Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 107: Atlas/ Marvel Science Fiction & Horror Comics!

 

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 92

December 1955 Part I

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Astonishing #44

Cover by Carl Burgos

"Abra Cadabra!" (a: Art Peddy) ★★

"Nightmare!" (a: Jack Katz) ★★

"Something in the Sea" (a: Bob Powell) ★

"Through the Veil!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★★

"Inside the House!" (a: Doug Wildey) ★★★

With the wave of a wand, The Great Emery has become a washed-up magician. The icing on the cake was his final evening on stage, when he carelessly forgot to lock the door during the "disappearing maiden" trick and the door swung wide, revealing his assistant fleeing through a trap door.

Crestfallen, Emery heads out into the night, pondering his future. It's during this brainstorm that he stumbles onto a bank heist and accidentally makes the getaway car vanish with a simple "Abra Cadabra!" Perhaps his career isn't over? Cute, but much too short for the reader to become involved with Emery's plight. 

International racing phenom Faletti never shows his emotions, even after one of his colleagues is killed while rounding the "Coresci Turn," an infamous curve that has taken the lives of many skilled drivers. The death of von Grantz doesn't seem to faze him, at least not to the outside world. But deep inside, the tragedy eats at Faletti.

That night, while driving a perilous stretch of road, Faletti loses control of his sports car and the vehicle violently leaves the road. The driver manages to gain control of the car and put it back on the road but the horizon looks odd and unfamiliar to Faletti. Before long, he comes across a race track and, sitting in their autos, all the drivers who died on the Coresci Turn! Faletti turns tail and tries to outrun the dead men but they quickly catch up. With death in his rearview mirror, Faletti exclaims that he's always carried the weight of death on his shoulders but can't display those emotions as it wouldn't be part of the "game."

Suddenly, the other drivers fall back and Faletti finds himself back on the road, his car a mangled mess. But the incident has taught him something about himself. What that something is, I have no idea. I'm not sure if the entire Death Race was taking place inside Faletti's brain or if there really was a video game landscape stretched out before him. The Jack Katz art is nice but the script is maudlin junk; I suppose the moral of "Nightmare" is that, if you're a famous race car driver, open up about the sorrow you feel deep inside or else it will come back to haunt you in the end. Yep, that's what it's about.

"Something in the Sea" is a deadly dumb fantasy about a dope who falls in love with a gorgeous mermaid while on a sea cruise. The Bob Powell graphics are some of his worst ever, as if the artist never had the time to finish.

In "Through the Veil," test pilot Tod Barclay ponders whether what he's doing is for the good of mankind or if it will hasten the apocalypse. He gets his answer when his jet breaks through the sound barrier and ends up 200 years in the future. A sparkling, bright future! At that moment, Tod realizes that war is not so bad and weapons are pretty cool. This is the kind of jingoistic claptrap Stan Lee was famous for in the 1950s and, while I do not have evidence before me, I kinda think "The Man" had a hand in this one. The Robert Q. Sale art, at times, very much resembles Reed Crandall's work.

Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Dale are notified that they've won a dream house, all expenses paid, in a national contest. Mrs. Irvin thanks the hubby for having the good sense to enter but Irvin shakes his head and says "I thought it was you!" The couple move "Inside the House!" and begin their new life, but there's one strange, circular room that Jane refuses to enter. There's something about the room she just doesn't trust.

One day, as Irvin is walking through the house, he hears an odd, hollow sound below the floor. Grabbing a convenient concrete drill, Mr. Dale chips away at the foundation and discovers a mass of machinery below the house. Irvin opines that it must be some newfangled kind of heating system. That night, the couple are visited by two strangers who introduce themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Dale! Irvin II insists that the house is theirs, since he was the party responsible for entering the contest. Irvin I tells Irvin II to blow and Irvin II tells him he'll see them in court.

But what with all the pain that goes into owning a new house (and the gardener just can't get grass to grow in that crappy soil), Irvin and Jane decide to sell the house to their namesakes and enjoy the extra funds the free house gained them. Unbeknownst to either couple, the house is actually a trap set by outer space aliens who needed one of each sex to complete their study. Once the Irvin II couple step into the circular room, the house blasts off into space! A fun, imaginative little SF yarn that has a few holes large enough to blast a house through (Who built the house? Who signed the deed? Who pays the utilities?) but possesses enough charm to make those speed bumps null and void.-Peter

Journey Into Unknown Worlds #40

Cover by Carl Burgos

"Who Dwells Inside the Mountain?" (a: Dick Ayers) ★1/2

"Not Quite Human!" (a: Vic Carrabotta) ★★1/2

"In Your Hat" (a: Mort Lawrence) ★1/2

"The House of Secrets!" (a: John Forte) ★

"He Went Too Far" (a: Art Peddy) ★

Big Hank Blatt has dreamed of finding a vein of gold all his life. Then, while exploring caves one day, Big Hank runs into a solid wall of gold deep inside a remote cavern. Dream has become reality! But before Big Hank can so much as count the millions, his glee is interrupted by tiny voices. Yep, the biggest gold strike since the Beatles is being guarded by leprechauns!

The little people tell Big Hank that no one sees the gold and returns to the outside world, so he's got a choice: die or remain in the cave with the little guys forever. Big Hank vocalizes the latter but strategizes his escape inside his devious mind. No way a bunch of midgets are going to keep Big Hank from his riches. The leprechauns rejoice when they hear Big Hank's decision and propose a toast with some potent bubbly. After Big Hank downs his quaff, he hightails it for the cave exit and heads for a nearby field to make his re-entry strategy. It's then that he falls asleep, dreaming of gold, unaware that the bubbly has caused him to shrink to leprechaun size. "Who Dwells Inside the Mountain!" is more evidence that Dick Ayers was a really bad penciller. The outcome at the finale must be guessed at since no explanation is provided but, seeing as how Big Hank is tiny, it's pretty obvious. 

