1951[subpublicationdate]
[publicationdate][publisher]Publisher: [subpublisher]Cross Publications, Inc.[subpublisher]
[publisher][coverartists]Cover Artist(s): [subcoverartists]Unknown[subcoverartists]
[coverartists][introtext]Step off, Krusty! Move over, Obnoxio! Beat it, Pennywise! If you’ve
forgotten why most people consider clowns to be such a creepy bunch,
here’s an ODDBALL issue of SUPER CIRCUS
-- based on the early television show of the same name -- that
cover-features one of the super scariest-looking comic book clowns ever!
In fact, this grease-painted goon is so out of control, he’s ripping a
hole right through his own funnybook! Plus, meet his clown cronies,
Cliffy and Scampy! (Hmmm, that last guy sounds more like an Italian
shrimp dish than a circus performer!)[introtext]
[fieldinserts]SUPER CIRCUS (1/16/1949 - 6/3/1956, ABC) was an early live-action television series aimed primarily at children. Hosted by “ringmaster” Claude Kirchner, the series -- which brought famous circus acts to the small screen -- was originally broadcast from Chicago, (produced by its owner and operator, WENR-TV). The show also featured such regular characters as “Cliffy The Clown” (Cliffy Sobier), “Scampy The Boy Clown” (Bardy Patton and Sandy Dobritch) and “Nicky The Clown” (Nicky Francis). In 1955, SUPER CIRCUS moved to New York City, where mustachioed madman Jerry Colonna -- onetime sidekick to comedian Bob Hope -- took over as the show’s ringmaster, assisted by baton-twirling Sandy Wirth. SUPER CIRCUS was produced by Jack Gibney. (Oddly, that maniacal face on the cover belongs to none of the regular clown-cast of SUPER CIRCUS.) The series aired Sundays from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, Central Time. SUPER CIRCUS was produced live in Chicago’s Civic Theater (adjacent to the Civic Opera House), before an audience of close to nine hundred kids, all of whom were under the age of fifteen.
But the real star of SUPER CIRCUS was its Amazonian super-blonde bandleader, Mary Hartline. In fact, ringmaster Claude Kirchner routinely introduced Mary as “our queen”. Her striking looks and more-than-ample figure made her a natural for the black-and-white, low-definition television screens of the late 1940's and early 1950's. Mary would lead the SUPER CIRCUS band in at least one up-tempo number in each half-hour segment, participate in comedy sketches with the show's three clowns and guide youngsters from the studio audience through on-stage contests. Above all, Mary was the pitch-person for the SUPER CIRCUS sponsors' products, of SUPER CIRCUS licensed products and of her own product line, which included dolls, toys and clothing. (Ironically, Claude Kirchner would go on to appear in dozens of toy commercials for television.) Born in Hillsboro, Illinois in 1926 and married multiple times, Mary Pauline Hartline -- a former beauty queen -- also appeared on various early television series intended for young audiences, including TEEN TOWN/JUNIOR JUNCTION, THE MARY HARTLINE SHOW and PRINCESS MARY’S MAGIC CASTLE,
Cross Publications, Inc. published a total of only three comic book titles: THE PERFECT CRIME (1949), which ran for 33 issues: UNCLE MILTY (1950) which lasted only four issues; and SUPER CIRCUS (1951), with a five-issue run. (Although the official title of the comic was the hyphen-less SUPER CIRCUS, most of the interior references to the show are “Super-Circus”, with a hyphen.) The final issue of Cross’ SUPER CIRCUS was cover-dated September. 1951…but that wasn’t the end of SUPER CIRCUS in the realm of funnybooks. Dell picked up the license on the popular television series and published three issues of FOUR COLOR -- No. 542 (March, 1954), No. 592 (October, 1954) and No. 694 (March, 1956) -- with “Super Circus Featuring Mary Hartline” as their theme. These were primarily drawn by Joe (“J’onn Jonzz, Manhunter From Mars”) Certa.