Android #2166 is aboard a ship bound for Venus. All the androids on Earth have been rounded up for what #2166 believes is a final trip before they are decommissioned. But, after #2166 stages a riot on board, he's notified by the ship's captain (who is also an android) that the ship is actually bound for Venus, where humans cannot exist. It will be the new Eden for plastic men and women. Though the happy ending borders on schmaltzy, "Not Quite Human!" actually comes off as sweet and compassionate. I always wonder what these scripts would have looked like had they been produced a year earlier. The mini-riot on board the spaceship doubtless would have been more violent and the climax darker.

The raft of shipwrecked magician The Great Sandini hits the shore of an uncharted island somewhere south of Borneo and the showman knows he's in trouble when he's greeted by a band of very unfriendly-looking natives. Realizing he'd better dazzle them with his skills, Sandini dons his garb and whips out his wand, making an egg appear out of the medicine man's hat. He's got his audience eating out of his hands yet again!

It's then that Sandini notices the pearls hanging around the necks of his hosts and decides he just has to have them. In exchange for more tricks, the natives happily hand over more and more pearls. Before long, Sandini has them diving for the precious objects. Finally, a ship comes and Sandini flags them down. The natives do not want him to leave, but the magician offers his magic hat and paraphernalia for his freedom. He stashes the pearls in a sack and climbs aboard the ship. Once underway, the captain demands payment, but when Sandini opens the sack, a rabbit pops out. Back on the island, the natives have nothing but pearls.

The climax of "In Your Hat" is confusing. Well, I think I understand but, like "Who Dwells Inside the Mountain," it's open to interpretation. I love how The Great Sandini is shipwrecked but manages to get what looks like a very heavy luggage trunk on what looks like a raft constructed from logs. First, how did this guy get his magician's locker from a sinking ship and, more important, who helped him build the raft? 

In the supremely dopey "The House of Secrets," Harvey and Faye Tanner adopt Michael Bryant, a boy they stumble upon on an airport tarmac (!!!) and raise him as their own. Though they love Michael, they refuse to tell him their secret and, for Michael's part, he loves them too but refuses to give up hope that his real parents will come back for him. Then, on his 18th birthday, the Tanners decide to tell Michael everything. At night, they grow whiskers and a cat nose because they're actually from the planet Mars. But that's okay, sighs Michael, because he's from Jupiter and his parents should be back soon to pick him up because a round trip to Jupiter takes eight years. So, for eight years, Michael never saw the Tanners at night? Pulpmaster Carl Wessler was responsible for this knee-slapper, a script that could have written itself.

In the finale, "He Went Too Far," Matt Heggerty sees fortune teller Madame Ulga, who predicts that the man will go far in his work life if he steps on his co-workers and spares no emotion. Matt does just that and ends up where he belongs. Awful, sketchy art and a convoluted script make "He Went Too Far" the perfect capper to a dismal issue of Journey.-Peter

Journey Into Mystery #29

Cover by Joe Maneely

"Three Frightened People" (a: Reed Crandall) ★★1/2

"The Black Book" (a: Manny Stallman) ★★

"Mr. Know-It-All" (a: John Forte) ★★

"Into Thin Air!" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★

"Someone is In My Room" (a: Bob Brown) ★

Joe and Helen Barkley are so glad that their G.I. son Ken is coming home from Korea that they invite the young man's girlfriend, Barbara, over to celebrate with them. Unfortunately, at that moment, three thugs (led by Doyle) break into the house and hold a machine gun on Pop Barkley, demanding sanctuary. They've just escaped prison and need to lay low for a few days until the heat is off. Pop explains that his tough-guy son will be there any minute, but the hoods pay no mind. Moments later, a telegram comes informing Pop that Ken will be delayed due to weather but that he'll be there in spirit. That leaves just "Three Frightened People" and suits the convicts just fine.

Just then, a voice emanates from the shadows. It's Ken! The G.I. warns the hoods that they'd better hightail it pronto or face his wrath. Doyle guffaws and lets loose a volley of lead into Ken, who doesn't seem fazed. In fact, he disappears in a wisp of smoke, only to reappear again behind Doyle. The hardened convict threatens to mow down Barbara but, at the last moment, lowers his weapon. Ken vanishes, Pop calls the police, and the three cons surrender. Soon, Ken arrives through the front door and asks why no one is happy to see him. When Pop admits they were happier when he showed up to thwart the criminals, Ken admits that he just arrived from the airport a few minutes ago after being delayed in California. All involved shrug, sigh, and look to the heavens above. 

Reed Crandall makes a welcome comeback to Atlas after the collapse of EC several months prior. Though there's not much for Crandall to do (most of the panels involve the Barkleys and hoods standing around talking), his pencils are so comfortable and detailed, I'll take what I can get. The script by Carl Wessler is pure pulp nonsense. Ken's "spirit" asks Doyle to surrender his weapon but could the astral projection actually hold anything if it tried? It's a pretty cocky spirit, too, as it actually dares Doyle to empty his Tommy into Barbara. Not sure the real Ken would have liked his spirit much if Babs was reduced to rubble by the time he got there in body.

With the help of "The Black Book" and its magical incantations, Josiah Stone becomes the most powerful and wealthy captain in the Atlantic but, in the end, he becomes too greedy and reads the wrong spell. Oops! The final panel (after Stone wishes for a sea "as smooth as glass," he and his ship end up in a bottle) has been done to death and better, but Manny Stallman's dark, atmospheric art at least makes the journey worthwhile.

In the silly "Mr. Know-It-All," Professor of Astrology Robert Emory is a stick in the mud as far as his babe-alicious wife is concerned. Mae just wants to get on the "Rocket to the Moon" ride and have a good time, not be lectured about how many microorganisms it takes to fill a lunar pothole. Bob gives in and the ride begins, taking them to the moon, where they exit the machine and walk the lunar surface, discovering moon men and their homes. All the while, Bob can't keep his mouth shut so Mae hoists a moon-axe and cleaves Bob's head in half just listens patiently. Once back on Earth, Bob lectures the ride's owner about factual inaccuracies and the jovial man just laughs and points to the exit. Once Mae and Bob have left, the stowaway moon men disembark and take their place in the carnival. I found Bob's pretentiousness delightful (I've encountered several "Bob"s in my lifetime), but the bit I loved is that the ride took our protagonists to the moon, they got out without any kind of suit to protect them, and then returned to Earth in what must have been an hour's time. That's some rocket ship.

Elephant hunter Roger Colton is determined to track a dying elephant to see where the beasts go to die. Roger tracks the animal to the graveyard but there's no corpse. It's vanished "Into Thin Air!" That's because when elephants die their bodies teleport to another planet. And on that planet are scientists trying to figure out where these huge corpses are coming from! Oh boy.

In the equally dreadful "Someone Is In My Room," George Johnson is amazed to find an extra bed in his room and evidence that someone has slept in that bed. But no matter how late George stays up, he can't catch a glimpse of the stranger. Is it Goldilocks? No, actually it's George's spirit, broken away from him during a particularly bad bout of the flu. He finally confronts himself and his two halves agree to reunite and everyone lives happily ever after. Except us. Besides bad scripts, the last two stories in this issue are graced with simply horrendous art. Winiarski's is scratchy and made me physically ill, while Bob Brown's safe, uncomplicated pencils put me to sleep.-Peter

Marvel Tales #141

Cover by Carl Burgos

"From Out of Nowhere!" (a: Dick Ayers) ★★

"Swap Shop" (a: Manny Stallman) ★1/2

"The Spelunker!" (a: Mort Drucker?) ★★

"The Last Chance" (a: Pete Tumlinson)

"The Iron Brain!" (a: Bill Benulis) ★★1/2

Two amorphous alien creatures arrive on Earth, study the ways of humans, and meet a lonely scholar. Transforming themselves into replicas of perfect humans (white, young), they announce their mission: to learn all they need to know about humanity, find our weak spots, and then invite the rest of their dimension's inhabitants to conquer our dimension!

As time passes, they begin to discover that being human is actually pretty nice and realize they can never go back to the way they were. They tell the scholar that they want to become fully human, but he replies that their lack of emotions will prevent them from achieving their goal. Overcome by the strain of worrying about the fate of our dimension, the scholar grows weak and the aliens care for him. When he sees them shedding tears, he explains that they have finally developed emotions and can join the human race.

Hoo boy, if I wanted to read The Velveteen Rabbit, I wouldn't pick up a comic called Journey Into Mystery. The end of this tepid tale hardly comes "From Out of Nowhere!"--instead, it is utterly predictable.

Alice and John Marston are on a camping trip when they discover a fish tank with an unusual power--anything John puts in the tank is returned in such a way as to seem like a gift given by an intelligent being that is trying to figure out what John wants. Maybe Dr. Stevens at the observatory can help figure out what's going on! The Marstons drive through the pouring rain, ignoring a flood warning, and reach Dr. Stevens, who opines that the fish tank is allowing them to communicate with another world!

The river overflows and flood waters approach, but the miraculous tank draws the torrent in and pumps it back out to safety. Dr. Stevens determines (don't ask me how) that the tank must be communicating with the planet Pluto, and when he looks through his telescope he sees the (then) ninth planet in our solar system enveloped by a swirling gaseous mass. Assuming the gas spells trouble and the Plutonians need help, he takes a block of uranium, the element that has done "'remarkable things for this world,'" and transports it to Pluto by means of the fish tank. Suddenly, deep in space, an atomic explosion occurs and the gas disappears from around  Pluto. Back in the observatory, the mysterious tank is gone and Dr. Stevens assumes the Plutonians determined that Earth was not ready for "'permanent contact.'"

The title of this story is "Swap Shop," which comes from  an offhand remark made by Alice when she sees that things John puts into the tank are traded for other things. A better title might have been "Nonsense." The leaps of logic that are required to go from a fish tank to Pluto needing uranium to dissolve a gaseous cloud are astounding. The GCD posits that Stan Lee wrote this but, as Peter has taught us, there are no Commies, so I have my doubts.

"The Spelunker!" is Jeff Cord, who explores caves beneath the Earth's surface in  part because he seeks to escape the reality of his life above ground. During one expedition, he is separated from the other spelunkers and explores a shaft that goes deep into the Earth. At the bottom he finds a paradise, where the people live forever and never die. He soon gets tired of their meaningless existence and escapes back to the surface, pledging never to tell anyone what he found.

The GCD credits the art on this one to Mort Drucker with a question mark, but it's clearly his work, and it's easily the best thing about the story. Often, post-code Atlas stories end with a character deciding he likes his life just the way it is. It's the opposite of a surprise ending and it gets dull.

A Broadway bit player named Arthur Rowland gets a starring role when a lead actor is in bad shape, but when he's offered a contract to replace the man, his conscience won't let him ruin the star's career. He gets another break three years later, but this time he refuses to play a serious scene for laughs. Finally, "The Last Chance" comes along, but a fire breaks out during the performance. Arthur sacrifices his own life saving others and, after his funeral, a brand new star is seen in the night sky.

Unfortunately, Pete Tumlinson is no Mort Drucker, so this maudlin four-pager fails to rise above its mediocre script.

Jeffrey Donell spends ten years building Ferro, a machine equipped with "The Iron Brain." Ferro impresses all of the bigwigs in town with its ability to erect buildings with incredible speed, but all of the laborers are unhappy at being put out of work. Jeffrey gets rich until Ferro decides the money should be his. A trial is held and the jury decides that Ferro deserves the money more than Jeffrey. Ferro retires, the laborers return to work, and Jeffrey is left begging for change.