This issue’s 12-page lead feature is an untitled “Super-Circus” story, signed by “Torb” (possibly Floyd Torbert). It begins with [pic2]a splash-panel[pic2] depicting three kids watching SUPER CIRCUS on their small-screened family television -- in glorious black-and-white -- accompanied by this introduction:
INTRODUCTORY CAPTION:
Sure, you tune in on SUPER-CIRCUS on Sunday and howl at the antics of the clowns and the acrobats, laugh along with the ringmaster, tap your foot in time to the music of Mary Hartline…But what about SUPER-CIRCUS before they went on television? Ever wonder about that? Weeeelll here’s the story…
Outside of a small town, in the middle of a storm, ringmaster Claude Kirchner and the bandleader “Queen” of Super-Circus, Mary Hartline, are feeling rather despondent:
CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Another week of bad breaks and rotten weather, Mary and there isn’t going to be any Super-Circus!MARY HARTLINE:
I know. You’d think we would have used up all our bad luck by now!
By this point, [pic3]Super-Circus is so broke[pic3] that it can’t even afford fire to feed their fire-eater! What’s more, the show’s fat lady is getting skinny, the magician is considering cooking the rabbit who lives in his hat, and the tattooed man is getting so emaciated that his “pictures are getting small”. But when the storm clouds part, it allows the folks of Super-Circus to put on a show that night. To bolster everyone’s spirits, Claude and Mary address the crew:
CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Now listen to me. The show tonight has to be better than ever, greater than ever, bigger than ever. Because there will be a television agent in the audience…and if he likes the show…MARY HARTLINE:
No more worrying about the weather, or bad business, or overnight jumps! So be great everybody!
Unfortunately, Super-Circus’ streak of bad luck continues. For example, the sight of a kid sucking on a lemon causes the trombone player in Mary’s band to hit flat notes! Then, just as the parade of clowns starts, Satan the tiger escapes from his cage, forcing the clowns to scatter until the striped beast is recaptured. Surprisingly, the aforementioned television agent sitting in the first row is quite impressed:
TELEVISION AGENT:
What a sensational piece of business that is! Who thought of that phony escape? It’s a real crowd pleaser but we’d never be able to do it on T.V.
Next, the circus’ team of aerialists, “The Daredevils”, narrowly avoids a tragedy, again impressing the television agent:
TELEVISION AGENT:
WOW! What a show stopper that is! That’s the most daring stunt I ever saw in a circus!
When a gag involving the clown car’s tire goes explosively wrong, it sends the television agent into paroxysms of hilarity:
TELEVISION AGENT:
Ho ho…I’m weak with laughter! What a finish! I don’t see how they could top the rest of that routine but the explosion did it!
Stuck for an encore, Cliffy and Scampy perform an act with a so-called “hot dog machine”, delighting the kids in the crowd when they turn a trained dachshund into a string of hot dogs and back again:
TELEVISION AGENT:
Just as I thought! This would be a natural for a television show…Look at those kids! They eat this up!
Then, the show’s ringmaster makes a dramatic announcement:
CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
And now…The Battle Of The Behemoths…the elephant parade! Te pachyderms prance…and for your entertainment…Mary! Strike up the band!
But Claude is unaware that the elephants are restless and uncooperative, due to the reduced amount of feed the circus can afford. Soon, disaster seems to strike when the huge critters go wild, but it turns out that all they want are the peanuts tossed to them by an appreciative audience!
NARRATIVE CAPTION:
Once again Super-Circus bragged victory from defeat!TELEVISION AGENT:
What a thrill that was! I would have sworn those elephants were stampeding!
Next, Claude introduces the circus’ resident magician, Marlini, who prepares to do his sawing-a-beautiful-woman-in-half routine, prompting Mary to cover her eyes:
MARY HARTLINE:
If something goes wrong with this trick -- if only our bad luck will hold off…I can’t look -- but wait -- I hear applause! Now I can REALLY strike up the band!TELEVISION AGENT:
That cinches it for me! A T.V. show with acrobats, magicians, clowns…the color and novelty of a circus…It’s bound to be a hit!CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Sure, that’s what I told you…And now for the grand finale! And now to end our show on a pinnacle of peerless performance…Ladeeez and gentlemen…the grand finale! The Calgary stampede!