I liked "The Iron Brain," partly due to the art by Bill Benulis and partly due to the tongue in cheek story. In a few places, Benulis makes good use of white space, and his design for Ferro is amusing--the robot has a big wheel instead of legs and a propellor atop its head. The conclusion, where each gets his just desserts, is satisfying.-Jack

Mystery Tales #36

Cover by Carl Burgos

"What Am I?" (a: Art Peddy) ★★

"The Strange Sink" (a: Bernie Krigstein)  ★★

"Eyes in the Night" (a: Bob Forgione & Jack Abel) ★★

"Man in White" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★1/2

"The Unseen Enemy!" (a: Joe Sinnott) ★★

When he emerges unscathed from a building explosion, Don wonders, "What Am I?" All his life, he's never been hurt or fallen ill. Is he an alien from another planet? He's kept his secret hidden from his wife Mary, who doesn't realize that Don doesn't even need sleep. And who is the man who has been following Don for weeks, trying to talk to him?

One day, Don arrives home to find Mary standing in the kitchen, staring at the milkman, who lies unconscious on the floor. She picks up the man as if he weighs no more than a feather and carries him out the back door. It turns out he was overcome by fumes from the gas stove. After the milkman leaves, Mary and Don confess to each other that they are the same! Neither gets hurt, neither gets sick, neither needs sleep. The man who has been following Don appears at their house and explains that they are products of the atomic age, formed by nature to ensure man's survival as radiation on the planet increases.

Well, that conclusion landed like a lead zeppelin, didn't it? I was expecting Don and Mary to be robots, but instead they're somehow genetic mutations. The oddest part of the story is the way the scientist just turns up in their living room right in the middle of their mutual confessions. Creepy.

A poor old woman named Martha is astonished when she washes her ragged dress in "The Strange Sink" and, when she lifts it out of the water, it's brand new! She shows her husband, Henry, and admits that she was wishing for a new dress when she put it in the water. Henry wishes for a box of fine cigars, and they suddenly appear in his humidor! Determined to make their next wish a good one, they wish that the mortgage on their home was paid in full. Mr. Holden, the man who holds the note, appears at the door and explains that he just got rich from an oil field and is canceling their mortgage to keep himself out of a higher tax bracket.

Holden accidentally drops his pen into the sink, and the ink turns the water blue. As he leaves, Martha lets the water out so it won't stain the sink, which she then scrubs clean. She fills the sink with more water, but its wish-granting properties have vanished. On a nearby estate, young Tommy gazes down into a wishing well and remarks that the water at the bottom has suddenly turned blue.

Peter handily informs me that this is the first we've seen of Bernie Krigstein at Atlas in over two years, since "The Untouchable" in Strange Tales #22. I'm happy for more work by a former EC artist, but I would prefer it if he were assigned a story that had some meat to it. The tale of Martha and her sink hardly warrants the artwork of the man who drew "Master Race." What's next, "The Terrible Tub?"

No one likes Char, a black cat, and the poor kitty thinks that if only someone would trust him, he'd lead them to great riches. Char spends his nights in the basement of a deserted stone house, sitting atop a chest of gold coins. Along comes Joe Ruddey, an escaped convict on the run who is being pursued by bloodhounds. Char rubs against his leg and Joe follows the cat to the basement, where he discovers the gold. Unfortunately, when Joe is dragging the heavy chest out of the basement, a wall collapses and traps him under its debris. His calls for help alert the cops and he is taken back to jail, but Char thinks Joe will see him as an omen of good luck that led him to wealth.

There's nothing wrong with "Eyes in the Night," which features some decent layouts by Bob Forgione and Jack Abel, but it suffers from the same problem so many of these post-code stories do--it's too tame. Having the cat narrate doesn't help.

When the cops respond to a burglar alarm going off at the bank, all they find is a "Man in White" who speaks Latin and is dressed in a toga. A Latin teacher is brought in to translate, and the stranger explains that he's Caius Aneas and he lives in Rome in 40 B.C. He conducted scientific investigations but his conclusions, such as demonstrating that the Earth revolves around the sun, forced him into exile. One day, a group of peasants summoned Caius to examine a strange, red box that had dials and levers inside. He got in and, the next thing he knew, he was transported to 1955. Meanwhile, in Rome of 40 B.C., a bank robber wonders what happened to the time machine he used to hide out after robbing the bank. Now he has to wait 2000 years for the bonds he stole to mature!

Ed Winiarski's primitive art ruins any chance that this quickie had of being entertaining. As is so often the case, the ending falls flat. I'd like to see what happens when the Romans discover the bank robber, who wears a jacket, tie, and fedora!

Flight instructor Col. Luke Roehm tells his students that Earth is at war with Mars and flying saucers have been sent to spy on us. As a result, he's court-martialed. A professor of astronomy testifies that there is definitely no life on Mars. Smiling to himself, Roehm hops in his flying saucer and returns to Mars, where he reports that Earthlings are morons and the planet is ripe for takeover. Unfortunately, Martian scientists have concluded that there is definitely no life on Earth and thus nothing to conquer! Roehm is kicked out of the Martian army.

I was hoping for a brief interruption in the mediocrity when I saw that "The Unseen Enemy!" was drawn by Joe Sinnott, but no such luck--it looks like he phoned it in. The end of the story, where the Martians are certain that there is no life on Earth, is kind of cute, but the story is a series of talking heads.-Jack

Next Week...
Introducing...
The False Face Society!

The Hitchcock Project-Calvin Clements, Part One-Beta Delta Gamma [7.6]

by Jack Seabrook

Calvin Clements (1915-1997) wrote the teleplays for two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that aired in November 1961, during the show's seventh season: "Beta Delta Gamma," an original script, and "The Old Pro," based on a short story from Manhunt. Born in Jersey City, NJ, Clements joined the Navy at age sixteen and traveled through South Asia and the Pacific before becoming a fireboat pilot with the New York City Fire Department. He began writing short stories, the first of which was published in 1948, and retired from the fire department after twenty years to be a full-time writer. He had four novels published between 1952 and 1956, the year his last short story was published. Clements then moved his family from New York to Los Angeles, where he began a career as a television writer. He mostly wrote westerns and his last TV show aired in 1979. His son, Calvin Clements, Jr., is also a TV writer.

*   *   *   *   *

Barbara Steele as Phyllis

"Beta Delta Gamma" begins as a college student named Alan whistles to himself as he walks across a beach after sunset and enters a house perched on the edge of the sand. The house is filled with a selection of other students, and large Greek letters on the wall above the fireplace identify it as the fraternity house of the local chapter of Beta Delta Gamma. A party is in progress, but one young man named Mark strikes a serious note, studying his lines for a play and quoting Hamlet's famous line, "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." As in the Shakespeare play, this episode will find a performance being put on that ends up uncovering the conscience of Alan, the king of the fraternity, who is referred to as a "'boy genius and valedictorian.'"

Burt Brinckerhoff as Alan

A beautiful young woman named Phyllis dances seductively around Alan, who appears to be slightly drunk and who resists the temptation she presents. After Alan tells Phyllis that she "'want[s] to crucify anything [she] can't have,'" Phyllis responds, "'Meaning I wanted you?'" Alan replies that she "'can't bear the idea that I'm not falling on my face running after you, dear.'" Alan's refusal to respond to Phyllis's attempt at seduction will soon drive her to set a series of events in motion that will, in a way, crucify him, and that will also reveal "the conscience of the king."

A pair of older beatniks enter the room and sit down; they are Franklin and Dodo, and Franklin comments on the goings-on by saying that "'We're not the lost generation, we're the stupid generation.'" The lost generation refers to Americans of the 1920s, whose youth (and many of its young men) was lost in the horrors of WWI. In a decision that proves Franklin correct, Mark challenges Alan to a drinking contest and hands him a pitcher of beer, which Alan proceeds to consume.

Duke Howard as Mark

Mark concedes that Alan has won but Alan is not satisfied and grows aggressive, insisting that Mark also drink a pitcher of beer. Mark resists and, before tensions can escalate any further, Alan passes out drunk. A woman named Beth remarks that Alan looks dead and suggests using Mark's makeup kit to make Alan look like a ghost when he wakes up, but Phyllis suggests something even darker: staging the scene so that, when Alan awakens, he will think that he has killed Mark with a fireplace poker. A fraternity brother named Robert goes next door and comes back with his father's medical bag, then injects Mark with a drug that will knock him out and slow his breathing so that it is barely discernible. Some fake blood on his forehead completes the illusion, and Mark passes out.

Joel Crothers as Robert

The soundtrack, which has been free of music up to this point, features an eerie flute and drum accompaniment as the students watch Mark lose consciousness. Everyone but Phyllis leaves; left alone with the two sleeping men, she puts the fireplace poker in Alan's hand before she departs. Later, the telephone rings, waking Alan from his drunken slumber. On the other end of the line is Phyllis, the architect of the unfolding nightmare, calling from next door. When Alan answers the phone, she hangs up and tells the others that he is awake.

Alan still holds the poker in his hand as he discovers Mark's seemingly dead body, looks at what he assumes is a weapon, and assumes the worst, all to more music by flute and drums, adding an early 1960s coffee house feeling to the scene. Alan heads outside in the dark and walks next door, where he tells the others that Mark is asleep. This is Alan's first act of deception, since he believes that Mark is dead but conceals it from his friends. Robert plays along with Alan's lie, telling him that they all left the fraternity house because Alan and Mark were shouting at each other. Alan says that he is going back to the house to "'sleep it off'" and, when he returns to the seeming corpse, he tries to rouse Mark without success and appears distraught.

Severn Darden as Franklin

The sun comes up in the morning and Alan returns to the house next door, where the other students wake up from their positions sleeping on couches and chairs in the living room. Alan tells them that Mark is dead and that he does not know how it happened or why. He has been up all night trying to figure a way out of his predicament. As Alan is about to call the police, Robert tells him the truth, that they made it look like Mark was dead but that he was really alive. Alan reveals that, in an attempt to cover up his seeming crime, he wrapped Mark in a blanket and buried him in the sand! Everyone rushes out to the beach, but the tide has washed away all evidence and Alan cannot find Mark's burial place. The show ends with more eerie flute and drum music and a shot of waves relentlessly washing the beach clean.

Calvin Clements's teleplay for "Beta Delta Gamma" is simple and straightforward on the surface, a cautionary tale about the dangers of excessive drinking among college students, yet it contains subtle undercurrents that increase the tragic nature of events. The conscience of fraternity "king" Alan has been revealed, as the quotation from Shakespeare at the opening of the episode promised. When faced with apparent evidence of his accidental murder of Mark, Alan chose to lie to his friends, not call the police, and bury the body in the sand. His conscience pricks him in the morning and he confesses, but by then it is too late. Phyllis, spurned by Alan at the beginning of the show, gets her revenge in a way she never intended, by making Alan a murderer and Mark a real corpse.

Barbara Harris as Beth

The power of nature is revealed in the end and the viewer is left to wonder what will happen next. Will the students call the police and reveal Alan's crime and their part in it, or will they close ranks and take the chance that Mark's body will never be found?

The situation in "Beta Delta Gamma" has a passing similarity to two other episodes in the series, both of which were based on stories by Robert Arthur. The first is "The Jokester," which was based on a 1952 short story and which aired in 1958; in it, a prank-loving newspaper reporter pretends to be a corpse in order to scare an old morgue attendant, but the attendant causes the reporter to become a real corpse. The second is "The Cadaver," which was based on a 1964 short story and which aired that year; in it, a law school student with a drinking problem is frightened when a corpse is planted in his bed to scare him when he wakes up. "Beta Delta Gamma" does not seem similar enough to "The Jokester" to suggest that its author was familiar with it, but "The Cadaver" shares some interesting parallels with Clements's teleplay, so perhaps Arthur may have seen the earlier show before he wrote his story.

Petrie Mason as Dodo

"Beta Dela Gamma" is directed by Alan Crosland, Jr. (1918-2001), who started out as a film editor, working on features from 1944 to 1954 and on TV from 1955 to 1957, then began directing episodic television in 1956. He directed 16 half-hours and three hours of the Hitchcock series, including "The Woman Who Wanted to Live," as well as episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Crosland directed a handful of movies, but his main focus was on TV, and he directed his last show in 1986.