The cowboys’ show wows the audience as well as the television agent:
TELEVISION AGENT:
What a spectacle! This will make television history.
Then the ringmaster thanks the crowd; he barely finishes before the television agent rushes up to him, a contract clutched in his hand:
CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
And now all that remains to be said is to thank you for your kind interest and applause…And to all of you, good night!TELEVISION AGENT:
Come here…Here’s the contract. Now you get this all signed and we’ll soon be ready to go on the air!CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Sure!
Soon, Super-Circus’ performers -- both human and animal -- are eating regularly and returning to their normal selves:
NARRATIVE CAPTION:
And no longer did The Great Marlini have to drool over his rabbit…
In a television studio, Claude is overseeing rehearsals while Mary works with the band in preparation for their upcoming television show, for which Claude has devised a special gimmick:
MARY HARTLINE:
Take it on the upbeat -- This is going to be the happiest, funniest show that ever was!CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
That’s right! ‘Specially with that new idea of the penny bowl…SCAMPY THE BOY CLOWN:
Penny bowl? What’s that?CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Here it is…See all those pennies? Well, during the show…there’ll be games and puzzles for the children in the audience…And the ones that win can have all the pennies they can take out of the bowl!SCAMPY THE BOY CLOWN:
Like this?CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Yes, but remember you have to earn the right to go to the penny bowl!
When the “boy clown” pesters Claude to have a shot at the penny bowl, the ringmaster arranges an “egg race” between Scampy and Cliffy…with raw eggs! Unknown to the two clowns, someone turns on a television camera and broadcasts the sight of them running with raw eggs balanced on spoons clenched in Scampy and Cliffy’s grease-painted jaws -- and their spectacular collision when one of them trips:
SCAMPY THE BOY CLOWN:
It’s all your fault…BOO HOO…Now we can’t go to the penny bowl!CLIFFY THE CLOWN:
Boo hoo yourself…You tripped me egg head!
Suddenly, [pic4]the story’s point of view suddenly shifts[pic4] back to those three kids back in the splash panel watching egg-spattered Scampy and Cliffy on their television set’s miniscule screen:
KID #1:
HA HA…What funny clowns…I bet I could win a race like that!KID #2:
Sure…But watch what’s going to happen now…CLAUDE KIRCHNER (on television):
Ladeeez and gentlemen…The first performance of SUPER-CIRCUS has now begun…You’ll thrill…you’ll chill as the “Daredevils”…dare all in death defying feats…KID #1:
Gee…Some show, huh?KID #2:
I’ll say…NARRATIVE CAPTION:
And back in the television studio…All the members of SUPER-CIRCUS are happy because…when they hear laugher…they know they are a success!CLAUDE KIRCHNER:
Yes this is your show…SUPER-CIRCUS…Be sure and tune us in every Sunday!NARRATIVE CAPTION:
The rest of you know because you, as well as everyone else, thrill to the fun and excitement of…SUPER-CIRCUS!
(Yeah, I realize that none of this makes a lick of sense…but neither do many other twelve-page-long blatant commercials!)
Also included in this 52-page issue of SUPER CIRCUS are the following stories, features and advertisements:
ODDBALL FACTOID – The SUPER CIRCUS television show also featured appearances by future superstar newsman Mike Wallace, who promoted “Peter Pan” peanut butter while dressed as a sideshow barker!
New Next Week: ODDBALL COMIC #1,225 -- MONDAY, MAY 19, 2008 -- No, you haven’t been sniffing glue! This week’s ODDBALL COMIC is an issue of ARCHIE’S MADHOUSE with a great cover-gag about the “monster model” fad of the Swingin’ Sixties drawn by TALES CALCULATED TO DRIVE YOU BATS’ brilliant co-creator Orlando Busino! Plus, tons of pop-cultural stories, articles, gags and an early tale of “Sabrina The Teen Witch”, with the whole magilla hosted by Archie Comics’ forgotten superhero, Captain Sprocket! But what’s the story on the incredible coincidence between this cover and a concurrent similar-but-entirely-different one for MAD magazine?