"Beta Delta Gamma" is an unusual episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in that none of its seven cast members ever appeared in any other episodes.

Burt Brinckerhoff (1936- ) stars as Alan. He acted in numerous TV shows from 1954 to 1970 before becoming a busy TV director from 1971 to 2002; he also appeared on Broadway from 1958 to 1968.

Playing the seductive Phyllis is Barbara Steele (1937- ). Born in England, her screen career began in 1958 and continues today with voice work. Two of her most famous roles came right before this episode, as she appeared in Mario Bava's Black Sunday in 1960 and in Roger Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum in 1961. She later was seen in Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963) and in an episode of Night Gallery. She is beloved among horror film fans and considered one of the all-time great scream queens. As a treat for her fans, I've included a clip of her dance from the opening scene of "Beta Delta Gamma."

Mark is played by Duke Howard, who had only a handful of TV credits between 1961 and 1973; this was his first.

Joel Crothers (1941-1985) plays Robert; he was on TV from 1955 to 1985 and is best known for his long-running roles on several soap operas, including Dark Shadows (1966-1969), Somerset (1974-1976), The Edge of Night (1977-1984), and Santa Barbara (1985).

The oldest member of the fraternity is Franklin, who is also referred to as "'senior'"; he is played  by 32-year-old Severn Darden (1929-1995), who was a founding member of The Second City comedy troupe. He appeared on screen from 1961 to 1989 and was seen on Night Gallery and The Night Stalker.

Another former member of The Second City is Barbara Harris (1935-2018), who plays Beth. She trained with The Actors Studio and appeared on screen from 1961 to 1997; this was one of her first roles. She also appeared on Broadway from 1961 to 1967 and won a Tony in 1967 for The Apple Tree. Hitchcock fans know her as Blanche in Family Plot (1976).

Finally, Petrie Mason plays Franklin's companion, Dodo; this is her only credit.

The beach house in "Beta Delta Gamma" appears to be the same one used in "The Last Dark Step" and "Madame Mystery;" it is located on Malibu Beach.

Sources:

"Archives West Finding Aid." Calvin Clements Papers - Archives West, archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv83807.

"Barge Girl." Paperback Warrior, www.paperbackwarrior.com/2022/02/barge-girl.html.

"Beta Delta Gamma." Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 7, episode 6, NBC, 14 November 1961.

"Calvin Clements." Stark House Press, starkhousepress.com/clements.php.

"Calvin J. Clements Sr.; Writer of Westerns for Film, TV." Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 1997, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-19-me-39941-story.html.

The FICTIONMAGS Index, www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub., 2001.

IMDb, www.imdb.com.

Sweedo, Nicholas. "Calvin Clements, Jr.: A Conversation." Calvin Clements, Jr.: A Conversation ~, themacgyverproject.blogspot.com/2015/04/calvin-clements-jr-conversation.html.

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.

Listen to Al Sjoerdsma discuss "One for the Road" here!

Listen to Annie and Kathryn discuss "Beta Delta Gamma" here!

In two weeks: Our series on Calvin Clements ends with a look at "The Old Pro," starring Richard Conte!

Batman in the 1960s Issue 17: September/ October 1962

The Caped Crusader in the 1960s
by Jack Seabrook
& Peter Enfantino

Dillin

Detective Comics #307

"Alpha, the Experimental Man!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"Alias Scarface Scanlon"

Story by Jack Miller (?)

Art by Joe Certa

Dr. Burgos has finally done it! He's created a synthetic man! But "Alpha, the Experimental Man!" is like clay and must be molded into something much better and useful for mankind, so the government suits ask Batman to teach Alpha coordination and reflex skills. Bats is only too happy to help in this monumental event in scientific history. He and Robin head to the Burgos lab to begin their work.

Alpha begins to get with the picture, but he has questions: why does he not have "emotions" like regular human beings? Batman explains that someday even those traits will come naturally to the walking doll. Batman suggests to Burgos that they take Alpha out for a drive to get some air and take in the Gotham countryside and, while cruising past a construction scene, they catch sight of four "armed escaped convicts" and stop the Batmobile. A kerfuffle ensues and Alpha gets to throw his first right cross. The thugs are rounded up and the day is saved.

Once the action has finished, Batwoman rides up on her cycle and apologizes for being late to the battle. Alpha catches one glimpse of the shapely heroine and feels a twinge deep inside. Tired of waiting for his emotions to show up, Alpha rushes back to Dr. Burgos's lab and zaps himself with the full power of the machine that created him. Suddenly, Alpha's body is granted super-powers! He rushes out into the night and somehow stumbles onto Batman and Robin trading punches with the Green Mask Bandits high atop a Gotham building. Very quickly, Alpha puts an end to the tussle, displaying his newfound strength and almost killing the crooks.

Worried, Batman consults with Burgos, who tells our hero that, when the machine was turned to "Full Power," it degenerated the synthetic man's mind and body. If not found and given proper treatment, Alpha will die! Well, finding him is no problem, because the android just happens to walk up to the scientist's window and overhear part of the conversation. Misunderstanding the intent, Alpha goes on the defense and proclaims mankind his enemy! He immediately heads into Gotham and wreaks havoc, drawing the attention of Batwoman, who follows her admirer out into the country. After a mishap with her cycle, Batwoman is left hanging off a cliff, death imminent.

After a lengthy conversation, Alpha decides he's been wrong about the whole "evil mankind" thing and saves Batwoman, giving up his life in the process. Our heroes and Dr. Burgos grieve in front of Alpha's grave (with a really wordy gravestone) for what could have been. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's amazing to me how many genius scientists call Gotham their home. At least Dr. Burgos (a nod to famed Marvel artist Carl?) doesn't create Alpha to rob newspaper vendors and pet stores but, if I were Batman, I'd tell the government brass (who assign duties and then disappear) I was too busy catching the Joker and Catwoman to train their new toy. I love me some Batwoman cheesecake (even if she is buttoned up to the neck), but that climax was as sappy and maudlin as a Hallmark Movie of the Week. My favorite bit of '60s dialogue is when Bats tells his female counterpart that she's always late... "'just like a woman!'" Ouch! Kathy should store that one in her memory banks for the next time Bats is dangling over a shark tank.

In an effort to smoke out the "Scarface" Scanlon gang, Detective John Jones goes undercover, disguised as Scanlon (it's too long a story to go into but, basically, Scanlon took a header off a high bridge and is presumed dead), and infiltrates the gang. Unfortunately, the real Scanlon pops up and makes matters a bit complicated. With a quick change to the Martian Manhunter, J'onn is able to nab the real Scanlon, hand him over to authorities, and convince the gang that he's the real Scarface. And then, like clockwork, gorgeous patrolwoman Diane Meade stumbles into the forest cabin lair of the Scarface gang and is captured. The Martian Manhunter must save Diane and put the kibosh on the gang. No problem. 

I was waiting for J'onn to scold Diane with a "just like a woman. Always late to the party," but alas, MM has more manners and is a little more educated when it comes to 1960s women's lib than Bats. Though I'm not nuts enough to say "Alias Scarface Scanlon" is a good story, I will say that it was at least entertaining, in a mind-numbing sort of way. It is amazing how little energy Joe Certa put into his penciling; every one of his thugs looks alike.-Peter

Jack-This Batman story has it all! A cameo by Ace, the Bat-Hound, a key role for Batwoman—all it’s missing are the hijinks of Bat-Mite! I’m not sure that showing Alpha a Jerry Lewis flick is the best way to teach him about the ways of people in the outside world. I’m surprised the android didn’t start mugging for the camera! I agree that the J’onn J’onzz story is not bad. I was most intrigued by the two instances where the Martian Manhunter changes from his human alter ego back into his Martian self, right in front of a bunch of crooks. Is this the first time we’ve seen him able to take on the appearance of any human he chooses? That could prove handy!

Mooney (?) & Moldoff

Batman #150

"The Secret Behind the Stone Door"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"The Girl Who Stole Batman's Heart"

Story by Jerry Coleman

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

"Robin, the Super Boy Wonder"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Jim Mooney

The president of Global TV asks Batman to keep an eye on Chetley and Bradley, who produce TV documentaries and who are working on a big story but keeping it a secret. Batman disguises himself as Trevor Cornelius, the English nephew of the network president, and is hired as assistant to the producing duo. He and Robin follow them separately and Batman witnesses Chetley and Bradley enter a hidden valley behind a stone door that is camouflaged in the side of a mountain.

Cornelius reveals his presence to the producers and learns that they've found "'a secret training center for the underworld army of a would-be dictator who intends to take over the United States'"! Chetley and Bradley are filming proof of the nefarious activities that they can turn over to the authorities. Cornelius whips off his disguise and reveals himself as Batman; he is quickly located and captured by the red and black garbed minions of the leader, who calls himself Caesar.

Batman is attacked by a huge, metal bird and Robin suddenly appears to help. Caesar then attacks with a giant metal snake that he calls the Crusher. It doesn't take Batman long to defeat him and, a week later. a documentary airs on TV about the heroic events.

"The Secret Behind the Stone Door" is a good example of Bill Finger throwing everything at the wall to see what will stick. It's one of the lesser tales we've encountered thus far in the '60s Batman titles. Having Batman monitor the newsmen in disguise is silly, but it's even sillier that those newsmen don't just call the cops when they discover Caesar's hidden training camp. No, they'd rather film a documentary first! Seems irresponsible.

After three crooks steal $2,000,000 in cash and gems from an armored car, Batman is put under a spell by an old man who waves magical, ancient fumes under his nose. As a result, the Caped Crusader falls madly in love with the first woman he sees, a visiting French brunette named Elise. Robin takes over crime-fighting duties in Gotham City with his new partner, the Batman robot. while the real Caped Crusader dances the night away with Eloise, ignoring Batwoman's caution that he's ruining his career.

Gangster Jack Pine uses the distracted Batman and his lady love to get a missing clue to the location of the $2,000,000 in stolen loot, but it turns out that Batman was faking the whole thing in order to follow the crooks to the cash. "The Girl Who Stole Batman's Heart" is really Sgt. Helen Smith of the Gotham P.D., and Alfred masqueraded as the old man with the magic spell.

The second story in this issue is marginally better than the first, though Jerry Coleman has to go through some real plot gymnastics and spend a lot of time having Batman explain what happened to make it all work out. When you only have seven and a half pages to tell a complicated story, and page one is a splash page that doesn't advance the plot, it requires a lot of word balloons.

Batman and Robin fly over the Yucatan jungle, searching for gangster Biff Warner. They take to their Whirly-Bats to get a closer look, but a sudden, violent tropical storm causes them to crash and they are separated. Soon, Batman is chased by three natives wielding spears, and he is shocked when "Robin, the Super Boy Wonder" appears on the scene, not knowing Batman and possessing great strength.

Batman escapes and makes his way to a nearby Indian village, where he witnesses Super-Robin under the control of an Indian. The Caped Crusader is discovered and saves Robin from a thrown spear, knocking his head into a rock in the process. That brings the Boy Wonder's memory back, and he saves Batman. They chase the main bad Indian and Batman pulls off his wig to reveal that he's really the missing Biff Warner! Robin's super powers are wearing off; the Dynamic Duo say goodbye to the now-friendly Indians and take Biff Warner back to Gotham City.

The only positive about this story is the Jim Mooney art, which is slightly more enjoyable than the art by Moldoff. Otherwise, it's rather dopey. A pretty weak issue of Batman, and no mention of the landmark number 150.-Jack

Peter-"The Secret Behind the Stone Door" highlights several of the lunacies inherent in the 1960s Bat-stories. Could you imagine Frank Miller writing a yarn about Batman becoming a bodyguard for documentary filmmakers? Or how about a story where a terrorist threat has his henchmen dress in spandex? I'm surprised the Joker, who knows everything that happens in Gotham, didn't take this as the perfect opportunity to pull a Gotham Gumball Factory heist. But the biggest laugh of them all is reserved for the scene where "Cornelius" rips off his mask to reveal... Batman in his cape and cowl! How the heck did he hide those ears? "The Girl Who Stole Batman's Heart" and "Robin, the Super Boy Wonder" are convoluted, foolish nonsense and perfect examples of how low the character had sunk in between the noir period and the Adams/Rogers/Miller rebirth. Once again, the lightning bolt grants extra-special powers to its strike. The last page expositions in both defy logic and push my patience to the breaking point.

Dillin/Moldoff

Detective Comics #308

"The Flame-Master"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Dick Sprang & Sheldon Moldoff

"The Day John Jones Vanished!"

Story by Jack Miller (?)

Art by Joe Certa

Hot on the trail of criminal Pete Dale, Batman and Robin find the man hiding out, disguised as a trapeze artist, in a circus in the southwest. Dale gets the jump on the Dynamic Duo and races out of the circus in a chariot (no, seriously!), eventually taking refuge in an old Indian pueblo in the desert. As our heroes arrive, Dale exits the ruins with a smile on his face and bursts into flames, proclaiming himself The Human Torch "The Flame-Master"! 

Dale speeds down the road to a nearby town, where a film crew is shooting a TV western. Batman and Robin arrive in time to see Dale make flame-animals in order to destroy the town. Batman unleashes a torrent of water on the criminal but, to everyone's amazement, Dale simply transforms into "Liquid Man!" and jumps into a nearby stream to escape. The Caped Crusaders give chase in a canoe but Dale lifts himself from the river and, touching the bank, becomes "Earth-Man!" He quickly causes an earthquake, destroying a nearby grain silo and then transforms into "Cyclone-Man!" Destroying the forest around him and making a general mess, he wishes the boys a good day and twirls himself to Gotham (which is a at least a couple thousand miles away!).

Wondering how Dale got his newfound powers, Batman heads back to the Indian pueblo and discovers a secret passageway that leads to a room filled with Indian relics and graffiti. The symbols and the small globes on the floor (one broken open) lead Batman to the conclusion that Paul Dale was granted one month of unlimited elemental powers thanks to a gas captured inside the globes. Batman decides the only way to stop Dale is to (literally) fight fire with fire. 

Meanwhile, in Gotham, Dale (as Flame-Master) has enlisted asbestos-uniformed henchmen and is robbing Gotham's largest bank. As Earth-Man, Dale stomps his foot and the ensuing tremor cracks the building in half. Just then, Batman and Robin arrive in the Batmobile and the Dark Knight exits the vehicle, transforming into Earth-Man II and immediately engaging Dale in a furious, violent, and cataclysmic war that threatens the very Earth itself. In the end, the World's Greatest Detective uses a trick taught to him by the ancient Mayans who left the powerful gas in the pueblo and defeats Paul Dale once and for all!

Wow! Not only an exciting and intelligent script but some dynamic visual thrills as well. This could be the best Batman adventure we've seen since starting this 1960s journey. Of course, I have my nits to pick (how did Dale find the secret room, get gassed, and suddenly know everything about his new powers in the time it took the boys to get to the ruins?), but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't raise the important questions. Shouldn't Dale have monikered himself something along the lines of "Elemental Man!" or "Everything Guy!" or "Earth, Wind and Fire!"? Can you imagine how large his Wanted poster would be? Picture Gordon ringing the Bat-Phone, alerting Bats to the presence of Earth-Man in Gotham, Bats loading all his dirt weapons in the trunk, and arriving in town to find Water-Boy flooding the streets? I'm all in on Dick Sprang over Shelly Moldoff. Just look at that panel reprinted above of Batman delivering the final blow to Dale. You can feel the power!

Detective John Jones is tasked with returning a priceless jewel box to its rightful owner, King Leo of Lavonia. Jones makes the long flight okay but his coach is ambushed by masked men as he's on his way to the palace and the box is stolen. Jones transforms into the Martian Manhunter and quietly knocks a tree down in front of the crooks (MM can't be seen thousands of miles away in the same spot as John Jones or his alter ego will be public knowledge!) but, unfortunately, he's struck by lightning and stuck in the body of J'onn J'onzz!!! 

At that moment, King Leo rides up with his band of merry men and is handed his box by the local constabulary. J'onn hides but overhears the king mention that the box is in good shape but the ring within is missing. King Leo looks around, sees no American detective, and puts two and two together. "Bring Me the Head of John Jones!!!" The Martian Manhunter knows he can't show his face in Lavonia, so he rockets back to Captain Harding's office, where he discovers the news of John Jones's theft has already reached America. Can the Martian Manhunter find the missing ring and restore his Earthbound alter ego's good name and reputation? 

Just as silly (maybe even sillier) than the previous MM sagas, "The Day John Jones Vanished" does have one clever little bit, in which MM flies back to America and gets Harding to plead for his help locating Detective Jones, thus making it natural that both would be in the same faraway place. But the reveal that Diane made the flight to "help" in the search is pretty lame, adding fuel to the notion that the character is only kept around to use in hostage situations and for a little eye candy. Jack Seabrook will be happy to see the ol' "One electrical shock is bad but the second one negates the effects of the first one" trope used yet again in the sappy, crappy climax.-Peter

Jack-I am shaking my head in wonder at your positive review of the Batman story, which I thought was one of the worst I've read. Dick Sprang is among my favorite Bat artists, but this story looks rushed and most of the panels include tiny figures that are hard to make out. The story is absurd, and this is coming from someone who got a kick out of Bat-Baby! I was really disappointed. The J'onn J'onzz story was slightly better, mainly because the characters were drawn big enough to make out. You're right about the electric shocks--they're as dumb as the knocks to the head.

Next Week...
The Return of Bernie Krigstein!